Spray Cooling Modeling: Droplet Sub-Cooling Effect on Heat Transfer

Journal Article · Mon Jan 21 04:00:00 EST 2008 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2844942· OSTI ID:21049464

Johnston, Joseph E; Selvam, R P ^[1]; Silk, Eric A ^[2]

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1. Power Electronics Leveling Solutions LLC, 700 Research Boulevard, Fayetteville, AR 72701 (United States)
2. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

Spray cooling has become increasingly popular as a thermal management solution for high-heat flux (>100 W/cm{sup 2}) applications such as laser diodes and radars. Research has shown that using sub-cooled liquid can increase the heat flux from the hot surface. The objective of this study was to use a multi-phase numerical model to simulate the effect of a sub-cooled droplet impacting a growing vapor bubble in a thin (<100 {mu}m) liquid film. The two-phase model captured the liquid-vapor interface using the level set method. The effects of surface tension, viscosity, gravity and phase change were accounted for by using a modification to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, which were solved using the finite difference method. The computed liquid-vapor interface and temperature distributions were visualized for better understanding of the heat removal process. To understand the heat transfer mechanisms of sub-cooled droplet impact on a growing vapor bubble, various initial droplet temperatures were modeled (from 20 deg. C below saturation temperature to saturation temperature). This may provide insights into how to improve the heat transfer in future spray cooling systems.

• OSTI ID: 21049464
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 969; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DROPLETS
FILMS
FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD
GRAVITATION
HEAT FLUX
HEAT TRANSFER
LASER RADIATION
LIQUIDS
MULTIPHASE FLOW
NAVIER-STOKES EQUATIONS
SPRAY COOLING
SURFACE TENSION
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION
VAPORS
VISCOSITY