Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
662144 | International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer | 2005 | 14 Pages |
Abstract
Using microfabrication techniques, a microscale platinum heater was fabricated on a Pyrex glass wafer and located in a shallow, but nearly trapezoidal microchannel with a hydraulic diameter of Dh = 56 microns fabricated on another glass wafer. Using a high-speed digital CCD video camera and microscope, the boiling nucleation temperature and two-phase flow patterns were observed and examined at different mass flow rates. The nucleation temperature was found to be reasonably close to the theoretical values as predicted by a 3D numerical heat transfer simulation with the measured bulk temperature of the microheater. The stability of the developed flow indicated three clearly distinguishable two-phase flow regimes: bubbly, wavy and annular. To avoid problems observed in the past, care was taken to ensure that the results were not influenced by the entrance and/or exit regions of the test section. The observed variations in the two-phase flow patterns were compared with the results of a model developed using a stability analysis of the liquid film.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
Authors
J. Li, G.P. Peterson,