The field-trap effect under conditions of boiling of dielectric liquids in nonuniform electric fields

Abstract

The mechanism of field-trap effect under conditions of boiling of dielectric liquids in a nonuniform electric field is discussed, which was experimentally observed in [1,2]. According to the data of [1, 2], an external electric field initiates the process of boiling up of liquid, with the growth of vapor bubbles to the departure size occurs mainly in regions with low values of electric field (in field traps). This phenomenon is attributed to the effect made on the vapor bubbles by electric forces directed in opposition to the field square gradient. In view of this, the bubbles arising in the region of strong field move to the region of weak field where they grow to the departure size to provide for an increase in local heat transfer. Such a mechanism is observed in the cited experiments [1,2] in the boiling of liquid nitrogen at a flat conducting surface with single projections leading to a local nonuniformity of electric field on a heated surface.