Fuel-coolant interaction in a shock tube with initially-established film boiling

A new mode of thermal interaction has been employed, in which liquid metal is melted in a crucible within a shock tube; the coolant level is raised to overflow the crucible and establish subcooled film boiling with known bulk metal temperature; and a pressure shock is then initiated. With water and lead-tin alloy an initial splash of metal may be obtained after the vapor film has collapsed, due primarily to thermal interaction, followed by a successive cycle of bubble growth and collapse. To obtain large interactions, the interfacial contact temperature must exceed the spontaneous nucleation temperature of the coolant. Other cutoff behavior is observed with respect to the initial system pressure and temperatures and with the shock pressure and rise time. Experiments with butanol and lead-tin alloy show only relatively mild interactions. Qualitative explanations are proposed for the different behaviors of the two liquids