Effect of the permeability of the porous shell on the vapor film thickness during boiling of superfluid helium in microgravity

This paper presents a theoretically study of the boiling of superfluid helium on a cylindrical heater placed in a coaxial porous shell in microgravity. Steady-state transfer processes at the interface are studied using molecular-kinetic methods. The Boltzmann transport equation is solved by the moment method based on the four-moment approximation in the form of a two-sided Maxwellian. The obtained solution is used to calculate the heat flux density in film boiling on a cylindrical heating surface in the case where the film thickness is comparable to the diameter of the heater. The motion of the normal component of the superfluid liquid in pores is described by equations that take into account heat and mass transfer in superfluid helium. The relation between the vapor film thickness and the structural characteristics and geometrical dimensions of the porous shell is obtained. Analysis of the results of the calculations is given.