Effects of nano-fluid and surfaces with nano structure on the increase of CHF

Critical heat flux (CHF) has necessitated inconvenient compromises between economy and safety in most industries related to thermal systems. Recent development of nanotechnology has enabled synthesis of nano-sized particles and development of new heat transfer fluids with suspended nano-sized particles, i.e., nanofluids. When nanofluids were used in boiling heat transfer cooling, anomalous increase of CHF was reported. Subsequently, nanoparticle deposition on the boiling surface was revealed to contribute to CHF enhancement. Research on surface characteristics determined that three major characteristics affect CHF: wettability, liquid spreadability and multi-scale geometry. We fabricated artificially modified surfaces with arrays of octagonal micro-posts, or ZnO nanorods, or both, and measured their performance in enhancing CHF. The presence of three major characteristics enhanced CHF most. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.