Augmentation of Laminar Forced-Convective Heat Transfer by the Application of a Transverse Electric Field

The effect of a uniform d-c electric field on laminar forced-convective heat transfer has been studied experimentally with a weakly conducting fluorocarbon refrigerant in the liquid state that is flowing in a channel confined by parallel-plate electrodes, one of which serves as a heat transfer surface of uniform heat flux. The dependencies of the heat transfer coefficient and the pressure drop on the sign and the magnitude of an applied voltage, the heat flux at the heat transfer surface, the electrical conductivity of the test fluid, etc. are presented, and the structure and the mechanism of the electroconvection causing the heat transfer enhancement are considered.