SUMMARY

An acoustic field is used to increase the critical heat flux of a copper boiling heat transfer surface. The increase is a result of the acoustic effects on the vapor bubbles. Experiments are being performed to explore the effects of an acoustic field on vapor bubbles in the vicinity of a rigid heated wall. Work includes the construction of a novel heater used to produce a single vapor bubble of a prescribed size and at a prescribed location on a flat boiling surface for better study of an individual vapor bubble’s reaction to the acoustic field. Work also includes application of the results from the single bubble heater to a calibrated copper heater used for quantifying the improvements in critical heat flux.