Abstract
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is employed to investigate the effects of variation in bulk meniscus curvature on evaporative heat and mass transfer in microchannels. Evaporation in microchannels presents a classic multiscale problem, encompassing both microscopic and macroscopic length scales in the thin-film and bulk meniscus regions, respectively. Therefore, the liquid-vapor interface or meniscus shape is first determined through thin-film evaporation analysis using numerical approaches found in the literature. However, a new approach for establishing boundary conditions is also proposed, allowing for the representation of varying curvatures within the bulk meniscus region. Then, the obtained meniscus thickness profiles are exported to a two-dimensional CFD framework. The primary advantage of this developed CFD framework lies in its capability to simultaneously analyze evaporative heat and mass transfer from both microscopic and macroscopic regions, a feature that enhances research endeavors concerning micro and miniature heat pipes. The developed model is applied to various rectangular microchannel sizes, ranging from 10 to 100 μm in width, with wall superheats varying from 0.1 to 3.0 K. The aim is to quantify the effects of variations in bulk meniscus curvature on the evaporative characteristics of the extended meniscus (comprising both thin-film and bulk meniscus regions), using the concept of thermal resistance. Consequently, based on the CFD simulation results, multiple regression analysis is employed to formulate the total thermal resistance in terms of independent parameters, namely the microchannel width, wall superheat, and the radius of curvature (Rc). It is observed that the radius of curvature has a marginal impact on the total thermal resistance, allowing its influence to be expressed by a power-law function of (Rc/Rm)0.102, where Rm represents the minimum radius of curvature.
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