REU Supplement: Mesoscale Heat Exchangers

该项目是对非常小的通道中的换热过程的研究，目的是开发高度紧凑、高性能的换热器(传热率在105W/m2K量级是可行的)。在微电子工业中开发的微制造技术允许在硅或其他合适的材料中制造小尺寸、高精度的通道。拟议的通道尺寸将从几微米到一毫米的宽度和深度的分数。在研究的初始阶段，拟议的航道长度将被限制在大约1-2厘米。可以以极小的体积容纳大量的通道。平面光刻技术提供了一种制造极其复杂的翅片和延伸表面的方法，适合于优化传热过程。所建议的热交换器应能够在两种流体之间或从单一流体向环境提供有效的热传递。除了效率外，所建议的热交换器的其他优点是质量非常小、工作液体库存量低、支撑结构小、成本低和无振动特性。这种类型的换热器代表了一类以前没有在本文所考虑的空间区域中研究过的热元素，这表明从纯科学的角度对这种中尺度区域中的热交换进行基本的探讨是可取的。拟议的研究在性质上是跨学科的，因为它同时涉及热传递、材料、用于监测热传递过程的传感器元件以及微制造问题。

This project is an investigation of heat transfer processes in very small channels with the goal of developing highly compact, high performance heat exchangers (heat transfer rates on the order of 105W/m2K, are feasible). Microfabrication techniques developed in the micro-electronic industry permit the fabrication of small size, high precision channels in silicon or other suitable materials. The proposed dimensions of the channels will range from a few microns to fractions of a millimeter in width and depth. The proposed lengths of the channel will be restricted to approximately 1-2 centimeters in the initial stages of the study. Large numbers of channels can be accommodated in extremely small volumes. Planar photolithographic technology provides a method for fabricating extremely complicated fins and extended surfaces suited to optimizing the heat transfer process. The proposed heat exchangers should be able to provide efficient heat transmission between two fluids or from a single fluid to the ambient. Other advantages of the proposed heat exchangers, aside from efficiency, are their very small mass, low inventory of working liquids, small supporting structures, low cost, and vibration-free character. This type of heat exchanger represents a class of thermal elements that have not been previously studied in the dimensional regime being considered here, suggesting that a fundamental inquiry into heat exchange in this mesoscale regime is desirable from a purely scientific viewpoint. The proposed research is interdisciplinary in nature as it addresses simultaneously heat transfer, materials, sensor elements for monitoring the heat transfer processes, and microfabrication issues.