| Abstract: | The two‐dimensional, steady, pool film boiling heat transfer from a horizontal circular plate facing downward to a stagnant saturated liquid is studied theoretically. It is assumed that the vapor‐liquid interface is smooth and that radiation can be disregarded. The relevant governing equations for the vapor film are solved for saturated water at atmospheric pressure using an improved two‐equation boundary‐layer integral method. It is shown that the dimensionless temperature profile is affected by the wall superheat ΔTsat and that the ratio of Nu to X0.2 is an increasing function of ΔTsat. Here, Nu represents the mean Nusselt number and X the film‐boiling Rayleigh number. In addition, it is revealed that the one‐equation boundary‐layer integral method developed by Nishio and colleagues is fairly accurate in predicting the film thickness, the representative radial velocity, and the mean Nusselt number. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 32(1): 72–84, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10071 |
