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Abstract: We consider a relatively simple model for pool-boiling processes. This model involves only the temperature distribution within the heater and describes the heat exchange with the boiling medium via a nonlinear boundary condition imposed on the fluid-heater interface. This results in a standard heat-transfer problem with a nonlinear Neumann boundary condition on part of the boundary. In a recent paper [Speetjens M, Reusken A, Marquardt W. Steady-state solutions in a nonlinear pool-boiling model. IGPM report 256, RWTH Aachen. Commun Nonlinear Sci Numer Simul, in press, doi:10.1016/j.cnsns.2006.11.002] we analysed this nonlinear heat-transfer problem for the case of two space dimensions and in particular studied the qualitative structure of steady-state solutions. The study revealed that, depending on system parameters, the model allows both multiple homogeneous and multiple heterogeneous temperature distributions on the fluid-heater interface. In the present paper we show that the analysis from Speetjens et al. (doi:10.1016/j.cnsns.2006.11.002) can be generalised to the physically more realistic case of three space dimensions. A fundamental shift-invariance property is derived that implies multiplicity of heterogeneous solutions. We present a numerical bifurcation analysis that demonstrates the multiple solution structure in this mathematical model by way of a representative case study. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We consider a relatively simple model for pool boiling processes. This model involves only the temperature distribution within the heater and describes the heat exchange with the boiling fluid via a nonlinear boundary condition imposed on the fluid–heater interface. This results in a standard heat equation with a nonlinear Neumann boundary condition on part of the boundary. In this paper, we analyse the qualitative structure of steady-state solutions of this heat equation. It turns out that the model allows both multiple homogeneous and multiple heterogeneous solutions in certain regimes of the parameter space. The latter solutions originate from bifurcations on a certain branch of homogeneous solutions. We present a bifurcation analysis that reveals the multiple-solution structure in this mathematical model. In the numerical analysis a continuation algorithm is combined with the method of separation-of-variables and a Fourier collocation technique. For both the continuous and discrete problem a fundamental symmetry property is derived that implies multiplicity of heterogeneous solutions. Numerical simulations of this model problem predict phenomena that are consistent with laboratory observations for pool boiling processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]