Enhancement of heat transfer from hot water by co-flowing it with mercury in a mini-channel

Abstract

The present study is a numerical investigation on the flow and heat transfer in a mini-channel where both hot liquid water and mercury co-flow together in a direct contact manner. Results show that the presence of a high thermal conductivity liquid metal such as mercury enables the hot water to lose much more of its initial thermal energy content, than when only water alone flows in the channel. However, too unjustified excessive mercury co-flowing with the hot water can lead to adverse effects in regards to the heat loss from the hot water. The reason behind the enhanced heat transfer between the two liquids is due to the initiation of high temperature gradients sites inside the channel, especially in the region of the interface between the two liquids, in addition to the high thermal conductivity of mercury, as compared to water thermal conductivity. These two effects lead to effective conduction cooling in the transverse direction over the whole length of the channel. These aspects are quantified in this study.