Stéphane Lips

Confocal Microscopy for Capillary Film Measurements in a Flat Plate Heat Pipe

This paper aims to show how confocal microscopy can be useful for characterizing menisci in a flat plate heat pipe made of silicon. The capillary structure is made of radial microgrooves whose width decreases from the periphery to the center of the system. A transparent plate is used to close the system and allow visualizations. The confocal method allows measuring both the liquid film shape inside the grooves and the condensate films on the fins. The film thickness is lower than 10 μm. The measurements show that the condensate film forms a drop connected to the meniscus in the grooves but their curvatures are reversed. As a result, a very thin region shall exist where the liquid formed by condensation is drained to the grooves. The drop curvature radius decreases from the condenser to the evaporator like the meniscus radius in the grooves. Therefore, a small part of the liquid is drained by the fins from the evaporator to the condenser. Furthermore, the condensate film covers a large part of the system and can also be in contact with the evaporator at high heat fluxes.

Thermohydraulic Study of a Flat Plate Heat Pipe by Means of Confocal Microscopy: Application to a 2D Capillary Structure

Thermal and hydrodynamic experimental results of a flat plate heat pipe (FPHP) are presented. The capillary structure is made of crossed grooves machined in a copper plate. The shape of the liquid-vapor interface in this type of capillary structure—that can also be viewed as an array of posts—is studied theoretically and experimentally. A confocal microscope is used to visualize the liquid-vapor interface and thus the capillary pressure field in the system. These hydrodynamic measurements, coupled to temperature measurements on the FPHP wall, are used to estimate the permeability and the equivalent thermal conductivity of the capillary structure filled with methanol or FC72. These parameters are obtained from a comparison between the experimental data and an analytical model. Finally, the model is used to compare the draining capability of crossed grooves with that of longitudinal grooves.

Asymmetry during a horizontal annular flow in a micro-channel: optical measurements and effect of dimensionless numbers

New applications of HFC refrigerants in organic Rankine cycles at high saturation temperatures and the wider use of CO2 for air-conditioning have pushed research to the characterization of two-phase heat transfer at medium/high reduced pressures and have pointed out the effect of these operating conditions on asymmetric distribution of refrigerant around tube perimeter and its indirect effect on heat transfer. Currently there is a lack of data about asymmetric distribution of liquid film at the wall, especially for refrigerants and micro-channels. In order to have a physical evidence of this asymmetry also for micro-channels and approach to a relationship between this phenomenon and dimensionless parameters, new data are here presented. The asymmetric annular flow of the refrigerant R245fa inside a horizontal, round 2.95 mm inner diameter channel is studied with pictures captured by a high speed video camera. The experimental results here presented were obtained at saturation temperatures equal to 20 °C and 40 °C at low mass velocities (50, 100 and 200 kg m-2s-1) to asymmetric distribution, enriching the database presented in previous studies. The new dimensionless parameter, eccentricity, has been related to the dimensionless groups: Froude and Bond numbers, and Martinelli parameter, showing the mutual correlation among them.