Liquid jets bounce off hot surfaces without ever touching them

If you cook with stainless steel pans, you are probably familiar with the Leidenfrost effect

Franck Celestini

A jet of liquid can bounce off a hot plate without ever touching it. This extension of the Leidenfrost effect – the phenomenon of water droplets splashing over a scorching pan – could help improve cooling processes from nuclear reactors to firefighting.

Although the Leidenfrost effect was first described almost 300 years ago, it has only been tested with liquid droplets and not liquid sprays. Until now.

Frack Celestini on the Côte d’Azur…