Boiling heat transfer in reduced gravity environments

The effects of low gravity on boiling heat transfer are presented. A short overview of boiling is provided to introduce non-specialists to the field of boiling heat transfer to make them aware of the fundamental physical mechanisms. The facilities used to obtain variable gravity environments are then described, and recent results are reviewed. Topics covered include bubble dynamics, nucleate pool boiling, critical heat flux, transition boiling, flow boiling, boiling of mixtures, electric field effects, acoustic effects, quenching. Planned research activities in Japan, the United States, and Europe are presented.