title: Pool film boiling experiments on a wire in low gravity: preliminary results.
abstract: This paper reports preliminary results for pool film boiling on a wire immersed in almost saturated FC72 recently obtained during an experimental campaign performed in low gravity on the European Space Agency Zero-G airplane, (reduced gravity level 10(-2)). This is part of a long-term research program on the effect of gravitational and electric forces on boiling. The reported data set refers to experiments performed under the following conditions: (1) Earth gravity without electric field, (2) Earth gravity with electric field, (3) low gravity without electric field, and (4) low gravity with electric field. Although a decrease of gravity causes a heat transfer degradation, the electric field markedly improves heat exchange. This improvement is so effective that, beyond a certain field value, the heat flux is no longer sensitive to gravity. Two main film boiling regimes have been identified, both in normal and in low gravity: one is affected by the electric field and the other is practically insensitive to the field influence.
authors.affiliation: LOTHAR, Dipartimento di Energetica, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Marco
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Grassi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Trentavizi