Numerical modeling of laminar annular film condensation for different channel shapes

This paper presents a theoretical and numerical model to predict film condensation heat transfer in mini and micro-channels of different internal shapes. The model is based on a finite volume formulation of the Navier-Stokes and energy equations and it includes the contributions of the unsteady terms, surface tension, axial shear stresses, gravitational forces and wall conduction. Notably, interphase mass transfer and near-to-wall effects (disjoining pressure) are also included. Dimensional analysis and characteristic numbers of the process are proposed and simulation results are shown both in dimensionless and dimensional representations. Isothermal, iso-heat flux and variable heat flux external wall boundary conditions have been implemented and their effects on the distribution of the heat flux are shown and compared. The instantaneous local and perimeter-averaged heat transfer coefficients, the liquid condensate film thickness distribution, the cross sectional void fraction and the mean vapor quality can be obtained for different channel shapes. Results obtained for steady state conditions are presented for circular, elliptical (with different eccentricities), flattened (with different aspect ratios) and flower shape cross sections for R-134a and ammonia, for hydraulic diameters between 10 pm and 3 mm. A time dependent simulation with variable heat flux is presented for a copper channel having a length of 4 cm and a rectangular cross section with a hydraulic diameter of 133 mu m and an aspect ratio of 2, showing the importance of axial conduction at this length scale. The model has been validated versus various benchmark cases and versus experimental data available in literature. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Numerical Modeling of Annular Laminar Film Condensation in Circular and Non-Circular Micro-Channels under Normal and Micro-Gravity

Stefano Nebuloni

A theoretical and numerical model to predict film condensation heat transfer in mini, micro and ultra micro-channels of different internal shapes is presented in this thesis. The model is based on a finite volume formulation of the Navier-Stokes and energy equations and it includes the contributions of the unsteady terms, surface tension, axial shear stresses, gravitational forces and wall thermal conduction. Notably, interphase mass transfer and near-to-wall effects (disjoining pressure) are also included. This model has been validated versus various benchmark cases and versus published experimental results from three different laboratories, predicting micro-channel heat transfer data with an average error of 20 % or better. The conjugate heat transfer problem arising from the coupling between the thin film fluid dynamics, the heat transfer in the condensing fluid and the heat conduction in the channel wall has been studied and analyzed. The work has focused on the effects of three external wall boundary conditions: a uniform wall temperature, a non uniform wall heat flux and single-phase convective cooling. The thermal axial and peripheral conduction occurring in the wall of the channel can affect the behavior of the condensate film, not only because it redistributes the heat, but also because the annular laminar film condensation process is dependent on the local saturation to wall temperature difference. When moving from mini to micro and ultra-micro channels, the results shows that the axial conduction effects can become very important in the prediction of the wall temperature profile and they can not be ignored. Under these conditions, the overall performances of the heat exchanger become dependent not only on the fluid properties and the operative conditions but also on the geometry and wall material. Results obtained for steady state conditions are presented for circular, elliptical and flattened shape cross sections for R-134a and ammonia, for hydraulic diameters between 10 µm and 3 mm. Microscale condensation finds applications in heat pipes and compact heat exchangers for electronic equipment or spacecraft thermal control, in automotive condensers, in residential air conditioning and in refrigeration applications: the influence of the steady or unsteady gravitational field and of the inertia forces on the flow field and consequently on the heat transfer performances is investigated allowing the model to be applied as a design and optimization tool for enhanced heat exchangers.

EPFL2010

Numerical Modeling of the Conjugate Heat Transfer Problem for Annular Laminar Film Condensation in Microchannels

Stefano Nebuloni, John Richard Thome

This paper presents numerical simulations of annular laminar film condensation heat transfer in microchannels of different internal shapes. The model, which is based on a finite volume formulation of the Navier-Stokes and energy equations for the liquid phase only, importantly accounts for the effects of axial and peripheral wall conduction and nonuniform heat flux not included in other models so far in the literature. The contributions of the surface tension, axial shear stresses, and gravitational forces are included. This model has so far been validated versus various benchmark cases and versus experimental data available in literature, predicting microchannel heat transfer data with an average error of 20% or better. It is well known that the thinning of the condensate film induced by surface tension due to gravity forces and shape of the surface, also known as the "Gregorig" effect, has a strong consequence on the local heat transfer coefficient in condensation. Thus, the present model accounts for these effects on the heat transfer and pressure drop for a wide variety of geometrical shapes, sizes, wall materials, and working fluid properties. In this paper, the conjugate heat transfer problem arising from the coupling between the thin film fluid dynamics, the heat transfer in the condensing fluid, and the heat conduction in the channel wall has been studied. In particular, the work has focused on three external channel wall boundary conditions: a uniform wall temperature, a nonuniform wall heat flux, and single-phase convective cooling are presented. As the scale of the problem is reduced, i.e., when moving from mini- to microchannels, the results show that the axial conduction effects can become very important in the prediction of the wall temperature profile and the magnitude of the heat transfer coefficient and its distribution along the channel. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4005712]

2012

Convective boiling heat transfer in a single micro-channel

Lorenzo Consolini

The current industrial need for compact high heat density cooling devices has conveyed an increasing interest on convective boiling in micro-channels. Although there is general agreement that these systems may be able to dissipate potentially very high heat fluxes, their heat transfer characteristics are still unclear and require investigation. The present study aims at providing further insight on two-phase single micro-channel heat transfer, through a sensitivity analysis on the effect of the different operational parameters, fluid properties, and channel size on thermal performance. The current database includes results for three different refrigerants, R-134a, R-236fa and R-245fa, two channel diameters, 510 and 790µm, and a multitude of heat fluxes and mass velocities, for a total of over 1800 data points. Two-phase flow instability, which represents one of the factors that has prevented a well-established understanding of the micro-scale phenomenon, has been also investigated, with results showing the potential error it may induce on the estimation of the heat transfer coefficients. Finally, a one-dimensional analysis based on the effect of interfacial shear on the temporal evolution of film thickness is proposed for a heat transfer model for slug flow, which has been shown to be the dominant flow mode at low and intermediate vapor qualities in micro-channel evaporators.