Steadily increasing heat dissipation in electronic devices has generated renewed interest in direct immersion cooling. The ideal heat transfer fluid for direct immersion cooling applications should be chemically and thermally stable, and compatible with the electronic components. These constraints have led to the use of Novec fluids and fluroinerts as coolants. Although these fluids are chemically stable and have low dielectric constants, they are plagued by poor thermal properties. These factors necessitate the development of new heat transfer fluids with improved heat transfer properties and applicability. Computer Aided Molecular Design (CAMD) approach was used in this work to systematically design novel heat transfer fluids that exhibit significantly better properties than those of current high performance electronic coolants. The candidate fluids generated by CAMD were constrained by limiting their boiling points, latent heat of vaporization and thermal conductivity. The selected candidates were further screened using a figure of merit (FOM) analysis. Some of the fluids/additives that have been identified after the FOM analysis include C₄H₅F₃O, C₄H₄F₆O, C₆H₁₁F₃, C₄ H₁₂O₂Si, methanol, and ethoxybutane. The heat transfer performance of these new fluids/fluid mixtures was analyzed through pool boiling and flow boiling experiments. All the fluid mixtures tested showed an improvement in the critical heat flux (CHF) when compared to the base fluid (HFE 7200). A pool boiling model was developed using the phase field method available in COMSOL. Although these simulations are computationally expensive, they provide an alternate solution to evaluate several candidate fluids generated using the CAMD approach.

No description available.

In a worldwide pursuit for more Accident Tolerant nuclear Fuel (ATF), the quest to obtain and certify alternative nuclear fuel cladding tubes for light-water nuclear power reactors is still a key challenge. One of the facets in this program to develop more ATF is the heat transfer evaluation between the various proposed clad tubes manufactured from suitable replacement materials and the current problematic zirconium-alloy based clad tubes used in nuclear power reactors. For the heat transfer analysis, the accurate measurement of the temperature on the heat transfer surface of heated tubes to be tested was one of the important objectives for the effective analysis of the heat transfer characteristics to the water coolant. After extensive investigations, a suitable technique was developed and validated against recognised forced-convection heat transfer correlations. The results showed that this technique was well suited for external forced convection heat transfer studies from heated surfaces exposed to forced convection water coolants. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / MSc (Applied Science - Mechanics) / Unrestricted

<p>Heat dissipation requirements of next-generation power electronics in electric vehicles, high-performance computing, and radar systems will far exceed the capabilities of conventional heat sink technologies such as single-phase liquid cold plates and air-cooled heat sinks. The leading candidate technology that promises to meet these needs is microchannel flow boiling. Compared to conventional heat sink technologies, flow boiling provides some of the highest heat transfer coefficients available and can dissipate heat at a lower pumping power and with more uniform surface temperatures. However, there are unique challenges associated with flow boiling that currently prevent practical implementation of the technology, including limited modeling capabilities, inherent critical heat flux (CHF) limitations, and the presence of two-phase flow instabilities. This thesis is targeted primarily at addressing the impact of dynamic two-phase flow instabilities on heat transfer and CHF in microchannel heat sinks, in contrast with earlier literature that has focused on prediction and characterization of the flow dynamics.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Two dynamic instabilities of importance in microchannel heat sinks are pressure drop oscillations (PDO) and parallel channel instabilities, both resulting from an interaction between the inertia of a two-phase mixture within a heated channel and a source of compressibility outside of the channel. However, the individual impact of these instabilities on heat transfer performance has not been quantified. In this thesis, an experimental facility is developed to isolate the individual and combined impact of PDOs and parallel channel instabilities on surface temperature and CHF in single- and parallel-microchannels. This is achieved by introducing a measurable compressible volume directly upstream of the test section and isolating the test section from any unwanted compressibility within components throughout the rest of the system. Experiments are first performed targeting the investigation of PDOs in single channels and then targeting PDOs and parallel channel instabilities in multi-channel heat sinks. In the case of parallel channels, inlet restrictors are introduced to suppress channel-to-channel interactions and provide a baseline case of stable boiling. Throughout these experiments, only moderate increases in time-average surface temperature are observed (6 °C) and reduction of CHF is negligible, despite drastically different flow pattern observations when instabilities are present. These observations are in stark contrast with other cases in the literature, for which significant deterioration of surface temperatures and CHF have been attributed to the presence of PDOs. For example, significant temperature oscillations have been observed in the literature studying silicon-etched microchannel heat sinks experiencing PDOs. A predictive model is clearly required to understand and detect the conditions when dynamic instabilities should be considered in heat sink design.</p> <p><br></p> <p>To better understand the conditions when PDOs might have significant impact on heat transfer performance, an investigation of thermal capacitance is performed using a dynamic two-phase model and a targeted experimental approach in heat sinks having different thermal masses. The model reveals that, if thermal capacitance is low, PDOs become more severe, and the amplitude of temperature oscillations increase. These predictions are confirmed by experimental observations, and, in addition, premature CHF is observed in the heat sink with lower thermal mass. With sufficient thermal capacitance, the system recovers before triggering CHF, preventing deterioration of performance due to PDOs. Among the wide range of flow conditions considered in this thesis, the reduction of thermal mass resulted in the greatest impact on transient response of a heat sink during flow boiling instabilities. This reveals thermal capacitance as a critical parameter when determining if dynamic instabilities will deteriorate performance in a microchannel heat sink application. This allows engineers to make an informed judgement on whether adding features to suppress instabilities, at the cost of increased pumping power, is warranted. In order for the practical implementation of two-phase heat sinks to be realized, further development of dynamic modeling capabilities is required, and these models should be backed by systematic experimental investigations into conditions where instabilities should be considered.</p>

<div>In order to better understand and quantify the effect of instabilities in systems utilizing flow boiling heat transfer, the present study explores dynamic results for pressure drop, mass velocity, thermodynamic equilibrium quality, and heated wall temperature to ascertain and analyze the dominant modes in which they oscillate. Flow boiling experiments are conducted for a range of mass velocities with both subcooled and saturated inlet conditions in vertical upflow, vertical downflow, and horizontal flow orientations. High frequency pressure measurements are used to investigate the influence of individual flow loop components (flow boiling module, pump, pre-heater, condenser, etc.) on dynamic behavior of the fluid, with fast Fourier transforms of the same used to provide critical frequency domain information. Conclusions from this analysis are used to isolate instabilities present within the system due to physical interplay between thermodynamic and hydrodynamic effects. Parametric analysis is undertaken to better understand the conditions under which these instabilities form and their impact on system performance. Several prior stability maps are presented, with new stability maps provided to better address contextual trends discovered in the present study.</div><div>Further, this study utilizes experimental results for vertical upflow boiling of FC-72 in a rectangular channel with finite inlet quality to investigate Density Wave Oscillations (DWOs) and assess their potential impact on design of two-phase systems for future space missions. High-speed flow visualization image sequences are presented and used to directly relate the cyclical passage of High and Low Density Fronts (HDFs and LDFs) to dominant low-frequency oscillations present in transient pressure signals commonly attributed to DWOs. A methodology is presented to determine frequency and amplitude of DWO induced pressure oscillations, which are then plotted for a wide range of relevant operating conditions. Mass velocity (flow inertia) is seen to be the dominant parameter influencing frequency and amplitude of DWOs. Amplitude of pressure oscillations is at most 7% of the time-averaged pressure level for current operating conditions, meaning there is little risk to space missions. Reconstruction of experimental pressure signals using a waveform defined by frequency and amplitude of DWO induced pressure fluctuations is seen to have only moderate agreement with the original signal due to the oversimplifications of treating DWO induced fluctuations as perfectly sinusoidal in nature, assuming they occur at a constant frequency value, and neglecting other transient flow features. This approach is nonetheless determined to have potential value for use as a boundary condition to introduce DWOs in two-phase flow simulations should a model be capable of accurately predicting frequency and amplitude of oscillation.</div><div>Additionally, this study presents a new mechanistic model for Density Wave Oscillations (DWOs) in vertical upflow boiling using conclusions drawn from analysis of flow visualization images and transient experimental results as a basis from which to begin modeling. Counter to many prior studies attributing DWOs to feedback effects between flow rate, pressure drop, and flow enthalpy causing oscillations in position of the bulk boiling boundary, the present instability mode stems primarily from body force acting on liquid and vapor phases in a separated flow regime leading to liquid accumulation in the near-inlet region of the test section, which eventually departs and moves along the channel, acting to re-wet liquid film along the channel walls and re-establish annular, co-current flow. This process was modeled by dividing the test section into three distinct control volumes and solving transient conservation equations for each, yielding predictions of frequencies at which this process occurs as well as amplitude of associated pressure oscillations. Values for these parameters were validated against an experimental database of 236 FC-72 points and show the model provides good predictive accuracy and capably captures the influence of parametric changes to operating conditions.</div><div>Also, this study shows analysis of pressure signals in condensing systems reveal the presence of relevant oscillatory phenomena during flow condensation as well, which may impact performance in applications concerned with precise system control. Towards this end, the present study presents results for oscillatory behavior observed in pressure measurements during flow condensation of FC-72 in a smooth circular tube in vertical upflow, vertical downflow, and horizontal flow orientations. Dynamic behavior observed within the test section is determined to be independent of other components within the flow loop, allowing it to be isolated and interpreted as resulting from physical aspects of two-phase flow with condensation. The presence of a peak oscillatory mode (one of significantly larger amplitude than any others present) is seen for 72% of</div><div>vertical upflow test cases, 61% of vertical downflow, and 54% of horizontal flow. Relative intensities of this peak oscillatory mode are evaluated through calculation of Q Factor for the corresponding frequency response peak. Frequency and amplitude of peak oscillatory modes are also evaluated. Overall, vertical upflow is seen to exhibit the most significant oscillatory behavior, although in its maximum case amplitude is only seen to be 7.9% of time-averaged module inlet pressure, indicating there is little safety risk posed by oscillations under current operating conditions. Flow visualization image sequences for each orientation are also presented and used to draw parallels between physical characteristics of condensate film behavior under different operating conditions and trends in oscillatory behavior detected in pressure signals</div><div>Further, the present work outlines a new methodology utilizing temperature and pressure measurements to identify condensation flow regimes. For vertical upflow condensation, amplitude of dynamic temperature and pressure oscillations are shown to clearly indicate transition from counter-current flow regimes (i.e., falling film, oscillating film, flooding) to annular, co-current flow (climbing film flow regime). In horizontal flow condensation, standard deviation between multiple thermocouple measurements distributed around the tube circumference was calculated at all axial (stream-wise) measurement locations. High values of standard deviation are present for stratified flow (stratified flow, wavy-stratified, plug flow), while axisymmetric flow regimes (i.e., slug flow, annular flow) yield significantly lower values. Successful development of this technique represents a valuable contribution to literature as it allows condensation flow regime to be identified without the often-costly restriction of designing a test section to allow optical access. Identified flow regimes in both vertical upflow and horizontal flow orientations are compared to regime maps commonly found in the literature in pursuit of optimum performing maps.</div><div>Finally, the present study aims to better analyze the influence of body force on flow condensation heat transfer by conducting tests at multiple orientations in Earth’s gravity. Dielectric FC-72 is condensed in a smooth stainless-steel tube with 7.12 mm diameter and 574.55 mm condensing length by counterflow of cooling water across the outer surface of the tube. Test conditions span FC-72 mass velocities of 50.3 – 360.3 kg/m2s, test section inlet pressures of 127.0 – 132.1 kPa, and test section inlet thermodynamic equilibrium qualities of 0.13 – 1.15. A subset of data gathered corresponding to axisymmetric, annular condensation heat transfer is identified and a detailed methodology for data reduction to calculate heat transfer coefficient presented. Uncertainty analysis is also presented and indicates channel average heat transfer coefficients are calculated within ±3.6% to ±26.7% (depending on operating conditions). Analysis of parametric trends for condensation heat transfer reveals the dominant influence of mass velocity (flow inertia), secondary influence of vapor mass fraction (thermodynamic equilibrium quality), and strong dependence on orientation (body force) at low mass velocities. At higher mass velocities results for all orientations investigated begin to converge, indicating body force independent annular condensation heat transfer is achieved. Separated Flow Model predictions of vertical downflow condensation heat transfer provide reasonable agreement with experimental results, evidence by a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 31.2%. Evaluation of condensation heat transfer correlations for horizontal flow reveal most correlations struggle for cases with high liquid content. Specific correlations are identified for superior accuracy in predicting the measured data.</div>

A presente pesquisa trata de um estudo experimental da transferência de calor e da perda de carga de fluidos refrigerantes puros e suas misturas em mudança de fase convectiva no interior de tubos lisos e aqueles dotados de ranhuras internas. Para tanto, foi desenvolvido um equipamento experimental cujo componente básico é composto por um tubo horizontal, aquecido por intermédio de uma resistência elétrica do tipo fita, aderida à superfície externa do tubo. As condições de ensaio variaram numa ampla faixa, permitindo cobrir as condições verificadas na maioria das instalações frigoríficas. Os resultados experimentais foram agrupados em duas faixas de velocidades mássicas: elevadas (G > ou = 200 kg/s.m2), onde prepondera o padrão anular de escoamento, e reduzidas (G < 200 kg/s.m2), predominando o padrão estratificado. Os principais parâmetros que afetam o coeficiente de transferência de calor, tais como, velocidade mássica, fluxo de calor, tipo de refrigerante, temperatura de evaporação e diâmetro do tubo foram analisados. O desempenho termo-hidráulico, relativo ao efeito combinado da transferência de calor e da perda de carga dos tubos ranhurados, foi sensivelmente superior quando comparados aos tubos lisos. A análise dos resultados experimentais permitiu a proposição de correlações para a perda da carga, avaliada através do multiplicador bifásico, &#966L, e para coeficiente de transferência de calor, em tubos lisos e ranhurados. As correlações propostas se mostraram adequadas para aplicações práticas, proporcionando desvios reduzidos em relação aos resultados experimentais. Destacam-se as correlações obtidas para o multiplicador bifásico para tubos microaletados e para o coeficiente de transferência de calor para vazões reduzidas em tubos lisos. Diversos registros fotográficos dos principais padrões de escoamento foram levantados, tendo sido importante na análise e entendimento da mudança de fase. / Present research deals with an experimental study of the heat transfer and pressure drop of pure and mixtures of refrigerants undergoing convective boiling inside horizontal smooth and microfin tubes. An experimental apparatus has been developed and constructed whose main component is a horizontal tube electrically heated. Experimental results have been grouped into two mass velocity ranges: the one corresponding to mass velocities lower than 200 kg/s.m2, where the stratified flow pattern is dominant, and that for mass velocities higher than 200 kg/s.m2, where typically the annular flow pattern can be found. Effects over the heat transfer coefficient of physical parameters such as mass velocity, heat flux, diameter, saturation temperature, and refrigerant have been investigated and analyzed. It has been found out that the thermo-hydraulic performance of microfin tubes is better than that of the smooth ones. Empirical correlations have been proposed for both the two-phase flow multiplier and the heat transfer coefficient for different ranges of operating conditions as well as for smooth and microfin tubes. Results from the proposed correlations can be deemed adequate for practical applications given the limited dispersion obtained with respect to their experimental counterpart. Noteworthy are the results obtained from correlations for both the two phase flow multiplier for microfin tubes and the heat transfer coefficient for the lower range of mass velocities in smooth tubes. Finally, worth mentioning is the photographic essay developed in present research involving the flow patterns that occur under convective boiling of refrigerants in horizontal tubes.

A pesquisa realizada envolveu a avaliação experimental dos efeitos do fluido e da orientação do escoamento no desempenho de um dissipador de calor baseado na ebulição convectiva em microcanais. Estes dissipadores de calor são usados como uma nova aplicação para a refrigeração dos novos dispositivos eletrônicos que geram altas taxas de calor. Efetuou-se inicialmente uma extensa pesquisa bibliográfica sobre o escoamento monofásico e a ebulição convectiva em microcanais e em multi-microcanais através da qual levantou-se os principais métodos de previsão do coeficiente de transferência de calor e da perda de pressão. Então, utilizando o aparato experimental desenvolvido durante o mestrado de Do Nascimento (2012) avaliou-se a transferência de calor e perda de pressão de um dissipador de calor baseado em multi-microcanais paralelos. O dissipador de calor avaliado possui 50 microcanais retangulares dispostos paralelamente com 15 mm de comprimento, 100 µm de largura, 500 µm de altura e espaçados de 200 µm. Ensaios experimentais foram executados para o R245fa, fluido de baixa pressão utilizado em ciclos frigoríficos de baixa pressão, e R407C, fluido de alta pressão usado para conforto térmico, temperatura de saturação de 25 e 31°C, velocidades mássicas de 400 a 1500 kg/m²s, graus de subresfriamento do líquido de 5, 10 e 15°C, título de vapor máximo de até 0,38, fluxos de calor de até 350 kW/m², e para 3 orientações diferentes do dissipador de calor, horizontal, vertical com os canais alinhados horizontalmente e vertical com escoamento ascendente. Os resultados obtidos foram parametricamente analisados e comparados com métodos da literatura. Coeficientes de transferência de calor médios de até 35 kW/m² °C foram obtidos. Resultados adquiridos para o R245fa e R407C foram inferiores aos levantados por Do Nascimento (2012) para o R134a utilizando o mesmo dissipador. O fluido R407C apresentou frequências e amplitudes de oscilações inferiores aos fluidos R134a e R245fa. Nenhum método para o coeficiente de transferência de calor e perda de pressão proporcionou previsões satisfatórias dos dados experimentais. O modelo Homogêneo com viscosidade da mistura bifásica dada por Cicchitti et al. (1960) apresentou as melhores previsões da perda de pressão, já para o coeficiente de transferência de calor, os métodos de Bertsch et al. (2009) e Liu e Winterton (1991) apresentaram as melhores previsões. O dissipador com sua base posicionada horizontalmente fornece coeficientes de transferência de calor superiores enquanto sua base na vertical e escoamento ascendente verificam-se perdas de pressão inferiores. Imagens do escoamento bifásico foram obtidas com uma câmera de alta velocidade e analisadas. / This study presents an experimental investigation on the effect of the fluid and the footprint orientation on the performance of a heat spreader based on flow boiling inside micro-scale channels. This heat spreader is used in an electronics cooling application with high-power density. Initially an extensive investigation of the literature concerning single-phase and two-phase flow inside a single microchannels and multi-microchannels was performed. In this literature review the leading predictive methods for heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop are described. The experimental study was carried out in the apparatus developed by Do Nascimento (2012). The heat sink evaluated in the present study is comprised of fifty parallel rectangular microchannels with cross-sectional dimensions of 100 µm width and of 500 µm depth, and total length of 15 mm. The fins between consecutive microchannels are 200 µm thick. Experimental tests were performed for R245fa, low-pressure fluid used in low pressure refrigeration cycles, and R407C, high-pressure fluid used for heat comfort, saturation temperature of 25 and 31°C, mass velocities from 400 to 1500 kg/m² s, degrees of subcooling of the liquid of 5, 10 and 15°C, outlet vapor quality up to 0.38, heat fluxes up to 350 kW/m², and for the following footprint heat sink orientations: horizontal, vertical with the microchannels aligned horizontally and vertical with upward flow. The results were parametrically analyzed and compared again the predictive methods from literature. Average heat transfer coefficients up to 35 kW/m² °C were obtained. The results for R134a from Do Nascimento (2012) for the same heat sink presented heat transfer coefficients higher than R245fa and R407C. The fluid R407C presented oscillation of the temperature due to thermal instability effects with lower frequency and amplitude lower than R134a, and R245fa. None predictive method provided satisfactory heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop predictions of the experimental data. The Homogeneous model with the viscosity given by Cicchitti et al. (1960) provided the best pressure drop prediction while the heat transfer coefficient was best predicted by Bertsch et al. (2009) and Liu and Winterton (1991). The horizontal orientation of the footprint provided the highest heat transfer coefficients while the vertical footprint orientation with upward flow the lowest pressure drops. Images of the two-phase flow were obtained with a high-speed camera and analyzed.

A pesquisa realizada tratou do estudo da transferência de calor e do fluxo crítico durante a ebulição convectiva no interior de canais de diâmetro reduzidos a partir de dados levantados em bancadas experimentais construídas para esta finalidade. Extensa pesquisa bibliográfica foi efetuada e os principais métodos disponíveis para previsão de coeficiente de transferência de calor, fluxo crítico e mapas de escoamento foram levantados. Os resultados obtidos foram parametricamente analisados e comparados com os métodos da literatura. Pela primeira vez para microcanais, resultados experimentais foram levantados por um mesmo autor em laboratórios distintos buscando verificar a tendência e comportamentos. Tal comparação tem sua importância destacada em face das elevadas discrepâncias observadas na literatura quando resultados de autores distintos, obtidos em condições similares, são comparados. Os resultados levantados foram utilizados na elaboração de modelos que consideram os padrões de escoamento observados em microcanais. A incorporação dos padrões permitiu o desenvolvimento de modelos mecanísticos para coeficiente de transferência de calor, fluxo crítico e critérios para a caracterização da transição entre macro e microcanais baseados na formação do padrão de escoamento estratificado e na simetria do filme líquido no escoamento anular. / This research comprises an experimental and theoretical study on flow boiling heat transfer and critical heat flux inside small diameter tubes based on data obtained in experimental facilities specially designed for this purpose. A broad literature review was carried out and the main methods to predict the heat transfer coefficient, critical heat flux and flow patterns were pointed out. The experimental results were parametrically analyzed and compared against the predictive methods from literature. For the first time, microchannels experimental results obtained by an unique researcher in distinct laboratories were compared and a reasonable agreement was observed. The importance of such a comparison is high-lighted for flow boiling inside microchannels due to the high discrepancies ob-served when results from independent laboratories obtained under similar experimental conditions are compared. Moreover, the experimental results obtained in the present study were used to develop correlations and models for the heat transfer coefficient and heat flux that takes into account the flow patterns observed in microchannels. The heat transfer coefficient and critical heat flux models were developed based on mechanistic approach. In addition, criteria to characterize macro to microchannel transition were proposed based in the occurrence of the stratified flow pattern and the liquid film symmetry under annular flow conditions.

For the application of minichannel heat exchangers, it is necessary to have accurate design tools for predicting heat transfer and pressure drop. Until recently, this type of heat exchangers was not well studied, and in the scientific literature there were large discrepancies between results reported by different investigators. The present thesis aims to add to the knowledge of the fundamentals of single- and two-phase flow heat transfer and pressure drop in narrow channels, thereby aiding in the development of this new, interesting technology with the possibility of decreasing the size of electronics through better cooling, and of increasing the energy efficiency of thermal processes and thermodynamic cycles through enhanced heat transfer. A comprehensive experimental single-phase flow and saturated flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop study has been carried out on vertical stainless steel tubes with inner diameters of 1.700, 1.224 and 0.826 mm, using R-134a as the test fluid. The heat transfer and pressure drop results were compared both to conventional correlations developed for larger diameter channels and to correlations developed specifically for microscale geometries. Contrary to many previous investigations, this study has shown that the test data agree well with single-phase heat transfer and friction factor correlations known to be accurate for larger channels, thus expanding their ranges to cover mini/microchannel geometries. The main part of the study concerns saturated flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop. Tests with the same stainless steel tubes showed that the heat transfer is strongly dependent on heat flux, but only weakly dependent on mass flux and vapor fraction (up to the location of dryout). This behavior is usually taken to indicate a dominant influence of nucleate boiling, and indicates that the boiling mechanism is strongly related to that in nucleate boiling. The test data for boiling heat transfer was compared to several correlations from the literature, both for macro- and mini-channels. A new correlation for saturated flow boiling heat transfer of refrigerant R-134a correlation was obtained based on the present experimental data. This correlation predicts the presented data with a mean absolute deviation of 8%. The frictional pressure drop results were compared to both macro- and mini channel correlations available from the literature. The correlation suggested by Qu and Mudawar (2003) gave the best prediction to the frictional two-phase pressure drop within the studied ranges. A unique visualization study of saturated flow boiling characteristics in a vertical 1.332 mm inner diameter quartz tube, coated with a transparent heater has also been conducted. The complete evaporation process in a heated circular mini-channel has been studied visually in detail using high speed CCD camera. The study revealed the developments of the flow patterns and the behavior from bubble nucleation to the dry out of the liquid film. The bubble departure frequency, diameter, growth rate, and velocity were determined by analyzing the images. Finally, a flow pattern map for boiling flow in microchannels has been developed based on the test data. / QC 20100812

Microchannel heat exchangers present many advantages, such as reduced size, high thermal efficiency and low fluid inventory; and are increasingly being used for heat transfer in a wide variety of applications including heat pumps, automotive air conditioners and for cooling of electronics.However, the fundamentals of fluid flow and heat transfer in microscalegeometries are not yet fully understood. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to a better understanding of the underlying physical phenomena in single-phase and specially flow boiling heat transfer of refrigerants in small channels. For this purpose, well-characterized heat transfer experiments have been performed in uniformly heated, single, circular, vertical channels ranging from 0.64 to 1.70 mm in diameter and using R-134a, R-22 and R-245fa as working fluids. Furthermore, flow visualization tests have been carried out to clarify the relation between the two-phase flow behavior and the boiling heat transfer characteristics. Single-phase flow experiments with subcooled liquid refrigerant have confirmed that conventional macroscale theory on single-phase flow and heat transfer is valid for circular channels as small as 640μm in diameter. Through high-speed flow boiling visualization of R-134a under non adiabatic conditions seven flow patterns have been observed: isolated bubbly flow, confined bubbly flow, slug flow, churn flow, slug-annular flow, annular flow, and mist flow. Two-phase flow pattern observations are presented in the form of flow pattern maps. Annular-type flow patterns are dominant for vapor qualities above 0.2. Onset of nucleate boiling and subcooled flow boiling heat transfer of R-134a has been investigated. The wall superheat needed to initiate boiling was found as large as 18 ºC. The experimental heat transfer coefficients have been compared to predictions from subcooled flow boiling correlationsav ailable in the literature showing poor agreement. Saturated flow boiling heat transfer experiments have been performed with the 640 μm diameter test section. The heat transfer coefficient has been found to increase with heat flux and system pressure and not to change with vapor quality or mass flux when the quality is less than ∼0.5. For vapor qualities above this value, the heat transfer coefficient decreases with vapor quality. This deterioration of the heat transfer coefficient is believed to be caused by the occurrence of intermittent dryout in this vapor quality range. The experimental database, consisting of 1027 data points, has been compared against predictions from correlations available in the literature. The best results are obtained with the correlations by Liu and Winterton (1991) and by Bertsch et al. (2009). However, better design tools to correctly predict the flow boiling heat transfer coefficient in small geometries need to be developed. Dryout incipience and critical heat flux (CHF) have been investigated in detail. CHF data is compared to existing macro and microscale correlations. The comparison shows best agreement with the classical Katto and Ohno (1984) correlation, developed for conventional large tubes. / QC 20101101