14 MOMENTUM • VIRGINIA TECH MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
temperature window for boiling will result in better heat transfer compared to using a liquid alone .
“ It is much harder to levitate the ice than it was to levitate the water droplet ,” said Boreyko . “ Heat transfer plummets as soon as levitation begins , because when liquid levitates , it doesn ’ t boil anymore . It ’ s floating over the surface rather than touching , and touching is what causes it to boil the heat away . So , for heat transfer , levitation is terrible . Boiling is incredible .”
Using ice for heat transfer
As the team explored possibilities for practical application , they looked to their existing work . Since Edalatpour had extensive research in heat transfer , that topic became a logical fit .
Heat transfer comes most into play for cooling off things like computer servers or car engines . It requires a substance or mechanism that can move energy away from a hot surface , redistributing heat quickly to reduce the wear and tear on metal parts . In nuclear power plants , the application of ice to induce rapid cooling could become an easily-deployed emergency measure if power fails , or a regular practice for servicing power plant parts .
There are also potential applications for metallurgy . To produce alloys , it is necessary to quench the heat from metals that have been shaped in a narrow window of time , making the metal stronger and less brittle . If ice were applied , it would allow heat to be offloaded rapidly through the three water phases , quickly cooling the metal .
Boreyko also foresees a potential for applications in firefighting .
“ You could imagine having a specially made hose that is spraying ice chips as opposed to a jet of water ,” he said . “ This is not science fiction . I visited an aerospace company that has an icing tunnel and they already have this technology where a nozzle sprays out ice particles as opposed to water droplets .”
With myriad possibilities , Boreyko and Edalatpour are excited about the new contribution that has come to the science world . Looking back over the past five years , they still credit this exciting development to their shared spark of curiosity and the drive to be creative in research .