REU Supplement: Small Grants for Exploratory Research: EHDHeat Transfer Augmentation of Environmentally Safe Refrigerants

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Results of research in the past decade clearly suggest an excellent potential for electrohydrodynamic (EHD) technique in heat transfer augmentation of organic media with low-electrical conductivity. Many of the newly identified refrigerants have poor heat transfer characteristics, but appear to have a low enough electrical conductivity to qualify for the EHD enhancement. An exploratory experimental research effort is proposed to investigate the effectiveness/applicability of EHD heat transfer augmentation of three environmentally acceptable (Ozone-safe) refrigerants. The selected refrigerants are R-22, R-123 and R-134a, which are believed to most likely represent the core of future non-azeotropic working fluids for residential/commercial air conditioning and heat pumping systems. The potential of EHD boiling heat transfer augmentation of these refrigerants will be studied as a function of electric field parameters (applied voltage and electrode geometry/orientation) and heat transfer surface characteristics (smooth and enhanced configurations). Should results of this initial investigation be encouraging, a more comprehensive future proposal will be submitted whereby systematic study of the problem both experimentally and analytically can be conducted.