Self-Pumping Boiling
Bubble expansion is used as part of the driving force for liquid replenishment at the heated surface.
Boiling cooling requires two things at the same time: vapor must leave the heated surface, while fresh liquid must continue to arrive. At high heat flux, these opposing motions interfere with each other and can lead to dryout and the critical heat flux limit.
In self-pumping boiling, bubble growth is not treated only as a source of flow resistance. The expansion of the vapor is used to help drive liquid replenishment.
Research focus
- Liquid replenishment driven by bubble expansion
- Separate paths for vapor removal and liquid supply
- High heat transfer through thin-film evaporation
- Low-pressure, downward-facing, and 3D-package applications
Basic mechanism
A porous layer is combined with radially expanding channels. Vapor is guided toward the expanding channels, while liquid reaches the heated surface through the porous medium. Transient pressure differences generated during bubble growth and expansion assist this liquid supply.
Separating the vapor and liquid paths reduces the counter-current interference that limits conventional pool boiling.
Using thin-film evaporation
Continuous replenishment maintains a thin liquid film between the heated surface and growing bubbles. Evaporation from this thin film provides a low thermal resistance path and contributes strongly to heat transfer.
Current work
We are now examining how long liquid supply can be sustained at high heat flux, and how the mechanism behaves at low pressure and with downward-facing heating surfaces. Side porous supply and wettability control are also being studied to improve replenishment stability.
The same concept may be useful beyond data-center cooling, including 3D-packaged electronics and thermal systems where gravity direction is restricted.
Selected related work
- Shaobo Yang, Sihui Hong, Chaobin Dang, “Self-pumping boiling mechanism bridging passive and active cooling performance,” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer (2026).
- Chaobin Dang, Shaobo Yang, Sihui Hong, Yu Chen, “Development of novel self-suction boiling heat exchanger,” TFESC (2023).
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