Analysis of Thin-Film Evaporation Through Sintered Wick Microstructures

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karthik K. Bodla ◽  
Jayathi Y. Murthy ◽  
Suresh V. Garimella
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Particle Size ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Pore Scale ◽  
Particle Size Range ◽  
Thin Film Evaporation ◽  
Film Evaporation ◽  
Vof Model ◽  
Sintered Copper

Heat pipes are passive heat transport devices capable of transporting heat over long distances without a substantial drop in temperature. The topology and microstructure of the wick material play a crucial role in determining the thermal performance of such devices. Accurate modeling of pore-scale transport phenomena is thus important. In this study, pore scale analysis of thin-film evaporation through sintered copper wicks is performed. X-ray microtomography is employed to generate geometrically-faithful, feature-preserving meshes. Three commercially used sintered wicks of varying particle size ranges (45–60 μm, 106–150 μm and 250–355 μm) and with approximately 61% porosity are considered. The capillary pressure, effective pore radius, percentage thin film area and evaporative mass and heat fluxes are computed using the Volume of Fluid (VOF) model in FLUENT. Two different solution strategies are employed to stabilize the numerical solution and to improve convergence. After verifying that these strategies yield the correct solution, the VOF model is used to obtain static meniscus shapes in the pore space of the sintered wick samples. The meniscus shape is then held fixed and steady-state, thin-film evaporation analysis is performed. Liquid-vapor phase change heat transfer is modeled using a modified Schrage equation. Based on the present analysis, the best performing sample (particle size range) is identified along with the optimum contact angle.

The Visualization of Thin Film Evaporation on Thin Micro Sintered Copper Mesh Screen

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Li ◽  
G. P. Peterson ◽  
Ji Li ◽  
Nikhil Koratkar
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Flux ◽  
Thin Liquid Film ◽  
Heated Wall ◽  
Thin Film Evaporation ◽  
Film Evaporation ◽  
Sintered Copper ◽  
Mesh Screen ◽  
Copper Mesh

The thin film evaporation process through use of thin micro-scale sintered copper mesh screen was proven to be a very effective heat transfer mechanism with high critical heat flux (CHF). This efficient heat transfer mechanism is widely used in designing heat pipe, Capillary Pumped Loops (CPL), and drying process, however, the nucleation process and meniscus dynamics at the liquid-vapor-solid interface are not directly observed and systematically studied. Very few visual investigation in thin film evaporation has been conducted. In the existing two visual studies, the interface thermal resistance between coating and the heated wall was not seriously considered, and the heat flux was limited below 35 W/cm2. In this visualization investigation, the nucleation process and meniscus dynamics from initial condition to drying out were observed and well documented. To minimize the interface thermal resistance, the micro scale wicking was sintered to heated wall directly. High quality images were acquired through a well-designed visualization system. The majority of nucleate bubbles, whose diameters are at a magnitude of 10 μm, were found to form on the top wire surfaces instead of inside the porous media at moderate heat flux. Few large size bubbles were observed to grow inside capillary wicks, however, their presence did not seem to stop the evaporation process as reported before. The menisci receding process was visually captured for the first time. The minimum menisci radius was found to form at the smallest corners and pores. It is also illustrated the thin liquid area increases when the menisci recede and the thin liquid film evaporation is the dominant heat transfer mode at high heat flux. The present work visually confirms the heat transfer regimes of evaporation on micro porous media, which was proposed by Li and Peterson [2], and further improves the understanding to the nucleate boiling and thin liquid film evaporation on the surfaces of micro sintered copper mesh screen.

Surface Temperatures and Heat Fluxes Associated With the Evaporation of a Liquid Film on a Semi-Infinite Solid

1971 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 357-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Hale ◽  
S. A. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Boundary Value Problem ◽  
Liquid Film ◽  
Numerical Solution ◽  
Thin Liquid Film ◽  
Pool Boiling ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Thin Film Evaporation ◽  
Film Evaporation ◽  
Limiting Case

The boundary-value problem associated with the evaporation of a thin liquid film from a thick surface is presented in terms of several dimensionless parameters. A numerical solution is presented for a particular limiting case and the result is used to suggest criteria for determining the significance of thin-film evaporation in saturated pool boiling.

scholarly journals Thin Film Evaporation Using Nanoporous Membranes for Enhanced Heat Transfer

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Xiao ◽  
Shalabh C. Maroo ◽  
Evelyn N. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thermal Management ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Nanoporous Membranes ◽  
Transfer Coefficients ◽  
Thin Film Evaporation ◽  
Heat Transfer Coefficients ◽  
Film Evaporation

Recent advancements in integrated circuits demand the development of novel thermal management schemes that can dissipate ultra-high heat fluxes with high heat transfer coefficients. Previous study demonstrated the potential of thin film evaporation on micro/nanostructured surfaces [1–11]. Theoretical calculations indicate that heat transfer coefficients on the order of 106 W/m2K and heat fluxes of 105 W/cm2 can be achievable with water [1, 5–6]. However, in previous experimental setup, the coolant has to propagate across the surface which limits the increase in heat flux and the heat transfer coefficient, while adding complexity to the system design. This work aims to decouple the propagation of the coolant from the evaporation process through a novel experimental configuration. Thin nanoporous membranes of 13 mm diameter were used where a metal layer was deposited on the top surface to serve as a resistance heater. Liquid was supplied from the bottom of the membrane, driven through the nanopores by capillary force, and evaporated from the top surface. Heat transfer coefficient over 104 W/m2K was obtained with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as the coolant, which is only two orders of magnitude smaller than the theoretical limit. This work offers insights into optimal experimental designs towards achieving kinetic limits of heat transfer for thin film evaporation based thermal management solutions.

Microengineered Surfaces for Thin Film Evaporation for Enhanced Heat Dissipation

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Xiao ◽  
Evelyn N. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Liquid Film ◽  
Thermal Management ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Thin Liquid Film ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Thin Film Evaporation ◽  
Film Evaporation ◽  
Micropillar Arrays

The increasing performance of integrated chips has introduced a growing demand for new thermal management technologies. While various thermal management schemes have been studied, thin film evaporation promises high heat dissipation rates (1000 W/cm2) with low thermal resistances. However, methods to form a thin liquid film including jet impingement and sprays have challenges associated with achieving the desired film thickness. In this work, we investigated novel microstructures to control the thickness of the thin film where the liquid is driven by capillarity. Micropillar arrays with diameters ranging from 2 μm to 10 μm, spacings between pillars ranging from 5 μm to 10 μm, and heights of 4.36 μm were studied. A semi-analytical model was developed to predict the propagation rate of the liquid film, which was validated with experiments. The heat transfer performance was investigated on the micropillar arrays with microfabricated heaters and temperature sensors. The behavior of the thin liquid film under varying heat fluxes was studied. This work demonstrates the potential of micro- and nanostructures to dissipate high heat fluxes via thin film evaporation.

An Ultrafast Vitrification Method for Cell Cryopreservation

2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengmin Su ◽  
Nannan Zhao ◽  
Yangbo Deng ◽  
Hongbin Ma
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Cooling Rate ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Low Concentration ◽  
Temperature Range ◽  
Thin Film Evaporation ◽  
Film Evaporation ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Cryoprotective Solution ◽  
Ultrafast Cooling

Ultrafast cooling is the key to successful cell vitrification cryopreservation of lower concentration cryoprotective solution. This research develops a cell cryopreservation methodology which utilizes thin film evaporation and achieves vitrification of relatively low concentration cryoprotectant with an ultrafast cooling rate. Experimental results show that the average cooling rate of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) cryoprotective solution reaches 150,000 °C/min in a temperature range from 10 °C to −180 °C. The ultrafast cooling rate can remarkably improve the vitrification tendencies of the cryoprotective solution. This methodology opens the possibility for more successful cell vitrification cryopreservation.

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