The effect of micro/nanoscale structures on chf enhancement

Abstract

Recently, many research studies have investigated the enormous critical heat flux (CHF) enhancement caused by nanofluids during pool boiling and flow boiling. One of the main reasons for this enhancement is nanoparticle deposition on the heated surface. However, in real applications, nanofluids create many problems when used as working fluids because of sedimentation and aggregation. Therefore, artificial surfaces on silicon and metal have been developed to create an effect similar to that of nanoparticle deposition. These modified surfaces have proved capable of greatly increasing the CHF during pool boiling, and good results have also been observed during flow boiling. In this study, we demonstrate that the wetting ability of a surface, i.e., wettability, and the liquid spreading ability (hydrophilic surface property), are key parameters for increasing the CHF during both pool and flow boiling. We also demonstrate that when the fuel surface in nuclear power plants is modified in a similar manner, it has the same effect, producing a large CHF enhancement.