Dielectrophoresis-driven nucleate boiling in a simulated microgravity environment

A study analyzed the effect of a nonuniform electric field on the heat transfer features of boiling as a result of a small nichrome wire immersed in a dielectric fluid. It also examined the feasibility of employing the non-uniform field, which creates a dielectric force on the generated vapor bubbles, as a bubble removing mechanism in a microgravity environment. The dielectrophoresis force initially showed great promise as a tool for bubble detachment and downward acceleration. However, after the bubble reached its position of equilibrium, it remained stationary, resulting in the combination of the newly generated bubbles with the first bubble, and creating a vapor film between the electrodes.