# Film Boiling Analysis in Porous Media

Film boiling in porous media.

Film boiling of liquid saturated in a porous medium at an initial temperature of ${T_\infty } < {T_{sat}}$ next to a vertical, impermeable heated wall at a temperature of Tw > Tsat is analyzed (see figure). Vapor generated at the liquid-vapor interface flows upward due to buoyancy force. The liquid adjacent to the vapor layer is dragged upward by the vapor. The temperature at the liquid-vapor interface is at the saturation temperature. There are velocity and thermal boundary layers in the liquid phase adjacent to the vapor film. The solution of the film boiling problem requires solutions of vapor and liquid flow, as well as heat transfer in both the vapor and liquid phases. It is assumed that boundary layer approximations are applicable to the vapor film and to convection heat transfer in the liquid phase. It is further assumed that the vapor flow is laminar, two-dimensional; Darcy’s law is applicable in both the vapor and liquid phases. The continuity, momentum, and energy equations in the vapor film are

$\frac{{\partial {u_v}}}{{\partial x}} + \frac{{\partial {v_v}}}{{\partial y}} = 0\qquad \qquad(1)$

${u_v} = - \frac{K}{{{\mu _v}}}({\rho _\ell } - {\rho _v})g\qquad \qquad(2)$

${u_v}\frac{{\partial {T_v}}}{{\partial x}} + {v_v}\frac{{\partial {T_v}}}{{\partial y}} = {\alpha _{mv}}\frac{{{\partial ^2}{T_v}}}{{\partial {y^2}}}\qquad \qquad(3)$

where αmv is thermal diffusivity of the porous medium saturated with the vapor. The governing equations for the liquid boundary layer are

$\frac{{\partial {u_\ell }}}{{\partial x}} + \frac{{\partial {v_\ell }}}{{\partial y}} = 0\qquad \qquad(4)$

${u_\ell } = \frac{K}{{{\mu _\ell }}}{\rho _\infty }g{\beta _\ell }({T_\ell } - {T_\infty })\qquad \qquad(5)$

${u_\ell }\frac{{\partial {T_\ell }}}{{\partial x}} + {v_\ell }\frac{{\partial {T_\ell }}}{{\partial y}} = {\alpha _{m\ell }}\frac{{{\partial ^2}{T_\ell }}}{{\partial {y^2}}}\qquad \qquad(6)$

where ${\alpha _{m\ell }}$ is thermal diffusivity of the porous medium saturated with the liquid.

The boundary conditions at the heated wall (y = 0) are

${v_v} = 0\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} , & {y = 0} \\ \end{array}\qquad \qquad(7)$

$T = {T_w}\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} , & {y = 0} \\ \end{array}\qquad \qquad(8)$

It should be pointed out that uv is not equal to zero at the heating surface under Darcy’s law, i.e., slip occurs at the surface. The boundary condition in the liquid that is far from the heated surface is

${u_\ell } = 0\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} , & {y \to \infty } \\ \end{array}\qquad \qquad(9)$

${T_\ell } = {T_\infty }\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} , & {y \to \infty } \\ \end{array}\qquad \qquad(10)$

The mass balance at the liquid-vapor interface is (see Film Boiling Analysis):

${\left( {\rho u\frac{{d\delta }}{{dx}} - \rho v} \right)_v} = {\left( {\rho u\frac{{d\delta }}{{dx}} - \rho v} \right)_\ell }\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} , & {y = {\delta _v}} \\ \end{array}\qquad \qquad(11)$

The temperature at the liquid-vapor interface is equal to the saturation temperature:

${T_v} = {T_\ell } = {T_{sat}}{\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} , & {y = \delta } \\ \end{array}_v}\qquad \qquad(12)$

The above film boiling problem can be solved using a similarity solution like that for film condensation in porous media.

## References

Cheng, P., and Verma, A.K., 1981, “The Effect of Subcooling Liquid on Film Boiling about a Vertical Heated Surface in a Porous Medium,” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 24, pp. 1151-1160.

Faghri, A., and Zhang, Y., 2006, Transport Phenomena in Multiphase Systems, Elsevier, Burlington, MA

Faghri, A., Zhang, Y., and Howell, J. R., 2010, Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer, Global Digital Press, Columbia, MO.

Nield, D.A., and Bejan, A., 1999, Convection in Porous Media, 2nd ed., Springer-Verlag, New York.