SINOPSIS

Bubble coalescence events have been examined during pool nucleate boiling of water on thin, electrically-heated metal foils. Wall temperature measurements by high-speed IR camera synchronized with high-speed video camera recordings of the bubble motion have improved on the temporal and spatial resolution of previous observations by liquid crystal thermography. There was no evidence of long-range disturbances to the wall temperature beyond the immediate vicinity of the bubbles. Examples are given of the variations in wall temperature and heat flux during different types of coalescence.