Two-Phase Flow
Evaporation and condensation are important heat transfer processes in many energy systems. Improving the effectiveness of evaporation and condensation can ultimately reduce the size and improve the efficiency of our thermal equipment. The tabs below give an brief overview of some of our research in the area of two-phase flow.
Flow boiling is an effective method for cooling high heat flux devices. Our lab is working to better understand and model the behavior of two-phase annular flows, and particularly the transition to the boiling crisis that severely limits heat transfer. Some of our main findings are described in our recently published work:
In some of our current work, we are evaluating how flow obstructions impact dryout behavior. A sample video is above. To see more cool videos we have captured over the years, check out our archive!
Direct contact condensation is the process of directly injecting a higher pressure vapor into a cooler liquid. When the vapor jet condenses, it transfers the heat of vaporization to the liquid. Direct contact condensers can make very efficient heat exchangers, but instabilities in the vapor jet can make them very noisy. The goal of our work is to understand the acoustics of direct contact condensation and how to design these devices to make them quieter. Some of our main findings are described in our recently published work:
More details to come!