Peculiarity of Superheated Hydrocarbons: Jump in Heat Transfer Due to Micro-additives of Moisture

The aim of the present work is to draw the attention to an unusual object of study, namely, heat transfer in short-term superheated hydrocarbons with micro-additives of moisture. We discuss the reasons for effect of the increase in the heat transfer coefficient to samples of saturated hydrocarbons having a moisture content of 15 mg⋅kg⁻¹ to 35 mg⋅kg⁻¹, which is unexpectedly strong (up to 10 %) with respect to pure hydrocarbons. This effect was discovered in experiments on pulse heating of a wire probe in a substance with characteristic times of 1 ms to 10 ms. We have developed a model based on the assumption of the role of dissolved water clusters in initiating fluid motion in the course of short-term superheating of the base fluid with respect to the liquid–vapor equilibrium temperature. Depending on the degree of superheating and pressure, the values predicted by the model for the increment of the heat transfer coefficient due to micro-additives of moisture are qualitatively consistent with the data obtained from the pulse experiments. The results of this study clarify the specific features of the superheated states of composite fluids, as well as contribute to developing methods for controlling the heat flux by micro-additives of a partially soluble component to the heat carrier.