Numerical Study of Bubble Growth on a Micro-Finned Surface

Bubble growth on a micro-finned surface, which can be used in enhancing boiling heat transfer, is numerically investigated by solving the conservation equations of mass, momentum, and energy. The bubble deformation or the liquid-vapor interface is determined by the sharp-interface level-set method, which is modified to include the effect of phase change and to treat the contact angle and the evaporative heat flux from the liquid microlayer on an immersed solid surface of a microfin. The numerical method is applied to clarify bubble growth and heat transfer characteristics on a surface including fin and cavity during nucleate boiling which have not been provided from the previous experimental studies. The effects of single fin, fin-cavity distance, and fin-fin spacing on the bubble dynamics are investigated. The micro-fin is found to affect the activation of cavity. The fin-cavity configuration is found to determine the bubble formation in a cavity. The vapor removal rate is also observed to significantly depend on the fin-fin spacing.