Effects of inclination angle of a heated plate on natural-convection heat transfer enhancement by millimeter bubbles

Abstract

This paper presents the temperature and velocity measurements to clarify effects of inclination angle of a heated plate φ on natural-convection heat transfer enhancement by millimeter bubbles. In the range 0≤φ≤30˚, the heat transfer coefficient with bubble injection is much higher than that without injection, and the ratio of the heat transfer coefficient with bubble injection to that without injection (heat transfer coefficient ratio) ranges from 3.0 to 5.0. This is due to enhancement of both the transport of the warm liquid toward the downstream region and the mixing of warm liquid and cool liquid. The former results from the bubble-induced liquid entrainment, and the latter is mainly due to the increase in the liquid velocity fluctuation induced by a combination of the bubble motion and the vortex shedding from the bubble interface. Moreover, the significant bubble-induced liquid entrainment and the unsteady vortex occur near the heated wall at higher inclination angle of the heated plate. Hence, the heat transfer coefficient ratio increases with increasing inclination angle of the heated plate.