Flow Heat Exchanger Research Articles

New Two-Phase Multiplier Model for Phase-Change Flows in Plate Heat Exchangers

A complete thermo-hydraulic understanding of condensing and evaporating flows in heat exchangers requires predictive modeling and analysis of not just heat transfer but also the hydraulics of the flow. While modeling the friction factor and pressure gradient yields a quantitative understanding of the pressure drop, only the two-phase multiplier and void fraction, in combination with the Martinelli parameter, help better understand the relative contributions of the liquid and vapor fractions to the overall pressure drop. This article reports the empirical modeling, analysis, and meta-analysis of the two-phase multiplier for condensing and evaporating flows in plate heat exchangers. Over three thousand data compiled from forty-two sources were modeled using various regression techniques to develop correlations for predicting the two-phase multiplier for condensing and evaporating flows in plate heat exchangers. The Weber number for most studies was less than one, indicating that drop condensation and pool boiling were impossible. Further, the Bond number for most studies was also much higher than one, indicating that the buoyancy effects were significant during condensation and evaporation. Meta-analysis for evaporators was statistically significant and positive, strongly recommending plate heat exchangers.

Experimental Evaluation of Gas-Dynamic Conditions of Heat Exchange of Stationary Air Flows in Vertical Conical Diffuser

Conical diffusers are widely used in technical devices (gasifiers, turbines, combustion chambers) and technological processes (ejectors, mixers, renewable energy). The perfection of flow gas dynamics in a conical diffuser affects the intensity of heat and mass transfer processes, the quality of mixing/separation of working media and the flow characteristics of technical devices. These parameters largely determine the efficiency and productivity of the final product. This article presents an analysis of experimental data on the gas-dynamic characteristics of stationary air flows in a vertical, conical, flat diffuser under different initial boundary conditions. An experimental setup was created, measuring instruments were selected, and an automated data collection system was developed. Basic data on the gas dynamics of air flows were obtained using the thermal anemometry method. Experimental data on instantaneous values of air flow velocity in a diffuser for initial velocities from 0.4 m/s to 2.22 m/s are presented. These data were the basis for calculating and obtaining velocity fields and turbulence intensity fields of the air flow in a vertical diffuser. It is shown that the value of the initial flow velocity at the diffuser inlet has a significant effect on the gas-dynamic characteristics. In addition, a spectral analysis of the change in air flow velocity both by height and along the diffuser axis was performed. The obtained data may be useful for refining engineering calculations, verifying mathematical models, searching for technical solutions and deepening knowledge about the features of gas dynamics of air flows in vertical diffusers.

Numerical Investigation of Flow and Thermal Fields in Heat Exchanger with Two Porous Vertical Baffles

Numerical Investigation of Flow and Thermal Fields in Heat Exchanger with Two Porous Vertical Baffles

Heat transfers in heat exchangers in steady and oscillating flows

Heat exchangers are a key constitutive element in thermoacoustic machines. Although they are required to operate with oscillating gas, their design is mostly guided by direct extrapolation of the knowledge applicable to steady flow heat exchangers, due to the lack of objective criteria for the design of oscillating flow heat exchangers. Most of the works in the literature present theoretical or numerical results, but very few experimental data are available to confirm (or refute) the strong hypothesis leading to the extrapolation. This study presents the comparative measurements of the heat transfers capabilities of triangular louvered fin heat exchangers in steady and oscillating flows under otherwise similar conditions.

Experimental study on the heat storage characteristics of rock bed heat storage system with different packing structure

Establishing energy storage systems can provide an effective solution to the challenges posed by the variability and intermittency of renewable energy sources. Among the available options for energy storage, rock-packed bed thermal energy storage systems are widely favored for their performance, cost-effectiveness, and reliability. The more compact the rock packing, the more adequate the heat exchange of the system; however, poorer permeability increases fluid friction losses and pressure drop, which is detrimental to heat transport within the system. The permeability and heat exchange of the system jointly determines its thermal energy storage performance. This study proposes a composite packing scheme utilizing intact rock slabs and broken rock to enhance the thermal energy storage performance of the packed bed. This approach aims to augment heat exchange efficiency and elevate energy storage density while maintaining the bed's commendable permeability. Heat injection and heat extraction experiments of rock beds were conducted to study the heat storage characteristics of the rock-packed bed thermal storage system under different packing structure. In addition, this study investigates the effect of different injection pressures on the storage and release of heat in the system. The results show that the volume of the pore space of the filled bed, serving as the primary domain for gas flow and gas-rock heat exchange, is a decisive factor affecting the packed bed's permeability and heat exchange performance. When the porosity of the packed bed increased from 5.5 % to 9.9 %, its permeability increased from 1.42 × 10−13 m2 to 3.20 × 10−13 m2, yet the thermal exchange efficiency declined from 67.2 % to 65.3 %. Reasonably arranging intact rock slabs and broken rock fill can alter the path of heat transfer within the packed bed, thereby effectively enhancing its heat storage and release performance. For the same pore volume conditions, the heat exchange efficiency of the packed bed is increased by about 10 % by increasing the number of layers of broken rock fill. Additionally, high gas injection pressures can facilitate heat storage and release processes, but it does not mean that this is more efficient. The research findings can guide the selection of packing and injection schemes in packed bed thermal energy storage systems.

Prediction of thermo-hydraulic properties of flow in an innovative plate heat exchanger using machine learning algorithms

Reducing fuel consumption and toxic gas emissions is a major concern in modern energy research. This paper investigates the performance and heat transfer enhancement of an innovative plate heat exchanger (IPHE) using machine learning techniques. By optimizing the geometric parameters of the plate, we predict thermohydraulic characteristics—represented by the Nusselt number (Nu), coefficient of friction (f), and performance (P) within the Reynolds number range of 500–5000 based on numerical modeling data. This study addresses the need for improved efficiency in plate heat exchangers (PHEs) amid rising energy demands and environmental concerns. Traditional methods like numerical simulations or costly experiments have limitations, prompting interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for thermal analysis and property prediction in PHEs. Various ML models, including Decision Trees, XGBoost, Gradient Boosting, and ensemble methods, are evaluated in predicting f, Nu, and overall performance (P). Our comprehensive experimentation and analysis identify top-performing models with robust predictive capabilities. For f, the highest R2 score was 0.98, indicating excellent prediction accuracy, with mean squared error (MSE) values consistently below 0.0016. Similarly, for Nu and P, top models achieved R2 scores of 0.979 and 0.9628, respectively, with MSE values below 0.0347 and 0.05. These results highlight the effectiveness of machine learning techniques in accurately predicting thermohydraulic properties and optimizing PHE performance.

Analysis on heat transfer enhancement mechanism in a cross-wavy primary surface heat exchanger based on advection thermal resistance method

This paper numerically investigates the flow and heat transfer characteristics in the primary surface heat exchanger (PSHE) with cross-wavy (CW) structures. The comprehensive performance affected by hydraulic diameters is evaluated. Moreover, the airflow shuttling behavior at the mixing area of CW-type PSHE is discussed, showing rapid heat transfer enhancement. The advection thermal resistance method and local thermal resistance analysis is proposed, while the impacts of longitudinal pitch and flowrates are considered. Results show that the case with a large hydraulic diameter displays much better comprehensive performance at lower flowrates. When raising the hydraulic diameter from 1.58 mm to 15.8 mm, the heat transfer rate per unit pumping power grows by 36.1 %. However, the priority of large channel is gradually disappeared after increasing the flowrates. Meanwhile, the larger longitudinal pitch of the CW channel may result in pronounced improvement on the heat transfer performance due to the presence of airflow shutting behavior at the mixing area as well as the secondary flow near the channel boundary layers. When no airflow shuttling exists, very high advection thermal resistance region can be observed due to the formation of boundary layers. It can be recognized that the case with airflow shuttling behavior can display similar heat transfer improvement compared to that with increasingly high Reynolds numbers, yet the pressure loss is rarely increased.

Experimental investigations on thermo-fluid performance of perforated baffle aided with oppositely oriented sawtooth deflector in tubular heat exchanger

Purpose The investigation concentrated on studying a distinct category of tubular heat exchanger that uses swirling airflow over tube bundle maintained at constant heat flux. Swirl flow is achieved using a novel perforated baffle plate with rectangular openings and multiple adjustable opposite-oriented saw-tooth flow deflectors. These deflectors were strategically placed at the inlet of the heat exchanger to create a swirling flow downstream. Design/methodology/approach The custom-built axial flow heat exchanger consists of three baffle plates arranged longitudinally supporting tube bundle maintained at constant heat flux. The baffle plate equipped with saw-tooth flow deflector of various geometry represented by space height ratio(e/h). Next, ambient air was then directed over the tube bundle at varying Reynolds number and the effect of baffle spacing (PR), Space height ratio (e/h) and inclination angle(a) of deflectors on performance of heat exchanger was experimentally analyzed. Findings The heat transfer augmentation of heat exchanger for given operating condition is strongly dependent on geometry, inclination angle of deflector and baffle spacing. Originality/value An average improvement of 1.42 times in thermal enhancement factor was observed with inclination angle of 30°, space height ratio of 0.4 and a pitch ratio of 1.2 when compared to a heat exchanger without a baffle plate under similar operating conditions.

Experimental Investigation of Thermo-Hydraulic Characteristics and Sustainability Measure of a Novel Multi-Fluid Heat Exchanger for Turbulent Water-Based Nanofluid Flow through the Inserted Brazed Helix Tube

Abstract A Novel Multi-Fluid Heat Exchanger (NMFHE) deployed for simultaneous heating of water and space is experimentally investigated to predict its thermo-hydraulic, exergetic, and sustainability performance for distinct Al2O3, TiO2, and CuO nanofluid flow of 50ppm concentration of each through the inserted Brazed Helix Tube (BHT). The input parameters such as flow rates, helix tube diameters, and nanofluid types are varied throughout the experiments to evaluate their effect on output performance parameters i.e., Nusselt number (Nu), Friction factor (f), entropy generation number (Ns), JF factor (JF), exergy efficiency (εE), and sustainability index (SI). The nanofluid (NF) flowing through the BHT is the heating fluid that simultaneously heated the cold water (CW), and air (CA) flowing through the outer shell and inner conduit of the BHT respectively. A distinct Nusselt number correlation for turbulent nanofluid flow inside BHT was developed, compared, and validated reasonably with the current result. For Al2O3 NF at a Reynolds number of 5698 with a 1/2-inch diameter helix tube, the best results for JF, εE, and SI are found to be 0.009, 0.72, and 3.53, respectively. Furthermore, for Al2O3 and TiO2 NF at a Reynolds number of 14250 and a helix tube diameter of 1/4 and 1/2-inch, f, and Ns are found to be 0.0032 and 0.043, respectively are optimum. It is observed that the use of Al2O3 NF, higher helix tube diameters, and lower flow rates all make the proposed heating application more sustainable.

Experimental study on flow and heat transfer of High-Pressure helium flow in compact helical tube heat exchanger in HTGR

In this study, experiments were conducted on helium flow within a compact helical tube heat exchanger. High-temperature helium and deionized cooling water, flowing in opposite directions, were allocated to the shell side and tube side, respectively. The Reynolds number of helium ranged from 3 × 103 to 1.6 × 104 under an operational pressure of 2.1 MPa. Measurements were taken for helium temperature, tube outer-surface temperature distribution, pressure, and mass flow rate to illustrate the flow and heat transfer characteristics. Sensitivity analysis of thermal–hydraulic parameters, including heat transfer power and efficiency under various operational conditions, was performed. The convective heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop were calculated. The transition point (Re = 9000) between laminar and turbulent flow of helium on the shell side was identified, and empirical correlations for the Nusselt number and friction coefficient were proposed. The experimental results indicate that the heat transfer performance of helium in the compact helical tube heat exchanger exceeds that of water in large-scale helical tube heat exchanger by approximately 20.75 % under fully developed turbulence, while the flow resistance characteristics remain essentially consistent.

Experimental investigation of the effects of metal foam porous rings on non-Newtonian fluid flow in a double pipe heat exchanger

In this study, we experimentally investigate the effects of metal foam porous rings on heat transfer, pressure drop, and the heat transfer performance ratio of two non-Newtonian fluids in a double-pipe heat exchanger. Enhancing the heat transfer rate is crucial for reducing the size and cost of heat exchangers. We considered various parameters in the experiment, including the power-law index (0.91 and 0.85), porous ring thickness (4, 6, and 8 mm), and the number of porous rings (2, 4, 6). The flow is a turbulent regime, with the Reynolds number ranging from 4000 to 10,000. The test setup includes a test section with a length of 1.6 m and a diameter ratio of 0.6. Open-cell copper metal foam rings with a porosity of 0.92 are placed in the annular pipe, while the internal surface of the inner pipe is subjected to constant heat flux. The results show that, for non-Newtonian Carboxy Methyl Cellulose fluids with concentrations of 0.1% and 0.2%, the average heat transfer coefficients at Reynolds number 4000 increase by 22.0% and 32.0%, respectively. With porous rings, these coefficients increase by 80.3% and 92.7%. Additionally, the average friction factor increases by 19.2% and 35.5% without porous rings and by 320% and 280% with porous rings, respectively. Furthermore, increasing the number of porous rings from 2 to 6 increases the Nusselt number by approximately 16.8% and 17.1%, respectively. The maximum friction factor is 400% higher when using a 0.2% concentration of non-Newtonian fluid. Finally, the performance of the two non-Newtonian fluids improved by approximately 28% and 36.4%, respectively, compared to the base fluid.

Gas dynamics and heat exchange of stationary and pulsating air flows during cylinder filling process through different configurations of the cylinder head channel (applicable to piston engines)

Piston machines are used in distributed generation, are in demand as auxiliary energy sources in hybrid systems and are indispensable devices in compressor technology. The purpose of this article is to develop a method for improving the quality of the cylinder filling process based on an experimental study of the gas dynamics and heat transfer of stationary and pulsating flows in an intake system with profiled channels in a piston machine's cylinder head. Experiments were carried out on full-scale models of piston machines with thermal anemometry and thermal imaging. The article examines three cross-sectional shapes for the intake port in the cylinder head: circle (basic design), square and triangle. It is established that profiled channels in a piston machine's intake system have a significant impact on the gas-dynamic, flow and heat-exchange characteristics of both stationary and pulsating air flows. It is shown that the use of profiled channels leads to a more uniform distribution of air flow throughout the entire cylinder volume and a significant reduction in stagnation zones, which should lead to a reduction in specific fuel consumption. It is established that air flow through an intake system with square and triangular ducts increases up to 30 % compared to the basic system, which should lead to an increase in power. It is found that the use of square and triangular channels leads to an increase in the flow turbulence intensity by 3…30 % and an increase in the heat transfer coefficient to 25 % in a piston machine's intake system. On the practical side, the installation of a cylinder head with profiled channels should improve the technical, economic and environmental characteristics of piston machines.

A correlation for U-value for laminar and turbulent flows in concentric tube heat exchangers

This paper introduces a novel empirical correlation designed to predict the overall heat transfer coefficient (U) in concentric tube heat exchangers. The study utilizes a comprehensive dataset of 2700 data points from CFD simulations, examining the impact of critical variables including hot and cold fluid Reynolds numbers (Reh, Rec), Prandtl numbers (Prh, Prc), and heat exchanger dimensions (tube hydraulic diameter Dh, annular space hydraulic diameter Dc, and overall length L). The analysis incorporates a range of fluid combinations in the tube and annular sections – air–air, air–water, water-air, and water–water – across Reynolds number ranges from 1000 to 20000, covering both laminar and turbulent flow regimes. The correlation was developed using the Adam optimizer to minimize the Weighted Mean Squared Error (WMSE), achieving an impressive convergence to an average prediction error of 6.7% compared to actual U values. The model categorizes flow into four distinct categories, each corresponding to a combination of flow patterns in the tube and annular spaces regimes – Laminar–Laminar, Laminar–Turbulent, Turbulent–Laminar, and Turbulent–Turbulent – integrating both hydrodynamic and thermal entry effects to enhance prediction accuracy. Rigorous error analysis revealed a median error of 5.18%, substantially outperforming existing models. Notably, 10% of the predictions deviate by less than 1%, with 90th percentile errors staying below 15%. Parameters were finely tuned through extensive numerical simulations, ensuring accurate application of the correlation across diverse operational conditions. The study concludes by highlighting the model’s potential to significantly enhance the design and efficiency of heat exchangers and proposes future enhancements to further improve its predictive accuracy.

Two-phase analysis of heat transfer of nanofluid flow in a wavy channel heat exchanger: A numerical approach

The heat transfer improvement by using CuO/water nanofluid (NF) in a wavy channel is evaluated numerically using the turbulent two-phase mixture and the κ - ε models. The numerical work is a 2-dimensional model created and analyzed in Gambit and Ansys Fluent software, respectively. The flow Reynolds (Re) numbers of 8000 – 40,000, wavelength ranging from 0 – 0.4 m, and solid volume fraction (SVF) of 0 % to 4 % are investigated. In all cases, a constant heat flux of q′′=5000 W/m2 is applied on the outer surface of the heat exchanger. The heat transfer and fluid flow were analyzed by the flow visualization method and heat transfer evaluation indexes. The results show that by increasing the Re number, the vortices increase and more turbulence are generated in the vicinity of the waves near the channel inlet. As the amplitude of the channel waves increased, the velocity at the top of the wave increased, and the resulting pressure gradient behind the wave is intensified and the reverse flow is generated. The improving effect of using NF is more prominent where the effect of other enhancing factors is weak. For wall amplitude of 0.1 m, by increasing the SVF from 1 – 4 % the average Nu number (Nuavg) increased by 35 % and 22 % in Re = 8,000 and 40,000, respectively.

Effects of longitudinal ventilation and GHEs on geothermal energy extraction and HRC in high geothermal tunnels

With the excavation of deep tunnels, the problem of high geothermal heat is becoming more and more prominent. However, high geothermal heat can be utilized as a renewable energy source. In order to effectively reduce thermal damage and utilize geothermal energy, it is necessary to study the effects of longitudinal ventilation and ground heat exchanges (GHEs) on the heat-regulating circle of the surrounding rock. In this study, an experimental platform was designed and constructed in a laboratory to test different geothermal heat exchanger flow rates and ventilation air velocities and to monitor the heat extraction from the geothermal heat exchanger, the ventilation heat extraction, and the temperature field of the surrounding rock. The experimental results show that when the temperature field tends to be stabilized, the flow rate and ventilation velocity of the GHEs are closely related to the temperature distribution of the surrounding rock. The initial heat storage and heat replenishment capacity of the enclosing rock have a great influence on the heat extraction efficiency. Ventilation has a great influence on the heat extraction efficiency of GHEs, and the optimal wind speed range is 1.5∼2 m/s considering the cooling and heat extraction efficiency. When the wind speed is less than 1.5 m/s, the heat extraction efficiency of GHEs can be improved, and the total heat transfer can be increased. When the wind speed is greater than 1.5 m/s, the situation is reversed. The thermal entropy theory for circular tunnels is not fully applicable to arched tunnels containing GHEs.

Model Predictive Control (MPC) of a Countercurrent Flow Plate Heat Exchanger in a Virtual Environment.

This research proposes advanced model-based control strategies for a countercurrent flow plate heat exchanger in a virtual environment. A virtual environment with visual and auditory effects is designed, which requires a mathematical model describing the real dynamics of the process; this allows parallel fluid movement in different directions with hot and cold temperatures at the outlet, incorporating control monitoring interfaces as communication links between the virtual heat exchanger and control applications. A multivariable and non-linear process like the plate and countercurrent flow heat exchanger requires analysis in the controller design; therefore, this work proposes and compares two control strategies to identify the best-performing one. The first controller is based on the inverse model of the plant, with linear algebra techniques and numerical methods; the second controller is a model predictive control (MPC), which presents optimal control actions that minimize the steady-state errors and aggressive variations in the actuators, respecting the temperature constraints and the operating limits, incorporating a predictive model of the plant. The controllers are tested for different setpoint changes and disturbances, determining that they are not overshot and that the MPC controller has the shortest settling time and lowest steady-state error.

Numerical study of fluid flow and convective heat transfer over multi-cylindrical obstacles in a channel using the lattice Boltzmann method

The aim of this work is devoted to study the hydrodynamic and thermal behavior of fluid flowing around multi-cylindrical obstacles confined inside a 2D plane horizontal channel with constant-cool parallel plates. For this purpose, numerical simulations using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) based on double-distribution functions (DDFs) with a D2Q9 scheme is used to compute both velocity and temperature fields. The developed model is validated against established analytical and numerical results available in literature and the deviation does not exceed 2%. For a comprehensive parametric study, numerous calculations have been done for several parameters such as Reynolds number ( 10 ≤ Re ≤ 200 ), Prandtl number ( 0.1 ≤ Pr ≤ 2 ), blockage ratio ( 1 / 8 ≤ β ≤ 1 / 2 ) and number of obstacles. Effects on heat transfer evolution and flow characteristics are analyzed. Results are presented in terms of streamlines, isotherms and Nusselt numbers. The findings reveal a significant influence of the number of cylinders on both temperature and velocity distributions inside the channel. The average Nusselt number exhibits a linear correlation with Reynolds number, reaching a peak value at Re = 200 . These observations highlight the potential of LBM as an accurate and efficient tool to simultaneously predict the dynamic and thermal behavior of fluid flows in heat exchangers.

RETRACTION: Numerical investigation of nanofluid flow and heat transfer in a pillow plate heat exchanger using a two‐phase model: Effects of the shape of the welding points used in the pillow plate

AbstractRETRACTION: Y. A. Al‐Turki, A. Yarmohammadi, A. Alizadeh, D. Toghraie, “Numerical investigation of nanofluid flow and heat transfer in a pillow plate heat exchanger using a two‐phase model: Effects of the shape of the welding points used in the pillow plate,” Zeitschrift für Angewandte Mathematik und Mechanik (Early View): https://doi.org/10.1002/zamm.202000300.The above article, published online on 14 January 2021 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor‐in‐Chief, Holm Altenbach; and Wiley‐VCH GmbH. The retraction has been agreed as there is unambiguous evidence that this article was accepted on the basis of a compromised peer review process. Therefore, the review of this article is deemed to be insufficient. The authors disagree with the retraction.

Impact of Nanoparticles in Water Coolant on Heat Transfer Rate in Parallel and Counter Flow Heat Exchanger

A heat exchanger is a device used to transfer heat between two or more fluids. The fluids can be single or two phases depending on the exchanger type and may be separated by in -direct contact (the two most common kinds of heat exchanger are the shell-and-tube and plate/fin). In this research work double pipe heat exchanger was used to analyze the performance of water coolant for industrial applications. In Heat Exchanger the water coolant temperature increases due to increase in the temperature of oil in the tubes. Therefore, it may decrease the overall efficiency of the equipment resulting from degradation of the lubricant oil. In this regard, it is required some additives to be mixed with water coolant so that to enhance the heat transfer rate of the unit. Due to the excessive heating of the hydraulic oil in the turbine bearings, the material of the bearing found damage and deteriorate. Therefore, the aim of this study was to remove the heat from bearing oil, so that overall efficiency of heating equipment could be increased. In this research work Hydraulic oil was heated at 600C and 700C as per requirements of the industry. The experiments were conducted at both parallel and counter flow directions. Initially, a baseline experiment was carried out between hot oil and water coolant (without additives or nanoparticles). Besides the heat transfer rate between hot oil and water coolant with the additives (CuO and Al2O3) were observed at 1-3% proportion. It was concluded that the heat transfer rate of CuO was increased more than Al2O3 and plain water coolant due to more uniform temperature difference maintained between the inlet and outlet of cold and hot fluids due to the higher thermal conductivity of CuO. The maximum heat transfer rate was found to be 36.6 % at 60℃ and 38% at 70℃ with 3% of CuO additive in water coolant in the counter-flow condition.

Polymer crystallization and optical birefringence modulated by solvent evaporation in sessile droplets

Solvent evaporation is a dynamic process associated with mass transfer, heat exchange and complex internal flow. Their complicated effects on crystallization remain unclear in evaporating sessile droplets. Here, we study crystallization in evaporating poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) sessile droplets and obtain three kinds of spherulites with monochromatic, anisotropic or negative birefringence. Monochromatic spherulites are generated at very slow solvent evaporation and low molecular weight, while high anisotropic spherulites are created under flow field at rapid solvent evaporation and large molecular weight. Ordinary negative spherulites appear at intermediate conditions. The temperature variation is verified during solvent evaporation, but plays an insignificant thermodynamic effect on crystallization. The experimental findings are further validated in different solvents and polymer systems. This work establishes the relationship between solvent evaporation and polymer crystallization in sessile droplets and also provides a guideline for modulating optical properties of deposited films using droplet processing techniques.