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2018 Abstracts

Jet Impingement on Superhydrophobic Surfaces: Effect of Post Microstructure on Heat Transfer

Dewey Potts, Brigham Young University

Liquid jet impingement is an excellent solution for many thermal management challenges (e.g. cooling of advanced microelectronic devices) because of its high heat transfer rates. Superhydrophobic surfaces, with micrometer scale posts, have desirable self-cleaning and anti-fouling properties and their use has been proposed in these applications; however, superhydrophobic surfaces also decrease heat transfer rates. The relationship between superhydrophobic surface post microstructure and heat transfer rate in liquid impinging jets has not yet been explored. To better understand this relationship, experiments are conducted with varying pitch, the distance between posts, and varying cavity fraction, the area not covered by the posts divided by the total area. This empirical data is then utilized to develop models, which will predict heat transfer based on pitch and cavity fraction. Designers of thermal management systems may then install post patterned superhydrophobic surfaces in thermal management devices to utilize their desirable properties and may maximize heat transfer rates by selecting the optimal pitch and cavity fraction.