Augmentation of Pool Boiling Heat Transfer with Open Micro-Channel Surfaces

Nucleate pool boiling is an efficient heat transfer mechanism widely utilized in thermal management applications such as electronic cooling and nuclear power systems. Enhancing the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and the critical heat flux (CHF) is crucial for improving system performance and preventing thermal failures. Micro-channel structures have proven effective in enhancing nucleate boiling by modifying fluid dynamics and increasing surface area for heat dissipation. This study examines the effect of micro-channel integration on nucleate pool boiling performance. Circular copper heated surfaces with micro-channels of varying depths (0.5–1.5 mm) having the pitch and width were kept constant at 0.5 mm. The surface area factor (SAF) varied between 1.64 and 3.87. Experiments were conducted in deionized water (DI) under saturation temperature at 1 atm. Results indicate a notable 421% and %848 enhancement in CHF and HTC compared to baseline plain surfaces respectively, demonstrating the effectiveness of micro-channel design in improving heat dissipation. Additionally, CHF performance was evaluated, highlighting the role of structured surfaces in thermal management. These findings contribute to the optimization of micro-channel configurations for advanced heat transfer applications.