Exploration of convective heat transfer and non-stationary turbulence

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The proposed research is directed at the use of highly conductive graphitic foams for convective heat transfer enhancement in engineering systems. Graphitic foams can be produced with a void structure that is interconnected enabling the passage of fluid and thus the removal of heat energy conducted into the solid matrix of the foam from adjacent heat sources. The proposed research seeks to address the premise that highly-conductive graphite foams can offer substantial enhancements over existing solid and porous materials in single and multiphase heat convection, thereby having a substantial positive impact in electronics cooling, primary cooling and energy recovery.  Graphitic foams have a significant advantage over aluminum and other reticulated metal foams because of their moderate porosity, high solid phase conductivity, which can be as much as six times higher than solid aluminum, and large internal surface area. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is central to the proposed research both in terms of fundamental development of new techniques and mathematical models, and through its application to investigate heating and cooling problems. Specific objectives of the proposed research program include the development of mathematical models to explore multiphase convective heat transfer in porous foams, theoretical optimization of the graphite foam structure, and the implementation of a sophisticated turbulence closure to enable investigation of a wide range of heating/cooling problems.  The proposed research has a broad range of fundamental and practical goals, all of which will be explored by graduate students at the MESc and PhD levels under the supervision of the applicant.  Further, the blend of fundamental and practical objectives enables students to gain experience in an exciting, emerging industry.  Exploration into graphite foams and their application may have an enormous impact in the automotive, electronics and energy production industries, since even modest enhancements can have a significant impact on the size or effectiveness of a heat sink or heat exchanger.