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This investigation conducts pool boiling experiments under saturated conditions (Tsat = 60 °C) using nanofluids as the coolants. Three different nanofluids were tested including zinc oxide (ZnO)-water, aluminum oxide (Al2O3)-water and aluminum oxide (Al2O3)-water+ethylene glycol (ethylene glycol solution). At saturation (Tsat = 60°C), the pool boiling performance of the two pure water based nanofluids were similar. The maximum CHF enhancement as compared to the predicted Zuber’s [1] CHF evaluated at an equivalent saturation temperature is ∼180% for Al2O3-water nanofluids and ∼240% for ZnO-water nanofluids. In both cases, no degradation in the boiling heat transfer rate was observed for lower nanoparticle concentrations. However, higher nanoparticle concentrations demonstrate nucleate boiling heat transfer degradation at high heat fluxes. The dispersion of Al2O3 nanoparticles in various ethylene glycol solutions is also found to enhance CHF by as much as ∼130%. A significant difference in the diameter of individual grains/particles (27 ± 16.3 nm) and the volume weighted average diameter of particles in solution (155 ± 80 nm) indicates that the Al2O3-water nanofluids consist primarily of nanoparticle agglomerates. Gravimetric fractionation of the nanofluid produced nanofluids with particle/particle aggregate average diameters that ranged from 69–346 nm. Over the size range tested, there was no significant CHF dependence on the average particle diameter.

This study characterizes the pool boiling performance of HFO-1234yf (hydrofluoroolefin 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene). HFO-1234yf is a new, environmentally friendly refrigerant likely to replace HFC-134a in automotive air-conditioning systems. Pool boiling experiments were conducted at system pressures ranging from 0.7 to 1.7 MPa using horizontally oriented 1-cm^ heated surfaces. Test results for pure (oil-free) HFO-1234yf and HFC-I34a were compared. The results showed that the boiling heat transfer coefficients of HFO-1234yf and HFC-134a were nearly identical at lower heat fluxes. HFO-1234yf yielded lower heat transfer coefficients at higher heat fluxes and lower critical heat flux (CHF) values as compared with HFC-134a. To enhance boiling heat transfer, a copper microporous coating was applied to the test suifaces. The coating enhanced both the boiling heat transfer coefficients and CHF for both refrigerants at all tested pressures. Increasing pressure decreased the level of heat transfer coefficient enhancements and increased the level of CHF enhancements. The experimental data were then used to develop a correlation for predicting the CHF for a smooth/plain heated surface.

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Thermal management for electric machines (motors/generators) is important as the automotive industry continues to transition to more electrically dominant vehicle propulsion systems. Cooling of the electric machine(s) in some electric vehicle traction drive applications is accomplished by impinging automatic transmission fluid (ATF) jets onto the machine’s copper windings. In this study, we provide the results of experiments characterizing the thermal performance of ATF jets on surfaces representative of windings, using Ford’s Mercon LV ATF. Experiments were carried out at various ATF temperatures and jet velocities to quantify the influence of these parameters on heat transfer coefficients. Fluid temperatures were varied from 50°C to 90°C to encompass potential operating temperatures within an automotive transaxle environment. The jet nozzle velocities were varied from 0.5 to 10 m/s. The experimental ATF heat transfer coefficient results provided in this report are a useful resource for understanding factors that influence the performance of ATF-based cooling systems for electric machines.

Fundamental research and development of ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) semiconductor devices are under way to realize next-generation power conversion and wireless communication systems. Devices based on aluminum gallium nitride (AlxGa1−xN, x is the Al composition), β-phase gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3), and diamond give promise to the development of power switching devices and radio frequency power amplifiers with higher performance and efficiency than commercial wide bandgap semiconductor devices based on gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC). However, one of the most critical challenges for the successful deployment of UWBG device technologies is to overcome adverse thermal effects that impact the device performance and reliability. Overheating of UWBG devices originates from the projected high power density operation and poor intrinsic thermal properties of AlxGa1−xN and β-Ga2O3. This Perspective delineates the need and process for the “electro-thermal co-design” of laterally configured UWBG electronic devices and provides a comprehensive review of current state-of-the-art thermal characterization methods, device thermal modeling practices, and both device- and package-level thermal management solutions.