Application of laser treatment technology for boiling heat transfer augmentation

Boiling heat transfer can be enhanced when the heater’s surface morphology is altered. The paper discusses the use of the laser beam to produce efficient heat exchangers. Two types of samples were investigated with distilled water and ethyl alcohol as boiling agents. The specimens differed with the height of the microfins: 0.19 mm and 0.89 mm. It was observed that both of them enhanced boiling heat transfer in comparison to the smooth reference surface. However, the sample with higher microfins performed better, especially in the region of low temperature differences, where the heat flux was about three times higher than in the case of the smaller microfins. The comparison of the experimental data with selected models of boiling heat transfer revealed significant differences with regard to the heat flux. The laser-made samples dissipated larger heat fluxes than it could be anticipated according to the models. It might be linked with high surface roughness of the area between the microfins, generated as a result of the laser beam interaction with the surface.