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In the pursuit of enhancing thermal management for miniaturized electronic devices, our study delves into the impact of entry effects on Ledinegg instability and flow maldistribution within parallel microchannels. Utilizing a coupled model that incorporates phase change and pressure drop dynamics in boiling flow, we examine microchannels characterized by a 50 length-to-diameter ratio and a 200 μm hydraulic diameter. Our findings unveil a significant influence of entry effects, which narrow the total flow excursion interval, thereby bolstering system stability. Specifically, as the heat flux escalates from 5 W/cm2 to 120 W/cm2, the entry effects increasingly mitigate flow instability and maldistribution in parallel channels, diminishing the total flow rate range susceptible to flow instability by 4.73% and 47.52%, while narrowing the total flow rate range corresponding to uneven flow distribution by 4.70% and 46.75%, respectively. Furthermore, entry effects expand the inlet subcooling range necessary for stabilizing the parallel channel system by 38.89% and 1000%. This research not only underscores the importance of considering entry effects in microchannel design but also opens avenues for further exploration into enhancing thermal management solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interconnected microchannels (IMCs) in flow boiling have the advantages of optimized heat transfer performance, energy savings and high efficiency, compact size, and strong customizability. They provide new solutions for thermal management and heat transfer at the microscale and have broad application prospects. To further investigate the effect of microchannels with different numbers of transverse sections on the flow boiling heat transfer, we performed numerical simulations on a rectangular microchannel (RMC) and IMCs with 3, 5, and 7 transverse microchannels at high and low mass flux. It was found that fluid experiences similar bubble and slug flow in different numbers of IMCs and the RMC at low mass flux. At a heat flux of q = 90 W/cm2, the downstream regions of the IMCs produce vapor films that span the channels, obstructing the cross-section and weakening the flow exchange between the channels, which lead the heat transfer performance factor of IMC-3, reaching 148.43%, 110.04%, and 116.92% of the RMC, IMC-5, and IMC-7. Under high-quality flux, as the heat flux increases, the heat transfer coefficient increases and the pressure drop decreases due to the existence of lateral microchannels introduced in the interconnected microchannels. Whether at high or low mass flux, structural reasons pertaining to the RMC can easily lead to the accumulation of bubbles and the occurrence of slugs, and the flow boiling instability increases with the increase of heat flux, which leads to a pressure drop and heat transfer performance generally lower than that of IMCs under the same conditions. At q = 120 W/cm2, IMC-7 showed the best heat transfer enhancement. Its heat transfer performance factor was 129.37%, 120.594% and 107.98% of the RMC, IMC-3, and IMC-5, respectively. This article provides theoretical support for the design of interconnected microchannels in thermal management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to explore boiling heat transfer in mini-channels with a rectangular cross-section using various fluids (HFE-649, HFE-7000, HFE-7100, and HFE-7200). Temperature measurements were conducted using infrared thermography for the heated wall and K-type thermocouples for the working fluid. The 2D mathematical model for heat transfer in the test section was proposed. Local heat transfer coefficients between the heated wall and the working fluid were determined from the Robin condition. The problem was solved by means of the finite element method (FEM) with Trefftz functions. The values of the heat transfer coefficient that were obtained were compared with the results calculated from Newton's law of cooling. The average relative differences between the obtained results did not exceed 4%. The study included uncertainty analyses for temperature measurements with K- and T-type thermocouples. Expanded uncertainties were calculated using the uncertainty propagation and Monte Carlo methods. Precisely determining the uncertainties in contact temperature measurements is crucial to ensure accurate temperature data for subsequent heat transfer calculations. The results of the heat transfer investigations were compared in terms of fluid temperature, heat transfer coefficients, and boiling curves. HFE-7200 consistently exhibited the highest fluid temperature and temperature differences at boiling incipience, while HFE-7000 demonstrated the highest heat transfer coefficients. HFE-649 showed the lowest heat transfer coefficients. The boiling curves exhibited a typical shape, with a notable occurrence of 'nucleation hysteresis phenomena'. Upon the analysis of two-phase flow patterns, bubbly and bubbly-slug structures were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely established that flow boiling, being a direct cooling technique also employing the latent heat of the fluid, has the potential to be more efficient than being useful in single-phase conventional cooling methods. This results in considerable potential for thermal management in many fields like microelectronics, space technology, thermal power plants, etc. The increasing demand for heat dissipation, consequent to component miniaturization, has pushed the development of new strategies for enhancing heat transfer efficiency, such as employment of functionalized surfaces. This review aims to describe in detail the current status of technology related to flow boiling heat transfer enhancement via micro/nanoscale surface functionalization. Key objectives are an increased nucleation site density and enhanced bubble dynamics. The vast majority of findings show favorable heat transfer performance, evidenced by an earlier onset of boiling (ONB), an improved flow boiling heat transfer coefficient (HTC), and an ameliorated critical heat flux (CHF). Increased pressure drop is a serious concern in certain application cases. Nanoscale textures mainly enhance capillary wicking to nucleation sites, thus being more effective in combination with microscale textures that define fixed nucleation sites. Degradation effects need to be more thoroughly and systematically characterized for application cases. Extra effects related to the manufacturing process can be easily overlooked, but one should be aware of their possible existence when drawing conclusions. Finally, the implementation of enhanced surfaces in mainstream applications is hindered by the absence of general predictive design tools for different channel configurations/materials, fluids, and operating conditions. A more universal understanding of the basic mechanisms involving texture geometry is needed in this aspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of a micro heat sink is an effective means of solving the problem of high-power chip heat dissipation. Diamond/Cu composites exhibit high thermal conductivity and a linear thermal expansion coefficient that is compatible with semiconductor materials, rendering them ideal micro heat sink materials. The aim of this study was to fabricate diamond/Cu and Cu separately as heat sinks and subject them to flow boiling heat transfer experiments. The results indicate that the diamond/Cu heat sink displayed a decrease in wall superheat of 10.2–14.5 °C and an improvement in heat transfer coefficient of 38–51% compared with the Cu heat sink under identical heat fluxes. The heat sink also exhibits enhanced thermal uniformity. Secondary diamond particles are incorporated into the gaps of the main diamonds, thereby constructing a three-dimensional heat conduction network within the composite material. The diamond network enhances the internal heat flux of the material while also creating more nucleation sites on the surface. These increase the boiling intensity of the diamond/Cu heat sink, leading to better heat transfer performance. By combining the transient thermal model with computational fluid dynamics, a heat transfer model based on the diamond/Cu heat sink is proposed. The efficient heat dissipation capability of diamond/Cu heat sinks can lower the working temperature of microelectronic devices, thereby improving device performance and reliability during operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study will present a comprehensive review of the two-phase flow boiling heat transfer coefficient of hydrocarbons such as propane (R-290), butane (R-600), iso-butane (R-600a), and ethanol at various experimental conditions. Studying the multiphase flow heat transfer coefficient is crucial for many types of heat transfer equipment to achieve higher efficiency for more compact design and cost reduction. One reason we chose hydrocarbons as refrigerants in this study is that they are of an ozone depletion potential equal to zero (ODP = 0) and a deficient level of direct global warming potential (GWP = 3). Moreover, hydrocarbons' thermodynamic and thermophysical characteristics qualify them to be a strong candidate for more heat transfer applications, initially, by constructing a database for the working fluids using multiple existing experimental work. The current data that this study have collected for the flow boiling spans a wide range of parameters, such as mass flux, heat flux, operating pressure, saturation temperature, etc. Furthermore, by comparing the experimental multiphase heat transfer coefficient database with the anticipated values of each correlation, the prediction performance of 26 correlations found in the literature was assessed. This study allows the best prediction method to be selected based on the minimum deviation of predicted results from the experimental database provided based on the mean absolute error (MAE) calculated from the assessed correlations. The conclusions of such a study can also be helpful for developing more accurate correlation methods for these fluids and improving the prediction of their flow boiling characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the evaporative heat transfer characteristics of R744 at low temperatures in a horizontal smooth tube as a cascade refrigeration system (CRS) among hybrid cascade refrigeration systems (HCRSs). There is a lack of research on the low-temperature evaporative heat transfer characteristics of R744 under the operating conditions of evaporators used in actual CRSs used in supermarkets. Therefore, this study aims to provide basic data on the evaporative heat transfer characteristics of R744 in the evaporators of refrigerators used in supermarkets. The tube used in the evaporation experiment conducted herein was a smooth horizontal copper tube with an inner diameter and length of 11.46 mm and 8000 mm, respectively. The experimental parameters were as follows: heat fluxes of 11.8–21.3 kW/m2, mass fluxes of 76.3–175.1 kg/(m2·s), and saturation temperatures of −49.8–−30.2 °C. The main results are summarized as follows: the evaporative heat transfer coefficient of R744 can be predicted well by using the correlation formula of Chen at the evaporation temperature of −40 °C in the CRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critical heat flux (CHF) is an essential parameter that plays a significant role in ensuring the safety and economic efficiency of nuclear power facilities. It imposes design and operational restrictions on nuclear power plants due to safety concerns. Therefore, accurate prediction of CHF using a hybrid framework can assist researchers in optimizing system performance, mitigating risk of equipment failure, and enhancing safety measures. Despite the existence of numerous prediction methods, there remains a lack of agreement regarding the underlying mechanism that gives rise to CHF. Hence, developing a precise and reliable CHF model is a crucial and challenging task. In this study, we proposed a hybrid model based on an artificial neural network (ANN) to improve the prediction accuracy of CHF. Our model leverages the available knowledge from a lookup table (LUT) and then employs ANN to further reduce the gap between actual and predicted outcomes. To develop and assess the accuracy of our model, we compiled a dataset of around 5877 data points from various sources in the literature. This dataset encompasses a diverse range of operating parameters for two-phase flow in vertical tubes. The results of this study demonstrate that the proposed hybrid model performs better than standalone machine learning models such as ANN, random forest, support vector machine, and data-driven lookup tables, with a relative root-mean-square error (rRMSE) of only 9.3%. We also evaluated the performance of the proposed hybrid model using holdout and cross-validation techniques, which demonstrated its robustness. Moreover, the proposed approach offers valuable insights into the significance of various input parameters in predicting CHF. Our proposed system can be utilized as a real-time monitoring tool for predicting extreme conditions in nuclear reactors, ensuring their safe and efficient operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review study examines flow boiling heat transfer in micro-fin tubes using mixed and pure refrigerants with zero ozone-depleting potential (ODP) and minimal global warming potential (GWP). This investigation focuses on the extraordinary relationship between heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) and vapor quality. Since the introduction of micro-fin heat exchanger tubes over 30 years ago, refrigerant-based cooling has improved significantly. Air conditioning and refrigeration companies are replacing widely used refrigerants, with substantial global warming impacts. When space, weight, or efficiency are limited, micro-fin heat exchangers with improved dependability are preferred. This review article discusses flow boiling concepts. The researchers used several refrigerants under different testing conditions and with varying micro-fin tube parameters. Micro-fin tubes are promising for improved heat transfer techniques. This tube increases the heat transfer area, fluid disturbance, flow speed, and direction owing to centrifugal force and HTC. As the focus shifts to improving heat transfer, pressure drop, mean vapor quality, and practical devices, this subject will grow more intriguing. A radical shift will reduce equipment size for certain traditional heat transfer systems and bring new products using micro-scale technologies. This suggested review effort helps comprehend saturation flow boiling through micro-fin tubes and find the right correlation for a given application. This domain's challenges and future relevance are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the open microchannel has drawn increasing interest, but severe local dryout limited the heat transfer capability of flow boiling. It was anticipated that nanostructures with exceptional capillary wicking abilities would overcome this problem. In this study, blade-like CuO nanostructures were created in the copper open microchannels to experimentally investigate water flow boiling. Experiments were carried out in nanostructured open microchannels (NMCs), and smooth-surface open microchannels (SMCs), as a comparison, were examined under identical operating conditions. Four main flow patterns, including bubbly flow, slug flow, and two kinds of stratified flow, dominated successively in NMCs and SMCs. Although the flow patterns were similar in NMCs and SMCs, the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) of flow boiling was greatly enhanced by nanostructures under conditions of medium and high heat flux, while the nanostructures' influence on HTC was unnoticeable at low heat flux. At medium and high heat fluxes, the dependence of HTC on heat flux and flow rate indicated the joint contribution of nucleate boiling mechanism and convective evaporation mechanism to heat transfer. The enhanced effect of nanostructures on nucleate boiling and convective evaporation became more prominent as heat flux increased, leading to a higher HTC in NMCs than in SMCs at higher heat flux conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this work was to provide heat transfer calculations of flow boiling in mini-channels with an application for the Trefftz functions. The test section comprised five parallel mini-channels with a depth of 1 mm, with a common heated wall. For the estimation of the temperature uncertainty, during the experiment the temperature measurement was performed with the use of K-type thermoelements and an infrared camera in two mini-channels simultaneously. According to the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, the Monte Carlo method is a practical alternative to the GUM uncertainty framework. Since the uncertainty components are not approximately the same magnitude, the Monte Carlo method was indicated to estimate the uncertainty of the surface temperature measurement. The results obtained from this simulation method were compared with the results of the computation related to the uncertainty propagation method. The results of both methods of temperature measurement were found to be consistent. The results of the statistical analysis were used to describe heat transfer calculations. The heat transfer investigations concerning the subcooled boiling region were performed during the other experiment. The local heat transfer coefficients on the contact surface between the working fluid and the heated wall were calculated from the Robin boundary condition. The mathematical model described by the heat equation in the mini-channel wall and by the Fourier-Kirchhoff equation in a flowing fluid leads to an inverse heat transfer problem. This problem was solved using the FEM with the Trefftz-type basis functions. The estimation of temperature uncertainty measurements due to the Monte Carlo method was included in the final results of the heat transfer coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flow boiling in microchannels is one of the promising techniques for heat dissipation occurred in micro devices. However, the rapid bubble growth must be suppressed, which leads to serious boiling instabilities, high pressure drop, and low heat transfer coefficient. The addition of porous hydrophobic membrane has proven an effective method to remove the vapor in-site in the literature. However, the effects of heat sink's topological structures on the vapor venting are still a research gap. The present study experimentally investigates the influence of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane on fluid flow pattern, pressure drop, vapor venting performance, and heat transfer characteristics of flow boiling in the continuous and segmented heat sinks. Results show that the vapor venting membrane can reduce the pressure drop and increase the heat transfer coefficient effectively by decreasing the exit vapor quality, especially in combination with the segmented structures. The interconnection area as a space for bubble growth and coalescence is beneficial for vapor venting due to increased vapor pressure and quantity. Following the enhanced vapor discharge, the fluctuation of pressure drop is further weakened, which is conducive for the safe operation of heat sink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an extensive evaluation of heat transfer characteristics, flow patterns, and pressure drop for saturation pressures ranging from 460–660 kPa in a horizontal smooth tube of 5 mm internal diameter using R134a as the working fluid. The effect of saturation pressures for mass fluxes of 150–300 kg/m2s and heat fluxes of 8.26–23.3 kW/m2 which are typical of refrigeration and air conditioning applications are also investigated. Flow patterns observed during the study are predicted with a well-known flow pattern map of Wojtan et al. The experimental results are compared with seven (7) correlations developed based on different theories to find which correlation best predicts the experimental data. The results show that, at low mass flux, increasing saturation pressure results in an increased heat transfer coefficient. This effect is more pronounced in the low vapor quality region and the dominant mechanism is nucleate boiling. At high mass flux, increasing saturation pressure leads to an insignificant increase in the heat transfer coefficient. At this high mass flux but low heat flux, the heat transfer coefficient increases with vapor quality, indicating convective boiling dominance. However, for high heat flux, the heat transfer coefficient is linear over vapor quality, indicating nucleate boiling dominance. Pressure drop is observed to decrease with increasing saturation pressure. Increasing saturation pressure increases the vapor quality at which the flow pattern transitions from intermittent flow to annular flow. The flow patterns predicted are a mixture of slug and stratified wavy and purely stratified wavy for low mass fluxes. For increased mass fluxes, the flow patterns predicted are slug, intermittent, annular, and dryout. Cooper's model was the best predictor of the experimental data and the trend of heat transfer coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process with change of phase during flow in mini-channels plays a significant role in many industrial applications, such as microelectronics. Furthermore, methods for heat transfer intensification during flow in channels of small cross-section are still being sought. In this work, studies of the effect of using a modified heated surface on intensification boiling heat transfer in rectangular mini-channels during upward and downward flow are performed. The test section of a group of seven parallel mini-channels 1 mm deep was investigated during the subcooled and saturated flow boiling of FC-72. The temperature of the outer heated wall surface was measured using an infrared camera. During the experiments, two-phase flow structures were captured with a quick camera. Local heat transfer coefficients at the contact surface between the working fluid and the heated surface were determined with the use of a one-dimensional calculation method. To present the results, local temperature measurements and heat transfer coefficients, boiling curves and two-phase flow patterns are shown and analyzed. The results concerning two directions of vertical flow along mini-channels are discussed. Several modified heated surfaces and one smooth were tested for comparison. The main objective was to find out how the modified surface of the heated wall can intensify boiling heat transfer with upward and downward refrigerant flow in mini-channels of rectangular cross-section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-dimensional numerical model is established to study the flow boiling heat transfer characteristics of the liquid film in a rotating pipe, and the effectiveness of the model is verified by a comparison between the numerical results and the experimental results. The effects of rotational speed, heat flux, and Coriolis force on the characteristics of heat transfer of the rotating liquid film are investigated. The conclusions are drawn as follows: (1) The convection of the rotating liquid film is enhanced while the nucleate boiling in the rotating liquid film is inhibited by the increase in the rotational speed; (2) With the influence of these two factors, the heat transfer coefficient increases with centrifugal acceleration increasing from 20 g to 40 g, then decreases with centrifugal acceleration increasing from 40 g to 120 g; (3) The turbulent intensity of the flow with Coriolis force is obviously increased compared to that without Coriolis force when the centrifugal acceleration ranges from 20 g to 80 g, which shows no increase at higher centrifugal accelerations when the turbulence is sufficiently strong. The Coriolis force also has an impact on the heat transfer coefficient of the liquid film, which should not be ignored when studying the boiling heat transfer of a rotating liquid film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrating photovoltaic power generation technology is a highly efficient way of utilizing solar energy resources with the efficiency limited by cell cooling conditions. For the heat dissipation problem from multi-point solar cell cooling, a microchannel heat sink is used to resolve the issue. Ammonia is chosen as the working fluid and two diamond microchannel heat sinks in series for the 16 simulated solar cells cooling with typical size. The heat sink consists of 31 triangular microchannels, each with a hydraulic diameter of 237 μm and a flow path length of 40 mm. It is experimentally verified that the diamond microchannel heat sink has excellent multi-point heat source heat dissipation capability. The surface temperature of the heat source can be controlled below 65.9 °C under the heat flux of 351.5 W/cm2, and the maximum temperature difference between the multi-point heat sources is only 1.4 °C. The effects of heat flux, mass flux and inlet state on the flow boiling heat transfer capacity within the series heat sinks were investigated and the ranges of the operating conditions are as follows: heat flux 90.8–351.5 W/cm2, mass flux 108–611 kg/(m2s), saturation temperature 15–23 °C and inlet temperature 15–21 °C. The results show that within the range of experimental conditions, the flow boiling heat transfer capacity of the series heat sink increases with the increase of heat flux and is less influenced by the mass flux, showing the typical two-phase heat transfer characteristics dominated by the nucleation boiling mechanism. Between the upstream and downstream heat sinks, the thermal resistance of the upstream heat sink is larger and the temperature uniformity of the downstream heat sink is poor because of the difference of the inlet state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the evaporation heat transfer characteristics of an intermediate temperature of R744 in a smooth horizontal tube, when operating as an indirect refrigeration system (IRS) among hybrid cascade refrigeration systems (HCRSs), are evaluated. Studies on the characteristics of intermediate-temperature evaporation heat transfer under the operating conditions of evaporators used in actual refrigeration systems, such as IRS, cascade refrigeration systems, and HCRS, used in supermarkets are lacking. Thus, this study provides basic data on the characteristics of evaporation heat transfer of R744 in the evaporators of refrigerators used in supermarkets. The tube employed to the evaporation experiment in this study was a horizontal smooth copper tube with a length of 8000 mm and an inner diameter of 11.46 mm. The experimental variables were measured over a wide range of mass flux of 200–500 kg/(m2·s), heat flux of 10–40 kW/m2, and saturation temperature of −40–0 °C. The main results are summarized as follows: (1) The application of Kandlikar's correlation formula at an evaporation temperature of −20 °C in an IRS helps in a good prediction of the R744 evaporation heat transfer coefficient. (2) The pressure drop according to the heat and mass flux showed the same heat transfer coefficient trend, but the pressure drop at saturation temperature was different from the trend of heat transfer coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of research on heat transfer during fluid flow in a heat exchanger with two rectangular mini-channels. There was Fluorinert FC-72 flow, heated by the plate in the hot mini-channel, and co-current flow of distilled water in the cold mini-channel. Both fluids were separated by the copper plate. A thermal imaging camera was used to measure the temperature distribution of the outer surface of the heated plate. The purpose of the calculations was to determine the heat transfer coefficients at the contact surfaces: the heated plate—FC-72 and FC-72—the copper plate. Two mathematical models have been proposed to describe the heat flow. In the 1D approach, only the heat flow direction perpendicular to the fluid flow direction was assumed. In the 2D model, it was assumed that the temperature of the heated plate and FC-72 and the copper plate meet the appropriate energy equation, supplemented by the boundary conditions system. In this case, the Trefftz functions were used in numerical calculations. In the 1D model, the heat transfer coefficient at the interface between FC-72 and the copper plate was determined by theoretical correlations. The analysis of the results showed that the values and distributions of the heat transfer coefficient determined using both models were similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past few years, research in the field of flow boiling heat transfer has gained immense popularity for unravelling the dominant mechanism responsible for controlling heat transfer and identifying a parametric trend for understanding the characteristics of flow boiling heat transfer. This has led to several assumptions and models for predicting heat transfer during flow boiling without any known generalized mechanism. This study therefore seeks to experimentally study the characteristics of heat transfer during flow boiling over a wide range but small increase in vapor quality from a single-phase subcooled region through to a two-phase superheated vapor region. The study was performed with an R134a refrigerant in a single horizontal circular stainless-steel smooth tube that had an internal diameter of 5 mm. In this experimental study, local heat transfer coefficients and frictional pressure drop were measured for low heat fluxes of 4.6–8.5 kW/m2, mass fluxes of 200–300 kg/(m2s), vapor quality from −0.1 to 1.2 and a low constant saturation pressure of 460 kPa. Flow patterns observed during the study were recorded with a high-speed camera at 2000 fps. In covering a wide range of vapor quality, a peak of heat transfer coefficient near a vapor quality of zero and a local minimum observed in the low vapor quality region were observed, and both were sensitive to heat flux and mildly sensitive to mass flux. Generally, at low vapor quality, the heat transfer coefficient deteriorated with vapor quality and this was sensitive to heat flux but insensitive to mass flux and vapor quality, indicating nucleate boiling dominance in low vapor quality regions. In high vapor quality regions, the heat transfer coefficient was sensitive to mass flux and insensitive to heat flux. This indicates the dominance of convective boiling. In the low vapor quality regions, the flow patterns observed were slug and intermittent, while in the high vapor quality region, annular and mist flow patterns were observed. Generally, frictional pressure drop increased with increasing mass flux and vapor quality in the two-phase region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the impact of different factors on the flow boiling of R290 and R22 in double-concentric pipes are investigated through CFD numerical simulations. The numerical studies are performed by changing the inner tube diameter in the range of 3 to 7 mm, the refrigerant velocity between 1 and 5 m/s, the water velocity between 1 and 10 m/s and the saturation temperature in the range of 276 to 283 K. The heat transfer coefficient (HTC), pressure drop and exergy destruction of R290 are determined. The results show that HTC, pressure drop and exergy destruction are significantly impacted by the pipe diameter and the refrigerant velocity, but slightly impacted by water velocity and saturation temperature. Moreover, the exergy loss and pressure drop of R290 are 11.8–13.3% and 4.3–10.2% lower than those of R22. R290 has a lower energy loss than R22 in the evaporation process in the double-concentric pipe. However, the HTC of R290 is 57.3–59.7% lower than that of R22. The HTC of R290 can be optimized by increasing the pipe diameter or the R290 velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase change heat transfer within microchannels is considered one of the most promising cooling methods for the efficient cooling of high-performance electronic devices. However, there are still fundamental parameters, such as the effect of channel hydraulic diameter D h whose effects on fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics are not clearly defined yet. The objective of the present work is to numerically investigate the first transient flow boiling characteristics from the bubble inception up to the first stages of the flow boiling regime development, in rectangular microchannels of varying hydraulic diameters, utilising an enhanced custom VOF-based solver. The solver accounts for conjugate heat transfer effects, implemented in OpenFOAM and validated in the literature through experimental results and analytical solutions. The numerical study was conducted through two different sets of simulations. In the first set, flow boiling characteristics in four single microchannels of D h = 50, 100, 150, and 200 μ m with constant channel aspect ratio of 0.5 and length of 2.4 mm were examined. Due to the different D h , the applied heat and mass flux values varied between 20 to 200 kW / m 2 and 150 to 2400 kg / m 2 s , respectively. The results of the two-phase simulations were compared with the corresponding initial single-phase stage of the simulations, and an increase of up to 37.4% on the global Nu number N u g l o b was revealed. In the second set of simulations, the effectiveness of having microchannel evaporators of single versus multiple parallel microchannels was investigated by performing and comparing simulations of a single rectangular microchannel with D h of 200 μ m and four-parallel rectangular microchannels, each having a hydraulic diameter D h of 50 μ m . By comparing the local time-averaged thermal resistance along the channels, it is found that the parallel microchannels configuration resulted in a 23.3% decrease in the average thermal resistance R ¯ l compared to the corresponding single-phase simulation stage, while the flow boiling process reduced the R ¯ l by only 5.4% for the single microchannel case. As for the developed flow regimes, churn and slug flow dominated, whereas liquid film evaporation and, for some cases, contact line evaporation were the main contributing flow boiling mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To protect the environment, a new low-GWP refrigerant R1234ze(E) was created to substitute R134a. However, its flow boiling performances have not received sufficient attention so far, which hinders its popularization to some extent. In view of this, an experimental investigation was carried out in a 1.88 mm horizontal circular minichannel. The saturation pressures were maintained at 0.6 and 0.7 MPa, accompanied by mass flux within 540–870 kg/m2 s and heat flux within 25–65 kW/m2. For nucleate boiling, a larger heat flux brings about a larger heat transfer coefficient (HTC), while for convective boiling, the mass flux and vapor quality appear to take the lead role. The threshold vapor quality of different heat transfer mechanisms is around 0.4. Additionally, larger saturation pressure results in large HTC. As for the frictional pressure drop (FPD), it is positively influenced by mass flux and vapor quality, while negatively affected by saturation pressure, and the influence of heat flux is negligible. Furthermore, with the measured data, several existing correlations are compared. The results indicate that the correlations of Saitoh et al. (2007) and Müller-Steinhagen and Heck (1986) perform best on flow boiling HTC and FPD with mean absolute deviations of 5.4% and 10.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of heat transfer during refrigerant flow in rectangular mini-channels at stationary conditions. The impacts of selected parameters on boiling are discussed, i.e., thermal and flow parameters, dimensions and orientation of the channels. Four refrigerants (FC-72, HFE-649, HFE-7000 and HFE-7100) were used as the working fluid. Research was carried out on the experimental set-up with the test section with a single rectangular mini-channel of 180 mm long and with a group of five parallel mini-channels, each 32 mm long. The temperature of the mini-channel's heated wall was measured by infrared thermography. Local values of the heat transfer coefficient at the contact surface between the fluid and the plate were calculated using the 1D mathematical method. The results are presented as the relationship between the heat transfer coefficient and the distance along the mini-channel length and boiling curves. Two-phase flow patterns are shown. Moreover, the results concerning various refrigerants and the use of modified heater surfaces are discussed. The main factors influencing the heat transfer process were: mini-channel inclination to the horizontal pane (the highest heat transfer coefficient at 270° and 0°), using modified heater surfaces (especially electroerosion texturing and vibration-assisted laser No. 2 texturing) and working fluids (FC-72 and HFE-7000). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of integrated circuit technology, the heat flux of electronic chips has been sharply improved. Therefore, heat dissipation becomes the key technology for the safety and reliability of the electronic equipment. In addition, the electronic chips are distributed discretely and used periodically in most applications. Based these problems, the characteristics of the heat transfer performance of flow boiling in parallel channels with discrete heat source distribution are investigated by a VOF model. Meanwhile, the two-phase flow instability in parallel channels with discrete heat source distribution is analyzed based on a one-dimensional homogeneous model. The results indicate that the two-phase flow pattern in discrete heat source distribution is more complicated than that in continuous heat source distribution. It is necessary to optimize the relative position of the discrete heat sources, which will affect the heat transfer performance. In addition, compared with the continuous heat source, the flow stability of discrete heat sources is better with higher and lower inlet subcooling. With a constant sum of heating power, the greater the heating power near the outlet, the better the flow stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensification of heat transfer using two-phase boiling flow in mini-channels is widely used to dissipate the high heat fluxes in miniaturized electronic devices. However, the process itself is not fully recognized and still requires experimental studies and developing computation methods appropriate for them. The main aim of this work was the mathematical modeling of time-dependent heat transfer process in FC-72 flow boiling in a mini-channel heat sink with five parallel mini-channels of 1 mm depth. Channels have an asymmetrically heated wall while its outer temperature was measured by infrared thermography. The opposite wall of the mini-channels was transparent, helping to record flow patterns due to a high-speed digital camera. The objective of the numerical calculations was to determine the heat transfer coefficient on the wall-fluid contact surface from the Robin boundary condition. The problem was solved using methods based on the Trefftz-type functions. Three mathematical methods were applied in calculations: the FEM with Trefftz type basis functions, the Classical Trefftz Method, and the Hybrid Picard-Trefftz Method. The results were compared with the values of the heat transfer coefficient obtained from theoretical correlations from the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on subcooled boiling heat transfer during flow in a minichannel heat sink with three or five minichannels of 1 mm depth. The heated element for FC-72 flowing along the minichannels was a thin foil of which temperature on the outer surface was measured due to the infrared thermography. The test section was oriented vertically or horizontally. A steady state heat transfer process and a laminar, incompressible flow of the fluid in a central minichannel were assumed. The heat transfer problem was described by the energy equations with an appropriate system of boundary conditions. Several mathematical methods were applied to solve the heat transfer problem with the Robin condition to determine the local heat transfer coefficients at the fluid/heated foil interface. Besides the 1D approach as a simple analytical method, a more sophisticated 2D approach was proposed with solutions by the Trefftz functions and ADINA software. Finite element method (FEM) calculations were conducted to find the temperature field in the flowing fluid and in the heated wall. The results were illustrated by graphs of local heated foil temperature and transfer coefficients as a function of the distance from the minichannel inlet. Temperature distributions in the heater and the fluid obtained from the FEM computations carried out by ADINA software were also shown. Similar values of the heat transfer coefficient were obtained in both the FEM calculations and the 1D approach. Example boiling curves indicating nucleation hysteresis are shown and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steady state flow boiling experiments were carried out on several heated tubes with outer diameter 9.14 mm at outlet pressures 120, 200 and 300 kPa, inlet temperatures 64, 78 and 91 °C and approximately 400, 500, 600 and 800 kg/(m2·s) mass flux entering the vertically aligned test annulus until critical heat flux (CHF) was reached. The tubes were made of Inconel 625 with a length of 400 mm. The Inconel tubes were tested in three different modifications as smooth, abraded with 150 grit sandpaper and bead blasted. Multiple experiments were repeated on the same specimen to investigate the effect of surface characteristic changes (i.e., wettability, roughness and oxide layer morphology) on the occurrence of CHF. Despite the changes in initial wettability, the CHF dependency was not clearly observed, however, the changes in roughness led to an increase in CHF. The total number of 115 experimental runs were collected and the results were also compared with other literature experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flow boiling in microporous layers has attracted a great deal of attention in the enhanced heat transfer field due to its high heat dissipation potential. In this study, flow boiling experiments were performed on both porous microchannels and a copper-based microchannel, using water as the coolant. As the heat flux was less than 80 W/cm2, the porous microchannels presented significantly higher boiling heat transfer coefficients than the copper-based microchannel. This was closely associated with the promotion of the nucleation site density of the porous coating. With the further increase in heat flux, the heat transfer coefficients of the porous microchannels were close to those of the copper-based sample. The boiling process in the porous microchannel was found to be dominated by the nucleate boiling mechanism from low to moderate heat flux (<80 W/cm2).This switched to the convection boiling mode at high heat flux. The porous samples were able to mitigate flow instability greatly. A visual observation revealed that porous microchannels could suppress the flow fluctuation due to the establishment of a stable nucleate boiling process. Porous microchannels showed no advantage over the copper-based sample in the critical heat flux. The optimal thickness-to-particle-size ratio (δ/d) for the porous microchannel was confirmed to be between 2–5. In this range, the maximum enhanced effect on boiling heat transfer could be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flow boiling heat transfer in microchannels can provide a high cooling rate, while maintaining a uniform wall temperature, which has been extensively studied as an attractive solution for the thermal management of high-power electronics. The depth-to-width ratio of the microchannel is an important parameter, which not only determines the heat transfer area but also has dominant effect on the heat transfer mechanisms. In the present study, numerical simulations based on the volume of fraction models are performed on the flow boiling in very deep microchannels. The effects of the depth-to-width ratio on the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop are discussed. The bubble behavior and heat transfer characteristics are analyzed to explain the mechanism of heat transfer enhancement. The results show the very deep microchannels can effectively enhance the heat transfer, lower the temperature rise and show promising applications in the thermal management of high-power electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the boiling synchronization of two-phase flow patterns in two parallel minichannels of 1 mm in diameter with connected compressible volumes was analyzed. The analysis was performed using images recorded with a high-speed camera. The degree of synchronization between channels was evaluated by assessing the presence of liquid flow in the small part of the minichannels. It can be concluded that boiling is synchronized when small bubble flow or wavy annular flow occur in neighboring channels. The occurrence of slug flow in one channel causes the boiling in neighboring channels to become unsynchronized. The result of the image analysis shows that the correlation coefficient based on the evaluation of the presence of liquid flow in the small part of the minichannels over a long enough time period allows for the detection of boiling synchronization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the issue of flow boiling heat transfer in an annular minigap was discussed. The main aim of the paper was determining the boiling heat transfer coefficient at the HFE-649 fluid–heater contact during flow along an annular minigap. The essential element of the experimental stand was a test section vertically oriented with the minigap 2 mm wide. Thermocouples were used to measure the temperature of the heater and fluid at the inlet and the outlet to the minigap. The mathematical model assumed that the fluid flow was laminar and the steady–state heat transfer process was axisymmetric. The temperatures of the heated surface and of the flowing fluid were assumed to fulfill energy equations with adequate boundary conditions. The problem was solved by the Trefftz method. The local heat transfer coefficients at the fluid–test surface interface were calculated due to the third kind boundary condition at the saturated boiling. Graphs were used to illustrate: the measurement of the heater surface temperature, 2D temperature distributions in the pipe and fluid, and the heat transfer coefficient as a function of the distance from the minigap inlet. The measurement uncertainties and accuracy of the heat transfer coefficient determination were estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a critical analysis of possible data reduction procedures for the evaluation of local heat transfer coefficient during flow boiling experiments. The benchmark method using one-dimensional (1-D) heat transfer in a heated tube was compared to a new data reduction method in which both radial and circumferential contributions to the conductive heat transfer inside a metal tube are considered. Using published experimental flow boiling data, the circumferential profiles of the wall superheat, inner wall heat flux, and heat transfer coefficients were independently calculated with the two data reduction procedures. The differences between the two methods were then examined according to the different heat transfer behavior observed (symmetric or asymmetric), which in turn was related to the two-phase flow regimes occurring in a channel during evaporation. A statistical analysis using the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) index was then performed for a database of 417 collected flow boiling data taken under different operating conditions in terms of working fluid, saturation temperature, mass velocity, vapor quality, and imposed heat flux. Results showed that the maximum deviations between the two methods could reach up to 130% in the case of asymmetric heat transfer. Finally, the possible uses of the two data reduction methods are discussed, pointing out that the two-dimensional (2-D) model is the most reliable method to be employed in the case of high-level modeling of two-phase flow or advanced design of heat exchangers and heat spreader systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental investigation was conducted to explore the flow boiling heat transfer characteristics of refrigerants R134A and R410A inside a smooth tube, as well as inside two newly developed surface-enhanced tubes. The internal surface structures of the two enhanced tubes are comprised of protrusions/dimples and petal-shaped bumps/cavities. The equivalent inner diameter of all tested tubes is 11.5 mm, and the tube length is 2 m. The experimental test conditions included saturation temperatures of 6 °C and 10 °C; mass velocities ranging from 70 to 200 kg/(m2s); and heat fluxes ranging from 10 to 35 kW/m2, with inlet and outlet vapor quality of 0.2 and 0.8. It was observed that the enhanced tubes exhibit excellent flow boiling heat transfer performance. This can be attributed to the complex surface patterns of dimples and petal arrays that increase the active heat transfer area; in addition, more nucleation sites are produced, and there is also an increased interfacial turbulence. Results showed that the boiling heat transfer coefficient of the enhanced surface tubes was 1.15–1.66 times that of the smooth tubing. Also, effects of the flow pattern and saturated temperature are discussed. Finally, a comparison of several existing flow boiling heat transfer models using the data from the current study is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]