Experimental investigations of flow boiling heat transfer performance in finned micro-channels

Abstract

The flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop in rectangular-finned micro-channels (i.e. micro-channel with rectangular fins) were experimentally investigated at five different fin-heights. At three different mass fluxes and a range of heat fluxes, heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops in the micro-channels were measured. The flow patterns during the flow boiling process were visualized to estimate the flow regime transitions in the micro-channels. The experimental results showed that the micro-channel with 500 μm height fins (i.e. tip clearance = 100 μm) performs the highest heat transfer and shows the highest resistance to flow boiling instability among the studied cases. Compared to the smooth micro-channel, the averaged heat transfer coefficient in the micro-channel with 500 μm height fins has been improved by up to 133.9 % at the same wall temperature. Compared to the micro-channel with 600 μm height fins (i.e. tip clearance = 0 μm), the averaged heat transfer coefficient in the micro-channel with 500 μm height fins has been improved by up to 45.8 %. At the initial point of flow instability, the micro-channel with 500 μm height fins has the highest pressure drop fluctuation frequency, the highest surface wetting frequency, and the lowest pressure drop variation coefficient among the studied cases. However, the micro-channel with 600 μm height fins has the lowest pressure drop fluctuation frequency and highest pressure drop variation coefficient, hence experiencing the longest dry-out process among the studied cases.