Pressure drop correlation for subcooled flow boiling in micro-channel heat sink

This study experimentally explores the subcooled flow boiling pressure drop of FC-72 in a multiple parallel rectangular micro-channel heat sink with a channel hydraulic diameter of 666 µm (width 400 µm and height 2000 µm). Detailed experimental procedures and data reduction methodology are presented. The study analyzes and reports the impact of inlet subcooling on the total pressure drop during subcooled flow boiling of FC-72 in rectangular micro-channels heat sink. Additionally, a consolidated subcooled flow boiling pressure drop database is created by incorporating the additional data points assimilated from the study of Lee and Mudawar (2008), which used HFE-7100 as the coolant fluid. The consolidated database is methodically reviewed and evaluated using the seminal pressure drop correlations described in the literature for pressure drop during subcooled flow boiling. For the micro-channels heat sink adopted in this study, existing subcooled flow boiling pressure drop correlations fail to predict the consolidated database. Based on the consolidated pressure drop data points, a new subcooled flow boiling pressure drop correlation for the rectangular micro-channels heat sink is suggested. The new pressure drop correlation well predicts the consolidated subcooled flow boiling pressure drop database with a mean absolute error of 16.6% and 86.3% of data points predicted inside ±30%.