Waves on the surface of a boiling liquid at various medium stratifications

The stability of relatively small perturbations of the stationary state consisting of a plane liquid layer and a vapor film is studied when no liquid evaporation or vapor condensation occurs in the stationary state. In this case, heat from a hot to cold wall is removed through a vapor–liquid layer via heat conduction. The boundary conditions that take into account liquid evaporation (appearance of a mass flux) at the vapor–liquid phase surface and the temperature dependence of the saturation pressure are derived. Dispersion equations are obtained. The wave processes for the stable (light vapor under a liquid layer) and unstable stratifications of the phases at rest and during their relative motion are studied. The deformation of the phase boundary results in liquid evaporation, changes in the boiling temperature and the saturation pressure, and generation of weakly damped low-amplitude waves of a new type. These waves ensure the stability of a vapor film under a liquid layer at rest or a liquid layer moving at a constant velocity in the gravity field. The velocities of these waves are much higher than the gravity wave velocities. The critical heat flows and wavelengths at which wave boiling regimes at normal pressure can exist are determined, and the calculated and experimental data are compared.