Adam Cowley

Effect of Evaporation and Condensation at Menisci on Apparent Thermal Slip

We semi-analytically capture the effects of evaporation and condensation at menisci on apparent thermal slip lengths for liquids suspended in the Cassie state on ridge-type structured surfaces using a conformal map and convolution. An isoflux boundary condition is prescribed at solid–liquid interfaces and a constant heat transfer coefficient or isothermal one at menisci. We assume that the gaps between ridges, where the vapor phase resides, are closed systems; therefore, the net rates of heat and mass transfer across menisci are zero. The reduction in apparent thermal slip length due to evaporation and condensation relative to the limiting case of an adiabatic meniscus as a function of solid fraction and interfacial heat transfer coefficient is quantified in a single plot. The semi-analytical solution method is verified by numerical simulation. Results suggest that interfacial evaporation and condensation need to be considered in the design of microchannels lined with structured surfaces for direct liquid cooling of electronics applications and a quantitative means to do so is elucidated. The result is a decrease in thermal resistance relative to the predictions of existing analyses which neglect them.

Effective Temperature Jump Length and Influence of Axial Conduction for Thermal Transport Through Channels With Superhydrophobic Walls

This paper presents a numerical investigation of thermal transport in a parallel-plate channel comprised of superhydrophobic walls. The scenario analyzed in this paper is laminar, fully developed, steady flow with constant properties. The superhydrophobic walls considered here have alternating micro-ribs and cavities aligned perpendicular to the flow direction. The cavities are assumed to be non-wetting and contain air. The thermal transport through the ribs is considered to have a constant heat flux while the thermal transport through the air/fluid interface over the cavity is considered to be negligible. Numerical results have been obtained over a range a Peclet numbers, cavity fractions, and relative rib/cavity widths. Results were also obtained where axial conduction was neglected and these results are compared to previous analytical work with excellent agreement. When the influence of axial conduction is not neglected, however, the results for local wall temperatures and Nusselt numbers show departure from the previous analytical results. The departure is more pronounced at low Peclet numbers and at large relative channel diameters. This paper provides a comparison over a wide range of parameters that characterize the overall influence of axial conduction. In general, the results show that the relative size of the cavity compared to the total rib/cavity module width (cavity fraction) and the flow Peclet number have a significant impact on the total thermal transport properties. Also, the rib/cavity module width compared to the hydraulic diameter affects the overall thermal transport behavior. Lastly, this paper explores the concept of a temperature jump length which is analogous to the hydrodynamic slip length. The ratio of temperature jump length to hydrodynamic slip length is presented in terms of cavity fraction, Peclet number, and relative size of the rib cavity module.Copyright