Application of Superhydrophobic Surface on Boiling Heat Transfer Characteristics of Nanofluids

Abstract

Boiling heat transfer is a mode using the phase change of working medium to strengthen the heat exchange due to its good heat exchange capability, and it is widely used in heat exchange engineering. Nanofluids have been used in the direction of enhanced heat transfer for their superior thermophysical property. The wetting, spreading and ripple phenomena of superhydrophobic surfaces widely exist in nature and daily life. It has great application value for engineering technology. In this article, the boiling heat exchange characteristics of nanofluids on superhydrophobic surface are numerically studied. It was found that with the increase of superheating degree, the steam volume ratio of unmodified heated surface increases to saturation, while the steam volume and evaporation ratio of modified superhydrophobic surface increase firstly and then decrease. At the same time, bubbles are generated and accumulated more fully on superhydrophobic surface. It was also found that nanofluids with low viscosity are more affected by superhydrophobic surface characteristics, and the increase is more significant with high superheating degree, and the superhydrophobic surface is beneficial to enhancing boiling heat exchange. Compared with the simulation results, it could be concluded that the boiling heat exchange performance of CuO-water nanofluids on the modified superhydrophobic surface is better than that of CuO-ethylene glycol nanofluids under high superheating degree.