ABSTRACT
The original “Leidenfrost effect” of a water droplet hovering over a hot plate was first reported by Hermann Boerhaave in 1732, and investigated more thoroughly by Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost, who in 1756 published “A Tract About Some Qualities of Common Water” (Leidenfrost 1756). The effect can be observed when a drop of water is put on a hot surface, above the so-called Leidenfrost temperature TL ≈ 220◦C (see Figure 1): The bottom layer of the drop vaporizes instantly and prevents direct heat transfer from the plate to the drop, causing the droplet to hover and survive for a long time (Walker 2001).
