Nucleate boiling is widely used as a means of heat transfer in thermal management systems because of its high heat transfer rates. This study explored the effects of heat flux and surface geometry on heat transfer behavior and bubble dynamics of nucleate pool boiling in microgravity. A single platinum wire, a twist of three platinum wires, and a twist of four platinum wires were used as boiling surfaces for two separate experiments performed in microgravity on board NASA’s parabolic flight aircraft. Wire temperature, thermocouple, and video measurements were taken during a total of 44 microgravity parabolas. Results show that the crevices formed by wire twisting provide regions of localized superheating and are able to reduce the heat flux necessary for boiling onset to occur. This localized heating results in a lower average heater temperature and shortened superheating periods, but this effect decreases when more wires are present in the twist. This behavior was investigated and confirmed with a finite volume, transient conduction model. This model also showed that the water temperature profile at the bubble onset indicates that water at a certain distance from the wire surface, in this experiment 50 μm, needs to be heated to above saturation temperature in order to initiate and generate a burst of bubbles. A relative bubble area analysis method was able to quantify vapor production and bubble behavior across multiple frames of video. Application of this method revealed a transition of bubble behavior from large isolated bubbles to jet flows of small bubbles, and this method allowed the heat flux contribution of jet flows to be approximated. Additionally, a new mode of jet flows was observed. Particle image velocimetry was used to provide approximate velocities of small bubble jet flows and their influence on heat transfer to the bulk fluid.

Refrigeration systems employing the NH3-H2O absorption cycle provide cooling using a thermal energy input. This cycle relies on the zeotropic nature of the refrigerant - absorbent pair: because of the difference in boiling temperatures between NH3 and H2O, they can be separated through selective boiling in the desorber. Desorbers with counter-current flow of the solution and generated vapor enable efficient heat and mass transfer between the two phases, reducing the absorbent content in the generated vapor. Flow visualization experiments at temperatures, concentrations and pressures representative of operating conditions are necessary to understand the heat and mass transfer processes and flow regime characteristics within the component. In this study, a Flooded Column desorber, which accomplishes desorption of the refrigerant vapor through a combination of falling-film and pool boiling, was fabricated and tested. Refrigerant-rich solution enters the top of the component and fills a column, which is heated by an adjacent heated microchannel array. The vapor generated within the component is removed from the top of the component, while the dilute solution drains from the bottom. Flow visualization experiments showed that the Flooded Column desorber operated most stably in a partially flooded condition, with a pool-boiling region below a falling-film region. It was found that the liquid column level was dependent on operating conditions, and that the pool-boiling region exhibits aggressive mixing between the vapor and solution phases. Heat transfer coefficients were calculated from the data for the pool-boiling region, and were compared with the predictions of several mixture pool-boiling correlations from the literature. The correlations from the literature were in general unable to predict the data from this study adequately. It was found that the Flooded Column desorber yielded higher heat transfer coefficients within the pool-boiling region than those predicted by these correlations. Therefore, modifications to existing mixture boiling correlations are suggested based on the findings of this study. The resulting modified correlation predicts 33 of the 35 data points from this study within ±40%, with an average absolute error of 19%.

The effects of a carbon nanotube (CNT) coating on bubble departure diameter and frequency in pool boiling experiments was investigated and compared to those on a bare silicon wafer. The pool boiling experiments were performed at liquid subcooling of 10 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius using PF-5060 as the test fluid and at atmospheric pressure. High-speed digital image acquisition techniques were used to perform hydrodynamic measurements. Boiling curves obtained from the experiments showed that the CNT coating enhanced critical heat flux (CHF) by 63% at 10 degrees Celsius subcooling. The CHF condition was not measured for the CNT sample at 20 degrees Celsius subcooling. Boiling incipience superheat for the CNT-coated surface is shown to be much lower than predicted by Hsu's hypothesis. It is proposed that bubble nucleation occurs within irregularities at the surface of the CNT coating. The irregularities could provide larger cavities than are available between individual nanotubes of the CNT coating. Measurements from high-speed imaging showed that the average bubble departing from the CNT coating in the nucleate boiling regime (excluding the much larger bubbles observed near CHF) was about 75% smaller (0.26 mm versus 1.01 mm)and had a departure frequency that was about 70% higher (50.46 Hz versus 30.10 Hz). The reduction in departure diameter is explained as a change in the configuration of the contact line, although further study is required. The increase in frequency is a consequence of the smaller bubbles, which require less time to grow. It is suggested that nucleation site density for the CNT coating must drastically increase to compensate for the smaller departure diameters if the rate of vapor creation is similar to or greater than that of a bare silicon surface.

Since boiling heat transfer affords a very effective means to transfer heat, it is implemented in numerous technologies and industries ranging from large power generation plants to micro-electronic thermal management. Although having been a subject of research for several decades, an accurate prediction of boiling heat transfer is still challenging due to the complexity of the coupled mechanisms involved. It appears that the boiling heat transfer coefficient is intimately related to bubble dynamics (i.e. bubble nucleation, growth and detachment) as well as factors such as nucleation site density and interaction between neighbouring and successive bubbles. In order to contribute to the understanding of the boiling phenomenon, an experimental investigation of saturated pool boiling from a single or two neighbouring artificial nucleation sites on a polished copper surface has been performed. The bubble growth dynamics has been characterized for different wall superheats and a experimental growth law has been established. The interaction between successive bubbles from the same nucleation site has been studied, showing the bubble shape oscillations that can be caused by these interactions. The forces acting on a growing bubble has been reviewed, and a complete momentum balance has been made for all stages of bubble growth. The curvature along the interface has been measured, and indications concerning the mechanism of bubble detachment have been suggested. The rise of bubble after detachment has been investigated, and the maximum velocity reached before a change of direction has been estimated and compared to existing models from the literature. The interaction between bubbles growing side by side has been studied: the generation and propagation of a wave front during the coalescence of two bubbles has been highlighted. As boiling heat transfer enhancement techniques are being imagined and developed, this study also focuses on the electrohydrodynamic enhancement technique. Boiling experiments have been performed in the presence of electric fields, and their effects on heat transfer and bubble dynamics have been characterized. Although the volume of the bubbles at detachment and the relationship between the bubble frequency and the wall superheat were not affected, the bubble growth curve was modified. The bubbles were elongated in the direction of the electric field, and this elongation was estimated and compared to other studies from the literature. The rising velocity of the bubble was reduced in the presence of electric field, and the behaviour of bubbles growing side by side was modified, the electric field causing the bubbles to repeal each other. These results, obtained in a fully controlled environment, provide compelling evidence that electric fields can be implemented to alter the bubble dynamics and subsequently heat transfer rates during boiling of dielectric fluids.

Durante um acidente em uma usina nuclear, a integridade do vaso pressurizado deve ser assegurada. Em resposta a um possível derretimento do combustível nuclear, a atual geração de usinas possui um sistema para a injeção de água potável na cavidade do vaso pressurizado com intuito de resfriar sua parede, prevenindo danos a sua estrutura e evitando o vazamento de material radioativo. Esse estudo considerou o uso de água marinha como refrigerante para inundar a cavidade do vaso pressurizado combinado com a fixação de um estrutura porosa em forma de grade em sua parede externa como meio de aprimorar a margem de segurança durante a contenção de acidentes. Experimentos de longa duração para a ebulição em piscina de água marinha artificial foram conduzidos em uma superfície circular de cobre plana com 30 mm de diâmetro. Foi encontrado um fluxo de calor crítico de 1; 6 MW/m2 sob pressão atmosférica. Esse valor é significantemente maior que aquele obtido (1; 0 MW/m2) nas mesmas condições experimentais. Foi verificado que os depósitos de sais marinhos podem aumentar a molhabilidade e a capilaridade da superfície de teste, aprimorando assim o fluxo crítico. Combinando a água marinha e a fixação da estrutura porosa sobre a superfície de teste, verificou-se um melhora no coeficiente de transmissão de calor e no fluxo de calor crítico de até 110 % (2; 1 MW/m2), quando comparado a água destilada na superfície limpa, sem a instalação da estrutura. Após os experimentos, foi identificado que muitos dos poros presentes nas superfícies da estrutura porosa encontravam-se bloqueados devido ao aglutinamento de sais marinhos. Isso levou a conclusão que o aumento no valor do fluxo crítico observado para a água marinha artificial ocorreu devido, principalmente, a separação das fases líquida e gasosa do fluido na região próxima a superfície de teste, efeito proporcionado pela forma de grade da estrutura porosa, e ao aumento da molhabilidade e capilaridade da superfície devido a formação dos depósitos marinhos. / During a severe nuclear power plant accident, the integrity of the reactor pressure vessel must be assured. In response to a possible fuel meltdown, operators of the current generation of nuclear power plants are likely to inject water into the reactor pressure vessel to cool down the reactor vessel wall, preserving its integrity and avoiding leakage of radioactive material. This study considers the use of seawater to flood a reactor pressure vessel combined with the attachment of a honeycomb porous plate (HPP) on the vessel outer wall as a way to improve the safety margins for in-vessel retention of fuel. In long-duration experiments, saturated pool boiling of artificial seawater was performed with an upward-facing plain copper heated surface 30 mm in diameter. The resulting value for critical heat flux (CHF) was 1; 6 MW/m2 at atmospheric pressure, a value significantly higher than the CHF obtained when the working fluid was distilled water (1; 0 MW/m2). It was verified that sea-salt deposits could greatly improve surface wettability and capillarity, enhancing the CHF. The combination of artificial seawater and an HPP attached to the heated surface improved the boiling heat transfer coefficient and increased the CHF up to 110% (2; 1 MW/m2) as compared to distilled water on a bare surface. After the artificial seawater experiments, most of the wall micropores of the HPP were clogged because of sea-salt aggregation on the HPP top and bottom surfaces. Thus, the CHF enhancement observed in this case was attributed mainly to the separation of liquid and vapor phases provided by the HPP channel structure and improvement of surface wettability and capillarity by sea-salt deposition.

O estudo consistiu em uma análise teórica experimental, com o desenvolvimento de uma correlação, dos parâmetros que afetam a ebulição nucleada de refrigerantes halogenados em superfícies cilíndricas lisas. Uma ampla análise da literatura permitiu levantar os distintos tópicos envolvendo este tema destacando entre eles o presente estudo. A análise da literatura envolveu, ainda, um estudo detalhado dos fundamentos da ebulição e das correlações para a previsão do coeficiente de transferência de calor. Foi projetado e construído um aparato experimental no qual foram realizados ensaios envolvendo superfícies de aço inoxidável, cobre e latão, os refrigerantes R-11, R-123, R-12, R-22 e R-134a, fluxos específicos de calor entre 0,8 e 120 kW/m&sup2, pressões reduzidas de 0,008 a 0,26 e rugosidade aritmética média variando entre 0,02 e 3,3 &#956m. A análise destes resultados possibilitou a verificação de comportamentos físicos inéditos segundo a literatura consultada. Destaca-se a análise de efeitos da condução longitudinal e da resistência térmica de contato entre a superfície de transferência de calor e os termopares. Esta análise foi incorporada ao procedimento de determinação da temperatura superficial, e permitiu estabelecer a distribuição de temperaturas ao longo do perímetro da superfície. Finalmente, com base no banco de dados levantado, foi desenvolvida uma correlação para o coeficiente de transferência de calor em ebulição nucleada plenamente desenvolvida de refrigerantes halogenados. / The present research has been focused in a theoretical and experimental analysis of the parameters that affect the pool boiling of halocarbon refrigerants in smooth cylindrical surfaces with the development of a correlation. A wide survey of the literature allowed to list the distinct topics related to this subject and to highlight among them the theme of this study. The literature analysis still involved a detailed study of the pool boiling fundamentals and of the correlations for the pool boiling heat transfer coefficient. An experimental set up has been developed and constructed in which were raise data involving surfaces of stainless steel, copper and brass, the refrigerants R-11, R-123, R-12, R-22 and R-134a, specific heat flux range of 0.8 to 120 kW/m&sup2, reduced pressures from 0.008 to 0.26 and arithmetic mean roughness varying between 0.02 and 3.3 &#956m. The analysis of these results revealed, according to the consulted literature, unpublished physical behaviors. In this work the effects of the longitudinal conduction and of the thermal contact resistance between the heat transfer surface and the thermocouple were analyzed carefully. This analysis was incorporated to the superficial temperature determination procedure and allowed to establish the temperature distribution along the surface perimeter. Finally, using the data base raised in this research, a simple and accurate correlation for the fully developed pool boiling heat transfer coefficient for halocarbon refrigerants applications has been developed.

Ce travail aborde la problématique des systèmes de refroidissement ou de contrôle thermique industriels. Nous avons particulièrement mis l'accent sur le refroidissement des serveurs informatiques. Une première partie consiste en l'étude des moyens d'amélioration des techniques de refroidissement existantes, tandis que la deuxième partie est une réflexion sur des techniques de refroidissement alternatives potentiellement plus efficaces et répondant aux demandes actuelles du contrôle thermique industriel. Dans le premier chapitre, nous analysons la bibliographie et la théorie relatives aux phénomènes physiques derrière les techniques de refroidissement étudiées. Ensuite, une classification des techniques de refroidissement est proposée en fin de chapitre. Ce chapitre a servi de base pour l'amélioration des technologies de refroidissement existantes et à la réflexion sur de nouvelles techniques plus efficaces. Le second chapitre porte sur l'optimisation d'une plaque froide, destinée au refroidissement des serveurs informatiques, en s'aidant d'un outil numérique et d'essais expérimentaux. Nous avons noté une augmentation des transferts de chaleur dans la plaque froide en utilisant des inserts, notamment ceux en forme de losange disposés en quinconce. A l'inverse, l'utilisation de certains nanofluides en tant que fluides caloporteurs ne semble pas apporter de gain significatif. Dans le troisième chapitre nous détaillons la démarche suivie pour la conception d'un dissipateur de chaleur basé sur une technologie caloducs, destiné au refroidissement des cartes électroniques. En premier lieu, nous présentons le modèle thermohydraulique de dimensionnement d'un caloduc cylindrique ; une étude paramétrique (géométrique, type de fluide,...) nous a permis d'identifier le jeu de paramètres donnant la meilleure performance du caloduc. En second lieu, nous évoquons les tests réalisés sur le dissipateur de chaleur à caloduc qui nous amènent à valider en partie le modèle thermohydraulique développé. Le dernier chapitre porte sur la réalisation et l'étude d'un démonstrateur pour le refroidissement des cartes électroniques par immersion dans un liquide à basse température de saturation. On commence par la mise en place et l'utilisation d'un modèle numérique pour la conception du démonstrateur, puis des tests expérimentaux sont réalisés. Les premiers résultats obtenus en utilisant le SES-36 comme fluide de travail sont assez prometteurs.Mots clés : modélisation, transfert de chaleur, refroidissement, datacenter, liquid-cooling, caloducs, échangeurs, nanofluides, ébullition en vase, simulation numérique / The present work is about industrial thermal control systems issues, a focus is done on IT servers cooling. The first part of this document is about cooling techniques optimization. The second part concerns investigations for new cooling techniques potentially more efficient and which can address today's challenges of industrial thermal control systems. In the first chapter, we have done a literature survey and a theoretical analysis of physical phenomena behind studied cooling techniques. Then, we have sorted those techniques according to some criteria. This chapter is a basis for optimization studies we have achieved in the second chapter and for our new cooling techniques investigations in the two last chapters. In the second chapter, we have presented a study about heat transfer enhancement in a cold plate developed for IT servers liquid-cooling. We have observed great heat transfer enhancement when adding lozenge shaped fins inside the cold plate channels. No gain was noted when using some nanofluids as heat transfer liquids. We have shown, in the third chapter, a conception algorithm of a heat spreading device destined for IT servers cooling. The heat spreader is based on a heatpipe technology. First of all, we have presented the thermohydraulic model for cylindrical heatpipes design. A parametric study (geometric, working fluids ...) showed the best combination to obtain the highest heatpipe performance. Then, the heat spreader has been tested and we have validated partially the heatpipe model. The last chapter of this work is a study of a demonstrator destined for cooling down electronic components by immersion in a dielectric fluid with a low saturation temperature. We first built a numerical model to design the demonstrator and then it has been tested. The first results are very encouraging, when using SES-36 as a working fluid.Keywords : modeling, heat transfer, cooling, datacenter, liquid-cooling, heat pipes, heat exchangers, nanofluids, pool boiling, numerical simulation

Master of Science / Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering / Steven J. Eckels, Bruce R. Babin / This project studied the pool boiling of R-134a and R-123 on smooth and enhanced tubes. This is the 1st phase of ASHRAE project RP-1316 "Experimental Evaluation of The Heat Transfer Impacts of Tube Pitch in a Highly Enhanced Surface Tube Bundle". A Turbo BII-HP and a Turbo BII-LP enhanced tubes were used in this study. These tubes were manufactured and donated by Wolverine Tube, Inc. Four different boiling cases were tested, R-134a on smooth tube, R-123 on smooth tube, R-134a on Turbo BII-HP tube, and R-123 on Turbo BII-LP tube. The first step in this study was performing a modified Wilson plot analysis, once completed, the average and local refrigerant heat transfer coefficients were determined. This thesis also presents the enthalpy-based heat transfer analysis (EBHT), a new method for determining the heat exchanger's overall heat transfer coefficient as a function of the enthalpy change of incompressible fluids. The test tubes' outer diameter is 19.05 mm and length is 1 m. Tests were conducted in a single tube test section, in which the test tube was water heated. All tests were conducted at a saturation temperature of 4.44 °C. The heat flux range is 9.2-126.6 kW/m[superscript]2 for testing with R-134a on smooth tube, 9.2-58 kW/m[superscript]2 for R-123 on smooth tube, 4.1-135.1 kW/m[superscript]2 for R-134a on Turbo BII-HP tube and 4.7-59.8 kW/m[superscript]2 for R-123 on Turbo BII-LP tube. Results show that the heat transfer coefficient increases with heat flux for all cases except the case of R-134a on Turbo BII-HP tube, where it experiences a trend change. Part of this study was comparing the smooth and enhanced tubes performances. R-134a Turbo BII-HP tube to smooth tube heat transfer coefficient ratio changes from 4 at low heat flux to 1.7 at high heat flux. R-123 Turbo BII-LP tube to smooth tube heat transfer coefficient ratio changes from 24 at low heat flux to 7 at high heat flux. The performance of Turbo BII-HP and Turbo BII-LP was found to be very similar over the tested heat flux range of the Turbo BII-LP tube. Comparison plots with available literature are presented.

<p>Despite worldwide interest in a number of applications involving cryogenic fluids that are crucial to future space exploration, there is presently a lack of a large, reliable cryogenic pool boiling critical heat flux (CHF) database that can be used for assessment of accuracy of available predictive tools - model and correlations – or development of new tools. This shortcoming is a primary motivation for the present study, prompting compilation of a new consolidated cryogenic pool boiling CHF database from world literature. The database is used to assess accuracy of previous models and correlations, which are segregated according to ability to predict key operating parameters, such as pressure, surface orientation, and subcooling. A new correlation is constructed which shows very good predictive accuracy, evidenced by a mean absolute error of 16.95%, based on Earth gravity data which comprise a large fraction of the consolidated database. Using a limited subset of datapoints for three cryogens and a reduced gravity range of 0 to 0.7466, the new correlation is further modified with a reduced gravity multiplier to tackle reduced gravity conditions. The modified correlation has a mean absolute error of 17.47%, slightly higher than for Earth gravity alone. Overall, the new correlations are proven far more accurate than all prior models and correlations and therefore constitute new powerful tools for design of cryogenic space systems. It is shown CHF is very sensitive to pressure, increasing with increasing pressure up to maximum before decreasing appreciably toward critical pressure. CHF is also shown to be strongly influenced by surface orientation, being highest for horizontal surfaces and decreasing monotonically with increasing orientation angle, and increasing fairly linearly with increased subcooling.</p><p>Additionally, CHF models and correlations are assessed using amassed quenching CHF data that showed overpredictions of data. A new correlation is formulated which includes the effects of surface material and heater thickness to achieve high predictive accuracy for complied quenching CHF database. The new correlation has a mean absolute error and root mean square error of 10.79% and 16.12%, respectively, based on a compiled database. Analysis of complied quenching data showed that CHF is sensitive to the surface material, increasing with increasing thermal conductivity but, the influence of surface material becomes weak with increasing thermal conductivity. CHF is also strongly influenced by heater thickness, increasing with increased heater thickness till it reaches the asymptotic thickness. </p>

<p>Heat sinks have the capability of increasing operating heat flux limits for improved thermal management in the immersion cooling of electronics using dielectric fluids. However, even for arrays of simple, straight fins, the generation of vapor between and along fins during pool boiling lead to performance effects that are not well understood. Further investigation of the heat-flux-dependent variation of boiling modes that can manifest along the fin height is required. Although methods for the prediction of fin boiling heat transfer exist that incorporate a variable heat transfer coefficient determined from a flat surface, they have been developed and assessed for single, isolated fins under the assumption that the sides of the fin at any location behave like that of a flat surface. As a result, when applied to fin arrays, these methods may not always be accurate for the full range of heat flux operation along boiling curve up to the critical heat flux, due to the fins interfering with each other when arranged in arrays of differing spacing and height. To establish when the fins in an array can be described as isolated and having the flat surface boiling behavior, pool boiling experiments are performed using copper heat sinks in two fluids with vastly different properties: HFE-7100 and water. The spacing and height of the longitudinal fins are varied across a range from much larger to less than half of the scale of the capillary length scale of both fluids, <em>L</em>_<em>b</em>. High-speed visualizations enable the identification of different boiling regimes to identify correspondence between flow observations and the boiling performance, such as when there is bubble confinement from fin interference. Trends in the pool boiling data are also compared, noting changes in superheat at various heat fluxes to establish when fin height or spacing affects boiling behavior. The experimental boiling performance is compared to predictions developed assuming isolated fins so as to identify the spacings and heights for which the fin arrays follow this behavior. Overall, the data from both fluids strongly support a hypothesis that <em>L</em>_<em>b</em> is the key length scale. Heat transfer from fin array heat sinks with heights and spacings above <em>L</em>_<em>b</em> are shown to be accurately predicted in both fluids. However, spacings smaller than <em>L</em>_<em>b</em> lead to bubble confinement which affects the superheat, particularly at low heat fluxes, while heights shorter than <em>L</em>_<em>b</em> are unable to support multiple boiling regimes along the fin sidewall. This work identifies the capillary length as the key length scale at which confinement and height effects need to be considered for accurate predictions of immersion cooling applications.</p>