On the effect of structural forces on a condensing film profile near a fin-groove corner

Abstract

Estimation of condenser performance of two-phase passive heat spreaders with grooved wick structures is crucial in the prediction of the overall performance of the heat spreader. Whilst the evaporation problem in micro-grooves has been widely studied, studies focusing on the condensation on fin-groove systems have been scarce. Condensation on fin-groove systems is actually a multi-scale problem. Thickness of the film near the fin-groove corner can decrease to nanoscale dimensions, which requires the inclusion of nanoscale effects into the modeling. While a few previous studies investigated the effect of dispersion forces, the effect of structural forces has never been considered in the thin film condensation modeling on fin-groove systems. The present study utilizes a disjoining pressure model which considers both dispersion and structural forces. The results reveal that structural forces are able to dominate dispersion forces in certain configurations. Consequently, by intensifying the disjoining pressure, structural forces lead to a sudden change of the film profile (slope break) for subcooling values which are relevant to engineering applications.