International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer最新文献

{"title":"Experimental and numerical investigation on the heat transfer and flow characteristics of airfoil-shaped twisted hexagonal tubes","authors":"Dongyang Shao ,&nbsp;Ailong Yuan ,&nbsp;Hui Wan ,&nbsp;Guofeng Guan ,&nbsp;Jie Ma ,&nbsp;Changsong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128503","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128503","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a critical component in energy transfer systems, heat exchangers play a vital role in achieving energy conservation and emission reduction. Building on previous studies of the heat transfer and flow behavior of twisted hexagonal tube heat exchangers, this study proposes six novel airfoil-inspired twisted hexagonal tube configurations, including outward convex non-deviated, outward convex left/right-deviated, inward concave non-deviated, and inward concave left/right-deviated airfoil-shaped designs. Numerical simulations employing the Realizable <em>k-ε</em> turbulence model were performed to systematically evaluate the heat transfer performance and flow characteristics of these configurations. The optimal configuration was identified, and the effects of key geometric parameters on thermo-hydraulic performance were systematically analyzed to guide structural optimization of the proposed designs. The results indicate that, under the synergistic interaction between the airfoil orientation and the tube twisting direction, vortex structures are induced near the airfoil regions, generating strong secondary flows. These flows significantly enhance momentum exchange and mixing between the hot and cold fluids across the boundary layer, thereby improving the convective heat transfer capability of the twisted tube. Compared with the conventional, the outward convex left-deflected airfoil-shaped twisted hexagonal tube exhibits the most favorable thermo-hydraulic performance. After optimization, the average Nusselt number increases by 45.94 %, with a maximum improvement of 49.53 %, while the average friction factor rises by 61.59 %. The overall performance evaluation criterion reaches a maximum value of 1.29, which indicates an overall thermo-hydraulic performance superior to that of several enhanced tube configurations reported in the open literature, such as elliptical twisted tubes, corrugated tubes, dimpled tapered tubes, and multi-start helical corrugated tubes. This study establishes a theoretical foundation for the design and optimization of high-efficiency twisted-tube heat exchangers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":336,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 128503"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147385062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure, composition, and heat transfer of the GaN/diamond interface","authors":"Weishuai Sun ,&nbsp;Xiaoqin Guo ,&nbsp;Yabo Huang ,&nbsp;Shengji Liu ,&nbsp;Yuehan Yue ,&nbsp;Xulei Wang ,&nbsp;Shuai Tian ,&nbsp;Xin Jia ,&nbsp;Kang An ,&nbsp;Zhengyi Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhen Liu ,&nbsp;Lin Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128447","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128447","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gallium nitride (GaN) and a chemical vapour deposition (CVD) diamond were bonded using a semisolid nano-silver paste under low-temperature, pressure-assisted conditions. The effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the GaN/diamond interface was investigated. The results showed that the solder morphology gradually evolved from point-like to sheet-like as the sintering temperature increased. Scanning electron microscopy observations of the GaN/diamond interface revealed that the thickness of the Ag sintering layer was approximately 40 μm. Moreover, elemental analysis of the GaN/diamond side of the sintered interface indicated a diffusion tendency of Ag. A well-defined planar interface at the nanoscale between Ag and GaN was further observed through transmission electron microscopy. The X-ray diffraction peak intensity of the Ag (111) crystal plane increased with increasing sintering temperature, while the full width at half maximum of the Ag (111) diffraction peak decreased, indicating improved nano-silver crystal quality at higher temperatures. The highest shear strength, 12.5 MPa, was obtained for samples sintered at 250°C. Interfacial solder uniformity was evaluated by monitoring the surface temperature of the heated GaN/diamond assembly, with a minimum average temperature difference of only 1.38 °C. The maximum thermal conductivity of the GaN/diamond structure reached 156.4 W/(m·K) at 250 °C. This study provides valuable insights into the heat dissipation of gallium nitride devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":336,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 128447"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of thermal contact resistance and membrane electrode assembly deformation on heat and mass transfer in proton exchange membrane fuel cell with interdigitated flow fields","authors":"Ben-Xi Zhang ,&nbsp;Run-Ze Niu ,&nbsp;Kai-Qi Zhu ,&nbsp;Yan-Ru Yang ,&nbsp;Xiao-Dong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128418","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128418","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study establishes a three-dimensional, two-phase, non-isothermal proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) model incorporating thermal contact resistance (TCR) and membrane electrode assembly (MEA) deformation induced by 0–30 kPa pressure differences. Using an interdigitated flow field, we systematically investigate the coupled effects of TCR thickness (0–3 µm) and pressure differential on heat transfer, oxygen transport, and water management. The results show that increasing TCR raises internal MEA temperature, reduces membrane water content, and decreases oxygen molar concentration at the gas diffusion layer (GDL)–catalyst layer (CL) interface. A moderate pressure difference (20 kPa) enhances lateral convection and evaporative cooling, mitigating temperature rise and improving oxygen availability. Polarization and power density curves indicate that performance degradation due to increased TCR can be partially offset by applying a 20 kPa pressure difference. The findings highlight the interplay between TCR and pressure difference in governing multiphase transport and electrochemical performance, offering guidance for thermal management and flow field design in PEMFC with curved MEA</div></div>","PeriodicalId":336,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 128418"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment and improvement of conjugate heat transfer CFD code models of wall condensation from a gas–vapour mixture in a vertical channel","authors":"Patrick R. Gareau ,&nbsp;Bronwyn Rempel ,&nbsp;Geoffrey S. Gray ,&nbsp;Scott J. Ormiston ,&nbsp;Abdelouahab Dehbi","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128489","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128489","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Predicting wall condensation in the presence of a non-condensable gas is of vital importance in the design of processes for refrigeration systems and in modelling passive containment cooling systems of nuclear reactors. The non-condensable gas causes a significant reduction in condensation rate and heat transfer. No consensus exists, however, on which CFD modelling approach should be used for this application.</div><div>To address this, fully conjugate heat transfer models are developed and assessed for condensation from a downward turbulent steam–air mixture flow in a primary vertical channel separated by a metal plate from a turbulent water counterflow in a secondary channel, and compared in a benchmark study. Two wall condensation modelling approaches are used in each of the commercial codes STAR-CCM+ and Fluent: (1) a sub-grid film model, which solves simplified versions of the liquid film governing equations; and (2) a user-defined wall-adjacent volumetric source term model, which neglects the fluid film. Grid-independent results for the CONAN separate effects test experiment were obtained.</div><div>A new improvement to the energy source term in the second modelling approach is presented that prevents non-physical predictions for the conjugate analysis. The Fluent custom wall-adjacent source term model reaches grid-based convergence fastest. Similar computational effort is required by all models. Model accuracies varied case-by-case, with total condensation rate maximum errors ranging from 4 to 28%. Analysis of the non-dimensional boundary layers indicate <span><math><mrow><msup><mrow><mi>y</mi></mrow><mrow><mo>+</mo></mrow></msup><mo>≲</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></math></span> is required to prevent excessive error. New results for the local heat transfer coefficient in the cooling channel are also presented.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":336,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 128489"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147385701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel manifold microchannel heat sink with thermal-responsive deformable fins for adaptive cooling","authors":"Hang-ye Zhang ,&nbsp;Yu-wei Wang ,&nbsp;Zhe-hui Ma ,&nbsp;Chuang Liu ,&nbsp;Long Huang ,&nbsp;Dong-yu Chen ,&nbsp;Jin-yuan Qian","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128481","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128481","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Random hotspots pose a critical threat to the thermal safety of high-flux electronic devices. The existing solutions of adaptive cooling face limitations in both regulation precision and design predictability. To address the issues, this study proposes a novel manifold microchannel (MMC) heat sink integrated with thermal-responsive deformable fin (TRDF). It leverages the inherently discrete unit of MMC heat sink to enable pixel-level cooling adjustment at targeted hotspots. The sinusoidal TRDF, constructed from a shape memory alloy (SMA) beam and elastic wrapping, is proposed for temperature-responsive deformation. When the original length of SMA beam varies, the span and height of TRDF changes differently upon heating. Thus, the thermal-hydraulic profile (THP) of unit is established, characterizing the coupled effects of inlet velocity and TRDF geometry on heat transfer coefficient and flow resistance. This THP-based methodology, combined with the flow distribution model of MMC heat sink, can identify effective deformation paths that yield significant heat dissipation adaptivity to hotspots. The results show that the horizontal configuration of TRDF can achieve stable adaptive performance, increasing the effective heat transfer coefficient by up to 14.4% under hotspot conditions. Its heat transfer coefficient also exceeds 32,700 W/m²·K. Altogether, the novel design and methodology establish a rational framework for developing predictable adaptive cooling systems of high performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":336,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 128481"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147385709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantifying two-phase fluid quality through an optical supervised machine learning technique","authors":"Angad Panesar,&nbsp;William Gentry,&nbsp;Ian Kemp","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128462","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128462","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurately quantifying two-phase fluid quality is essential for enhancing the efficiency and reliability of thermofluidic energy systems. This research presents a novel, non-intrusive approach to empirically estimate steam quality, using shadowgraphy imaging, combined with an innovative supervised machine learning segmentation technique. This contribution is original in adapting supervised pixel-level classification, traditionally applied in biomedical imaging, to two-phase flows, representing a cross-disciplinary methodology. The technique uniquely enables thresholding of complex steam flow interactions, including a ‘discontinuous’ annular flow. A dedicated experimental test facility enabled repeatable steam quality measurements, verified by a condensate trap, yielding a standard deviation of only 0.02. A Photron SA4 camera, operated with lower specification settings, captured 2D images through a 20 mm internal sight glass at 30 kg/h and 1.2 to 1.4 BarA. Two image segmentation approaches were evaluated for the varying compositions: an individual-trained method, where separate classifiers were developed for each quality (5 images out of 200), and a multi-condition trained method, where a generalised classifier was developed using training samples from multiple quality conditions (2 images each at 3 qualities). Using supervised machine learning tools within FIJI, steam quality estimations for both methodologies showed strong agreement with the condensate trap measurements, achieving a good accuracy within +0.02 to -0.04 over the quality range of <em>x</em> = 0.77 to <em>x</em> = 0.9. These findings demonstrate that this unique method can be integrated into real-time flow measurements, combining optical diagnostics with automated segmentation to enable accurate monitoring of flow regimes under industrial constraints.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":336,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 128462"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147385887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study of an immersion battery thermal management system based on hydrofluoroether fluid","authors":"Yuhao Luo ,&nbsp;Ruitian Zhou ,&nbsp;Chuanle Zhu ,&nbsp;Shuangfeng Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128422","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128422","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates an immersion battery thermal management system based on hydrofluoroether fluid, with a focus on the impact of fluid flow on battery temperature under varying flow rates and discharge conditions. Experimental results show that the optimal volumetric flow rate for horizontally and vertically placed batteries is 50 mL/min and 60 mL/min, respectively, under a 3C discharge rate. At these flow rates, the maximum battery temperatures are 39.55°C and 39.84°C, respectively, demonstrating efficient temperature control. Further increases in flow rate lead to a diminishing effect on temperature reduction, indicating the presence of a saturation effect. Additionally, the study reveals that the vertically placed battery exhibits larger temperature differences and greater temperature nonuniformity compared to the horizontally placed battery under high discharge rates. Specifically, the maximum temperature difference for the vertically placed battery reaches 4.65°C, while it is only 3.87°C for the horizontally placed one. The study also highlights the critical role of both natural and forced convection in the heat transfer process, with mixed convection showing varying effectiveness depending on the battery orientation and flow conditions. This research provides valuable theoretical insights and practical guidance for optimizing IBTMS design, ensuring safe and stable battery operation under high-power discharge conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":336,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 128422"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146026033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of wall thickness on heat flow conditions in directed energy deposition","authors":"Shenliang Yang ,&nbsp;Alexander D. Goodall ,&nbsp;Xiaoliang Jin ,&nbsp;Xiao Shang ,&nbsp;Yu Zou ,&nbsp;Lova Chechik","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128414","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128414","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heat flow conditions vary significantly in Directed Energy Deposition (DED), such as during the repair of structures with varying cross sections. While classical thermal analyses emphasize conduction, heat losses through convection and radiation can be consequential in thin-wall geometries. This can lead to certain geometries experiencing heat accumulation with build height, while in other geometries, the temperature decreases as the build height increases. To quantify how heat flow mechanisms vary with wall thickness, in this study, in-situ coaxial monitoring was combined with a finite element (FE) model that accounts for conduction, convection, and radiation. Measured melt pool thermal intensities during the deposition of 9 Inconel 718 walls with thicknesses ranging from thin- to thick-wall regimes are compared with FE-based predictions. The results show that conduction is the dominant heat transfer mechanism between the melt pool and the surrounding materials in all cases during deposition; however, convective and radiative losses of the melt pool are non-negligible in thin-wall regimes, being responsible for up to 35 % of the total heat losses. Meanwhile, the relative importance of convection/radiation of the melt pool was found to increase as sections narrow. In addition, the minimum heat loss of the melt pool (and the maximum thermal intensity) was observed at an intermediate wall thickness (2.1 mm), while the total heat losses of the melt pool increased by 39 % in a 1.1 mm wall thickness and by 17 % in a 9.1 mm wall thickness. These strongly non-linear thermal relationships lead to the conclusion that samples wider than 4 mm can be treated as “bulk”, for which conduction-dominated assumptions are adequate in thermal analysis; sections with a thickness less than 4 mm require convection and radiation to be considered. These findings could provide guidance in the selection of deposition parameters and modeling assumptions to ensure consistent DED repairs across highly variable cross-sections.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":336,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 128414"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146026058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced boiling heat transfer in silicon-based heat sinks with hybrid jet/gradient-density-pin-fin-microchannel","authors":"Xia Hua,&nbsp;Huiying Wu,&nbsp;Jinya Liu,&nbsp;Zhenyu Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128423","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128423","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To enhance boiling heat transfer for ultra-high heat flux dissipation in chips, silicon-based heat sinks with hybrid jet/gradient-density-pin-fin-microchannel are proposed. Specifically, hybrid jet/uniform-pin-fin-microchannel (JUPM, serving as a control case without gradient density design), hybrid jet/dense-to-sparse-pin-fin-microchannel (JDPM), and hybrid jet/sparse-to-dense-pin-fin-microchannel (JSPM) are fabricated. By combining a data acquisition system with a high-speed microscope camera, the heat transfer performance, boiling flow patterns, pressure drop and coefficient of performance (COP) of deionized water in JUPM, JDPM, JSPM across a range of jet velocities (<em>V</em>_j = 1.5, 2, 2.5 m/s) and inlet subcoolings (Δ<em>T</em>_sub = 30, 50, 70°C) are experimentally investigated. The results are further benchmarked against those from the heat sink with hybrid jet/continuous-microchannel (JCM), revealing that: 1) JSPM, JDPM and JUPM all improve the critical heat flux (CHF) due to the enhanced liquid supply to the heating surface (caused by the suppressed reverse flow and capillary-driven liquid bridges). Moreover, JSPM further increases the CHF compared to JDPM and JUPM due to the presence of more liquid bridges downstream. Particularly, JSPM achieves the highest CHF of 1464 W/cm² when <em>V</em>_j = 2.5 m/s and Δ<em>T</em>_sub = 70 °C; 2) JSPM, JDPM and JUPM all increase the HTC due to more nucleation sites in the early boiling stage, the highly-efficient thin film evaporation in the middle boiling stage, and the enhanced liquid supply to the heating surface in the late boiling stage. Moreover, JSPM has a higher HTC than JDPM and JUPM due to the further enhanced liquid supply; 3) JUPM, JDPM and JSPM all reduce the pressure drop due to the suppression of reverse flow and violent vapor generation from local dry out. Although they have comparable pressure drop, JSPM yields a slightly lower value in the late boiling stage; 4) JSPM, JUPM and JDPM all have better thermal-hydraulic performance (i.e., higher COP). Moreover, JSPM achieves superior performance compared to JUPM and JDPM, with a maximum COP of 13197 when <em>V</em>_j = 1.5 m/s and Δ<em>T</em>_sub = 70 °C.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":336,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 128423"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146076283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vaporization of acoustically levitated alcohol/water droplets in humid air","authors":"Guillaume Castanet ,&nbsp;Minghao Wang ,&nbsp;Mehdi Stiti","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128402","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2026.128402","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The evaporation of droplets composed of water and light alcohols (ethanol, 2-propanol, and 1-propanol) is investigated using acoustically levitated droplets, combined with simultaneous measurements of droplet size and chemical composition. Droplet evolution is influenced by the relative volatility of the components, ambient humidity, and temperature. Ethanol and 2-propanol droplets consistently evolve toward pure water due to rapid alcohol evaporation and condensation of water from the surrounding air. In contrast, 1-propanol droplets can either lose most of their alcohol or retain a significant fraction, depending on the initial composition and environmental conditions. The combined experiments and modeling reveal the existence of stable final compositions under given conditions, toward which droplets naturally evolve, forming what can be described as a “composition attractor.” This attractor arises from the balance between evaporation, water absorption, and non-ideal mixture effects. Similar behavior may occur for other liquid mixtures with moderate differences in volatility. These findings provide new insight into the complex dynamics of multicomponent droplet evaporation and highlight the role of environmental conditions in determining the final composition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":336,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer","volume":"260 ","pages":"Article 128402"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147384694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}