Heat Transfer in Superfluid Helium (1)

Abstract

This paper reviews the authors' recent works on steady-state heat transfer from heated wires and plates in a pool of saturated and subcooled superfluid helium (He II) for liquid temperatures from 1.8 to 2.1K. The following is described: 1) Critical heat fluxes (CHFs) on wires of various diameter and a theoretical CHF correlation based on the Gorter-Mellink equations that can describe the experimental data. 2) CHFs on flat plates with various widths and lengths and a correlation that can describe the experimental data. 3) CHFs on a flat plate at one side of a rectangular duct with various ratios of cross sectional duct area Ad to the heater surface area Ah, and a correlation that can describe the experimental data. 4) Two dimensional numerical analysis on heat transfer in the duct based on a rigorous two fluid model and comparison with the experimental data.