Phase-field modeling of vapor bubble growth in a microchannel

Abstract

A numerical model based on Cahn-Hilliard phase-field method is introduced for the first time in the literature to investigate the hydrodynamics and heat transfer characteristics of a vaporized elongated bubble in a rectangular microchannel. In the simulations, the initially nucleated bubble starts growing as it comes in contact with superheated water. The effects of the water inlet velocity and the bubble contact angle on the temporal evolution of the average heat transfer coefficient are also reported. Both qualitative and quantitative comparisons indicated that the numerically obtained bubble shape and the growth rate are in very good agreement with the experimental results available in the literature.