Critical Heat Flux Enhancement Research Articles

Bio-inspired powder bed fusion 3D printed surfaces for enhanced critical heat flux and boiling heat transfer

The thermal performance and sizing of two-phase heat exchangers employed in various industries can be significantly improved by modifying the surface topology of tubes. The advancement in metal 3D printing technology enables the modification of surfaces to generate distinct patterns that enhance the heat transfer coefficient. This study aligns with these advances by investigating the boiling heat transfer performance of 3D printed surfaces using methanol as the working fluid. The enhanced surfaces studied include four bio-inspired 3D printed surfaces (Mushroom, Cactus, Petal, and Torus), each strategically designed to improve the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and delay the onset of critical heat flux (CHF). The primary objective of this research is to discuss and analyze the heat transfer mechanism in terms of bubble dynamics, particularly focusing on the interaction between surface morphology and bubble behavior. Experimental results reveal significant enhancements in CHF and HTC for 3D printed surfaces compared to plain surfaces. Among the 3D printed surfaces, the Mushroom surface exhibits the highest enhancement in CHF of 88 % compared to the plain surface. Similarly, the maximum HTC enhancements are 138 %, 86 %, 65 %, and 46 % for the Mushroom, Cactus, Petal, and Torus surfaces, respectively, compared to the plain surface. The methodologies and findings of this study are poised to have a lasting impact on the field, potentially opening new avenues for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of various two-phase heat exchangers.

Enhanced Phase Change Heat Transfer with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Printed Pit and Pillar (Pi2) Arrays

Phase change heat transfer, crucial in thermal management systems, can be significantly enhanced through optimized surface structures. This study investigates pool boiling heat transfer enhancement using 3D printed structures with carefully designed pillar and pit geometries. We present a novel approach combining the Dual Rise model with separate liquid–vapor pathways to improve Critical Heat Flux (CHF) and Heat Transfer Coefficients (HTC). Using copper-infused Polylactic Acid (PLA) filaments, we created and sintered structured surfaces featuring pit-assisted nucleation sites, interpillar spacing for vapor escape, and pillar roughness for enhanced liquid supply. Experiments with deionized water and ethanol under atmospheric pressure demonstrated substantial improvements over plain surfaces: water showed an 87% increase in CHF and 39% in maximum HTC, while ethanol exhibited even greater enhancements of 122% in CHF and 61% in HTC. These improvements are attributed to the synergistic effects of optimized surface geometry and separated liquid–vapor pathways, reducing counterflow resistance and improving hydrodynamic stability. A theoretical framework based on the Dual Rise model explains these enhancements, providing insights into coupled capillary action and hemiwicking effects in boiling heat transfer. The study introduces predictive models for CHF and HTC enhancement, offering valuable tools for future design optimization in applications ranging from electronics cooling to power plant thermal management and advanced heat exchangers.

Record-high heat transfer performance of spray cooling on 3D-printed hierarchical micro/nano-structured surface

Managing high-flux waste heat with controllable device working temperature is becoming challenging and critical for the artificial intelligence, communications, electric vehicles, defense and aerospace sectors. Spray cooling, which combines forced convection with phase-change latent heat of working fluids, is promising for high flux heat dissipation. Most of the previous studies on spray cooling enhancement adopted high spray flow rates to strengthen forced convection for high critical heat flux (CHF), leading to a low heat transfer coefficient (HTC). Micro/nanostructured surfaces can enhance boiling, but bubbles inside the structures tend to form a vapor blanket, which can deteriorate heat transfer. This work demonstrates simultaneous enhancement of CHF and HTC in spray cooling by improving both evaporation and liquid film boiling on three-dimensional (3D) ordered hierarchical micro/nano-structured surface. The hierarchical micro/nanostructured surface is designed to coordinate the transport of spray droplets, capillary liquid films, and boiling bubbles to enhance spray cooling performance. Boiling inversion where superheat decreases with increasing heat flux is observed, leading to an ultra-high HTC due to the simultaneous promotion of bubble nucleation and evaporation. Unprecedented CHF is obtained by overcoming the liquid-vapor counterflow, i.e., synergistically facilitating bubble escape and liquid permeation. A record-breaking heat transfer performance of spray cooling is achieved with a maximum heat flux of 1273 W/cm2 and an HTC of 443.7 kW/(m2 K) over a 1 cm2 heating area.

Heat transfer enhancement and increase in critical heat flux during boiling on a biphilic silicon surface

Heat transfer enhancement and increase in critical heat flux during boiling on a biphilic silicon surface

CHF enhancements of flame-sprayed porous coatings on the outer surface of reactor pressure vessel bottom head

Considering the urgent need for enhancing critical heat flux (CHF) on the outer surface of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) by in-vessel retention (IVR) on Generation III pressurized water reactors (PWRs), we prepare a porous coating of 316 L stainless steel on the surface of SA508 Grade 3 (SA508–3) steel by flame spraying in this study. Using a small-scale pool boiling experimental setup, we first investigate boiling heat transfer characteristics on bare surfaces and flame-sprayed porous coating surfaces of SA508–3 steel in deionized water at atmospheric pressure, and obtain pool boiling curves and CHFs at different inclination angles. Furthermore, we carry out the IVR engineering verification tests for a full-height RPV bottom head on the REPEC-II test facility built at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Our experimental results demonstrate that the flame-sprayed porous coatings can significantly enhance the CHF by 21–50 % at different inclination angles of the RPV bottom head. Our full-height facility tests demonstrate that the CHF in the high-inclination angle region, which normally has very high heat flux due to the focusing effect, exceeds 2 MW/m2 on the flame-sprayed porous coating surface. Therefore, our flame-sprayed porous coating has the potential to improve the safety margin of RPV.

CHF Enhancement by γ-Fe2O3 Nanofluids with Pool Boiling Condition on a Downward-Facing Plane

In this study, the heat transfer performance of γ-Fe2O3 nanofluid is investigated. The particle size used in the experiment was about 20 nm. It was found by X-ray diffraction that it was consistent with the characteristic peak and no other impurities. Nanofluids with different concentrations were configured through a two-step method. Since the γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles are not easily dispersed, the ultrasonic time was relatively long. After a series of experiments and data processing, we could see that nanofluids have the best heat transfer performance at 0.07 g/L. Compared to a reverse-osmosis (R·O) water case, the enhancement of critical heat flux (CHF) was about 34.09%, and the heat transfer coefficient enhancement was about 49.32%. The movement of bubbles during the experiment was recorded and analyzed. Compared with the R·O water case, the bubbles were larger and fewer in the nanofluid case, and what is more, the bubble movement was relatively intense. The heating surface was characterized after the experiment, and it was found that the wettability of the heating surface was changed, and the roughness of the heating surface decreased. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the deposition of the nanoparticles on the heating surface was the main cause of CHF enhancement. When the concentration was 0.08 g/L, CHF decreased, mainly because the excessive deposition of the nanoparticles increased the thermal resistance of the heating surface and led to the deterioration of heat transfer.

Two-Phase Particle Image Velocimetry Visualization of Rewetting Flow on the Micropillar Interfacial Surface.

Boiling heat transfer has a high thermal efficiency by latent heat absorption, which makes it an attractive process for cooling electronic device chips. Critical heat flux (CHF), the maximum heat flux, is a crucial factor determining the operating range of the boiling applications. The CHF can be enhanced by improving the fluid supply to the boiling surface. Herein, micropillar interfacial surfaces have been proposed to increase the CHF by increasing the rewetting flow, which determines the fluid-supply capacity near the bubble contact line. A state-of-art two-phase particle image velocimetry (two-phase PIV) technique is introduced for rewetting flow measurement on micropillar structures (MPSs) to analyze the CHF-enhancement mechanism. The two-phase PIV visualization setup offers high spatial (∼120 μm) and temporal (∼2000 Hz) resolutions for measuring rewetting flow during bubble growth. The MPS samples exhibit enhanced CHF and rewetting flows compared to those on a plain surface. The roughest case, D04G10 sample, had a CHF of 164 W/cm2, 1.84 times higher than that of the plain surface. The D04G10 sample also recorded the highest rewetting velocity of 0.311 m/s, 4.7 times higher than that of the plain surface. The comparison between the rewetting flow and wicking performance shows that wicking-induced flow accounted for a substantial part (∼17%) of the rewetting flow and contributed significantly to the CHF enhancement owing to large rewetting flow by delaying vapor-film formation. Based on these findings, a new CHF model suggested by introducing the rewetting parameter shows a high CHF prediction accuracy of 94%.

Phase Transition Heat Transfer Enhancement of a Graphene-Coated Microporous Copper Surface Using Two-Step Electrodeposition Method

Abstract Owing to their exceptionally high thermal conductivity, there is a growing demand for graphene nanoparticles in phase transition heat transfer applications. This research delves into the exploration of various critical phenomena within the realm of surface science, specifically focusing on interactions at solid-liquid and liquid-liquid interfaces. In this work, graphene nanoparticles at varying concentrations are subject to electrochemical deposition on a microporous copper substrate to form graphene coated over microporous copper (GCOMC). The study encompasses a comprehensive analysis of surface characteristics, such as porosity, roughness, and wettability. Furthermore, the study involves the calculation of two key heat transfer metrics, the critical heat flux (CHF) and the boiling heat transfer coefficient (BHTC), through the execution of pool boiling experiments. The findings of this research underscore the remarkable superiority of GCOMC surfaces over their uncoated copper counterparts in terms of boiling performance. Particularly, the GCOMC surface showcases an impressive 87.5% enhancement in CHF and a 233% increase in BHTC compared to the bare copper surface. Furthermore, this investigation delves into a detailed quantitative analysis of bubble behavior, encompassing parameters such as bubble departure diameter, bubble departure frequency, and nucleation site density, employing high-speed camera techniques to comprehensively understand the underlying processes.

Experimental study of pool boiling performance of Fe3O4 ferromagnetic nanofluid on a copper surface

Nanofluids significantly enhance the critical heat flux of boiling heat transfer. This paper experimentally investigates the pool boiling performance and the influence mechanism of Fe3O4 nanofluids. Compared with deionized water, the 0.001 vol% nanofluid increases a maximum enhancement in critical heat flux by 47.90%. During nanofluid boiling, Fe3O4 nanoparticles are deposited on the surfaces. The nanoparticle deposition surfaces are physically characterized to explain the influence mechanism of Fe3O4 nanoparticles on boiling heat transfer. Nanoparticle deposition modifies the surface micro-morphology, which increases roughness and improves wettability. The changes are essential factors for the enhancement of the critical heat flux. This paper further analyses the boiling results of deionized water on the nanoparticle deposition surfaces. Compared with a polished surface, the critical heat flux and heat transfer coefficient of the nanoparticle deposition surface show maximum increases of 52.39% and 56.19%. Due to the similar enhancement of critical heat flux using the Fe3O4 nanofluid and the nanoparticle deposition surface, it is found that the increased critical heat flux of the nanofluids is attributed to the improvement of surface wettability and roughness by nanoparticle deposition. This study analyzes the mechanism of Fe3O4 nanofluid for enhancing pool boiling heat transfer from the perspective of modifying boiling surface characteristics by nanoparticle deposition, especially in wettability and roughness, which advances the understanding of enhanced boiling heat transfer by nanofluids.

A Study on Boiling Heat Transfer Performance of TiO2-CNTs Hybrid Nanofluid on a Downward-Facing Heating Surface

In-vessel retention through external reactor vessel cooling (IVR-ERVC) is a strategy used to respond to nuclear reactor accidents. One of the key performance indicators determining its feasibility is critical heat flux (CHF). Our focus is on simulating real-world scenarios through surface pool boiling to improve the implementation of the IVR-ERVC strategy with hybrid nanofluids. Two groups of TiO2/COOH-CNTs hybrid nanofluids were prepared: group 1 with different concentrations at the same proportion and group 2 with different proportions at the same total concentration. Researchers compared the improvement of the two groups’ CHF and heat transfer coefficient (HTC), and analyzed the potential mechanism of heat transfer enhancement through roughness of surface, hydrophilicity, and scanning electron microscopy observations. The results showed that a mass concentration of 8 mg:8 mg per liter exhibited the best heat transfer performance, with a CHF enhancement up to 28.21% and an improvement in HTC as well. Meanwhile, correlations between alterations in surface roughness, hydrophilicity, and enhancements in CHF were observed. Finally, by detecting the deposition surface, the possible mechanism of TiO2/COOH-CNTs hybrid nanofluids in enhancing heat transfer was inferred.

Aluminum Micropillar Surfaces with Hierarchical Micro- and Nanoscale Features for Enhancement of Boiling Heat Transfer Coefficient and Critical Heat Flux.

The rapid progress of electronic devices has necessitated efficient heat dissipation within boiling cooling systems, underscoring the need for improvements in boiling heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and critical heat flux (CHF). While different approaches for micropillar fabrication on copper or silicon substrates have been developed and have shown significant boiling performance improvements, such enhancement approaches on aluminum surfaces are not broadly investigated, despite their industrial applicability. This study introduces a scalable approach to engineering hierarchical micro-nano structures on aluminum surfaces, aiming to simultaneously increase HTC and CHF. One set of samples was produced using a combination of nanosecond laser texturing and chemical etching in hydrochloric acid, while another set underwent an additional laser texturing step. Three distinct micropillar patterns were tested under saturated pool boiling conditions using water at atmospheric pressure. Our findings reveal that microcavities created atop pillars successfully facilitate nucleation and micropillars representing nucleation site areas on a microscale, leading to an enhanced HTC up to 242 kW m-2 K-1. At the same time, the combination of the surrounding hydrophilic porous area enables increased wicking and pillar patterning, defining the vapor-liquid pathways on a macroscale, which leads to an increase in CHF of up to 2609 kW m-2.

Elucidating the effects of surface wettability on boiling heat transfer using hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces with laser-etched microchannels

This study explores the nuanced interplay between surface wettability and morphology in nucleate boiling heat transfer. Surfaces with identical microstructures but varying wettability are created on copper substrates using laser texturing and a hydrophobic agent. The spacing between laser-etched microchannels is adjusted to achieve different contact angles and percentages of laser-textured areas. Boiling performance is assessed with variations in channel spacing and surface coverage, revealing significant differences between hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. The critical heat flux (CHF) enhancement mechanisms are identified, emphasizing either enhanced liquid replenishment or separate boiling and liquid-supply regions. A critical laser line spacing of 100 μm is determined, where hydrophobic and hydrophilic variants exhibit similar CHF. Interestingly, hydrophilic surfaces show a weak correlation between the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and contact angle, while hydrophobic surfaces demonstrate a strong correlation. This separation of surface morphology and wettability confirms that lower wettability promotes early nucleate boiling and high HTC, whereas hydrophilic variants contribute to enhanced CHF with lower HTC. These distinctions are most prominent at high coverage with laser-textured areas and diminish as coverage decreases. The findings provide valuable insights into optimizing surface properties for efficient boiling heat transfer applications.

CHF and heat transfer enhancement by SiO2 nanofluids on a inclined downward facing heating surface

In this experiment, the factors affecting critical heat flux (CHF) in the pool boiling research with the heating face down were investigated. Including the type of cooling liquid and the angle of the heating surface. The types of coolants include reverse osmosis (R·O) water and SiO2 nanofluids (0.02 g/L～0.12 g/L). The morphology and types of nanoparticles were characterized by microscope (SEM) and scanning electron X-ray diffraction (XRD) before the experiment. Pool boiling experiments were performed using a specially designed heating block. After data processing, we found that in the horizontal downward heating experiment, the heat flux density increased by 49.68% and the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) increased by 60.73% under nanofluid conditions compared to the case of R·O water when CHF occurred. The increase in the HTC is strongly related to the deposition of nanoparticles on the heating surface. In the heating surface experiment with different tilt angles, both the heat flux density and the HTC increase with the increase of the angle. In the experiment of inclined downward heating surface, the CHF and HTC increase with the increase of heating angle, but the increase is smaller and smaller.

Enhanced flow boiling heat transfer in narrow gap with different widths using different-mode-interacting boiling

The concept of different-mode-interacting boiling (DMIB) utilizes the areas of two different thermal conductance materials by expanding the wetted area over the regions of their dry areas. This enhances the critical heat flux (CHF) and heat transfer coefficient (HTC) in a wide channel (e.g., Wch = 80 mm) to provide adequate cooling in previous study. In this study, the effectiveness of DMIB in enhancing the CHF and HTC was investigated when using a channel width (Wch = 10 mm) equal to that of the heating surface, aiming to provide better efficiency for both uniform surface (US) and nonuniform surfaces (NUSs) with material widths (W = 0.5 and 1.0 mm) in narrow gaps. Experiments were performed with a heating surface of 10 mm2 using subcooled deionized water at different temperatures ΔTsub = 2.0, 10, 20, and 30 K, inlet velocities v = 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 m/s (corresponding to mass fluxes: 100, 200, and 400 kg/m2s), and gap sizes h = 1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 mm. The results revealed that the heat transfer performance of the NUSs was significantly enhanced compared to the US for both Wch. However, both the CHF and HTC values were higher with Wch = 80 mm than with Wch = 10 mm owing to the expansion of coalesced bubbles in the flow direction, sustained nucleate boiling regime, and effective liquid rewetting during the intermittent nucleate boiling-partial dryout near the CHF owing to the DMIB. The maximum CHF and CHF enhancement ratios for Wch = 10 mm were 3.59 MW/m2 and 52.2 %, respectively, whereas for Wch = 80 mm, they were 3.66 MW/m2 and 89 %, respectively. In addition, the HTC and HTC enhancement ratio for Wch = 10 mm were 1261 kW/m2K and a factor of 7, respectively, whereas those for Wch = 80 mm were 2026.9 kW/m2K and a factor of 12, respectively. In contrast, only a minimal difference existed in the heat transfer performance of Wch = 10 mm compared to that at Wch = 80 mm; therefore, Wch = 10 mm can be considered as having a better cooling efficiency per channel width due to the minimal pumping power and significant CHF and HTC enhancement.

Enhancing boiling heat transfer by high-frequency pulsating jet with piezoelectric micropump

Two-phase jet impingement provides a compact cooling solution capable of dissipating high heat flux at a low pressure drop, making it favorable for electronic cooling. However, there is still a limited understanding of the boiling characteristics of high-frequency pulsating jets. To address this knowledge gap, experiments are conducted using a piezoelectric micropump to study the boiling heat transfer characteristics. The frequency of the pulsating jet was controlled by adjusting the applied signal of the piezoelectric micropump, ranging from 10 Hz to 40 Hz. Both steady jet boiling and pulsating jet boiling were investigated using two nozzle configurations, with the flow rate varying from 30 to 120 ml/min. It is found that the high-frequency pulsating jet can significantly improve the critical heat flux (CHF) to 245.2 W/cm2 at the flow rate of 60 ml/min, 84% higher than that of the steady jet. But the high-frequency pulsating jet shows no markable effects on the heat transfer coefficient within the studied parameters. This research also discussed the mechanism behind the CHF enhancement, which provides valuable insight into jet impingement boiling under flow pulsation. Furthermore, the proposed two-phase cooling system is suitable for high-power-density electronics owing to its compactness and high thermal performance.

Ionic liquid as a cosurfactant for critical heat flux enhancement during boiling with aqueous surfactant solutions

Surfactants are often used to improve boiling heat transfer due to the ease of their implementation. While aqueous surfactant solution significantly increases the heat transfer coefficient (HTC), it is known to deteriorate the critical heat flux (CHF) relative to the base fluid water. The high foamability of most surfactant solutions causes vapor crowding on the heater surface, making surface modification techniques ineffective for CHF enhancement. Here, we address the issue of relative degradation of CHF due to surfactant by using an ionic liquid as a cosurfactant. We employ a unique boiling fluid, where 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C2mim][Cl]), a low-foaming ionic liquid, is introduced as a co-surfactant in aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution. Motivated by the synergistic increase in foamability of the aqueous surfactant solution due to the addition of ionic liquid, we examine the boiling performance at various combinations of concentrations of the two additives in the solution. The mixture consistently exhibits higher CHF and HTC than an SDS only solution, with the best enhancement observed for a mixture of ≈ 30 ppm SDS and ≈ 750 ppm [C2mim][Cl], resulting in ≈1.6× and ≈1.5× enhancements in CHF and HTC, respectively, compared to the SDS only solution (≈ 30 ppm). We next fine-tune the concentration of cosurfactant to demonstrate an exceptionally high HTC of ≈93 kW/(m2 – ℃) with a CHF value comparable to that of pure water. Enhanced foamability and in-situ improvement in the wettability of the heater surface enhance the HTC and the CHF, respectively. This facile technique for enhancing HTC with water as the base fluid, without compromising on CHF, holds promise for high heat flux thermal management applications.

Enhancement of critical heat flux with additive-manufactured heat-transfer surface

In-Vessel Retention (IVR) is a key technology to retain the molten core in the reactor vessel during severe accidents of Pressurized-water reactors (PWRs). In order to gain the safety margin of IVR, it is crucial to enhance the critical heat flux (CHF) of the reactor vessel, which is submerged in a water pool. To enhance the CHF, we have designed and additive-manufactured porous grid plates with a 3-D printer for design flexibility. We measured the CHF for the porous grid plate on the boiling heat transfer surface and found that the CHF was enhanced by 50 % more than that of the bare surface. The CHF enhanced more with a narrower grid pitch and a lower grid height. The visual observation study revealed that the vapor film was formed at the bottom of the grid plate.

Experimental and parametric study in pool boiling enhancement with self-induced jet impingement on the microporous copper surface using R1336mzz(Z)

Enhancing pool boiling performance is of significant interest for cooling high-power electronics. This paper introduces a self-induced jet impingement device designed for practical boiling enhancement. Using R1336mzz(Z) as the working fluid, we performed an experimental and parametric study on a microporous copper surface, considering the distinct characteristics of this device. Our results demonstrate that, due to the promotion of bubble detachment and the ensuring of sustained liquid absorption, the self-induced jet impingement device augments the Critical Heat Flux (CHF) on the microporous copper surface effectively. Nonetheless, the large predominant size of nucleation sites on this surface highlights the boiling suppression effect from jet impingement, resulting in a minor decrease in the Nucleate Boiling Heat transfer coefficient (hNB). Parametric evaluations reveal that strategies promoting the circulation flow of working fluid have a positive impact on CHF enhancement. Conversely, this device might negatively influence boiling heat transfer on microporous copper surface under conditions of liquid scarcity due to the restricted total flow area of jet holes. Our study indicates CHF and hNB@CHF enhancements of up to 196.0% and 291.0%, culminating in 73.7 W/cm2 and 78.2 kW/(m2∙K), respectively, compared to the boiling performances of standard pool boiling on the non-microporous copper surface.

ENHANCEMENT EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR POOL BOILING ENHANCEMENT STRUCTURES IN ELECTRONICS COOLING: CHF ENHANCEMENT RATIO (ER-CHF) AND ENHANCEMENT INDEX (EI)

Extensive research shows the necessity of efficient cooling systems to enable electronic components to operate at high performance levels for a sustained period. While conventional methods have served the cooling needs so far, rising computational power, energy efficiency, and sustainability requirements call for improved techniques. The literature shows the effectiveness of two-phase systems in cooling electronic components like microprocessors. The literature further describes various enhancement mechanisms to elevate the critical heat flux (CHF) and heat transfer coefficient (HTC) in these systems. While a high CHF is desired, having a high HTC is equally important to keep the operating temperatures below a permissible limit. The present article summarizes enhancement structures found in the literature suitable for electronic cooling to provide this dual enhancement in CHF and HTC. New enhancement evaluation criteria that also consider the surface temperature limit imposed by the electronic components are introduced. The CHF enhancement ratio (ER<sub>CHF</sub>) represents the ratio of CHF for enhancement structures to the CHF for a plain surface, and the enhancement index (EI) represents the ratio of wall superheat at CHF with the enhanced structures to the wall superheat at its respective CHF condition for a plain surface. It is desirable to have a high value of ER<sub>CHF</sub> coupled with a low value of EI (lower the better), preferably below 1.0.

Numerical simulation on nanofluid enhancement of downward facing surface’s critical heat flux

In this work, an improved wall boiling model for nanofluids was proposed, taking into account the effect of bubble slip on the wall heat flux density, as well as the effects of nanofluid thermophysical properties and nanoparticle deposition on the density of nucleation sites and bubble departure diameter. The nucleation site density and bubble departure diameter were calculated and compared with the experimental data, the deviations were not more than 7.80% and 9.81%, respectively. The downward-facing surface’s critical heat flux (CHF) was numerically simulated using Al2O3-H2O nanofluids. The simulation results of CHF were compared with the experimental data, and the maximum deviation did not exceed ±16.9%. Compared to pure water, the average CHF enhancement of 0.001–0.01vol% Al2O3-H2O nanofluid was 65.4%. The impacts of thermophysical properties, contact angle, and surface roughness were analyzed separately using the control variable method. The results showed that the wall temperature and void fraction were mostly not affected by thermophysical properties, and the variation in contact angle and surface roughness had a substantial impact. For the CHF improvement of 0.001vol% Al2O3–H2O nanofluids, the proportions of contact angle, surface roughness, and thermophysical properties on the CHF enhancement are 57%, 8%, and 1%. CHF enhancement with nanofluid was strongly related to the changes in contact angle and surface roughness.