Pool boiling heat transfer enhancement on micro- and nano-structured copper surface

Abstract

As the power requirements of industrial and electronic equipment continue to increase, thermal management is becoming more and more important. BHT, or pool boiling heat transfer, is acknowledged as an effective technique for handling large heat loads. In this study, experimental work on pool BHT is conducted on a surface coated with porous Cu and R-141b. The porous coating is achieved using two-stage electrodeposition techniques on a plain Cu surface. Characterization results reveal that the copper coating consists of a combination of nano- and microporous structures. Experimental studies have shown that the presence of a Cu-coated surface significantly enhances the Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) by up to 53% compared to a surface coated only with Cu. Additionally, the Cu-coated surface reduces heat compared to the uncoated surface. These findings demonstrate that the porous Cu coating surface can effectively increase surface area, cavitation, and nucleation density, which are beneficial for heat transfer applications.