Response of Heating Rod in Water Pool in Various Boiling Regimes Up to CHF

The study focused on understanding the response of a heating rod in a water pool across various boiling regimes, particularly up to the critical heat flux (CHF), which is crucial for reactor core thermal hydraulics and maintaining fuel pin cladding integrity. Traditional CHF measurements, typically conducted in out-of-pile test setups using thermocouples or electrical resistance changes, had known limitations. The research explored the potential of using acoustic and vibration responses as alternative methods to detect the onset of departure from nucleate boiling (DNB). Pool boiling experiments were conducted to simulate CHF conditions and examine fluid-structure interactions during different boiling phases.