An Experimental Study on Flow Boiling Characteristics of pHEMA Nano-Coated Surfaces in a Microchannel
In this study, the effect of pHEMA (Polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate) nanostructure coated surfaces on flow boiling was investigated in a rectangular microchannel. Experiments were conducted using deionized water as the working fluid to investigate flow boiling in a microchannel with dimensions of 14 cm length, 1.5 cm width, and 500 μm depth. The effect of pHEMA coatings (coated on 1.5 × 1.5 cm2 silicon plates) on heat transfer coefficients and flow patterns was assessed and supported using a high speed camera system. Although the contact angle decreases on nano-coated surfaces, due to surface porosity, boiling heat transfer coefficient increases. Furthermore, visualization results indicated that uncoated surfaces experienced a smaller nucleate boiling region. It was also observed that dryout occurs at higher heat fluxes for coated surfaces.