Heat transfer characteristics in closed-loop spray cooling of micro-structured surfaces

With water as the working fluid, experiments on the heat transfer characteristics of spray cooling of micro-structured surfaces were performed in a closed loop system. Experimental data were analyzed in the view of the ratio between convective heat transfer and phase change heat transfer. The results indicate that heat transfer is obviously enhanced for micro-channel surfaces relative to the flat surface because of higher phase change heat transfer. For the geometries tested at lower surface temperature, the straight finned surface has the largest heat flux; while at higher surface temperature, the cubic pin finned surface has the largest heat flux. Heat fluxes of all the surfaces grow with increasing flow rates, except for the straight finned surface under lower surface temperature. The ratio of phase change to total heat transfer is bigger than 20% for the flat surface, and higher than 50% for micro-structured surfaces. Critical heat fluxes of 159.1, 120.2, and 109.8 W/cm2 are attained for cubic pin finned, straight finned and flat surfaces respectively when the flow rate is 15.9 mL/min, and the corresponding evaporation efficiencies are 96.0%, 72.5%, 67.1%.