Pool Boiling Heat Transfer of N-Pentane and Acetone on Nanostructured Surfaces by Electrophoretic Deposition

This work aims to investigate pool boiling heat transfer enhancement by using nanostructured surfaces. Two types of nanostructured surfaces were employed, gold nanoparticle-coated surfaces and alumina nanoparticle-coated surfaces. The nanostructured surfaces were fabricated by an electrophoretic deposition technique, depositing nanoparticles in a nanofluid onto smooth copper surfaces under an electric field. N-pentane and acetone were tested as working fluids. Compared to the smooth surface, the pool boiling heat transfer coefficient has been increased by 80% for n-pentane and acetone. Possible mechanisms for the enhancement in heat transfer are qualitatively provided. The increase in active nucleation site density due to multiple micro/nanopores on nanoparticle-coated surfaces is likely the main contributor. The critical heat flux on nanostructured surfaces are approximately the same as that on the smooth surface because both smooth and modified surfaces show similar wickability for the two working fluids.