NSF Award
0610991
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I research project amis to experimentally validate the theory that similar heat exchangers can produce saturated two-phase flows with superior heat transfer. Initial experiments confirm that metastable two-phase fluids can produce heat transfer coefficients 40-70% greater than single-phase fluids at the same flow rate and have the potential to dissipate heat flux values in excess of 1000 W/cm2. Empirical correlations will be developed so that optimized heat exchangers capable of dissipating high heat flux values can be designed and commercially produced. <br/><br/>The proposed technology, if successful, will find commercial applications in the power electronics, lasers, power generation, fuel cell, and automotive industries.
