Heat transfer coefficient determination for flow boiling in vertical and horizontal minichannels

Kielce University of Technology, Al. 1000-lecia P.P. 7, 25-314 Kielce, Poland

^a Corresponding author: tmpmj@tu.kielce.pl

Published online: 25 March 2014

Abstract

The paper presents the results of boiling heat transfer research during FC-72 laminar flow along a minichannel of 1 mm depth, positioned vertically and horizontally, with an enhanced heating surface. One glass pane allows to determine the temperature of the heating wall by liquid crystal thermography. Calculations are aimed at the evaluation of one- and two-dimensional heat transfer approaches to determine the local heat transfer coefficient. In the one-dimensional approach only the direction of the flow in the channel is considered. In the two-dimensional approach the inverse problem in the heating wall and the direct problem in the glass barrier were solved by the finite element method with Trefftz functions as shape functions (FEMT). The developed flow boiling area was studied. Heat transfer coefficient values obtained for the horizontal minichannel were higher than those obtained for the vertical one. When the heat flux supplied to heating wall grows, the share of gas-phase increases leading to the heat transfer coefficient decreases. The same courses of the experiment were observed for the two applied methods, but the results obtained in the one-dimensional approach are considerably higher than in the two-dimensional one. One-dimensional approach seems to be less sensitive to measurement errors.