Experimental Study on Steam Condensation in Horizontal Microchannels

Abstract

Experiment was conducted to study steam condensation in horizontal microchannel etched on silicon wafer and bonded by a Pyrex glass plate from the top. The trapezoidal microchannel had a top width of 7943.11μm and depth of 81.77μm with hydraulic diameter of 161.49μm. The experiments were performed at different steam mass fluxes ranged from 128 kg m−2 s−1 to 320 kg m−2 s−1, while the inlet temperature of cooling water was fixed at 30°C or 50°C. Characteristics of condensation heat transfer and pressure drop in microchannels were measured and discussed. The temperature of Pyrex glass and local steam quality were also tested. It is found that the heat transfer flux, heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop depend greatly on steam mass flux and cooling water temperature.