Dielectrophoretically enhanced microchannel evaporator with a diverging electric field

In this study, the effects of dielectrophoretic (DEP) force on forced convection boiling were experimentally investigated. A diverging electrode was designed and fabricated such that the DEP force acted on the bubbles generated by boiling in the flow direction. A microchannel evaporator combined with a diverging electrode was incorporated into a fluid loop, and its thermal performance was evaluated by varying the applied electric field, mass flux, and heat flux. The results demonstrate that the temperature of the evaporator decreased with the application of an electric field. This effect increased with the electric field and as the mass flux decreased. From the results of the electric fluid simulation with a single bubble placed in the diverging electrode, the ratio of the DEP force to the drag force acting on a single bubble increased as the electric field increased and the mass flux decreased. Therefore, the conditions under which the DEP force ratio increases coincide with those under which the difference in the reduced temperature increased.