Experimental Investigation of Flow Boiling Heat Transfer in an Annular Minichannel with ZnO-, ZnO/PMHS-, and Al2O3-Modified Heated Surfaces

Subcooled flow boiling of distilled water was investigated in a vertical annular minichannel with smooth and surface-modified heated tubes. Copper and stainless-steel substrates were tested with ZnO and ZnO/PMHS coatings; Al2O3 was additionally tested on stainless steel. A simplified one-dimensional cylindrical model provided local effective heat transfer coefficients, and modified surfaces were compared pointwise with smooth references at matched operating conditions and axial positions. A modification was considered favourable only when the heat transfer coefficient increased without an increase in wall temperature. ZnO on stainless steel was the only modification meeting this criterion at both nominal mass flow rates: the mean pointwise coefficient increased by 44.2% at 7 kg/h and 42.9% at 10 kg/h, while mean wall temperature decreased by 36.9 and 32.8 K, respectively. Al2O3 and ZnO/PMHS on stainless steel reduced the coefficient and increased wall temperature, whereas copper modifications showed no robust improvement relative to the designated references. A separate model-sensitivity assessment did not alter the qualitative ranking. ZnO-modified stainless steel was therefore the best-performing configuration within the tested matrix; no broader superiority is claimed beyond the present geometry, fluid, flow rates, and heat-flux range.