Experimental study of heat transfer during boiling in a thin layer of liquid on surfaces with structured porous coatings

The paper presents the results of the study of evaporation and boiling in a thin horizontal layer of liquid on microstructured surfaces in a wide range of changes in pressure. It is found that the thermal conductivity of materials of microstructured surfaces significantly affects the mechanism of steam removal from the pores and circulation of liquid along the heat transfer surface. It is determined that the pressure change leads to three regimes of heat transfer: evaporation, transition regime, and bubble boiling. The lowest values of the heat transfer coefficients and CHF were obtained in the transition regime; the highest ones were obtained in the bubble regime on both surfaces. Due to the higher thermal conductivity, the higher heat transfer coefficients and CHF were obtained on the bronze coating than on stainless steel over the entire pressure range.

Characterization of Surface Topography Variation in the Ultra-Precision Tool Servo-Based Diamond Cutting of 3D Microstructured Surfaces

Previous models of the relative tool-work vibration are not generalized to represent the surface generation mechanism in the ultra-precision tool servo-based diamond cutting (UTSDC) of three-dimensional (3D) microstructured surfaces. This is due to the fact that the tool-work vibration in UTSDC is no longer a steady harmonic vibration with a constant amplitude but is influenced by the tool motion along the thrust direction. In this paper, dynamic modeling of the cutting system is presented for the characterization of surface topography variation in UTSDC of a microlens array considering the tool-work vibration as an underdamped vibration. The natural frequency and damping ratio of the cutting system are determined by the data-dependent systems (DDS) method. Based on the analysis of the surface profile and cutting force signals, it is found that the tool-work vibration is significantly enhanced in the cut-in process when the cutting speed increases. The simulation results show that the proposed dynamic model can well-determine root-mean-squares RMS values of the surface primary profile and the dynamic force acting on the force sensor. The dynamic model provides insight into the formation of the surface topography variation in UTSDC of 3D microstructured surfaces, and the model might be applied in self-optimized machining systems in the future.

Critical heat flux enhancement in microgravity conditions coupling microstructured surfaces and electrostatic field

We run pool boiling experiments with a dielectric fluid (FC-72) on Earth and on board an ESA parabolic flight aircraft able to cancel the effects of gravity, testing both highly wetting microstructured surfaces and plain surfaces and applying an external electric field that creates gravity-mimicking body forces. Our results reveal that microstructured surfaces, known to enhance the critical heat flux on Earth, are also useful in microgravity. An enhancement of the microgravity critical heat flux on a plain surface can also be obtained using the electric field. However, the best boiling performance is achieved when these techniques are used together. The effects created by microstructured surfaces and electric fields are synergistic. They enhance the critical heat flux in microgravity conditions up to 257 kW/m2, which is even higher than the value measured on Earth on a plain surface (i.e., 168 kW/m2). These results demonstrate the potential of this synergistic approach toward very compact and efficient two-phase heat transfer systems for microgravity applications.