Effect of Evaporation and Condensation at Menisci on Apparent Thermal Slip

Abstract

We semi-analytically capture the effects of evaporation and condensation at menisci on apparent thermal slip lengths for liquids suspended in the Cassie state on ridge-type structured surfaces using a conformal map and convolution. An isoflux boundary condition is prescribed at solid–liquid interfaces and a constant heat transfer coefficient or isothermal one at menisci. We assume that the gaps between ridges, where the vapor phase resides, are closed systems; therefore, the net rates of heat and mass transfer across menisci are zero. The reduction in apparent thermal slip length due to evaporation and condensation relative to the limiting case of an adiabatic meniscus as a function of solid fraction and interfacial heat transfer coefficient is quantified in a single plot. The semi-analytical solution method is verified by numerical simulation. Results suggest that interfacial evaporation and condensation need to be considered in the design of microchannels lined with structured surfaces for direct liquid cooling of electronics applications and a quantitative means to do so is elucidated. The result is a decrease in thermal resistance relative to the predictions of existing analyses which neglect them.