Computational investigation and microscale visualization of boiling and critical heat flux

The perennial demand for energy resources necessitates the need for more efficient means of energy extraction. In this context, boiling is a highly desired farm of heat transfer in several industrial systems, since it is the most effective way to achieve high rates of heat transfer at relatively low wall superheats. However, this phenomenon has the potential to quickly transform and trigger critical safety concerns such as in nuclear reactors. Due to the central role of boiling, both in efficient heat generation as well as in such crisis events, a detailed study of the underlying physics of boiling assumes significance. This talk will present the challenges involved in computational modelling of boiling and CHF at the wall, and the role of microscale visualization in facilitating better predictions of these events. (author)