Thermodynamic prediction of the temperature for film boiling destabilization and its relation to vapor explosion phenomena

A point of controversy in nuclear reactor safety is the interpretation of results of simulant fluid experiments (Freon/water; Freon/oil) where a rapid increase in pressurization (vapor explosion) is observed in a range of contact interface temperatures somewhat below the critical point of the working fluid. It is shown that such experimental results producing an explosion which have been interpreted in terms of the kinetic theory of nucleation can likewise be viewed in terms of vapor film destabilization