Nano-engineering the boiling surface for optimal heat transfer rate and critical heat flux
Name
824134163-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
4.95 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
f86f47e8ae03a02b4a720ddc43f0b1d2
Author(s)
Phillips, Bren Andrew
Advisor(s)
Jacopo Buongiorno, Michael Rubner, Robert Cohen, Lin-Wen Hu and Tom McKrell.
Date Issued
2011
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The effects on pool boiling characteristics such as critical heat flux and the heat transfer coefficient of different surface characteristics such as surface wettability, roughness, morphology, and porosity are not well understood. Layer-by-layer nanoparticle coatings were used to modify the surface of a sapphire heater to control the surface roughness, the layer thickness, and the surface chemistry. The surface was then tested in a water boiling test at atmospheric pressure while imaging the surface with high speed infrared thermography yielding a 2D time dependent temperature profile. The critical heat flux and heat transfer coefficient were enhanced by over 100% by optimizing the surface parameters. It was found that particle size of the nanoparticles in coating, the coating thickness, and the wettability of the surface have a large impact on CHF and the heat transfer coefficient. Surfaces were also patterned with hydrophobic "islands" within a hydrophilic "sea" by coupling the Layer-by-layer nanoparticle coatings with an ultraviolet ozone technique that patterned the wettability of the surface. The patterning was an attempt to increase the nucleation site density with hydrophobic dots while still maintaining a large hydrophilic region to allow for rewetting of the surface during the ebullition cycle and thus maintaining a high critical heat flux. The patterned surfaces exhibited similar critical heat fluxes and heat transfer coefficients to the surfaces that were only modified with layer-by-layer nanoparticle coatings. However, the patterned surfaces also exhibited highly preferential nucleation from the hydrophobic regions demonstrating an ability to control the nucleation site layout of a surface and opening an avenue for further study.
Description
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 130-133).
Subjects
Nuclear Science and Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link