Machine learning study of bubble nucleation and dynamics on a boiling surface based on lattice Boltzmann method

Pool boiling is a common and efficient two-phase heat transfer process, which has wide and important applications in the fields of heat exchange, temperature control, and thermal management in modern industries. Bubble dynamics play a crucial role in pool boiling processes. These dynamic processes include bubble nucleation, growth, departure from the heated surface, and complex interactions between bubbles. A well-designed surface engineering approach can optimize these dynamic processes, thereby significantly enhancing the overall heat transfer efficiency. But how the surface parameters affect phase change and heat transfer behavior by influencing bubble dynamics has not been elucidated. In light of this, this study uses a method combining the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and machine learning (ML) method to investigate the effects of surface parameters on the heat transfer process during bubble nucleation. A numerical simulation study of pool boiling on a flat surface is first performed. The simulation framework is based on the pseudopotential method for two-phase flow and the double distribution function method for thermal simulation. This part examine how surface density affects wettability and wetting modes, while also considering the impact of surface roughness. Typical bubble nucleation processes of pool boiling are obtained. A data mining process for contact line dynamics parameters based on ML method and computer vision is further applied to obtain the contact line dynamics data related to the speed, acceleration, and contact angle of bubble three-phase contact lines (TCLs) during the pool boiling process. The results demonstrate the effects of different surface characteristics on bubble nucleation, surface wetting, heat transfer behavior, and contact line dynamics in pool boiling. Surface roughness and wettability can both enhance the heat transfer behavior through the influence of the bubble TCLs. • Surface density changes the contact angle and wetting mode. • Roughness enhances heat transfer within a specific roughness range. • Wettability and roughness both affect the speed and acceleration of bubble TCLs.