Bubble Departure Research Articles

Simulations of Cryogenic Line Chilldown with Advanced Subgrid Wall Boiling Models

A mesoscale model for boiling processes in water was adapted for cryogens and demonstrated for chilldown of propellant transfer lines in both liquid nitrogen and hydrogen. The subgrid boiling model accurately captures the contributions to heat transfer from the generation of bubble nuclei, growth, and interaction of the bubbles in the microlayer as well as quenching of the boiling surface following bubble departure. It was adapted for cryogenic fluids using thermodynamic scaling concepts, considering nondimensional pressures and temperatures that are scaled by the corresponding critical values for the fluid. The boiling model was demonstrated for line chilldown in liquid nitrogen. The predicted wall temperature at which quenching occurs was close to the test data for liquid nitrogen, while the slope of the temperature curve after quenching is initiated shows a steeper variation than the test data. Simulations were also performed for liquid hydrogen. Chilldown times in liquid hydrogen are much more rapid due to higher heat transfer in the film boiling regime, and accurately modeling the impact of turbulent heat transfer was found to be important. Furthermore, due to the much colder fluid temperatures in liquid hydrogen, it is critical to model the variable thermal properties of the solid material.

Machine learning-inspired study of dynamical parameters of single vapor bubble under nucleate flow boiling regime

Heat transfer performance of nucleate boiling is interlinked with the departure dynamics of vapor bubbles, which also serves as the basis for heat transfer partitioning schemes and bubble growth models. Given the fast transients and multiple bubble ebullition cycles, boiling experiments lead to voluminous data that are to be analysed for determining the bubble dynamic parameters, and subsequently, the boiling heat transfer rates. Conventional approach of manual handling of such temporal and spatially-resolved experimental data is inherently time-consuming and error-prone. In the backdrop of these limitations, importance of machine learning algorithms gets highlighted in making the entire process automated and accurate as they minimize the need of any human intervention. The present work explores the potential of machine learning techniques towards quantifying the bubble departure characteristics and heat transfer partitioning during nucleate flow boiling. Water-based experiments have been conducted in a vertical channel under varying subcooling levels (ΔTsub = 2, 5, and 8 K) and flow rates (Re = 2400, and 3600). Mask R-CNN machine learning (ML) model is employed to evaluate the temporal variations of dynamical parameters of vapor bubbles and departure characteristics. The bubble departure characteristics as well as the corresponding evaporative and convective heat transfer rates, as retrieved through ML-generated masks, showed a strong dependence on the level of bulk fluid subcooling and flow rates. Heat transfer partitioning analysis revealed a competing interplay between the evaporative and condensation components of overall boiling heat transfer rates. These findings demonstrate the potential of ML techniques towards optimizing the thermal performance of boiling phenomena that have significant implications in a range of critical engineering applications.

Wetting dynamics and heat transfer of droplet evaporation around boiling point: Facile manipulation by surface roughness

The evaporation of water–ethanol droplets on solid surfaces has vast potential for applications in thermal management, microfluidics, and biomedical sciences, while the approach of manipulating wetting dynamics and heat transfer of droplet evaporation around the boiling point remains open for investigations. The present study proposes a facile approach: fabricating solid surfaces with diverse roughness by sandpaper milling with different grit densities, which can alter the wetting and heat transfer characteristics of droplet evaporation. We discover that when the temperature of the heated surface exceeds the droplet boiling point, the existence of bubbles affects the solid–liquid wetting state; surface roughness alters the ability of bubble departure, thus determining the solid–liquid contact and the contact line retraction time. Consequently, in this case, the solid–liquid contact area and the heat absorbed from heated surfaces for droplets changes with surface roughness, altering the droplet evaporation time and the average heat flux at the solid–liquid interface. Bridged by droplet wetting dynamics, the heat transfer of droplet evaporation above the boiling point can be manipulated by adjusting surface roughness, offering a facile approach to tuning the process of droplet evaporation in the related industrial applications.

Physics-based parameters selection and machine learning based prediction of pool boiling bubble departure diameter

For forecasting the bubble departure diameter in pool boiling heat transfer, this study creates a deep-learning neural network based on physics and a variety of working fluids, manufactured surfaces, and materials subjected to different testing situations. This work analyzes nearly 5,000 data points of bubble departure diameters ranging from 0.2-28.7 mm using neural network input parameters such as saturation temperature, pressure, contact angle, surface roughness, surface tension, liquid density, gas density, wall superheat and heat flux, and other thermophysical properties, predicting their impact on the bubble departure diameter, and also uses them for training neural networks. The best Neural network which is designated as Case-4 is selected on the basis of coefficient of determination(R2), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean-square error (MSE) was used to understand the degree of influence of each input parameter and it was found that θ and Q have the greatest impact on the model. A comparison was also done to correlations proposed by researchers and it was found that neural networks have much better efficiency and accuracy than empirical formulas and thus can be an essential tool to predict the bubble diameter in the future.

Surface structures and wettability: Their roles in enhancing nucleate boiling heat transfer of refrigerants

Nucleate boiling is an effective heat transfer mechanism. Previous studies have demonstrated that modifying surface structure or wettability can independently improve nucleate boiling efficiency; however, the combined effects and optimal modification sequence remain underexplored. This research aims to comprehensively analyze the influence of surface structure and wettability on the nucleate boiling heat transfer performance of refrigerants. Different surface structures and wettability were prepared using surface polishing, laser ablation, mechanical cutting, and a combination that involved initially employing laser ablation, followed by the application of chemical etching, and finishing with the treatment using materials possessing low surface energy. The static contact angles on these surfaces were measured via the capillary rise method, followed by pool boiling experiments and bubble behavior visualization. The results show that increasing surface wettability can enhance bubble departure frequency and capillary wicking, thereby improving critical heat flux and heat transfer coefficient. The key to optimizing surface modification to enhance critical heat flux involves constructing alternating high and low nucleation core regions to reduce interactions between bubbles; for enhancing heat transfer coefficient, the key lies in constructing compact nanoscale structures that expand the heat transfer and nucleation area, followed by improving wettability.

Simulating film boiling with sharp interface and direct calculation of mass transfer to investigate the hydrodynamic and thermal transport phenomena near the interface

The current study presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for film boiling using two fluids, including liquid nitrogen. Ansys Fluent was customized using user-defined functions (UDFs) to accurately model thermal and fluid dynamic interactions. The UDFs accommodate mass transfer at the liquid-vapor interface, maintaining a sharp interface by accounting for the saturation temperature. Direct heat and mass transfer calculations are implemented rather than relying on empirical correlations. Mesh analysis was performed with grid sizes of 615, 410, 307, and 123 μm, with the 307 μm grid selected for its agreement with average Nusselt number values and accurate bubble shape and height. Verification using the Stefan problem showed a maximum error of 0.45 % for interface displacement and 0.1 % for temperature distribution. Validation against the Berenson correlation demonstrated good agreement in Nusselt number values. Qualitative validation of the developed method is performed using the shapes of the growing bubble. The results obtained show that the sharp interface is preserved throughout the simulation, with temperature contours showing significant variations during bubble growth and departure. Local heat transfer coefficient analysis identified peak values of 2170 W/m²-K at locations of minimal film thickness. Velocity vector analysis revealed velocities of 2 m/s in the vapor phase, influencing bubble shape during growth and departure. The study highlights the impact of thermal film thickness on heat transfer, with the highest Nusselt number of 5.69 observed at a film thickness of 0.5 mm. The results demonstrate the application of VOF sharp interface tracking and direct calculation of interfacial conditions utilizing customized Ansys Fluent in the modeling of film boiling as a way to understand the fundamental aspects of the fluid and thermal behavior.

Two-phase active immersion cooling for vertically mounted electronics with interchip component-assisted bubble departure

To address growing heat dissipation demands in high-performance computing chips, there is a transition from conventional cooling methods to advanced two-phase immersion cooling techniques for electronics thermal management. Here, we present a numerical investigation into the fluid dynamics and heat transfer in two-phase immersion cooling systems with vertically mounted chips on a printed circuit board (PCB) with interchip components such as capacitors, switches, and inductors. Leveraging a combined phase tracking and volume of fluid model, we study how the physical layout and geometries of interchip components affect the flow paths of bubbles, bubble coalescence phenomena, vapor coverage on chip surfaces, and cooling rates of heated chips. In an optimal PCB topology, a maximum heat flux of 18 W/cm2 and a heat transfer coefficient of 9650 W/m2K are observed for dielectric hydrofluoroether (HFE) - 7100 at an excessive wall temperature of 20 K under a constant wall temperature boundary condition. The research offers insights into the electronic system design to achieve efficient cooling for high-performance computing applications, demonstrating the critical role of interchip components in heat transfer.

Modeling the chaotic dynamics of bubble growth under hydrodynamic interactions in pool boiling

This study seeks to understand the origins of intermittency in quantities of interest in pool boiling, such as bubble departure diameter and growth time. The intermittency of nucleation site activity due to hydrodynamic and thermal interactions with nearby nucleation sites is well-established; however, few mechanistic models have been developed that predict such intermittency. Here we assume a fluctuating pressure field at a nucleation site due to an adjacent bubble which alters bubble growth depending on the phase of the pressure oscillation with respect to the instant of bubble nucleation. The results suggest that even when a single departure frequency is assumed for nearby bubbles, its effect on the nucleation site being considered causes aperiodicity and intermittency in bubble departure quantities. The effects of pressure field phase angle, degree of superheat, and choice of force balance model on the bubble departure quantities are examined. The phase angle is shown to play a major role in determining bubble departure diameter and growth time. The departure diameter is observed to have a broad distribution, belying the assumption of a unique value. Period doubling of the ebullition cycle is observed for some conditions, a phenomenon documented by other investigators. A multifractal analysis of the time series of departure events indicates the presence of long term temporal correlations, which become weaker with increasing superheat. The second order Hurst exponent of the structure functions of departure events appears to have a universal behavior with Jakob number, independent of the choice of liquid. The Hurst exponent rises from zero to a value close to 0.5 at large superheats, suggesting a continuous transition from an ordered state to a disordered state along the boiling curve.

Analysis of pool boiling heat transfer characteristics on copper-based structured surfaces modified with superhydrophilic, hydrophobic, superhydrophobic and hybrid biphilic properties

This study involves the fabrication and characterization of original, hydrophobic, superhydrophilic, superhydrophobic and hybrid biphilic pattern coupled with the flat and pillar-structured surfaces. The boiling performance of the seven wettability structured surfaces is experimentally and numerically investigated, aiming at analyzing the boiling mechanism of wetting pattern coupled with structures. The findings indicate that coupling superhydrophobicity pillar structure surface (SHO-PS) result in an excellent boiling performance, the superhydrophilicity have difficulty in improving the heat transfer coefficient and critical heat flux. Analysis of the bubble dynamics behaviors reveals a strong positive correlation between the bubble nucleation sites and bubble departure diameter, except for hydrophobic flat structured surface (HO-FS) and superhydrophobicity pillar structured surface (SHO-PS), which exhibit the negative correlation. The bubble departure frequency shows a linear correlation with the contact angle of all the modified surfaces. In the simulation, it is observed that the similar bubble dynamic behaviors in experiment.

Bubble behavior parameters extraction and analysis during pool boiling based on deep-learning method

The nucleate pool boiling plays an important role in thermal and chemical engineering applications. Analyzing bubble dynamics at nucleation site is crucial to improve the understanding of boiling heat transfer mechanism. Quantitative extraction of bubble parameters from high-speed visualized images is a labor-intensitive and time-consuming task making it necessary for automatically detect single bubble growth and measure boiling characteristic parameters.In the present work, we proposed a deep learning based self-adaptive statistical algorithm for extraction of bubble behavior parameters quickly and automatically from numerous high-speed visualization images looking from the side view of a boiling chamber. A dataset was constructed for training and performance evaluation based on experimental data of saline solution pool boiling. The StarDist and U-Net convolutional neural network were combined in the algorithm so that more exact segmentation of the bubbles can be identified. Based on the segmentation results, a post-processing program was developed to extract the sequential variation of bubbles during consecutive cycles at nucleation sites. The dynamic characteristic parameters that affect heat transfer, such as nucleation density, bubble departure diameter, departure frequency, and wait time under different heat flux were obtained quantitatively. The comparison of automatic extraction algorithm and manual processing proves the reliability and superiority of our method. This work indicates that the proposed method has great potential to be widely applied as an efficient and universal tool for processing different types of bubble shadowgraph images.

Investigation of Wall Boiling Closure, Momentum Closure and Population Balance Models for Refrigerant Gas–Liquid Subcooled Boiling Flow in a Vertical Pipe Using a Two-Fluid Eulerian CFD Model

The precise design of heat exchangers in automobile air conditioning systems for more sustainable electric vehicles requires an enhanced assessment of CFD mechanistic models for the subcooled boiling flow of pure eco-friendly refrigerant. Computational Multiphase Flow Dynamics (CMFDs) relies on two-phase closure models to accurately depict the complex physical phenomena involved in flow boiling. This paper thoroughly examines two-phase CMFD flow boiling, incorporating sensitivity analyses of critical parameters such as boiling closures, momentum closures, and population balance models. Three datasets from the DEBORA experiment, involving vertical pipes with subcooled boiling flow of refrigerant at three different pressures and varying levels of inlet liquid subcooling, are used for comparison with CFD simulations. This study integrates nucleate site density and bubble departure diameter models to enhance wall boiling model accuracy. It aims to investigate various interfacial forces and examines the S-Gamma and Adaptive Multiple Size-Group (A-MuSiG) size distribution methods for their roles in bubble break up and coalescence. These proposed approaches demonstrate their efficacy, contributing to a deeper understanding of flow boiling phenomena and the development of more accurate models. This investigation offers valuable insights into selecting the most appropriate sub-closure models for both boiling closure and momentum closure in simulating boiling flows.

Experimental study on the effect of Tin-doped copper oxide capillary-porous surfaces on pool boiling heat transfer performance

The novel tin-doped copper oxide capillary-nano-porous surfaces were created using the easy and affordable sol-gel method. The pool's boiling incipience wall superheat on a capillary-nano-porous surface was lower than a non-coating surface. Bubble flow visualization investigation demonstrates that the coating's shape can significantly affect the processes involved in improving heat transmission. An investigation of the nano-porous surface's long-term stability was conducted using water. Repeated cycles of studies on created nano-porous surfaces revealed a little divergence in wall superheat and surface shape. The present study's tin-doped copper oxide coated surface (Sn-CuO-600) has a higher CHF (critical heat flux) and HTC (heat transfer coefficient). Heat transmission by boiling rises when a substantial quantity of bubbles are rapidly evacuated from the heating exterior. It is observed that a greater quantity of tiny, spherical bubbles are continually growing on the superhydrophilic Sn-CuO-600 surface. Compared to the plain copper surface, the Sn-CuO-600 surface experiences a significant reduction in bubble departure times. The rate of bubble formation is increased by superhydrophilic surfaces, which also reduce bubble dimensions and release times. Consequently, the Sn-CuO-600 surfaces exhibit superior heat transfer ability throughout boiling.

Decoupling hydrophilicity and superaerophobicity on amorphous molybdenum sulfide for high-rate water splitting

The development of water splitting electrocatalysts with earth-abundant materials capable of delivering high current density is crucial for sustainable H2 production. However, the mass transfer including reactants and bubbles usually suffered from the shielding effect of gas adhesion under such circumstance. Here, we report a surface engineering strategy over amorphous molybdenum sulfide (a-MoSx) to synergistically boost its generation and departure of gas bubbles. To begin with, a hydrophilic surface featuring hydroxy groups was constructed via palladium−doping induced sulfur vacancies on a-MoSx, which could enhance the local access of aqueous reactant. Furthermore, the departure of gas bubbles could be accelerated by regulating the roughness of the synthesized Pd-MoSx(OH)y nanoarrays. For demonstration purpose of practical applications, the bifunctional Pd-MoSx(OH)y nanoarrays could deliver a high current density of 1000 mA cm−2 at 1.99 V for overall water splitting over 100 h.

Analysis of vapor bubble diameter, departure frequency and dynamics in a single cavity

The ongoing quest for methods that enhance the efficiency of heat transfer processes, particularly those involving phase change, underscores the importance of comprehending the dynamics of vapor bubbles during boiling. This study investigates heat transfer mechanisms and the dynamics of vapor bubbles within the nucleate boiling regime. Experimental tests were conducted on a flat copper surface featuring a single cavity, focusing on analyzing vapor bubble growth and departure stages. The working fluid examined was HFE-7100 under saturated conditions. The formation and growth aspects of vapor bubbles, including their diameter (Dd) and departure frequency (f), were investigated through experimental data obtained by two different techniques: by an optical sensor of variable resistance capable of generating an analog signal from a voltage change and by a high-speed camera that captures images immediately after the instant that the bubble detached from the surface. Both techniques provide visual insights into the boiling phenomenon. An escalation in heat flux and, consequently, wall superheat resulted in an increased bubble departure frequency. Furthermore, the optical flow analysis successfully identified velocity and vorticity fields induced by micro convection, the prevailing heat transfer mode in nucleated boiling. A slight horizontal displacement trend over time was observed, which may be caused by the asymmetry in the velocity profile, confirmed by velocity peaks tending toward one direction. Vortex analysis reveals rotational motion concentrated in specific regions, with noticeable deformation near the bottom of the bubble and asymmetric movement contributing to vorticity. These findings provide insights into the vapor bubble dynamics, which is important for understanding the cavity rewetting phenomena.

Effect of curvature on bubble dynamics and associated heat transfer characteristics for nucleate pool boiling from a hydrophilic curved surface

PurposeThis paper aims to carry out numerical study on growth of a single bubble from a curved hydrophilic surface, in nucleate pool boiling (NPB). The boiling performance associated with NPB on a curved surface has been analyzed in contrast to a plane surface.Design/methodology/approachCommercial software ANSYS Fluent 2021 R1 has been used with its built-in feature of interface tracking based on volume of fluid method. For water as the working fluid, the effect of microlayer evaporation underneath the bubble base has been included with the help of user-defined function. The phase change behavior at the interface of vapor bubble has been modeled by using “saturated-interface-volume” phase change model.FindingsAn interesting outcome of the present study is that the bubble departure gets delayed with increase in curvature of the heating surface. Wall heat flux is found to be higher for a curved surface as compared to a plane surface. Effect of wettability on the time for bubble growth is relatively more for the curved surface as compared to that for a plane surface.Originality/valueEffect of surface curvature has been investigated on bubble dynamics and also on temporal variation of heat flux. In addition, the impact of surface wettability along with the surface curvature has also been analyzed on bubble morphology and spatial variation of heat flux. Furthermore, the influence of wall superheat on the bubble growth and also the wall heat flux has been studied for fixed angle of contact and varying curvature.

Augmentation of pool boiling heat transfer using a microstructured aluminum surface fabricated by ultrasonic cavitation modification

Micro/nanostructure is a popular and effective structure for boiling heat transfer enhancement. In this study, ultrasonic cavitation modification is employed firstly to create microstructured aluminum surface for boiling heat transfer. With the impact of ultrasonic cavitation microjet, numerous micro pits and holes are formed on the surface in one step, constituting microstructures on aluminum plate. The saturated and subcooled pool boiling experiments are conducted at atmospheric pressure using ethanol as a working fluid. It is found that boiling hysteresis is apparent on the modified plate (MP) with the porous microstructure layer, which can be eliminated by periodically fluctuating heat flux. Under the stable saturated boiling condition, the maximum heat transfer coefficient is enhanced by 208% and wall superheat is decreased by 17.6 °C compared to the bare aluminum surface. Under subcooled boiling conditions, the boiling hysteresis on MP becomes weaker and the positive effect of microstructures on heat transfer performance is enhanced. The enhanced heat transfer coefficient of MP is mainly attributed to the increase of nucleation site density and further to the facilitation of bubble coalescence and departure, while the increased critical heat flux under subcooled boiling conditions is derived from the delaying occurrence of mushroom-like bubble.

Experimental study of pool boiling heat transfer on mini-pillar surfaces with different hydrophobic dot arrays

In this study, we conducted experimental research on the pool boiling performance of mini-pillar surfaces with different hydrophobic dot arrays. The experimental results show that the distribution and total area of hydrophobic dot arrays on pillar tops significantly influence the boiling performance of mini-pillar surfaces. In comparison with the mini-pillar surface without wettability modification, introducing hydrophobic dot arrays on the pillar tops can improve the bubble nucleation density and diminish the wall superheat at boiling onset. Therefore, the boiling performance of mini-pillar surfaces can be gradually improved by increasing the total area of hydrophobic dot arrays at low heat fluxes. However, a further increase in the total area of hydrophobic dot arrays may lead to the reduction of the bubble departure frequency at high heat fluxes, which is not conducive to the segregation of the liquid and vapor pathways. The experimental results indicated that when the total area of hydrophobic pillar tops accounts for 10.24 % of the projected area of the mini-pillar surfaces, an optimal enhancement is achieved, and the optimal enhancement of boiling performance on the mini-pillar surfaces with hydrophobic dot arrays results from a suitable balance between promoting the bubble nucleation and maintaining higher bubble departure frequency.

Modelling of an Influence of Liquid Velocity Above the Needle on the Bubble Departures Process

Abstract In the present paper, the influence of liquid flow above the needle on a periodic or chaotic nature of the bubble departures process was numerically investigated. During the numerical simulations bubbles departing from the needle was considered. The perturbations of liquid flow were simulated based on the results of experimental investigations described in the paper [1]. The numerical model contains a bubble growth process and a liquid penetration into a needle process. In order to identify the influence of liquid flow above the needle on a periodic or chaotic nature of bubble departures process, the methods data analysis: wavelet decomposition and FFT were used. It can be inferred that the bubble departure process can be regulated by altering the hydrodynamic conditions above the needle, as variations in the liquid velocity in this area affect the gas supply system’s conditions. Moreover, the results of numerical investigations were compared with the results of experimental investigation which are described in the paper [2]. It can be considered that, described in this paper, the numerical model can be used to study the interaction between the bubbles and the needle system for supplying gas during the bubble departures from two needles, because the interaction between the bubbles is related to disturbances in the liquid flow above the needle.

CFD elucidation of high-pressure subcooled boiling flow towards effects of variable refrigerant properties using OpenFOAM empirical closures

Boiling flow presents a significant concern, especially when a liquid surpasses its boiling point, potentially leading to catastrophic consequences. This research utilizes a two-phase code in the OpenFOAM software to investigate bubble formation during flow boiling. The well-established empirical models for calculating wall heat components were selected based on the operating conditions. The study incorporates experimental data from high-pressure boiling flow (10–30 bars) with variable properties of refrigerant R-12. The predictions reveal underpredictions in void fraction and liquid temperature compared to experimental observations. Significantly, the impact of the subcooling degree on void fraction behaviour is emphasized, and a potential underprediction of the evaporation portion is highlighted, particularly near the wall. Challenges in modelling bubble size distribution are evident through discrepancies in bubble diameter and velocity data, indicating the necessity for further advancements in the code. In summary, this numerical study provides valuable insights into the intricate dynamics of high-pressure subcooled boiling flow, especially when considering variable working fluid properties. Future efforts will focus on refining models for nucleation site density, bubble departure size, and lift-off frequency to enhance prediction accuracy.

Study on bubble behaviors and heat transfer at shallow liquid boiling over open rectangular microchannels

The heat transfer performance of shallow liquid boiling differs from that of deep liquid boiling owing to distinct bubble venting mechanisms. Since the liquid level is of the same order of magnitude as the bubble departure diameter, bubble detachment is restricted by the surface tension of the free interface, which causes an untimely liquid reflux toward the nucleate site. Consequently, shallow liquid boiling has a high heat transfer coefficient (HTC) at a liquid height below the critical liquid level but at the expense of limited critical heat flux (CHF). This study aims to improve the CHF of shallow liquid boiling by utilizing open rectangular microchannels surface (ORMS), which can provide separated vapor–liquid pathways to facilitate the liquid return. The boiling heat transfer curves and bubble behavior of distilled water at shallow liquid levels are investigated using the ORMS. A critical liquid level of 5 mm was achieved with heat fluxes of approximately 15 W/cm2, 25 W/cm2, and 35 W/cm2 over ORMS. Compared to a plain copper surface (PCS), ORMS improves the upper limit of the heat flux for the critical liquid level. A simplified and efficient analytical model with two-sphere bubble is established to predict the critical liquid level for the ORMS by considering the dynamic and static force balance. The critical liquid level is approximately twice the bubble departure diameter, which may aid in designing the liquid filling rates for phase-change heat sinks for HTC improvement.