Three-phase Leidenfrost effect

Abstract

We replace the classical two-phase Leidenfrost effect with a three-phase system: ice and its meltwater levitating on water vapor. The critical Leidenfrost temperature, which is about 150 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C for water droplets on smooth aluminum, increased to about 550 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C for ice disks. This results in an order of magnitude increase in heat flux from 150--550 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C, suggesting that ice quenching may be a superior alternative to spray quenching for firefighting, metallurgy, and preventing pressure buildup in nuclear reactors.

Topics & Concepts