The main integrated heater includes two cuboids segments, as
shown in Fig. 1b. The size of the lower part is 100 mm
(length) 100 mm(width) 83 mm(thickness) and size for upper
part is 25 mm (length) 25 mm (width) 25 mm (thickness).
Three electric heating wires were brazed in the lower part of heater.
A voltage transformer supplied the power for the heater. The
power can be adjusted and was measured by a power meter. The
test samples were metallic foams sintered on the substrate with
an area identical to that of the upper part of the heater. The tested
metallic foam substrate was welded by tin on the upper surface of
the heater to delimitate the contact thermal resistance between
the heater and the sample. Two auxiliary heaters were diagonally
fixed in the chamber bottom and were switched on during the
whole experimental process to keep the pool liquid saturated. A
Fig. 4.