Physicochernical mechanics of surfactant-enhanced boiling heat transfer

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2017.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Cho, Han-Jae Jeremy
Other Authors: Evelyn N. Wang.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/110890
_version_ 1811086182411403264
author Cho, Han-Jae Jeremy
author2 Evelyn N. Wang.
author_facet Evelyn N. Wang.
Cho, Han-Jae Jeremy
author_sort Cho, Han-Jae Jeremy
collection MIT
description Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2017.
first_indexed 2024-09-23T13:22:06Z
format Thesis
id mit-1721.1/110890
institution Massachusetts Institute of Technology
language eng
last_indexed 2024-09-23T13:22:06Z
publishDate 2017
publisher Massachusetts Institute of Technology
record_format dspace
spelling mit-1721.1/1108902019-04-12T09:14:29Z Physicochernical mechanics of surfactant-enhanced boiling heat transfer Cho, Han-Jae Jeremy Evelyn N. Wang. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering. Mechanical Engineering. Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2017. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 175-185). Boiling-employed in a variety of industrial and domestic processes such as in power stations, heating/cooling systems, and desalination plants-is involved with a major portion of the world's energy usage. Its substantial utility can be attributed to moving a large quantity of heat over small temperature differences. However, even these small temperature differences can have implications on energy efficiency, device lifetime, and performance. Surfactants, which are molecules that have hydrophobic and hydrophilic components, are known to enhance boiling by changing the way bubbles nucleate on the surface, grow, and depart from the surface. This thesis provides a mechanistic understanding of surfactant enhanced boiling from molecular and macroscopic perspectives with theory and experiments. First, a statistical mechanical model to predict equilibrium and dynamic surface tension from molecular parameters is introduced and experimentally verified. Then, models of bubble nucleation, growth, and departure are developed, taking into account the time-dependent nature of surfactant adsorption processes. From there, models are combined so as to predict the enhancement in boiling performance based primarily on molecular information of the surfactant. Pool boiling experiments conducted with a variety of surfactants have shown agreement with model predictions. With the framework presented in this thesis, large-head and long-tail surfactants were found to be desirable. However, suitable surfactants for specific needs can now be identified, which can aid in the further adoption of surfactants in practice. Finally, using insights gained about the importance of solid-liquid adsorption over liquid-vapor adsorption, a novel method of using electric fields to control surfactant adsorption wherein bubbles can be turned "on" and "off" is demonstrated. Furthermore, an ability to control boiling spatially in addition to temporally is shown. This active control of boiling can improve performance and flexibility in existing boiling technologies as well as enable emerging or unprecedented thermal applications. by Han-Jae Jeremy Cho. Ph. D. 2017-08-01T13:14:45Z 2017-08-01T13:14:45Z 2017 2017 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/110890 994209435 eng MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 185 pages application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Mechanical Engineering.
Cho, Han-Jae Jeremy
Physicochernical mechanics of surfactant-enhanced boiling heat transfer
title Physicochernical mechanics of surfactant-enhanced boiling heat transfer
title_full Physicochernical mechanics of surfactant-enhanced boiling heat transfer
title_fullStr Physicochernical mechanics of surfactant-enhanced boiling heat transfer
title_full_unstemmed Physicochernical mechanics of surfactant-enhanced boiling heat transfer
title_short Physicochernical mechanics of surfactant-enhanced boiling heat transfer
title_sort physicochernical mechanics of surfactant enhanced boiling heat transfer
topic Mechanical Engineering.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/110890
work_keys_str_mv AT chohanjaejeremy physicochernicalmechanicsofsurfactantenhancedboilingheattransfer