Nukiyama and the Boiling Curve

In 1934 Nukiyama (N2) carried out a simple experiment which resulted in a great advance in the science of boiling. He submerged a thin platinum wire in water at 212° F. and heated the wire electrically to produce boiling. He discovered that the rate of heat transfer from the wire to the water increased steadily as the wire temperature was increased until the wire temperature reached about 300° F. At this temperature an unexpected thing happened the wire temperature jumped suddenly to about 1800° F. A further increase in the wire temperature resulted in a smooth increase in the heat transfer rate. 

The sudden temperature jump for the platinum wire was puzzling, and so Nukiyama tried wires of nickel and alloys having melting points lower than platinum has. When these wires experienced the temperature jump they melted. This was the phenomenon now known as bumovt. 

Nukiyama next investigated the in-between region of 300° to 1800° F. He used platinum, allowed the jump to occur, and then lowered the metal temperature gradually. It was possible to cool the wire to about 570° F. A smooth decrease in the heat flux occurred as the temperature was decreased. At 570° F. another temperature jump occurred, to less than 300° F. 

Nukiyama s boiling curve is shown in Fig. 1. He concluded that at least two types of boiling occur for water, one was below 300° F. and one above 570° F. He postulated that a third type might exist, represented by the dotted line on the figure. It was obvious that if this third type.existed it would have a.peculiar characteristic any increase in the 

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