Pool Boiling Coupled with Nanoscale Evaporation Using Buried Nanochannels

Pool boiling is explicitly coupled with nanoscale evaporation by using buried nanochannels of height similar to 728 nm and similar to 100 nm to enhance critical heat flux (CHF) by similar to 105%. Additional menisci and contact line formation in nanochannels are found to be the dominant factors of CHF enhancement. Wicking assists in creating the additional contact line but does not serve as the primary measurable factor in predicting such enhancement based on CFD simulations and wicking experiments. This work provides clarity on the roles of contact line and wicking in boiling heat transfer.