Experimental study on critical heat flux and performance evaluation of spray cooling

Spray cooling has garnered considerable attention due to its high heat transfer rate. In this study, we have developed a spray cooling system and examined the heat transfer characteristics. Specifically, the relationship between critical heat flux (CHF) and spray power consumption (SPC) is investigated. The results demonstrate that reducing the spray height and increasing the spray pressure can lead to an augmentation in the CHF. The maximum CHF achieved is 726.46 W/cm2 at a spray pressure of 0.5 MPa and a height of 30 mm. Increasing the spray pressure or decreasing the spray height enhances the spray cooling efficiency; however, SPC is directly proportional to the spray pressure and inversely proportional to the spray height. The performance evaluation criterion (PEC), which integrates both heat transfer and SPC, is introduced in this study. The findings reveal that when the spray height is 45 mm, an optimal spray pressure of 0.3 MPa yields the maximum PEC value. These results provide valuable insights for the construction of efficient spray cooling systems.