Flow Boiling Characterization with Stereo- and Tomographic PIV
We are actively studying boiling heat transfer and the impact of liquid-phase turbulence on vapor-bubble formation, size, and re-condensation into the subcooled flow. Our past work in this area involved the study of two-phase jet impingement (shown in the above video), which is an state-of-the-art cooling technology of interest for high-powered electronics. We used advanced visualization-based measurements (high-speed stereoscopic and tomographic PIV) to quantify the flow field modifications caused by boiling. We found that the vapor bubbles could overwhelm the momentum from the impinging liquid jet at high void fractions. Vapor motion was also found to cause the formation of coherent flow structures in the surrounding liquid (shown below). These results will be used to design more-effective jet impingement cooling devices.
