Phase-Change Heat Transfer Measurements Using Temperature-Sensitive Paints

Techniques based on temperature-sensitive paints (TSP) to measure time-resolved temperature and heat transfer distributions at the interface between a wall and fluid during pool and flow boiling are described. The paints are excited using ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diodes (LEDs), and changes in fluorescence intensity are used to infer local temperature differences across a thin insulator from which heat flux distribution is obtained. Advantages over infrared (IR) thermometry include the ability to use substrates that are opaque to IR (e.g., glass, plexiglass and plastic films), use of low-cost optical cameras, no self-emission from substrates to complicate data interpretation, high speed, and high spatial resolution. TSP-based methods to measure wall heat transfer distributions are validated and then demonstrated for pool and flow boiling.