Why does heating water in a kettle produce sound?

Abstract

The question of whether it is possible to design a kettle in which water could be brought to a boil silently is addressed. In this context, acoustic phenomena associated with the heating of water in various vessels are investigated. It is shown that much of the sound emitted in the boiling process can be attributed to coupling between vapor bubble generation and collapse with the natural acoustic modes of the heating vessel utilized. Differences between the thermoacoustic characteristics of deionized and tap water heating are evaluated.