Heat Transfer Characteristics of Single Droplet Cooling Using a Microscale Heater Array

Heat transfer by phase change is an attractive method of cooling since large amounts of heat can be removed with relatively small temperature differences. Droplet cooling is one method whereby very high heat transfer rates coupled with good temperature uniformity across surfaces can be provided, which is important in microelectronics where even small temperature gradients across the chip can cause component failure. In this study, time and space resolved heat transfer characteristics for a single droplet striking a heated surface were experimentally investigated. The local wall heat flux and temperature measurements were provided by a novel experimental technique in which 96 individually controlled heaters were used to map the heat transfer coefficient contour on the surface. Significant time and space resolved variations in wall heat fluxes were exhibited during boiling and evaporation. The droplet behavior with wall interaction was simultaneously viewed using a high-speed digital video camera. Local heat transfer measurements can provide much needed information regarding the relevant wall heat transfer mechanisms by pinpointing when and where large amounts of heat are removed. This study should result in benchmark data against which numerical calculations can be compared.