DROPLET SIZE CHARACTERIZATION FOR MIST FLOW IN A SINGLE-SIDE HEATED VERTICAL SQUARE DUCT

Abstract

Cooling with mist flow can achieve higher heat transfer rates to meet the cooling requirements in recent industry applications. The mist flow was produced by introducing the dispersed water droplets in the air stream, and was used for cooling a heated surface in a vertical square duct with the hydraulic diameter of 4 cm. Digital image analysis method was developed to obtain the size of the droplets ranging from 20 to 110 mu m. The digital images were segmented using the optimal threshold gray level for droplets sizing. Droplet size variation subjected to a single-side heated wall with constant heat flux was investigated. Infrared thermography was applied to obtain the surface temperature distribution during the cooling test. The air-water mist flow gave much lower surface temperature compared to the air cooling, and the mean droplet diameter decreased as it flowed over the heated surface.