A new method of fabrication of heat transfer surfaces with micro-structured profile

The present study aimed at improvement of cooling systems in which the heat is transferred from tube bundles to boiling liquids. By the technique of ion track etching combined with metal electro-plating method, arrays of copper whiskers with high aspect ratio were produced on surfaces of heat transfer tubes. The boiling process of the liquid at the tube surface was investigated using a specially developed experimental set-up. The R365 liquid, a new product of the SOLVAY Company, was used to study the process of vapour bubble formation on the surface having copper whiskers with a density of 5 × 106 cm−2. The heat flux due to the boiling process was measured at different temperatures of water pumped through the tube. The measurements showed that the obtained capillary microstructure provides a large heat transfer from the surface to the refrigerant.