Better droplet condensation could boost power efficiency
Researchers at MIT have developed an innovative approach to improving heat transfer in power plants and cooling systems. The new system could provide a 100 percent improvement in the efficiency of heat transfer over conventional systems, the researchers say.Heat transfer by condensation is key to the operation of today’s power plants, where fossil fuels are used to boil water and the resulting steam drives turbines to generate electricity. The steam must then condense back to water, which is collected and sent back to the boiler to start the cycle again. The new system is an improvement of the condensers used to turn steam back into water. The same principle might also be used to improve condensers in desalination plants and in thermal-management systems. A copper pipe coated with the combination of oil and a hydrophobic material with local hydrophilic sites shows a dense concentration of droplet formation, and...