Cooling systems that consist of mini-channels (hydraulic diameters in the 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm range) and micro-channels (hydraulic diameters in the 100 m-500 m range) can dispose of extremely large volumetric thermal loads that are well beyond the feasible operating range of conventional cooling methods. Mini/micro-channel systems that utilize boiling fluids are particularly useful due to the superiority of boiling heat transfer mode over single-phase flow convection. Although forced flow boiling in mini and micro-channels has been investigated by several research groups in the past, a verified and reliable predictive method is not yet available.
In this study, the capability of a large number of forced flow boiling heat transfer correlations for application to mini channels is examined by comparing their predictions with three experimental data sets. The data all represent recently-published experiments with mini-channels The tested correlations include well-established methods for forced-flow boiling in conventional boiling systems, as well as correlations recently proposed for mini-channels.
Based on these comparisons, the most accurate existing predictive methods for mini-channel boiling are identified. The deficiencies of the predictive methods and the potential causes that underlie these deficiencies are also discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:GATECH/oai:smartech.gatech.edu:1853/7148 |
| Date | 23 June 2005 |
| Creators | Olayiwola, Nurudeen Oladipupo |
| Publisher | Georgia Institute of Technology |
| Source Sets | Georgia Tech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Archive |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 2090649 bytes, application/pdf |
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