An experimental investigation of the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) enhancement of saturated nucleate pool boiling of hyrdrofluorocarbon R-123 was conducted to quantify the extent of EHD enhancement and verify the validity of existing models. The EHD enhancement model proposed by Cooper was validated with results from two different experiments; the first involves saturated nucleate boiling from a thin platinum wire immersed in R-123 with a uniform electric field, while the second involves saturated nucleate boiling from a flooded tube immersed in R-123 in a nonuniform electric field. For the platinum wire experiments, the electrical influence number proposed by Cooper was modified to account for the uniform electric field. Based on the results of this investigation, the Cooper model for EHD enhancement of nucleate boiling is shown to be valid for both uniform and nonuniform electric field applications.

Units: Dual