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NANO-TEXTURED SURFACES COVERED WITH SUPERSONICALLY-BLOWN POLYMER AND METAL-PLATED NANOFIBERS HOLD GREAT PROMISE OF DURABLE INEXPENSIVE HEAT-REMOVAL ENHANCERS IN POOL BOILING. IN THE PRESENT PROPOSAL SUCH COATINGS WILL BE STUDIED EXPERIMENTALLY UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF POOL BOILING ON (I) HOT SURFACE AT REST IN CONTACT WITH COOLANT POOL ON (II) HOT SURFACES UNDER THE FLOW THROUGH CONDITIONS AND ON (III) SELF-PROPELLING SURFACES. ITEMS (I) AND (II) ARE A PART OF THE BOILING ON THERMAL PLATFORM SCIENCE-ENGINEERING REQUIREMENTS ADOPTED BY THE ESA SCIENCE TEAM WHICH INCLUDES THE PI. ON THE OTHER HAND ITEM (III) IS A TOTALLY NEW CONCEPT AIMED AT MOTION OF SUSPENDED HIGH-POWER HEATERS SUBMERGED IN A COOLANT POOL DUE TO THE RECOIL FORCE OF VAPOR BUBBLES NUCLEATING AND DETACHING FROM THEIR SURFACES. SUCH SELF-PROPELLING HEATERS WILL BE EXPLORED AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR BUBBLE REMOVAL UNDER MICROGRAVITY CONDITIONS. IN PARTICULAR IN THE PRESENT PROJECT IN THE CASE OF A SINGLE SUBMERGED HEATER ONE SIDE OF IT WILL BE COVERED BY SUPERSONICALLY-BLOWN 50 NM NANOFIBERS TO FACILITATE ASYMMETRIC BUBBLE NUCLEATION AND DETACHMENT ON THAT SIDE WHICH CREATES THRUST FORCE (A BUBBLE RECOIL FORCE) ACTING ON THE HEATER. IF IT IS SUSPENDED THE HEATER STARTS MOVING WHICH RESULTS IN THE BUBBLE-CURTAIN SHEDDING AND DELAYS REACHING THE CRITICAL HEAT FLUX. SANDWICHED SUSPENDED HEATERS CAN BE POWERED ALTERNATIVELY RESULTING IN A SWING-LIKE MOTION WHICH WILL BE EXPLORED AS WELL. THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THEPI STRONGLY SUPPORT THIS MECHANISM. THIS APPROACH IS EXPECTED TO DRAMATICALLY FACILITATE POOL BOILING COOLING OF HIGH-POWER MICROELECTRONIC CHIPS UNDER MICROGRAVITY CONDITIONS AND CAN BE EXPLORED IN GROUND EXPERIMENTS PLANNED IN THE PRESENT PROJECT IN REGARDS OF ITEM (III).

$320,000FY2017National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA

University Of Illinois

Investigators

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