Feasibility Study of Heat Transfer Enhancement by Ultrasonic Vibration Under Subcooled Pool Condition

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this study, experimental tests were carried out to investigate the feasibility of heat transfer enhancement by ultrasonic vibration under a subcooled pool condition. A commercial stainless-steel heater was utilized along with a water tank, and three ultrasonic transducers were attached underneath the tank bottom to generate ultrasonic vibration with a frequency of 40 kHz and total power of 150 W. For demonstrating the effectiveness, the tests were performed with and without ultrasonic vibration under a constant water temperature of 30°C and pressure of 1 atm. The heights of heater were set at 15, 22, and 33 mm from the tank bottom, and the heat flux was operated from 7800 to 70800 W/m2, which covered the regimes of single phase natural convection and subcooled nucleate boiling. Instantaneous signals of temperature and heat flux were recorded during the experiment, and the heat transfer coefficients were determined for each condition. The results show that the heat transfer coefficient can increase up to 3880 W/m2K and the enhancement ratio can reach up to 284% by ultrasonic vibration. Trends of heat transfer increments and enhancement ratios against heat flux and height were presented. This study successfully demonstrated the feasibility of heat transfer enhancement by ultrasonic vibrations.