  An acoustic field is used to increase the critical heat flux (CHF) of a
flat-boiling-heat-transfer surface. The increase is a result of the acoustic
effects on the vapor bubbles. Experiments are performed to explore the effects
of an acoustic field on vapor bubbles in the vicinity of a rigid-heated wall.
Work includes the construction of a novel heater used to produce a single vapor
bubble of a prescribed size and at a prescribed location on a flatboiling
surface for better study of an individual vapor bubble's reaction to the
acoustic field. Work also includes application of the results from the
single-bubble heater to a calibrated-copper heater used for quantifying the
improvements in CHF.
