microFLUX - Microchannel Fabrication for Large Upgraded eXchangers

热交换器被用于从空调、制冷和家用供暖到化学精炼和电力生产的一系列家庭和工业应用。沸腾液体的热交换器被称为两相热交换器，更常用于冷却应用。目前，这些热交换器对沸腾液体的效率非常低。要在100摄氏度下沸腾水，换热器的受热面必须达到120摄氏度，即使液体已经开始沸腾，这种低效仍然存在。微通道是这些低效的有趣的解决方案。微通道为气泡在表面形成提供了场所，并限制了它们的尺寸。这意味着，一旦气泡达到最大尺寸，它们就会被迫离开表面，新鲜、凉爽的液体就会充满空间。这种更快的液体补充速度使表面得到更有效的冷却。微通道不容易创建，因为用于创建微通道的技术需要开放和平坦的表面，并且可能非常耗时。它们也可能在制造过程中损坏，这意味着它们不能用于预制。这使得它们不适用于商业用途。微FLUX是牛津纳米系统公司目前正在研究的一项技术，作为提高这些热交换器效率的一种方法。MicroFLUX是一种允许将仅几百微米宽的通道切割到热交换器内表面的技术。这克服了与微通道相关的问题，并可能使它们成为热交换器行业的真正解决方案。MicroFLUX技术的结果将是更高效的热交换器，它们更小，在结构上使用更少的材料，并且运行时消耗更少的电力，从而减少它们的碳足迹。随着全球气温上升，我们用于制冷的能源预计会增加。MicroFLUX有可能将这一新需求的影响降至最低。“

"Heat exchangers are used in a range of domestic and industrial applications from Air Conditioning, refrigeration and domestic heating, to chemical refinement and electricity production. Heat exchangers that boil a liquid are called two phase heat exchangers and are more commonly used in cooling applications. Currently, these heat exchangers are very inefficient at boiling fluids. To boil water at 100oC the heating surface of the exchanger has to reach 120oC and this inefficiency continues even when the liquid has started to boil.Microchannels are an interesting solution to these inefficiencies. Microchannels provide sites for bubbles to form on a surface and limit their size. This means that once the bubbles reach their maximum size they are forced off the surface and fresh, cool liquid fills the space. This increased rate of fluid replenishment allows the surface to be cooled more efficiently. Microchannels are not easily created as the techniques used to create them require open and flat surfaces and can be very time consuming. They can also be damaged in manufacturing which means they cannot be applied prefabrication. This makes them impractical for commercial use.microFLUX is a technology currently being investigated by Oxford nanoSystems as a method for improving the efficiency of these heat exchangers. microFLUX is a technique which allows channels, only a few hundred microns wide, to be cut into the internal surface of the heat exchanger. This overcomes the issues associated with microchannels and could allow them to be a real solution to the heat exchanger industry.The outcome of the microFLUX technology will be more efficient heat exchangers which are smaller, using less material in their construction, and consume less power to operate, reducing their carbon footprint. As global temperatures rise the amount of energy we use on cooling is expected to increase. microFLUX has the potential to minimise the impact this new demand will have."