Pool Boiling Performance on Cu-TiO₂ Nanoparticle-Coated Copper Surfaces Prepared Through Hybrid Method

Abstract

In large-scale, high-heat industrial applications, surfaces obtained using efficient and cost-effective methods are highly desirable. In this paper, the surfaces are modified through two-step processes, i.e., a chemical etching process to grow CuO thin film on bare copper (Cu) surfaces, and then a Cu-TiO₂ composite nanoparticle is deposited over the CuO thin-film copper surface through electrochemical deposition. The experiment is conducted on both the prepared surfaces and the bare Cu surface using deionized water as a boiling fluid. Results reveal that the prepared surfaces exhibit better pool boiling performance than the bare Cu surface due to improved properties like porosity and roughness. The critical heat flux and boiling heat transfer coefficient are found to have 61 and 72% enhancement, respectively, compared to bare copper surfaces. Bubble behavior during boiling is also captured and analyzed for all surfaces through a high-speed camera.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge NIT Arunachal Pradesh to carry out our experimental work and the Central Instrumentation Centre (CIC), Tripura University for characterization.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pulak Sen

Pulak Sen is a doctoral student at the National Institute of Technology, Agartala, India. He did his M. Tech. in thermal engineering from the same institute. He received a B.Tech. degree in mechanical engineering from the Tripura Institute of Technology, Agartala, India. He is currently engaged in the cooling of high-heat-flow electronic devices through micro- and nanostructured surfaces.

Ajoy Kumar Das

Ajoy Kumar Das is a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the National Institute of Technology, Agartala, India. He received his B.E. from the National Institute of Technology Surathkal, his M. Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, and his Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. He has authored more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. His research interests include CFD, microheat transfer, and thermal science.

Dipak Sen

Dipak Sen is an Associate Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh, India. He received a Ph.D. in engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Agartala. He obtained his M. Tech. in Thermal Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Silchar. He has research interests in the areas of computational heat transfer, phase change heat transfers, solar energy, and alternative fuels. He is the author of more than 20 journal and conference papers.

Sanjib Kalita

Sanjib Kalita is a doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NIT Arunachal Pradesh. He completed his Master of Technology from NIT Arunachal Pradesh with a specialization in mechanical design and innovation technology. He graduated with a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from Tezpur University, Assam. His research area is mainly boiling heat transfer and two-phase flow.

Biresh Shil

Biresh Shil is a doctoral student at the National Institute of Technology, Agartala, India. He did his M. Tech. in thermal engineering from the same institute. He received a B. Tech. degree in mechanical engineering from the Tripura Institute of Technology, Agartala, India. He is currently engaged in pool-boiling heat transfer.

Sudev Das

Sudev Das is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, India. He received his Ph.D. in Heat Transfer Engineering from the National Institute of Technology Agartala in 2016. He obtained his M. Tech. in Chemical Engineering from USCT, GGSIPU, Delhi, 2006, and his B.E. degree in Chemical Engineering from AEC, Guwahati University, Assam, 2003. He has research interests in the areas of micro- and nanoscale phase change heat transfer, boiling and condensation, solar thermal energy storage, and application. He is the author of more than 20 journal and conference papers.