Droplet Spreading and Evaporation on Nanoporous Superhydrophilic Surfaces: Effects of Impact Parameters

Abstract

Abstract Recent studies have indicated that droplet evaporation heat transfer can be substantially enhanced by fabricating a thin nanoporous superhydrophilic layer on a metal substrate. Earlier investigations have focused on how these surfaces affect low Weber number deposition of droplets and their subsequent evaporation on a horizontal, upward-facing heated surface. This investigation explores the effects of changing impact parameters — specifically how deposition, spreading, and vaporization on nanoporous superhydrophilic surfaces are affected by changing impact velocity and incident angle of the droplet motion relative to the surface. The results of droplet deposition and evaporation experiments are reported here for multiple droplet sizes (2–6 μL), and multiple incident angles (0–45°), and of 8 μL droplets from different drop heights (1.2, 40, and 80 mm). The results indicate that the strong capillary forces that enhance spreading on these surfaces remain dominant in the spreading and vaporization processes even when droplets strike the surface with significant velocity, and when the incident angle is oblique. The results indicate that increasing the Weber number has little effect on droplet evaporation and decreasing the incident deposition angle further enhances spreading and evaporation heat transfer. This paper also explores the implications of these results for spray cooling applications.