Coating compositions are provided that eject droplets of condensed fluid from a surface. The coatings include a nanostructured coating layer and in some embodiments, also include a hydrophobic layer deposited thereon. The coating materials eject droplets from the surface in the presence of non-condensing gases such as air and may be deployed under conditions of supersaturation of the condensed fluid to be ejected. A heat exchanger design utilizing the coating is described herein.

A heat exchanger includes a fin, the fin including a metal base and a porous anodized layer formed on the metal base. A surface of the porous anodized layer has a submicron-order uneven structure, the uneven structure including a plurality of recessed portions whose two-dimensional size viewed in a normal direction of the surface is more than 100 nm and less than 500 nm.

A device and related method that provides a two-phase heat transfer device with a combination of enhanced evaporation and increase cooling capacity. A recess topology is used to increase suction of working fluid toward a heat source. A non-wetting coating or structure may be used to keep working fluid away from the spaces between elongated members of an evaporator and a wetting coating or structure may be used to form thin films of working fluid around the distal regions of elongated members. The devices and method described herein may be used to cool computer chips, the skin of a hypersonic flying object, a parabolic solar collector, a turbine engine blade, or other heat sources that require high heat flux.

A heat exchanger includes a heat transfer tube. The heat transfer tube includes a first tube portion, and a plurality of second tube portions connected in parallel with each other with respect to the first tube portion. The first tube portion has a first inner circumferential surface, and a plurality of first grooves recessed relative to the first inner circumferential surface and arranged side by side in a circumferential direction of the heat transfer tube. The plurality of second tube portions each have a second inner circumferential surface, and a plurality of second grooves recessed relative to the second inner circumferential surface and arranged side by side in the circumferential direction. The plurality of first grooves are less than the plurality of second grooves in at least one of a number of grooves, a depth of each groove, and a lead angle of each groove.

A hydrophilic coating for use with a heat exchanger includes an insolubilizer configured to provide structure or support for the hydrophilic coating. The hydrophilic coating further includes a wetting agent configured to provide wettability for the hydrophilic coating. The hydrophilic coating further includes an antibacterial agent configured to eliminate at least a portion of bacteria that contacts the hydrophilic coating. The hydrophilic coating further includes an antifungal agent configured to eliminate at least a portion of fungi that contacts the hydrophilic coating, the antifungal agent being different than the antibacterial agent and the insolubilizer.

Flow paths and boundary layer restart features are provided. For example, a flow path comprises a flow path wall defining an inner flow path surface and an asymmetric notch defined in the flow path wall. The asymmetric notch comprises a first surface and a second surface and is asymmetric about a first line extending through an intersection of the first and second surfaces. Further, a flow boundary layer restart feature comprises a first surface extending inward with respect to a flow path surface of a flow path and a second surface extending inward with respect to the flow path surface. The second surface is asymmetric with respect to the first surface such that the first and second surfaces define an asymmetric notch. Additionally, a flow path wall may comprise an asymmetric notch that includes a flow expansion angle and a flow contraction angle that are unequal.

A heat exchanger member, a heat exchanger, a heat exchanger, and a cooling system that are highly efficient are realized by providing, to a surface of a metal in contact with a refrigerant, of a heat exchanger used for a cooling unit and a heat dissipation unit, characteristics not found in the metal itself with a coating film excelling in thermal conductivity and excelling in wettability with the refrigerant.

A heat exchanger member made of metal having a surface that comes into contact with a refrigerant when a heat exchanger is operated includes a metal oxide film provided on the surface, having protrusions, and containing crystalline carbon. An average spacing between apexes of the protrusions is greater than or equal to 20 nm and less than or equal to 80 nm, an average value of the heights of the apexes of adjacent protrusions is greater than or equal to 10 nm and less than or equal to 70 nm, and an aspect ratio which is a value obtained by dividing the average height by the average spacing is less than one.

The invention relates to a mechanical vapour compression (MVC) desalination arrangement having a low compression ratio, with latent-heat exchangers having a high latent-heat exchange coefficient, with a temperature gradient between primary vapour and secondary vapour of approximately 1° C. or less, a compression ratio of 1.11 or less, high vapour volume, low overheating and a low-temperature saline solution to be desalinated, which arrangement allows industrial desalination with less specific energy per unit of desalinated water and is coupled to 100% renewable off-grid energy sources.

A heat exchanger apparatus includes a tube having a wall with an inner surface and an outer surface. The tube is configured to receive heat exchange fluid at one end, and output, when heated through the wall, vapor of the heat exchange fluid at the opposing end. A first layer of thermally conductive porous material is disposed on the inner surface of the tube. Heating equipment, a heat exchanger, and a method of heating are also disclosed.

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system may comprise an evaporator core including an upstream inlet face in which humid air is received, a downstream outlet face from which dehumidified air is discharged, and a plurality of air-contacting surfaces extending between the inlet and outlet faces. In one form, an antimicrobial coating may be formed on the air-contacting surfaces of the evaporator core. The antimicrobial coating may comprise an ionic material having immobilized ionic groups of one type of charge and mobile counterions of another type of charge. The mobile counterions may be ionically associated with the immobilized ionic groups. In another form, an ultraviolet light emitting diode (UV-LED) may be used to direct UV light onto the air-contacting surfaces of the evaporator core.