Surface Roughness Effects on Flow Boiling in Microchannels

Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Jones ◽  
Suresh V. Garimella

The influence of surface roughness on flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop in microchannels is experimentally explored. The microchannel heat sink employed in the study consists of 10 parallel, 25.4 mm long channels with nominal dimensions of 500 μm × 500 μm. The channels were produced by saw-cutting. Two of the test piece surfaces were roughened to varying degrees with electrical discharge machining (EDM). The roughness average, Ra, varied from 1.4 μm for the as-fabricated, saw-cut surface to 3.9 and 6.7 μm for the two roughened EDM surfaces. Deionized water was used as the working fluid. Experiments indicate that the surface roughness has little influence on boiling incipience and only a minor impact on saturated boiling heat transfer coefficients at lower heat fluxes. For wall heat fluxes above 1500 kW/m2, the two EDM surfaces (3.9 and 6.7 μm) have similar heat transfer coefficients that were 20 to 35% higher than those measured for the saw cut surface (1.4 μm). Analysis of the pressure drop measurements indicates that only the roughest surface (6.7 μm) has an adverse effect on the two-phase pressure drop.

Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Jones ◽  
Suresh V. Garimella

The influence of surface roughness on flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop in microchannels is experimentally explored. The microchannel heat sink employed in the study consists of ten parallel, 25.4 mm long channels with nominal dimensions of 500×500 μm2. The channels were produced by saw-cutting. Two of the test piece surfaces were roughened to varying degrees with electrical discharge machining (EDM). The roughness average Ra varied from 1.4 μm for the as-fabricated, saw-cut surface to 3.9 μm and 6.7 μm for the two roughened EDM surfaces. Deionized water was used as the working fluid. The experiments indicate that the surface roughness has little influence on boiling incipience and only a minor impact on saturated boiling heat transfer coefficients at lower heat fluxes. For wall heat fluxes above 1500 kW/m2, the two EDM surfaces (3.9 μm and 6.7 μm) have similar heat transfer coefficients that were 20–35% higher than those measured for the saw-cut surface (1.4 μm). A modified Bertsch et al. [2009, “A Composite Heat Transfer Correlation for Saturated Flow Boiling in Small Channels,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 52, pp. 2110–2118] correlation was found to provide acceptable predictions of the flow boiling heat transfer coefficient over the range of conditions tested. Analysis of the pressure drop measurements indicates that only the roughest surface (6.7 μm) has an adverse effect on the two-phase pressure drop.


2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Yong Park ◽  
Pega Hrnjak

Abstract C O 2 flow boiling heat transfer coefficients and pressure drop in a 3.5mm horizontal smooth tube are presented. Also, flow patterns were visualized and studied at adiabatic conditions in a 3mm glass tube located immediately after a heat transfer section. Heat was applied by a secondary fluid through two brass half cylinders to the test section tubes. This research was performed at evaporation temperatures of −15°C and −30°C, mass fluxes of 200kg∕m2s and 400kg∕m2s, and heat flux from 5kW∕m2 to 15kW∕m2 for vapor qualities ranging from 0.1 to 0.8. The CO2 heat transfer coefficients indicated the nucleate boiling dominant heat transfer characteristics such as the strong dependence on heat fluxes at a mass flux of 200kg∕m2s. However, enhanced convective boiling contribution was observed at 400kg∕m2s. Surface conditions for two different tubes were investigated with a profilometer, atomic force microscope, and scanning electron microscope images, and their possible effects on heat transfer are discussed. Pressure drop, measured at adiabatic conditions, increased with the increase of mass flux and quality, and with the decrease of evaporation temperature. The measured heat transfer coefficients and pressure drop were compared with general correlations. Some of these correlations showed relatively good agreements with measured values. Visualized flow patterns were compared with two flow pattern maps and the comparison showed that the flow pattern maps need improvement in the transition regions from intermittent to annular flow.


Author(s):  
Ayman Megahed ◽  
Ibrahim Hassan ◽  
Tariq Ahmad

The present study focuses on the experimental investigation of boiling heat transfer characteristics and pressure drop in a silicon microchannel heat sink. The microchannel heat sink consists of a rectangular silicon chip in which 45 rectangular microchannels were chemically etched with a depth of 295 μm, width of 254 μm, and a length of 16 mm. Un-encapsulated Thermochromic liquid Crystals (TLC) are used in the present work to enable nonintrusive and high spatial resolution temperature measurements. This measuring technique is used to provide accurate full and local surface-temperature and heat transfer coefficient measurements. Experiments are carried out for mass velocities ranging between 290 to 457 kg/m2.s and heat fluxes from 6.04 to 13.06 W/cm2 using FC-72 as the working fluid. Experimental results show that the pressure drop increases as the exit quality and the flow rate increase. High values of heat transfer coefficient can be obtained at low exit quality (xe < 0.2). However, the heat transfer coefficient decreases sharply and remains almost constant as the quality increases for an exit quality higher than 0.2.


Author(s):  
Cheol Huh ◽  
Moo Hwan Kim

With a single microchannel and a series of microheaters made with MEMS technique, two-phase pressure drop and local flow boiling heat transfer were investigated using deionized water in a single horizontal rectangular microchannel. The test microchannel has a hydraulic diameter of 100 μm and length of 40 mm. A real time observation of the flow patterns with simultaneous measurement are made possible. Tests are performed for mass fluxes of 90, 169, and 267 kg/m2s and heat fluxes of from 100 to 600 kW/m2. The experimental local flow boiling heat transfer coefficients and two-phase frictional pressure gradient are evaluated and the effects of heat flux, mass flux, and vapor qualities on flow boiling are studied. Both the evaluated experimental data are compared with existing correlations. The experimental heat transfer coefficients are nearly independent on mass flux and the vapor quality. Most of all correlations do not provide reliable heat transfer coefficients predictions with vapor quality and prediction accuracy. As for two-phase pressure drop, the measured pressure drop increases with the mass flux and heat flux. Most of all existing correlations of two-phase frictional pressure gradient do not predict the experimental data except some limited conditions.


Author(s):  
Koichi Hata ◽  
Suguru Masuzaki

The subcooled boiling heat transfer (HT) and the steady-state critical heat fluxes (CHFs) in a short SUS304-tube with twisted-tape insert are systematically measured for mass velocities (G = 4016 to 13850 kg/m2s), inlet liquid temperatures (Tin = 285.82 to 363.96 K), outlet pressures (Pout = 764.76 to 889.02 kPa) and exponentially increasing heat input (Q = Q0exp(t/τ), τ = 8.5 s) by the experimental water loop comprised of a multistage canned-type circulation pump controlled by an inverter. The SUS304 test tube of inner diameter (d = 6 mm), heated length (L = 59.5 mm), effective length (Leff = 49.1 mm), L/d (= 9.92), Leff/d (= 8.18) and wall thickness (δ = 0.5 mm) with average surface roughness (Ra = 3.18 μm) is used in this work. The SUS304 twisted tape with twist ratio, y [= H/d = (pitch of 180° rotation)/d], of 3.39 is used. The relation between inner surface temperature and heat flux for the SUS304-tube with the twisted-tape insert are clarified from non-boiling to CHF. The subcooled boiling heat transfer for SUS304-tube with the twisted-tape insert is compared with our empty SUS304-tube data and the values calculated by our and other workers’ correlations for the subcooled boiling heat transfer. The influences of the twisted-tape insert and the swirl velocity on the subcooled boiling heat transfer and the CHFs are investigated into details and the widely and precisely predictable correlations of the subcooled boiling heat transfer and the CHFs for turbulent flow of water in the SUS304-tube with twisted-tape insert are given based on the experimental data. The correlations can describe the subcooled boiling heat transfer coefficients and the CHFs obtained in this work within −25 to +15% difference.


Author(s):  
Ankit Kalani ◽  
Satish G. Kandlikar

Flow boiling with microchannel can dissipate high heat fluxes at low surface temperature difference. A number of issues, such as instabilities, low critical heat flux (CHF) and low heat transfer coefficients, have prevented it from reaching its full potential. A new design incorporating open microchannels with uniform and tapered manifold (OMM) was shown to mitigate these issues successfully. Distilled, degassed water at 80 mL/min is used as the working fluid. Plain and open microchannel surfaces are used as the test sections. Heat transfer and pressure drop performance for uniform and tapered manifold with both the surfaces are discussed. A low pressure drop of 7.5 kPa is obtained with tapered manifold and microchannel chip at a heat flux of 263 W/cm2 without reaching CHF. The pressure drop data is further compared with the homogenous model and the initial results are presented.


Author(s):  
Lihong Wang ◽  
Min Chen ◽  
Manfred Groll

Flow boiling heat transfer characteristics of R134a were experimentally investigated in a horizontal stainless steel mini-tube. The inner diameter of the test tube is 1.3 mm and the tube wall thickness is 0.1 mm. Local heat transfer coefficients are obtained over a range of vapor qualities up to 0.8, mass fluxes from 310 to 860 kg/m2s, heat fluxes from 21 to 50 kW/m2, and saturation pressures from 6.5 to 7.5 bar. The mass flux, heat flux, saturation pressure, and vapor quality dependences of heat transfer coefficients are demonstrated. Based on an available model in recent literature potential heat transfer mechanisms are also analyzed.


Author(s):  
Koichi Hata ◽  
Suguru Masuzaki

The subcooled boiling heat transfer and the steady-state critical heat fluxes (CHFs) in a short SUS304-tube with twisted-tape insert are systematically measured for mass velocities (G=4016–13,850 kg/m2 s), inlet liquid temperatures (Tin=285.82–363.96 K), outlet pressures (Pout=764.76–889.02 kPa), and exponentially increasing heat input (Q=Q0 exp(t/τ), τ=8.5 s) by the experimental water loop comprised of a multistage canned-type circulation pump controlled by an inverter. The SUS304 test tube of inner diameter (d=6 mm), heated length (L=59.5 mm), effective length (Leff=49.1 mm), L/d(=9.92), Leff/d(=8.18), and wall thickness (δ=0.5 mm) with average surface roughness (Ra=3.18 μm) is used in this work. The SUS304 twisted tape with twist ratio, y(=H/d=(pitch of 180 deg rotation)/d), of 3.39 is used. The relation between inner surface temperature and heat flux for the SUS304-tube with the twisted-tape insert are clarified from nonboiling to CHF. The subcooled boiling heat transfer for SUS304-tube with the twisted-tape insert is compared with our empty SUS304-tube data and the values calculated by our and other workers’ correlations for the subcooled boiling heat transfer. The influences of the twisted-tape insert and the swirl velocity on the subcooled boiling heat transfer and the CHFs are investigated into details and the widely and precisely predictable correlations of the subcooled boiling heat transfer and the CHFs for turbulent flow of water in the SUS304-tube with twisted-tape insert are given based on the experimental data. The correlations can describe the subcooled boiling heat transfer coefficients and the CHFs obtained in this work within −25 to +15% difference.


Author(s):  
K. H. Bang ◽  
T. Y. Yoon

This paper reports an experimental study of flow boiling in a microchannel and this work has been focused on the investigation on the effect of operating pressure. The experimental apparatus consisted mainly of peristaltic pump, preheater, microchannel test tube, and vacuum chamber for control of operating pressure. Deionized water was used as the working fluid. The test section was a round tube of 310 μm inside diameter, made of 304 stainless steel. The experiment has been performed for the conditions of heat flux of 35∼85 kW/m2, mass flux of 200∼300 kg/m2s (160∼250 of liquid Reynolds numbers), and the operating pressure of 10∼20 kPa. The measured flow boiling heat transfer coefficients in the microchannel were in the range of 3.0 to 27 kW/m2K and the experimental data showed that the flow boiling heat transfer coefficients in microchannels were affected mainly by the wall heat flux and the operating pressure.


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