Thermoset polyester-based superhydrophobic microchannels for nanofluid heat transfer applications

Both microchannels and nanofluids have shown promise to enhance convective heat transfer. However, the major drawback of these two technologies is their significant increase of pumping pressure due to increased frictional drag (for high surface area microchannels) or increased viscoelastic frictional drag (for nanofluids). It is possible to decrease frictional drag, and overcome this drawback, by implementing superhydrophobic surfaces to create slip with the channel wall. In this work, surface microstructures fabricated from the thermoset polyester (TPE) were used to create superhydrophobic surfaces which are capable of reducing the frictional drag in channel flow and thus, reduce the pumping pressure. Preliminary experimental results of superhydrophobic microchannels with rib-and-cavity microstructures aligned transversely and longitudinally to the flow direction were studied with both distilled water and water-based multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanofluid as the working fluids. While pressure drop reduction of superhydrophobic surfaces and heat transfer enhancement of nanofluids were shown, it was observed that heat transfer degradation occurred at higher flow rates with MWCNT nanofluid as the working fluid due to the precipitation of nanoparticles.