Numerical study of nanofluids condensation heat transfer in a square microchannel

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a numerical study of nanofluids condensation heat transfer inside a single horizontal smooth square tube. The numerical results are compared with the previous experimental predictions. The numerical results show that the heat transfer coefficient could be improved within 20% by increasing the volume fraction of Cu nanoparticle by 5% or by increasing the mass flux from 80 to 110 kg/m² s. Reducing the hydraulic diameter of the microchannel from 200 to 160 µm leads to an increase in the condensation average heat transfer coefficient by 10%. A new correlation estimating the Nusselt number for the condensation of nanofluids or pure vapor is proposed. It predicts average condensation heat transfer with a good agreement with those computed.     

Numerical Study of Nanofluid Condensation Heat Transfer in a Square Microchannel

This study presents a numerical study of nanofluid condensation heat transfer inside a single horizontal smooth square tube. The numerical results are compared to previous experimental predictions, and show that the heat transfer coefficient can be improved 20% by increasing the volume fraction of Cu nanoparticles by 5% or increasing the mass flux from 80 to 110 kg/m² s. Reducing the hydraulic diameter of the microchannel from 200 to 160 µm led to an increase in average condensation heat transfer coefficient of 10%. A new correlation estimating Nusselt number for condensation of nanofluids or pure vapor is proposed. It predicts average condensation heat transfer, with good agreement with the computed values.     

Film condensation in horizontal microchannels: Effect of channel shape

The paper gives a progress report on a theoretical study of film condensation in microchannels. The model takes account of surface tension, vapor shear stress and gravity. The effect of channel shape is investigated for condensation of R134a in channels with cross sections: square, triangle, inverted triangle, rectangle with longer side vertical, rectangle with longer side horizontal and circle. The case considered here is where the channel wall temperature is uniform and the vapor is saturated at inlet. For a given mass flux, the local condensate film profile around the cross section is calculated together with the mean heat-transfer coefficient at different distances along the channel. Results are presented here for one vapor mass flux, one vapor temperature and one wall temperature.     

Determination of annular condensation heat transfer coefficient of steam in microchannels with trapezoidal cross sections

Experiments have been carried out to determine annular condensation heat transfer coefficient of steam in two silicon microchannels having trapezoidal cross sections with the same aspect ratio of 3.15 at 54 < G < 559 kg/m² s under 3-side cooling conditions. A semi-analytical method, based on turbulent flow boundary layer theory of liquid film with correlations of pressure drop and void fraction valid for microchannels, is used to derive the annular local condensation heat transfer coefficients. The predicted values based on the semi-analytical model are found within ±20% of 423 data points. It is shown that the annular condensation heat transfer coefficient in a microchannel increases with mass flux and quality and decreases with the hydraulic diameter.     

Numerical study of heat and mass transfer of binary mixtures condensation in mini-channels

This work presents a model to study condensation heat and mass transfer characteristics of binary mixtures inside mini-channels. By considering the mass and heat transfer resistances in the vapor phase, the conservation equations of mass, species, momentum and energy are solved using higher order finite element method. The model is validated by comparing the predicted results with experimental data from the literature, in particular for the case of methane/ethane mixtures at different compositions and working conditions in a tube of 1.0 mm in diameter. The results show a reasonably good prediction of the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop by comparing with these experimental data. The model is then used to study the effect of mass flux, wall heat flux and system inlet pressure on the heat and mass transfer resistances during condensation of binary mixtures.     

水平管外TFE/NMP部分膜状冷凝热、质耦合传递过程研究

通过对水平管外双组分(TFE／NMP为三氟乙醇／氮甲基吡咯烷酮)部分膜状冷凝过程特点的分析，建立起部分膜状冷凝过程中热质传递过程的物理模型。以双膜理论为基础，利用部分膜状冷凝的特点，通过对界面传质、液膜内质量平衡、界面相平衡、界面能量平衡和汽膜截面能量平衡的分析计算，得到汽相温度和界面温度分布、汽相及液相NMP质量分数分布，由此进一步计算出冷凝膜厚分布、液膜传热系数分布和热流密度的分布。计算的热流密度与相关实验作了比较，发现与实验能较好的吻合。     

LAMINAR FORCED CONVECTION CONDENSATION OF SATURATED VAPORS IN THE NEAR-CRITICAL REGION

Abstract

A numerical analysis is presented for laminar forced convection condensation of saturated vapors of water and carbon dioxide on a flat surface in the reduced temperature range T_s / T_c = 0.990-0.999. The heat transfer coefficient in the region T_s / T_c < 0.998 can be correlated by using Fujii and Uehara's equation when the representative physical properties art evaluated at the film temperature. The reduction of the condensation mass flux or the heat flux at the vapor-liquid interface due to the convection term in the condensate film is expressed as a function of the phase change number with the average isobaric specific heat.     

Visualization of convective boiling heat transfer in single microchannels with different shaped cross-sections

Convective boiling in transparent single microchannels with similar hydraulic diameters but different shaped cross-sections was visualized, along with simultaneous measurement of the local heat transfer coefficient. Two types of microchannels were tested: a circular Pyrex glass microtube (210 μm inner diameter) and a square Pyrex glass microchannel (214 μm hydraulic diameter). A 100-nm-thick semi-transparent ITO/Ag thin film sputtered on the outer wall of the microchannel was used for direct joule heating of the microchannel.The flow field visualization showed semi-periodic variation in the flow patterns in both the square and circular microchannels. Such variation was because the confined space limited the bubble growth in the radial direction.In the square microchannel, both the number of nucleation bubbles and the local heat transfer coefficient increased with decreasing vapor quality. The corners acted as active nucleation cavities, leading to the higher local heat transfer coefficient. In contrast, lack of cavities in the smooth glass circular microchannel yielded a relatively smaller heat transfer coefficient at lower vapor quality. Finally, the heat transfer coefficient was higher for the square microchannel because corners in the square microchannel acted as effective active nucleation sites.     

Microchannel size effects on local flow boiling heat transfer to a dielectric fluid

Heat transfer with liquid–vapor phase change in microchannels can support very high heat fluxes for use in applications such as the thermal management of high-performance electronics. However, the effects of channel cross-sectional dimensions on the two-phase heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop have not been investigated extensively. In the present work, experiments are conducted to investigate the local flow boiling heat transfer of a dielectric fluid, Fluorinert FC-77, in microchannel heat sinks. Experiments are performed for mass fluxes ranging from 250 to 1600 kg/m² s. Seven different test pieces made from silicon and consisting of parallel microchannels with nominal widths ranging from 100 to 5850 μm, all with a nominal depth of 400 μm, are considered. An array of temperature sensors on the substrate allows for resolution of local temperatures and heat transfer coefficients. The results of this study show that for microchannels of width 400 μm and greater, the heat transfer coefficients corresponding to a fixed wall heat flux as well as the boiling curves are independent of channel size. Also, heat transfer coefficients and boiling curves are independent of mass flux in the nucleate boiling region for a fixed channel size, but are affected by mass flux as convective boiling dominates. A strong dependence of pressure drop on both channel size and mass flux is observed. The experimental results are compared to predictions from a number of existing correlations for both pool boiling and flow boiling heat transfer.     

Condensation heat transfer and pressure drop of refrigerant R-410A flow in a vertical plate heat exchanger

Heat transfer and associated frictional pressure drop in the condensing flow of the ozone friendly refrigerant R-410A in a vertical plate heat exchanger (PHE) are investigated experimentally in the present study. In the experiment two vertical counter flow channels are formed in the exchanger by three plates of commercial geometry with a corrugated sinusoidal shape of a chevron angle of 60°. Downflow of the condensing refrigerant R-410A in one channel releases heat to the upflow of cold water in the other channel. The effects of the refrigerant mass flux, imposed heat flux, system pressure (saturated temperature) and mean vapor quality of R-410A on the measured data are explored in detail. The results indicate that the R-410A condensation heat transfer coefficient and associated frictional pressure drop in the PHE increase almost linearly with the mean vapor quality, but the system pressure only exhibits rather slight effects. Furthermore, increases in the refrigerant mass flux and imposed heat flux result in better condensation heat transfer accompanying with a larger frictional pressure drop. Besides, the imposed heat flux exhibits stronger effects on the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop than the refrigerant mass flux especially at low refrigerant vapor quality. The friction factor is found to be strongly influenced by the refrigerant mass flux and vapor quality, but is almost independent of the imposed heat flux and saturated pressure. Finally, an empirical correlation for the R-410A condensation heat transfer coefficient in the PHE is proposed. In addition, results for the friction factor are correlated against the Boiling number and equivalent Reynolds number of the two-phase condensing flow.     

Thermal Performance Analysis of Slug Flow in Square Microchannels

Abstract

Thermal performance enhancement of microchannel heat sinks for electronics cooling is becoming more and more necessary. To this end, microchannels with noncircular cross-sections conveying immiscible droplets have been employed in this study and geometric manipulations are applied to enhance fluid mixing and consequently achieve a higher rate of heat removal. Three-dimensional numerical simulations are performed using volume of fluid method for channels of 100?µm hydraulic diameter. Constant wall temperature is chosen as the boundary condition for heating section of the channels. Effects of parameters such as adding curvature to the side walls and varying the entering velocity of the base liquid on heat transfer rate are studied. A performance coefficient is used to evaluate the relative impact of increase in both the Nusselt number and pressure drop as a result of adding curvature to the channel walls. Results of the study showed that slug flow in curved channels is capable of improving the thermal performance in comparison with single liquid flow in straight channels and in best case, can improve the performance up to 50%.     

An Experimental Study of Condensation Heat Transfer in Sub-Millimeter Rectangular Tubes

The characteristics of local heat transfer and pressure drops were experimentally investigated using condensing R134a two-phase flow, in single rectangular tubes, with hydraulic diameter of 0.494, 0.658, and 0.972 mm. New experimental techniques were used to measure the in-tube condensation heat transfer coefficient especially for the low heat and mass flows. Tests were performed for a mass flux of 100, 200, 400, and 600 kg/m2s, a heat flux of 5 to 20 kW/m2, and a saturation temperature of 40℃. In this study, effect of heat flux, mass flux, vapor qualities, and hydraulic diameter on flow condensation were investigated and the experimental local condensation heat transfer coefficients and frictional pressure drop are shown. The experimental data of condensation Nusselt number are compared with previous correlations, most of which are proposed for the condensation of pure refrigerant in a relatively large inner diameter round tubes.     

Experimental study on condensation heat transfer enhancement and pressure drop penalty factors in four microfin tubes

Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of four microfin tubes were experimentally investigated for condensation of refrigerants R134a, R22, and R410A in four different test sections. The microfin tubes examined during this study consisted of 8.92, 6.46, 5.1, and 4 mm maximum inside diameter. The effect of mass flux, vapor quality, and refrigerants on condensation was investigated in terms of the heat transfer enhancement factor and the pressure drop penalty factor. The pressure drop penalty factor and the heat transfer enhancement factor showed a similar tendency for each tube at given vapor quality and mass flux. Based on the experimental data and the heat-momentum analogy, correlations for the condensation heat transfer coefficients in an annular flow regime and the frictional pressure drops are proposed.     

Numerical simulation of R410A condensation in horizontal microfin tubes

The heat transfer characteristics of condensation for R410A inside horizontal microfin tubes with 0° and 18° helical angles were investigated numerically. The numerical data fit well with the experimental results and with the empirical correlations. The results indicate that local heat transfer coefficients increase with increasing mass flux, vapor quality, and helical angle. The heat transfer enhancement in the helical microfin tubes is more pronounced at higher mass flux and vapor quality. The centrifugal force induced by the microfin with a 18° helical angle tends to spread the liquid from the bottom to the top, leading to a nearly symmetrical liquid–vapor interface during condensation. Swirling flows in the liquid phase are observed in the tube with the 18° helical angle, but the liquid phase tends to flow to the bottom due to gravity in the tube with the 0° helical angle.     

Three dimensional numerical analyses and optimization of offset strip-fin microchannel heat sinks

This paper presents a numerical study on laminar forced convection of water in offset strip-fin microchannels network heat sinks for microelectronic cooling. A 3-dimensional mathematical model, consisting of N–S equations and energy conservation equation, with the conjugate heat transfer between the heat sink base and liquid coolant taken into consideration is solved numerically. The heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics in offset strip-fin microchannels heat sinks are analyzed and the heat transfer enhancement mechanism is discussed. Effects of geometric size of strip-fin on the heat sink performance are investigated. It is found that there is an optimal strip-fin size to minimize the pressure drop or pumping power on the constraint condition of maximum wall temperature, and this optimal size depends on the input heat flux and the maximum wall temperature. The results of this paper are helpful to the design and optimization of offset strip-fin microchannel heat sinks for microelectronic cooling.     

A numerical study of flow and heat transfer in internally finned rotating straight pipes and stationary curved pipes

In this article the effects of internal fins on laminar incompressible fluid flow and heat transfer inside rotating straight pipes and stationary curved pipes are numerically studied under hydrodynamically and thermally fully developed conditions. The fins are assumed to have negligible thickness with the same conditions as the pipe walls. Two cases, constant wall temperature and constant heat flux at the wall, are considered. First the accuracy of the numerical code written by a finite volume method based on SIMPLE algorithm is verified by the available data for the finless rotating straight pipes and stationary curved pipes, and then, the numerical results for those internally finned pipes are investigated in detail. The numerical results for different sizes and numbers of internal fins indicate that the flow and temperature field analogy between internally finned rotating straight pipes and stationary curved pipes still prevail. The effects of Dean number (K_L) versus friction factor, Nusselt number, and other non-dimensional parameters are studied in detail. From the numerical results obtained, an optimum fin height about 0.8 of pipe radius is determined for Dean numbers less than 100. At this optimum value, the heat transfer enhancement is maximum, and the heat transfer coefficient appears to be 6 times as that of corresponding finless pipes.     

Effect of cross sectional shape during condensation in a single square minichannel

The objective of this work is to present new condensation heat transfer coefficients measured inside a single square cross section minichannel, having a 1.18 mm side length, and compare them to the ones previously measured in a circular minichannel. Tests have been performed with R134a at 40 °C saturation temperature, at mass velocity ranging between 200 and 800 kg m^?2 s^?1. As compared to the heat transfer coefficients measured in the circular cross section channel, for the same hydraulic diameter, in the square minichannel the authors find a heat transfer enhancement at the lowest value of mass velocity, which must be due to the effect of surface tension. No heat transfer coefficient increase has been found at the highest values of the mass velocity where condensation is shear stress dominated.     

Flow Boiling Heat Transfer of Refrigerant R-134a in Copper Microchannel Heat Sink

In this paper we present experimental data on heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics at flow boiling of refrigerant R-134a in a horizontal microchannel heat sink. The primary objective of this study was to experimentally establish how the local heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop correlate with the heat flux, mass flux, and vapor quality. The copper microchannel heat sink contains 21 microchannels with 335 × 930 μm² cross section. The microchannel plate and heating block were divided by the partition wall for the local heat flux measurements. Distribution of local heat transfer coefficients along the length and width of the microchannel plate was measured in the range of external heat fluxes from 50 to 500 kW/m²; the mass flux varied within 200–600 kg/m²-s, and pressure varied within 6–16 bar. The obvious impact of heat flux on the magnitude of heat transfer coefficient was observed. It showed that nucleate boiling is the dominant mechanism for heat transfer. A new model of flow boiling heat transfer, considering nucleate boiling suppression and liquid film evaporation, was proposed and verified experimentally in this paper.     

Effect of aspect ratio on saturated boiling flow in microchannels with nonuniform heat flux

Microchannel two‐phase flow is an effective cooling method used in microelectronics, in which the heat flux density is unevenly distributed usually. The paper is focused on numerical study the effect of aspect ratio on the flow boiling of microchannels with nonuniform heat flux. The heat source is a three‐dimensional (3D) integrated circuit. 3D microchannel model and volume of fluid method are coupled in numerical simulation. The results show that the aspect ratio has no relationship with the two‐phase pressure drop of the microchannel. It has a certain influence on the distribution of bubble shape. In terms of the heat transfer coefficient, the aspect ratio has a certain influence on a section of the inlet. Due to the nucleate boiling, the convective heat transfer in the remaining areas is the dominant factor and the average heat transfer coefficient is mainly determined by the heat flux at the bottom of the channel.     

Experimental study on condensation and evaporation flow inside horizontal three dimensional enhanced tubes

Experimental investigations of tube side condensation and evaporation in two 3-D enhanced heat transfer (2EHT) tubes were compared to the performance of a smooth surface copper tube. The equivalent outer diameter of all the tubes was 12.7 mm with an inner diameter of 11.5 mm. Both the inner and outer surfaces of the 2EHT tubes are enhanced by longitudinal grooves with a background pattern made up by an array of dimples/embossments. Experimental runs were performed using R410A as the working fluid, over the quality range of 0.2–0.9. For evaporation, the heat transfer coefficient ratio (compares the heat transfer coefficient of the enhanced tube to that of a smooth tube) of the 2EHT tubes is 1.11–1.43 (with an enhanced surface area ratio of 1.03) for mass flux rate that ranges from 80 to 200 kg/m² s. For condensation, the heat transfer coefficient ratio range is 1.1–1.16 (with an enhanced surface area ratio of 1.03) for mass flux that ranges from 80 to 260 kg/m² s. Frictional pressure drop values for the 2EHT tubes are very similar to each other. Heat transfer enhancement in the 2EHT tubes is mainly due to the dimples and grooves in the inner surface that create an increased surface area and interfacial turbulence; producing higher heat flux from wall to working fluid, flow separation, and secondary flows. A comparison was performed to evaluate the enhancement effect of the 2EHT tubes using a defined performance factor and this indicates that the 2EHT tubes provides a better heat transfer coefficient under evaporation conditions.