Fabrication and Characterization of Superhydrophobic Al-Based Surface Used for Finned-Tube Heat Exchangers

Enhancing the heat transfer performance of heat exchangers is one of the main methods to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems. Wettability modified surfaces developed gradually may help. This study aims to improve the performance of heat exchangers from the perspective of component materials. The facile and cost-effective fabrication method of superhydrophobic Al-based finned-tube heat exchangers with acid etching and stearic acid self-assembly was proposed and optimized in this study, so that the modified Al fins could achieve stronger wettability and durability. The effect of process parameters on the wettability of the Al fins was by response surface methodology (RSM) and variance analysis. Then, the modified fins were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), 3D topography profiler, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The durability of the superhydrophobic fins was investigated by air exposure, corrosion resistance, and mechanical robustness experiments. The RSM and variance analysis demonstrated that a water contact angle (WCA) of 166.9° can be obtained with the etching time in 2 mol/L HCl solution of 10.5 min, the self-assembly time in the stearic acid ethanol solution of 48 h, and drying under 73.0 °C. The surface morphology showed suitable micro-nano structures with a mean roughness (Ra) of 467.58 nm and a maximum peak-to-valley vertical distance (Rt) of 4.095 μm. The chemical component demonstrated the self-assembly of an alkyl chain. The WCAs declined slightly in durability experiments, which showed the feasibility of the superhydrophobic heat exchangers under actual conditions.