Computational Studies of EHD-Enhanced Condensation Heat Transfer on a Downward-Facing Horizontal Plate

Author(s):  
Payam Sharifi ◽  
Asghar Esmaeeli

This study aims to investigate the effect of uniform electric fields on the enhancement of condensation heat transfer from a downward facing horizontal plate by direct numerical simulations. The governing equations of fluid flow and electric field are solved using a front tracking/finite difference technique in the framework of Taylor’s leaky dielectric model. The electric force comprises of the dielectrophoretic and the Coulomb forces. Both forces act on the phase boundary and their relative magnitude and directions affect the condensation rate. For the results shown here, the condensate drops are more elongated compared to the those in zero-electric field. It is shown that the electric field enhances the condensation rate in two ways: by increasing the number of the drops that are generated per unit surface due to destablizing the interface and by increasing the frequency of drop generation and pinch off. The mechanism of elongation of the condensate drops are explained by detailed examination of the distribution of the electric field at the phase boundary.

Author(s):  
Enakshi Wikramanayake ◽  
Vaibhav Bahadur

Abstract Dropwise condensation yields higher heat transfer coefficients by avoiding the thermal resistance of the condensate film, seen during filmwise condensation. This work explores further enhancement of dropwise condensation heat transfer through the use of electrowetting to achieve faster droplet growth via coalescence of the condensed droplets. Electrowetting is a well understood microfluidic technique to actuate and control droplets. This work shows that AC electric fields can significantly enhance droplet growth dynamics. This enhancement is a result of coalescence triggered by various types of droplet motion (translation of droplets, oscillations of three phase line), which in turn depends on the frequency of the applied AC waveform. The applied electric field modifies droplet condensation patterns as well as the roll-off dynamics on the surface. Experiments are conducted to study early-stage droplet growth dynamics, as well as steady state condensation rates under the influence of electric fields. It is noted that this study deals with condensation of humid air, and not pure steam. Results show that increasing the voltage magnitude and frequency increases droplet growth rate and overall condensation rate. Overall, this study reports more than a 30 % enhancement in condensation rate resulting from the applied electric field, which highlights the potential of this concept for condensation heat transfer enhancement.


1968 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Y. Choi

This paper describes the results of an investigation of the effects of strong electric fields on condensation heat transfer. Freon-113 is condensed inside a vertical tube, and the condensate interface is stressed by a radial d-c field. The effect of the field on condensing heat transfer can be summarized as follows: (a) The condensing heat transfer coefficient increases significantly with the electric field; (b) the increase is related to the appearance of instability waves at the liquid film interface. These effects suggest that the average liquid film thickness is significantly reduced at high electric field intensities. A tentative correlation is presented for the high field data. The correlation is presented in terms of modified Nusselt and Rayleigh numbers in which the characteristic length is the most unstable wavelength in the system, and the driving force acting on the film is an equivalent electrohydrodynamic force.


Author(s):  
Abhishek Basavanna ◽  
Prajakta Khapekar ◽  
Navdeep Singh Dhillon

Abstract The effect of applied electric fields on the behavior of liquids and their interaction with solid surfaces has been a topic of active interest for many decades. This has important implications in phase change heat transfer processes such as evaporation, boiling, and condensation. Although the effect of low to moderate voltages has been studied, there is a need to explore the interaction of high electric fields with liquid drops and bubbles, and their effect on heat transfer and phase change. In this study, we employ a high speed optical camera to study the dynamics of a liquid drop impacting a hot substrate under the application of high electric fields. Experimental results indicate a significant change in the pre- and post-impact behavior of the drop. Prior to impact, the applied electric field elongates the drop in the direction of the electric field. Post-impact, the recoil phase of the drop is significantly affected by charging effects. Further, a significant amount of micro-droplet ejection is observed with an increase in the applied voltage.


Author(s):  
Alexey A. Eronin ◽  
Stanislav P. Malyshenko ◽  
Anton I. Zhuravlev

Characteristics of heat transfer and hydrodynamics of boiling of liquid nitrogen on the surfaces with different types of non-uniformities at the presence of external electric fields are experimentally investigated. It is shown that the formation of field traps is a major mechanism of heat transfer enhancement. And this effect result in noticeable change of two-phase hydrodynamics in vicinity of heated surface.


2021 ◽  
pp. 287-287
Author(s):  
Lijun Liu ◽  
Gaojie Liang ◽  
Haiqian Zhao ◽  
Xiaoyan Liu

In the present study, the effects of the surface morphology and surface hydrophobicity on droplet dynamics and condensation efficiency are investigated using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Different surface morphologies may have different condensation heat transfer efficiencies, resulting in diverse condensation rates under the same conditions. The obtained results show that among the studied morphologies, the highest condensation rate can be achieved for conical microstructures followed by the triangle microstructure, and the columnar microstructure has the lowest condensation rate. Moreover, it is found that when the surface microstructure spacing is smaller and the surface microstructure is denser, the condensation heat transfer between the surface structure and water vapor facilitates, thereby increasing the condensation efficiency of droplets. Furthermore, the condensation process of droplets is associated with the surface hydrophobicity. The more hydrophobic the surface, the more difficult the condensation heat transfer and the longer the required time for droplet nucleation. Meanwhile, a more hydrophobic surface means that it is harder for droplets to gather and merge, and the corresponding droplet condensation rate is also lower.


2018 ◽  
Vol 844 ◽  
pp. 567-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunqiao Liu ◽  
Dongdong He ◽  
Xiaobo Gong ◽  
Huaxiong Huang

In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of an encapsulated bubble in steady and oscillatory electric fields theoretically, based on a leaky dielectric model. On the bubble surface, an applied electric field generates a Maxwell stress, in addition to hydrodynamic traction and membrane mechanical stress. Our model also includes the effect of interfacial charge due to the jump of the current and the stretching of the interface. We focus on the axisymmetric deformation of the encapsulated bubble induced by the electric field and carry out our analysis using Legendre polynomials. In our first example, the encapsulating membrane is modelled as a nearly incompressible interface with bending rigidity. Under a steady uniform electric field, the encapsulated bubble resumes an elongated equilibrium shape, dominated by the second- and fourth-order shape modes. The deformed shape agrees well with experimental observations reported in the literature. Our model reveals that the interfacial charge distribution is determined by the magnitude of the shape modes, as well as the permittivity and conductivity of the external and internal fluids. The effects of the electric field on the natural frequency of the oscillating bubble are also shown. For our second example, we considered a bubble encapsulated with a hyperelastic membrane with bending rigidity, subject to an oscillatory electric field. We show that the bubble can modulate its oscillating frequency and reach a stable shape oscillation at an appreciable amplitude.


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