Active Conversion of Bubbly Flow into Slug and Annular Flow during Microchannel Flow Boiling Using Thin-Film Platinum Microheaters

This paper reports, for the first time, on the use of thin-film platinum microheaters to influence the flow boiling of DI water in microchannels with rapid low power heating pulses. A custom-designed control module allows microheaters to be actuated simultaneously and independently, enabling precise local control of flow regimes along an entire channel. In this study, bubbly flow was converted into a slug and annular flow. This pioneering technique promises a radical improvement in the heat transfer and performance of flow-boiling cooling devices by actively targeting flow conditions with high heat dissipation.