A Simplified Model for the Study of Film-Boiling Droplet Motion on Microscale Ratchets

Abstract

In this work, we explore a simplified model based on both analytical and computational methods for the study of film-boiling droplet motion on microscale ratchets. We consider a specific ratchet design with the length periods and depth of ratchets much smaller than the size of the droplet. We conclude based on our modeling that for the ratchet configuration considered in this paper, the conduction within the vapor film is the dominant means of heat transfer in comparison with convection and radiation. Furthermore, we demonstrate a more manageable two-dimensional model in which analytical approaches coupled with computational approaches yield reasonably accurate results in comparison to the actual experiments.

Keywords

• Leidenfrost
• ratchet
• droplet
• computational fluid dynamics
• meshing
• vapor