Electrohydrodynamically Enhanced Heat Transfer in Pool Boiling

Abstract

The electrohydrodynamically enhanced heat transfer in pool boiling in the nucleate regime was studied using R-123 as the working fluid. An experimental apparatus was designed and built which allowed accurate measurements. The evaporator consisted of an electrically heated single horizontal smooth tube. Several different electrode designs were investigated. This study included higher heat fluxes than most of those previously reported in the literature. A summary of the previous work is provided. The results indicated that the heat transfer coefficient at a heat flux of 1.6 kW/m{sup 2} and a voltage of 10 kV was 4.6 times higher than the heat transfer coefficient without the electric field presence. However, the heat transfer coefficient at 52 kW/m{sup 2} and 10 kV was improved only by 38%. These enhancements are significant even at large heat flux levels. The power consumption for establishing the electric fields was on the order of 0.1% of the heat transfer power in the evaporator. When R-123 fluid was contaminated with a few percent ethanol, the boiling heat transfer at 3.3 kW/m{sup 2} was increased by a factor of 12.6 at 15 kV compared to zero kV. Finally, the presence of the electric fields nearly eliminated the hysteresis effect.