Sang M. Kwark

Transient characteristics of pool boiling heat transfer in nanofluids

This study shows the transient characteristics of the pool boiling curves using nanofluid as the boiling fluid. This time-dependency is in sharp contrast to a unique steady-state pool boiling curve that is typically obtained for a pure fluid. Past researches on nanofluids have provided several interesting information about the thermal characteristics for this potentially promising cooling fluid. Results from these studies have shown some extraordinary critical heat flux (CHF) values and thermal conductivity enhancement that is yet to be explained by existing theories and correlations. The nature of the pool boiling curve for a nanofluid is dependent on the nanoparticle concentration in the base fluid. Higher concentration nanofluids show a perceptible degradation in the boiling heat transfer coefficient but have exhibited an enhanced CHF value (up to ∼80%) when compared to the CHF value of the base fluid (water). Another key observation has been in the significant deposition of nanoparticles on the heater surface. This fouling of the heater surface by nanoparticles is widely viewed as a main contributor that modifies the pool boiling curve of the base liquid. The deposition of the nanoparticles on the heater surface is dynamic and this in turn makes the nanofluid pool boiling curve exhibit transient characteristics.Copyright

Optimization of microporous structures in enhancing pool boiling heat transfer of saturated R-123, FC-72 and water

The present research is an experimental study for the enhancement of boiling heat transfer using microporous coating techniques. The effects of different metal particle sizes in the coating compound for microporous coatings on pool boiling performance of refrigerants and water are investigated. All boiling tests were performed with 1×1cm2 test heaters in the horizontal, upward-facing orientation under increasing heat flux conditions at atmospheric pressure in saturated R-123, FC-72, and water. Results showed that the enhanced surface by microporous coating technique significantly augmented both nucleate boiling heat transfer coefficient and critical heat flux of FC-72 and R-123 over a plain surface. However, the enhancement of boiling performance for water was comparatively insignificant compared to the other liquids.Copyright

EXPERIMENTAL POOL BOILING HEAT TRANSFER STUDY OF THE NANOPOROUS COATING IN VARIOUS FLUIDS

An experimental pool boiling study was conducted using plain and nanoporous coated heater surfaces immersed in various working fluids: water, ethanol and HFE-7100. Pool boiling tests were performed on flat 1 cm × 1 cm heaters. Unlike in water, the critical heat flux (CHF) enhancement of the nanoporous coating seems to be less or marginal in ethanol and HFE-7100 at 1 atm. The reduced effect of the nanoporous coating in ethanol and HFE-7100 is believed to be due to the highly wetting nature of these fluids since no obvious difference in wettability is observed between nanoporous coated and uncoated surfaces through apparent contact angle measurement. Moreover, pressure effects were also investigated for the fluids mentioned above. For the nanoporous coated surface, CHF enhancement of the nanoporous coating appeared to be dependent on the test pressure, showing greater CHF enhancement at lower pressure. It is believed that this pressure dependent CHF enhancement behavior could be closely related to the bubble departure diameter. As pressure lowers, the departure bubble size increases and this allows the nanoporous coating to become more influential, even for the highly wetting fluids, in delaying local dry-out, which in turn results in increasing CHF enhancement.

Pool boiling heat transfer characteristics of nanocoating in various working fluids

An experimental pool boiling study was conducted using plain and nanocoated heater surfaces immersed in various working fluids. Working fluids include water, ethanol and HFE-7100 and pool boiling tests were performed on a flat 1 cm × 1 cm heaters. Unlike in water, CHF enhancement of the nanocoating seems to be less or marginal in ethanol and HFE-7100 at 1 atm. The reduced effect of the nanocoating in ethanol and HFE-7100 is believed to be due to the highly wetting nature of these fluids since no obvious difference in wettability through apparent contact angle measurement is observed between nanocoated and uncoated surfaces at 1 atm. Moreover, pressure effects were also investigated for the fluids mentioned above. The uncoated and nanocoated surfaces were tested in the working fluids at four different pressures. For the uncoated surface, measured CHF values closely matched those of Zubers [13]. In the case of the nanocoated surface, CHF enhancement of the nanocoating appeared to be dependent on the test pressure, showing the greatest CHF enhancement value at the lowest pressure and the enhancement decreased as the pressure increased. Although CHF enhancement of pure water was superior to that of other fluids, it was observed that there was also noticeable CHF enhancement as pressure decreased for the highly wetting fluids. It is believed that this enhancement could be closely related to the bubble departure diameter. As the test pressure decreases, the departure bubble size increases and this allows the nanocoating to become more influential, even for the highly wetting fluids, in delaying local dry-out, which in turn results in increasing CHF enhancement.

A REVIEW OF ENHANCEMENT OF BOILING HEAT TRANSFER THROUGH NANOFLUIDS AND NANOPARTICLE COATINGS

This review traces the development of nanofluid pool boiling from its beginning (1984) to the present through a sampling of studies that have interested the authors and which have led to the latest findings at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). The studies of thermophysical properties of nanofluids are briefly covered. Several works in the last 7 years are highlighted to illustrate the modes of nanofluid pool boiling testing, the variability of nanofluid boiling heat transfer (BHT), and the postulations of causes of this behavior. Starting in 2006, the wettability increase in the nanoparticle coating, generated during the nanofluid pool boiling, is recognized as the source of critical heat flux (CHF) enhancement through its effect on the dynamics of hot spots and departing bubbles. The reasons for the observed contradictory BHT behavior are not yet fully clear, but recently at UTA, nanofluid boiling heat transfer has shown to be transient due to the dynamic nature of the formation of the nanoparticle coating. Also at UTA, the mechanism of nanoparticle deposition on the heated surface has been further confirmed. Thus, nanofluid boiling has led back to heat transfer enhancement through surface modification in nanoscale. These developments from 2006 are covered in more detail.

Pool Boiling Heat Transfer of Borated (H3BO3) Water on a Nanoporous Surface

With regard to potential application in pressurized water reactors (PWRs), a nanoporous heated surface was tested in pool boiling of an aqueous solution of boric acid (H3BO3), or borated water (1% volume concentration). The effect of system pressure and surface orientation on pool boiling heat transfer (BHT) was studied. The nanoporous surface consisted of a coating of alumina nanoparticles applied on a 1 cm2 flat copper surface through nanofluid boiling. An uncoated surface in borated water was similarly tested, and due to boric acid deposition, the BHT degraded and the critical heat flux (CHF) enhanced relative to pure water. Also, the possibility of transient pool boiling behavior of borated water was investigated but none was detected. With pressure and orientation variation, the nanoporous surface imposed on borated water showed a trend of further CHF enhancement to the CHF limit produced by the nanoporous surface in pure water. Over the nanoporous surface, the CHF of borated water was increasingly better with decreasing pressure, than that over the plain surface. However, BHT degraded slightly further. Boric acid deposition over the nanoporous surface was believed to be the source of this BHT degradation, but played no apparent role in the further CHF enhancement.

Effect of soluble additives, boric acid (H3BO3) and salt (NaCl), In pool boiling heat transfer

The effects on pool boiling heat transfer of aqueous solutions of boric acid (H₃BO₃) and sodium chloride (NaCl) as working fluids have been studied. Borated and NaCl water were prepared by dissolving 0.5~5% volume concentration of boric acid and NaCl in distilled-deionized water. The pool boiling tests were conducted using 1 x 1 ㎠ flat heaters at 1 atm. The critical heat flux (CHF) dramatically increased compared to boiling pure water. At the end of boiling tests it was observed that particles of boric acid and NaCl had deposited and formed a coating on the heater surface. The CHF enhancement and surface modification during boiling tests were very similar to those obtained from boiling with nanofluids. Additional experiments were carried out to investigate the reliability of the additives deposition in pure water. The boric acid and NaCl coatings disappeared after repeated boiling tests on the same surface due to the soluble nature of the coatings, thus CHF enhancement no longer existed. These results demonstrate that not only insoluble nanoparticles but also soluble salts can be deposited during boiling process and the deposited layer is solely responsible for significant CHF enhancement.

Microporous Coating by Dual-Stage Electroplating to Enhance Pool Boiling Performance of Saturated R-123 and FC-72

The present study describes a dual-stage electroplating method developed to construct numerous active nucleation sites on a target surface for the purpose of enhancing the pool boiling heat transfer performance. Electroplating with high current densities (0.17 ∼ 1.2 A/cm2) builds micro-scale copper dendrites and nodules on the base surface (oxygen free copper) and low current density electroplating (fixed, 0.05 A/cm2) follows to achieve the strong bonding strength of the micro-structures, which enable the coating to be robust in terms of corrosion and endurance. Pool boiling experiments show that the electroplated surfaces extend the boiling critical heat flux by 40∼70% for two working fluids tested and augment the boiling heat transfer coefficients by ∼700% and ∼600% in saturated R-123 and FC-72, respectively, at atmospheric pressure over a baseline (plain surface).Copyright