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Microscale Investigation Of Thermo-Fluid Transport In The Transition Fil, Region Of An Evaporating Capillary Meniscus Using A Microgravity Environment, Kenneth D. Kihm, Jeffrey S. Allen, Kevin P. Hallinan, David M. Pratt

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In order to enhance the fundamental understanding of thin film evaporation and thereby improve the critical design concept for two-phase heat transfer devices, microscale heat and mass transport is to be investigated for the transition film region using state-of-the-art optical diagnostic techniques. By utilizing a microgravity environment, the length scales of the transition film region can be extended sufficiently, from submicron to micron, to probe and measure the microscale transport fields which are affected by intermolecular forces. Extension of the thin film dimensions under microgravity will be achieved by using a conical evaporator made of a thin silicon substrate under …