Pool Boiling in Liquid Hydrogen, Liquid Methane and Liquid Oxygen: A Review of Available Data and Predictive Tools

Abstract The experimental data accessible in the open literature related to pool boiling of liquid hydrogen (LH2), liquid methane (LCH4), and liquid oxygen (LO2) were compiled. Pool nucleate boiling of LH2 data were compiled from 17 sources, and pool film boiling of LH2 data were compiled from six sources. Pool nucleate boiling of LCH4 data were collected from eight sources, and useful data for pool film boiling of LCH4 were found from only three sources, all representing boiling on the outside surface of horizontal cylinders. For LO2, pool nucleate boiling data from 11 sources were compiled, and useful pool film boiling data could be found from only four sources, three for horizontal cylinders and one for vertical cylinders. The predictions of 19 pool nucleate and 10 pool film boiling correlations were compared with experimental data for the three cryogens. The film boiling data were only compared with appropriate models and correlations based on surface geometry and orientation. Overall, pool nucleate boiling data for all three fluids display considerable scatter, and existing correlations are unable to effectively narrow the scatter to better than an order of magnitude. The correlations of Stephan and Abdelsalam (1980) and Forster and Zuber (1955) perform best for LH2, and can predict the bulk of the existing heat flux data within an order of magnitude. They can predict respectively, 38% and 27% of the data within a factor of two. The correlations of Bier and Lambert (1990) and Forster and Zuber (1955) perform best for nucleate boiling of LCH4 and can predict the bulk of the existing heat flux data within an order of magnitude. They can predict respectively, 58% and 49% of the data within a factor of two. For LO2, the correlations of Forster and Zuber (1955) and Bier and Lambert (1990) provide the best agreement with experimental data for nucleate pool boiling, and can predict the heat flux data within an order of magnitude. They could predict respectively, 50% and 47% of the data within a factor of two. The film boiling data show smaller scatter in comparison with nucleate boiling, and can be predicted by existing correlations with reasonable accuracy.