Effects of Contact Angle on Bubble Dynamics During Nucleate Boiling: A Coupled Level-Set and Volume of Fluid (CLSVOF)-Based Numerical Investigation

Abstract Understanding the influence of surface wettability and microlayer evaporation during bubble dynamics associated to nucleate boiling is an important aspect of phase change heat transfer and till date it is not widely explored. In the present study, boiling and associated bubble dynamics have been simulated in saturated pool boiling condition using water at the atmospheric condition. The study involves full numerical investigation of Navier-Stokes equations together with a mass transfer and a surface tension model. The growth and departure diameters of the vapor bubbles were predicted using a coupled level-set and volume of fluid approach. A microlayer evaporation model similar to that used by Pandey et al. (2018) was employed in this investigation. The study focuses on the changes in microlayer structure owing to various surface wettability (varied contact angles). The predicted departure diameters of the bubbles were compared with the available experimental and computational results. An increase in interfacial thermal resistance at the liquid–vapor boundary was observed as microlayer evaporation progressed.