Macro- to Microscale Boiling Heat Transfer From Metal-Graphite Composite Surfaces

This paper introduces a novel heat transfer enhancement surface, referred to as metal-graphite composite surface. It is comprised of high thermal conductivity graphite microfibers interspersed within a metal matrix (copper or aluminum) to enhance the bubble formation at the nucleation sites, and significantly improve the nucleate boiling heat transfer. Experiments revealed that its boiling heat transfer enhancement is comparable or in some respect even superior to the commercially available boiling heat transfer enhancement surfaces such as porous boiling surface and integral roughness surface. In addition, it does not result in any extra pressure loss and it minimizes surface fouling. Macro- to microscale heat transfer phenomena of the composite surfaces is treated. Discussions include characteristics of the surface, enhancement mechanisms, critical heat flux, boiling thermal hysteresis, bubble generation, growth and departure, and applications in electronic cooling, and under reduced gravity conditions.