An experimental study of the natural convection around a vertical cylindrical surface was heated and plunged into a liquid (water). It was made with the aim to observe the heat transfer in the film boiling. The cylindrical probe was made of stainless steel AISI 304. Along of the cylindrical probe, in the geometrical center was made a hole. Inside the hole was introduced an electric resistance for heating the cylindrical probe. A lamp of 300 watts was used to illuminate the probe, while images and videos were recorded with a high-speed video camera in order to visualize the thermal boundary layer. Large scale waves have been observed on the vapor-liquid interface: however, their effect on the heat transfer is minimal. It appears that intense vaporization at the interface plays an important role in the generation of these waves. A strong possibility of liquid droplet entrainment in the vapor flow is indicated by the presence of roughness in the vertical cylindrical surface, wavy interface and a relatively high speed vapor-flow. Convection around a vertical cylindrical surface is always transform to a physical domain and studied as a flat plate. Observation shows that in the bottom flat of the probe is a source of vapor formation and waves are formed. Waves ascend for the lateral area of the probe provoking oscillations in the thickness of the film boiling. The time of the film boiling was 81 seconds, the calculated time with Bromley [1] equation was 63.46 seconds, and the error in time was 20%.
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