Heat transfer enhancement in air by means of acoustic fields

Convection is the most important heat transfer mechanism in air, and every heat source cools down thanks to it. However, this phenomenon relies on buoyancy and this does not exist in microgravity conditions. For this reason, heat will remain attached to the heat sources and this might lead to overheat problems. A possible solution to this problem might be to apply an acoustic field, as their interaction with the air can produce an acoustic streaming that will enhance the heat transfer between the heat source and the air. Several experiments have been performed to study this heat transfer enhancement due to acoustics, but all of them have been carried out in terrestrial gravity. Acoustic fields have shown to be effective for heat managing for liquids in microgravity conditions, and it is expected that this will happen also with gases. In this regard, an experiment will be designed and performed in the ZARM Drop Tower in Bremen in order to demonstrate that heat transfer in gases can be enhanced with acoustic fields. This work presents the preliminary tests, prior to the microgravity experiment, with the objective of achieving a deep understanding and be in a good position to optimize the design of the mentioned experiment.
Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura