Molecular simulations of R141b boiling flow in micro/nano channel: Interfacial phenomena

Boiling flow in microchannels provides a promising approach for electronic cooling, while the understanding of microfluidic phase transition is still very limited. Based on an annular flow model analysis, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations of the real fluid Freon R141b boiling flow in micro/nano channels were performed to investigate micro and nano scale liquid-vapor interfacial phenomena. The simulations were performed in a cuboid cell in which a temperature gradient was set at both ends, with the 2CLJD (two center Lennard-Jones potential with embedded dipole) potential selected as the potential model. The temperature distribution, heat flux, density and surface tension profiles of the simulated cell were presented and discussed. The results show that the characteristics of the liquid-vapor interface depend heavily on the saturated temperature and the superheat degree. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.