Numerical analysis of single bubble dynamics and heat transfer in electric field-enhanced nucleate boiling

This study investigated the dynamic characteristics and heat transfer performance of single bubble in nucleate boiling process under a uniform vertical electric field through numerical simulation. It detailed the dynamic behavior and characteristics of bubbles, focusing on the process from deformation to detachment, to reveal the influence of the electric field on nucleate boiling. By quantitatively comparing the effects of the electric field and gravity on bubble detachment period and system heat transfer performance, it was confirmed that under microgravity conditions, the electric field can be an effective means of enhancing nucleate boiling heat transfer. Furthermore, this work has also conducted three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations and qualitatively and quantitatively compared it with the two-dimensional (2D) results. The research results indicate that although the 2D and 3D results are qualitatively similar, there are some quantitative differences. However, the 2D results still have reference value for analyzing the flow patterns and transition characteristics of the system. Quantitative results indicate that, for 2D results, the heat transfer enhancement ratio of the electric field is 2.07 at Bo = 1.2. For Bo^E = 500, the decrease in gravity acceleration leads to a 36 % decrease in heat transfer. For 3D cases, the electric field only increases the heat transfer capacity by 40.1 %, while the decrease in gravity acceleration leads to a 38.6 % decrease in heat transfer capacity.