The evaporation, profile, and position of a thin liquid film and meniscus formed in microscale spaces with periodic nanorelief on the wall are investigated. The geometries of interest are capillary tubes and planar channels of micronscale. The effects of substrate nanorelief are theoretically investigated, and the coupling mechanisms of flow and heat transfer are analyzed. The thicknesses of thin liquid film on substrates are measured by an interferometer of relative laser intensity. The results demonstrate that the nanoscale roughness of the surfaces influences the heat transfer, liquid film formation, and dry-out region essentially by affecting the adsorptive potential. The measured thicknesses of the thin liquid film agree well with the analytical values.
Enhanced Heat Transfer
Volume 9, 2002 - Issue 3-4