Enhancement of Boiling with Scalable Sandblasted Surfaces

Area of Science:

• Heat Transfer
• Surface Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Surface engineering enhances boiling heat transfer for thermal management and power generation.
• Cleanroom fabrication methods yield promising results but lack scalability for industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate sandblasting as a scalable surface engineering technique for pool boiling heat transfer.
• Quantify the effects of abrasive size on silicon surface conditions and boiling performance.

Main Methods:

• Sandblasting silicon surfaces with varying abrasive sizes (25, 50, 100, 150 μm Al2O3).
• Characterizing surface morphology using optical profilometry.
• Assessing capillary wicking performance via capillary rise tests.
• Evaluating pool boiling heat transfer characteristics.

Main Results:

• Increased abrasive size led to greater surface roughness and volumetric wicking rate.
• Critical heat flux improved by up to 192.6% compared to smooth surfaces.
• Heat transfer coefficient enhanced by up to 434.3% compared to smooth surfaces.

Conclusions:

• Sandblasting is a viable and scalable method for enhancing pool boiling heat transfer.
• Surface modifications via sandblasting significantly improve critical heat flux and heat transfer.
• This technique shows potential for industrial-scale applications requiring efficient boiling performance.