Experimental study of flow boiling characteristics of ethylene glycol/water mixtures in titanium narrow-gap microchannel under sub-atmospheric pressure

Wang Dahai; Yin Xianan; Zhao Chen; Gu Qiushi; Zhang Chaoyang

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Experimental study of flow boiling characteristics of ethylene glycol/water mixtures in titanium narrow-gap microchannel under sub-atmospheric pressure

Updated：2026-08-24

- Experimental study of flow boiling characteristics of ethylene glycol/water mixtures in titanium narrow-gap microchannel under sub-atmospheric pressure
- Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol. 94, Issue 6, Pages: 1-16(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  School of Carbon Neutrality Science and Engineering, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Hefei 230031, China
  School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
  Paris Elite Institute of Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- Author bio：
  
  Corresponding author. E-mail address: chaoyzhang@sjtu.edu.cn(C. Zhang)
- Funds：
- DOI：
  CLC：
- Received：28 September 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-12-28，
  
  Accepted：30 December 2025，
  
  Online First：28 January 2026，
  
  Published：2026-06
- Accepted：
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Wang Dahai, Yin Xianan, Zhao Chen, et al. Experimental study of flow boiling characteristics of ethylene glycol/water mixtures in titanium narrow-gap microchannel under sub-atmospheric pressure[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2026, 94(6): 1-16.
DOI：

Wang Dahai, Yin Xianan, Zhao Chen, et al. Experimental study of flow boiling characteristics of ethylene glycol/water mixtures in titanium narrow-gap microchannel under sub-atmospheric pressure[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2026, 94(6): 1-16. DOI：

摘要

Abstract

Narrow-gap channels offer strong heat transfer capability and structural stability

making them suitable for high-heat-flux cooling in compact systems. This study experimentally investigates the boiling performance of a titanium narrow-gap channel under sub-atmospheric pressure using an ethylene glycol-water mixture with a mass concentration of 55%. The effects of channel height

surface condition

mass flux

inlet subcooling

and saturation temperature were systematically examined

and bubbly flow

slug flow

and micro-bubble emission boiling were observed. Channel height strongly influenced boiling behavior: the 1.0 mm and 0.5 mm channels achieved significantly higher heat transfer coefficients than the 2.0 mm channel

while the 0.5 mm channel exhibited a much larger pressure drop

making the 1.0 mm channel the most practical configuration. Surface oxidation was identified as a major degradation factor

altering wettability

reducing nucleation-site activity

and causing periodic boiling crises that sharply reduced performance. Increasing mass flux improved the average heat transfer coefficient by enhancing convection and bubble removal

although the nucleate boiling enhancement factor decreased from 1.66 to 1.30 as nucleation became suppressed. Reducing the inlet subcooling from 30℃ to 20℃ promoted earlier boiling and more vigorous vapor generation

increasing the heat transfer coefficient by 65%. These results clarify how geometric

surface

and thermal-hydraulic parameters jointly control boiling in titanium narrow-gap channels and provide guidance for designing high-heat-flux cooling systems.

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Keywords

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