The boiling in cross-flow is investigated for coated tubes (low-porosity, flame-sprayed) in this paper. The effect of surface roughness on flow boiling heat transfer for a horizontal tube surface in cross-flow is studied for saturated boiling of water at atmospheric pressure. The parameters varied were for flow velocity up to 3.24 kg/s (G = 258.49 kg/m(2) s), heat flux from 12 to 45 kW/m(2), surface roughness (Ra) from 0.3296 to 4.731 mu m. Nominal enhancement in heat transfer coefficient at higher mass flux may be attributed to the continued nucleation at the uppermost surfaces (in the wake region of the flow) of the rougher tubes thereby increasing the overall heat transfer rate. The flow boiling data was found to best fit the Kutate-n ladze asymptotic equation h = h(l)[1 + (h(npb)/hl)(n)](1/n) with the value of n = 2.258 (which is close to the value of n = 2 suggested by Kutateladze). (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.