Experimental Investigation of Forced Flow Heat-Transfer Enhancement in a Minichannel

The results of the investigation into heat-transfer enhancement at increasing critical heat flux due to modification of a wall’s inner surface are presented. The greater need for new, compact, and energy-efficient heat exchangers on the basis of minichannels for high-tech industries makes this investigation urgent. The potential for application of small diameter channels in systems where various dielectric liquids or freons at moderate and high reduced pressures can be used as a coolant is being actively investigated today. The experiments were performed in a heated vertical minichannel. The wall was modified by the rolling method, which has not yet been used in small diameter channels. The experiments were performed with a forced flow of R125 refrigerant at high reduced pressures of 0.43 and 0.56 in the range of mass flowrates from 200 to 1200 kg/(m² s), which is the most applicable range for minichannel heat exchangers. Heat transfer during forced convection and flow boiling was studied. The experimental setup and the minichannel inner wall modification method are described. Experimental data on forced convection and flow boiling heat-transfer coefficients, critical heat fluxes, and pressure drops are presented. The heat-transfer data were compared with the results obtained previously with the inner surface modified by the action of laser pulses on the outer wall. The convective heat-transfer coefficient in a minichannel with the inner surface modified by rolling was found to be much greater than that in a smooth channel. The obtained convective heat-transfer coefficients are compared with the predictions by empirical formulas derived for large-diameter pipes with the wall surface modified by rolling.