Spray cooling is a promising technique which is used to remove large amounts of heat from surfaces. It is characterized by uniform heat removal, low droplet impact velocity and better cooling efficiency when compared to other cooling schemes. It can be used in electronic cooling, and other applications. However, due to the multiple impacts of droplets, the film fluid dynamics and morphology are quite complicated. Moreover, the effect of heat transfer under spray cooling is not well understood due to the large number of interdependent variables such as impact spacing, impact angle, droplet diameter, droplet velocity and droplet frequency to name a few. An experimental approach is proposed and used to minimize and control key independent variables to determine their effects on surface temperature and heat transfer cooling mode. The effects of droplet impact angle and spacing on different heat flux conditions are studied. The film thickness is also obtained to further investigate the relationship between the independent variable and the observed heat transfer mechanism. The study of coherent droplet impingement on an open surface is experimentally characterized using high speed imaging and infrared thermography. Single stream droplet impingent cooling with different impact angle is also studied. Temperature distribution and impact crater morphology are obtained under different heat flux conditions. Film thickness inside droplet impact craters is measured to understand the relationship between minimum surface temperature and film thickness. Next, double streams droplet impingement cooling with different spacings and impact angles are investigated. The optimum spacing is found to reduce the droplet-to-droplet collision and to minimize splashing, resulting in enhanced heat transfer and better use of the cooling fluid. The film thickness is also measured to understand the relationship between the heat transfer results and the controllable independent variables. The results and conclusions of this study are useful in understanding the physics of spray cooling and can be applied to design better spray cooling systems.

Spray cooling is one of the most promising technologies in applications which require large heat removal capacity in very small areas. Previous experimental studies have suggested that one of the main mechanisms of heat removal in spray cooling is forced convection with strong mixing due to droplet impingement. These mechanisms have not been completely understood mainly due to the large number of physical variables, and the inability to modulate and control variables such as droplet frequency and droplet size. Our approach consists of minimizing the number of experimental variables by controlling variables such as droplet direction, velocity and diameter. A study of heat transfer for single and multiple droplet impingements using HFE- 7100 as the cooling fluid under constant heat flux conditions is presented. Monosized single and multiple droplet trains were produced using a piezoelectric droplet generator with the ability to adjust droplet frequency, diameter, velocity, and spacing between adjacent droplets. In this study, heaters consisting of a layer of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) as heating element, and ZnSe substrates were used. Surface temperature at the liquid-solid interface was measured using Infrared Thermography. Heat transfer behavior was characterized and critical heat flux was measured. Film thickness was measured using a non-invasive optical technique inside the crown formation produced by the impinging droplets. Hydrodynamic phenomena at the droplet impact zone was studied using high speed imaging. Impact regimes of the impinging droplets were identified, and their effect on heat transfer performance were discussed. The results and effects of droplet frequency, droplet diameter, droplet velocity, and fluid flow rate on heat flux behavior, critical heat flux, and film morphology were elucidated. The study showed that forced heat convection is the main heat transfer mechanism inside the crown formation formed by droplet impingement and impact regimes play an important role on heat transfer behavior. In addition, this study found that spacing among adjacent droplets is the most important factor for multiple droplet stream heat transfer behavior. The knowledge generated through the study provides tools and know-how necessary for the design and development of enhanced spray cooling systems.