Thermal measurements of boiling granular films

Abstract

This study focused on two familiar items in our daily lives: grains and boiling water. Accurately measuring boiling dense granular beds requires specialized instruments and novel techniques. An annular vertical riser was used to boil granular films. The riser was filled with glass beads and then immersed in liquid water. The water is heated by inducing eddy currents at the base of the riser, which is composed of carbon steel. Beyond the critical electric current, Ic, the Lyapunov exponent of the time series of the measured temperature distributions within the granular films became positive. This indicates the chaotic behavior of the films. Slightly above Ic, patterned instabilities with affine fractal-like structures were observed in the boiling granular films. Chaotic boiling granular films manifested percolation and transition to turbulence. Computer simulations of the above system under the guidance of generative AI (GenAI) successfully reproduced many critical features of the experimental observations, which can be considered a significant breakthrough in the modeling and simulation of complex systems. With this success in utilizing GenAI, more accurate instruments can be developed, resulting in the world of tomorrow rapidly becoming today’s world.