Experimental Investigation of Pool BHT Performance of R-141b on Micro/Nano-Porous Copper Coating Prepared by a Two-stage Electrodeposition Method

Abstract

Pool boiling heat transfer (BHT) of R-141b on porous Cu coated heating surface was experimentally studied. Porous Cu coating was fabricated on a plain Cu heating surface through a two-stage electrodeposition method. Surface characterization of Cu coating confirmed the successful synthesis of micro/nano-porous Cu coating. Experimental results showed that the Cu coated heating surface introduced a significant enhancement in heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and a great reduction in wall superheat compared to the plain Cu surface. The maximum enhancement in HTC for the Cu coated heating surface was approximately 53% compared to the uncoated heating surface. This is believed to have resulted from the increase in active surface area, nucleation site density and cavitation activity owing to the microporous structure of Cu coating. Obtained results showed that the microporous Cu coated heating surface could be employed in modern heat transfer applications.