GOALI: 3D-printed biomimetic structures for enhanced boiling heat transfer and thermal management

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Boiling heat transfer is one the most efficient ways of removing heat from a hot surface by changing the coolant from liquid to vapor. Boiling has been widely employed in thermal management of power generation, refrigeration and air conditioning systems, electronic devices, and other high-power density systems. This GOALI project will study fundamental aspects of liquid supplies and boiling heat transfer as affected by surface structure characteristics that include a novel biomimetic structure. This will be integrated into commercial heat exchangers that can potentially achieve significant increase in heat transfer performance. The biomimetic structures will be designed by a leaf-vein growth algorithm and manufactured by 3D metal printing. In addition to liquid supplies and boiling heat transfer tests, the biomimetic structures will be tested in commercial products for durability and fouling. The results of the study will assist both in developing basic understanding of boiling heat transfer by biomimetic structures and in developing next-generation commercial products for electronic devices and data center cooling. Research results and activities will be integrated into educational and outreach programs for underrepresented groups and the public, including hands-on 3D biomimetic structure design and manufacture, and heat transfer tests.Enhancements of the critical heat flux and heat transfer coefficient in boiling heat transfer are dictated by the maximum liquid supply and the bubble generation rate. The limits for enhancements will be examined and optimized through numerical simulations and experiments. A biomimetic structure will address the limits of hydrodynamic instability and viscous choking of liquid supply perpendicular to the heating surface, and of liquid wetting/wicking parallel to the heating surface. Critical structural characters and surface properties will be fabricated by 3D metal printing and tuned by atomic layer deposition. The structural characters and surface properties will be directly correlated to liquid supply and bubble nucleation and quantified by models.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.