Review of Microscale Heat Transfer

Abstract

A review of the literature in the area of microscale heat transfer is presented to provide a concise overview of the recent advances in this field of study. The review is divided into three major sections with each subdivided into subsections. The first section deals with the effects of size reductions in conduction heat transfer, and includes subsections on laser induced heating on the microscale and conduction in thin films. The second section addresses microscale forced convection and includes subsections on micro heat pipes, microscale boiling, and thin liquid films near the contact line. The final section examines the effects of small length scales on radiative heat transfer. The three major sections are followed by a summary that identifies, consolidates, and summarizes the most important advances in each of these three areas.