A Multi-Object Tracking (MOT) algorithm is introduced for analysing two-phase slug-plug flows through the simultaneous measurement of bubble velocity and infrared-based liquid temperature. Vapour bubbles are detected through the infrared intensity contrast arising from the distinct emissivity and transmissivity of the liquid and vapour phases, enabling robust dichotomic phase segmentation. The tracking procedure builds on a nearest-neighbour approach, augmented with a custom weighted function designed to ensure reliable bubble pairing across consecutive frames. The approach is demonstrated on a flexible polymeric flat Pulsating Heat Pipe (PHP) filled with FC-72 and tested under microgravity and hypergravity conditions during the 77th ESA Parabolic Flight Campaign. More than 5800 tracking events were processed, providing detailed velocity profile and liquid temperature trends in the adiabatic section, with a minimum detectable velocity of 4 mm/s within a range of +/- 200 mm/s. The method offers a quantitative characterization of slug-plug flow dynamics together with a combined velocity-temperature analysis under variable gravity, establishing a robust pathway for automated diagnostics of two-phase flow in thermographic experiments.

This paper presents the development and application of an optimization algorithm for determining the geometric parameters of an extruded Liquid Cold Plate (LCP) with internally finned channels. The entire workflow operates within a fully open-source environment, offering a comprehensive and accessible solution for optimizing LCP geometric parameters for efficient thermal management in railway power electronics as well as other industrial applications. In particular, the aim is to minimize the maximum temperature and the temperature gradient at the interface between the LCP and an electronic device for electric trains that dissipates heat. The algorithm explores a defined range of geometric parameters and automatically generates combinations and performs Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, using the open-source C++ toolbox OpenFOAM. Implemented in a bash script, the algorithm not only automates the simulation process but also provides a geometry of the LCP that is easy to manufacture and cost-effective. The correct value of parameters, such as the distance between the fins bottom surface and the channel base (gap), along with others, has shown a significant impact, leading to a reduction in both the maximum interface temperature (8K) and the temperature gradient (25K/m) within the system.

In this paper, a physics-informed neural network (PINN) technique is developed to study the heat and mass transfer for the process of vapour bubble growth in a superheated liquid domain and tested using three working fluids including water, R-134a and FC-72. The work represents a novel step in the development of PINNs for phase change scenarios where surface tension effects dominate, and acts as a necessary validation stage before PINN techniques can be applied to complex boiling analysis. Initially, a forward analysis was performed using water and R-134a as working fluids. For each of these investigations, the PINN algorithm was trained on 50 % of the available CFD data. The proposed algorithm was able to accurately infer velocity fields, particularly in the near-interfacial region. The resultant circulatory flow was found to maintain the desired circular shape of the growing bubbles. As a result, when predicting the evolution of a water vapour bubble, the developed PINN algorithm produced a reduction in peak error by 0.87 % compared to CFD reference data, and 3.42 % reduction in peak error for prediction of the evolution of the R-134a vapour bubble. To test and optimise the transfer learning capabilities of the developed methodology, the evolution of an FC-72 vapour bubble in superheated FC-72 was predicted without supplying supporting observational data. For this scenario, the PINN algorithm produced a peak error within 1.3 % of the unobserved CFD reference data. The proposed approach confirms the robustness of PINN methodologies as a method of solving phase-change problems where surface tension plays a pivotal, promising to expedite parametric studies in practice. This study represents a pioneering effort in the development of PINNs for phase change by applying the current algorithm to investigate bubble growth within superheated liquid domains, serving as a basis for the application of PINNs for boiling problems and as a benchmark for inverse training strategy.

To explore the complicated physics of boiling heat transfer, researchers are increasingly using numerical simulation methods like the Volume of Fluid (VOF) and the Diffuse Interface (DI) approaches. The VOF method, popular for macro-scale simulations (mu m to mm), effectively tracks the bubble growth and detachment. On the other hand, the DI method, which represents the interface as a continuous phase field, is mainly used for mesoscale simulations (nm to mu m). The DI method is precise in resolving microscopic interfacial phenomena, but is computationally expensive for larger domains. Based on the pros and cons of the VOF and DI methods, a multi-scale modeling approach that combines the strengths of both can be utilised in the future. To pursue the goal, an initial attempt is taken to check the scaling capability of VOF in lower spatial and temporal limits. Therefore, an enhanced customised VOF methodology that has been developed within the OpenFOAM tool-box is employed here for various bubble growth scenarios exploring its applicability at progressively lower temporal and spatial scales, scaling down traditional application scales with a factor of 10 and 100, aiming to identify the resulting accuracy. It is shown for the first time, that the enhanced VOF model can accurately and effectively simulate phase-change and boiling behaviour at sub-micron scales that have not been explored in the past.

The advancement of technology has led to a significant increase in thermal loads, thus presenting new challenges in heat dissipation. Traditional single-phase cooling systems are often inadequate to meet these demands. As a result, phase-change technologies utilizing boiling and condensation, which can achieve high heat transfer coefficients, have garnered considerable attention. To delve into the complex physics of boiling heat transfer, researchers are increasingly turning to numerical simulation methods such as the Volume of Fluid (VOF) and the Diffuse Interface (DI) approaches. The VOF method, widely employed for macro-scale simulations ranging from micrometers to millimeters, effectively tracks bubble growth and detachment. Conversely, the DI method represents the interface as a continuous phase field and is primarily used for mesoscale simulations spanning from nanometers to micrometers. While the DI method excels in resolving mesoscale interfacial phenomena, it is computationally expensive for larger domains. Considering the strengths and weaknesses of both the VOF and DI methods, there is a growing interest in developing a multi-scale modeling approach that amalgamates their benefits. To pursue this objective, initial efforts are being made to evaluate the scaling capability of VOF towards lower spatial and temporal limits. Hence, an enhanced and customized VOF methodology has been developed within the OpenFOAM toolbox. This methodology is employed to investigate various bubble growth scenarios, progressively exploring its applicability at lower temporal and spatial scales to identify the lower limits of its application. By taking this first step towards combining the strengths of both the VOF and DI methods through a multi-scale modeling approach, the presented paper paves the way for enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of modelling approaches for boiling heat transfer while tackling a challenge associated with varying spatial and temporal scales. This endeavor not only pushes the boundaries of computational fluid dynamics but also holds promise for addressing real-world thermal management issues in diverse technological applications.

In Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS), Loop Heat Pipes (LHPs) may act as thermal vectors connecting the bottom of the battery pack with the remote chiller of the EV’s HVAC system, whilst graphite sheets allow to achieve satisfactory temperature homogenization of the cell surface, containing the added system weight and thermally isolating one cell to the other. This design was developed aiming to improve on fast charge timings, all-electric range and to reduce costs and complexity. Preliminary studies revealed the potential of this innovative passive BTMS for providing better performance than an active BTMS using a liquid cold plate. Taking a further step in the direction of practical applications, the present work investigates how the proposed innovative BTMS performs in different ambient temperatures by showing the results of several fast charge and heating tests inside an environmental thermal chamber, with temperatures ranging between −20 and 50 °C. The results show that the considered LHP worked in all the tested conditions, and that the heating delay brought by the LHP during heating phase (i.e., final temperature 1.2 °C lower than without the LHP) was surpassed by the temperature reduction during the cooling phases (i.e., 3.2 °C temperature reduction at high temperatures).

Advancements in material development and fabrication techniques have led to the production of a new generation of electronic devices that are flexible, compact, small-scale, and lightweight. Effective thermal control management is crucial to ensure their performance, reliability, and durability. This paper proposes the fabrication of a polymeric pulsating heat pipe (PPHP) using a common stereolithography technology. The heat transfer performance of three PPHPs with different channel configurations was compared at heating powers ranging from 5 to 30 W and at a constant filling ratio of 50 %, using FC-72 as the working fluid due to its compatibility with the solid material. All three PPHPs have eight turns and length, width, and thickness of 185 mm, 85 mm, and 2 mm, respectively. All experiments were conducted for four thermal hysteresis cycles. The findings revealed that pressure and temperature distributions displayed similar patterns and fluctuations in response to heating power for all the PPHPs. Despite the simple technique and the use of a standard plastic material, the thermal resistance ranged from 2.5 to 1.7(degrees)C/W, i.e., the effective thermal conductivity was already more than one thousand times higher than the conductivity of a solid plastic sheet for a 30 W heat input. The non-uniform channel configurations in PPHPs offered the potential of better heat transfer performance, fluid distribution, and operational stability. The present overture investigation paves the way for a more extended development of plastic 3D printing technologies for prototyping flexible PHPs and for teaching purposes.

Flow boiling within conventional, mini and micro-scale channels is encountered in a wide range of engineering applications such as nuclear reactors, steam engines and cooling of electronic devices. Due to the high complexity and importance of the boiling process, several numerical and experimental investigations have been conducted for the better understanding of the underpinned physics and heat transfer characteristics. One of the most widely used numerical approaches that can analyse such phenomena is the Eulerian–Eulerian two-fluid method in conjunction with the RPI model. However, according to the current state-of-the-art methods this modelling approach heavily relies on empirical closure relationships derived for conventional channels, limiting its applicability to mini- and micro-scale channels. The present paper aims to give further insights into the applicability of this modelling approach for non-conventional channels. For this purpose, a numerical investigation utilising the Eulerian–Eulerian two-fluid model and the RPI wall heat flux partitioning model in OpenFOAM 8.0 is conducted. Initially the parameters comprising the empirical closure relationships used in the RPI sub-models are tuned against the DEBORA experiments on conventional channels, through an extensive sensitivity analysis. In the second part of the investigation, numerical simulations against flow boiling experiments within micro-channels are performed, utilising the previously optimised and validated model setup. Furthermore the importance of including a bubble coalescence and break-up sub-model to capture parameters such as the radial velocity profiles, is also illustrated. However, when the optimal model setup, in conventional tubes, is used against micro-channel experiments, the need to develop new correlations from data obtained from mini and micro-scale channel studies, not from experimental data on conventional channels, is revealed.

Microchannel heat sinks are pointed to have a great potential in cooling systems. This paper presents a systematic study to develop a microchannel heat sink to be used in cooling applications. Particular emphasis is given to PV panels cooling. A systematic experimental approach is used to optimize the heat sink geometry. Then the potential advantage of using flow boiling conditions is explored in both numerical and experimental approaches. The two-phase flow is characterized in two different sets of conditions. In the experimental approach, a constrained bubble flow was observed with a stable pattern and bubble frequency in the narrower channel. In the wider channel a bubbly flow was observed with increased bubble diameters. Numerical simulations were also performed in order to examine the first transient stages of the two-phase flow development close to the inlet of the considered microchannels assuming an initial arbitrary distribution of nucleation sites. For this purpose, a previously developed and validated numerical simulation framework was utilised. The proposed customized tool has been developed in the general context of OpenFOAM CFD Toolbox and it accounts for phase-change (boiling/condensation) as well as for Conjugate Heat Transfer between solid and two-phase flow domains. The numerical predictions reveal that the proposed tool is sensitive enough to capture the effects of channel aspect ratio, applied heat flux and applied mass flux on the generated transient bubble dynamics and the associated heat transfer characteristics and it can constitute an important tool for quantifying the underpinned complex physical mechanisms, providing further insight into the experimental observations and measurements.

Building from previous successful results from the Authors, a Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) based Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) is investigated over a range of different ambient temperatures (from 20°C to 50°C), using a state-of-the-art environmental chamber. LHPs act as thermal vector from the bottom of the battery pack to a remote chiller, while graphite sheets allow to achieve a satisfactory level of temperature homogenization of the cells surface, with low added weight. This design was developed aiming to improve on fast charge timings, all-electric range, reduce costs and complexity, and decrease maintenance requirements. Preliminary studies showed the potential of this innovative BTMS to give better performances than standard active counterparts. The aim of this work is to extend the investigation towards a practical application, by matching experimental results obtained in the environmental chamber with a validated numerical Lumped Parameter Model and extend the results database to different geometries and material/fluid configurations, to support the adoption of this technology by automotive manufactures. Results showed a successful validation campaign, with average temperature discrepancy between the experimental results and the numerical prediction of 0.4°C. Further simulations results demonstrated how the proposed BTMS performs efficiently at higher temperatures, limiting cells maximum temperatures below 60°C even at ambient temperatures of 50°C, increasing safety.

This paper shortly summarises the experimental results obtained since 2011 by a large European academic consortium for the scientific conceptualisation, the definition of the technical requirements, the generation of experimental data, and the validation of a numerical code, for the Pulsating Heat Pipes (PHP) experiment on the International Space Station (ISS). The PHP is a passive, wickless thermal device, whereby a two-phase fluid, forming liquid plugs and vapour slugs, moves with a pulsating or circulating motion inside a meandering tube or channel. The PHP may have a very broad range of geometries (flat, tubular, 3D structured), it can dissipate heat from large areas, and it can be suitable for high power applications with low/medium heat fluxes. PHP functioning is based on the capillary effect, which provides the existence of liquid plugs completely filling the channel cross-section, in a way that any expansion or contraction of the vapour slugs will naturally generate a movement of the fluid along the channel axis. For this, it is important that the channel has a cross-section size below a given threshold, which depends on the liquid surface tension and (for a static fluid) on the gravity acceleration. In space, when only residual accelerations are acting, such a static size threshold is virtually infinite, while a finite dynamic threshold exists even in the absence of gravity. The concept of a ''Space PHP'' was originally developed in 2014 by the team, and from then 17 Parabolic Flight Campaigns (PFC) and 3 Sounding Rocket (SR) experiments have been carried out to generate the data for the preparation of an experiment targeting a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) mission. Both a tubular and a flat plate PHP have been successfully tested in reduced gravity and on ground, by using different combinations of fluids and building materials. The need for having an experiment on a LEO environment is mainly because, during a PFC, only 22sec of reduced gravity are possible, which is a period below the characteristic time for reaching a steady state condition for almost all of the tested devices. Instead, a steady state was reached using the SR campaigns: in this case however, only one experimental condition was achievable, and long-duration data of the PHP performance still remains beyond reach. Several measurement methodologies have been used to characterise the Space PHP, like infrared analysis, high-speed camera visualisation techniques, with data processed with different techniques, from wavelets to inverse heat transfer problem solution. The results clearly showed that PHPs are very interesting for space applications due to their simplicity of construction, the capacity to transfer heat up to several hundred watts, a high power/weight ratio, their geometrical adaptability, and, in particular, the Space PHP will be a breakthrough technology for space thermal management.

In this work, we present a dynamical theory of boiling based on fluctuating hydrodynamics and the diffuse interface approach. The model is able to describe boiling from the stochastic nucleation up to the macroscopic bubble dynamics. It covers, with a modest computational cost, the mesoscale area from nano to micrometers, where most of the controversial observations related to the phenomenon originate. In particular, the role of wettability in the macroscopic observables of boiling is elucidated. In addition, by comparing the ideal case of boiling on ultra-smooth surfaces with a chemically heterogeneous wall, our results will definitively shed light on the puzzling low onset temperatures measured in experiments. Sporadic nanometric spots of hydrophobic wettability will be shown to be enough to trigger the nucleation at low superheat, significantly reducing the temperature of boiling onset, in line with experimental results. The proposed mesoscale approach constitutes the missing link between macroscopic approaches and molecular dynamics simulations and will open a breakthrough pathway toward accurate understanding and prediction.

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are at the centre of the recent industrial sustainable revolution and are identified as a potential route to reduce GHG emissions and tackling global warming. In the development of EVs, battery thermal management is a crucial aspect in ensuring high performance, market competitiveness and environmental sustainability. It is well known how high or low operating temperatures give negative effects on battery performance and operative life. Improving on the existing Battery Thermal Management Systems (BTMS) technologies would lead to an overall improvement of the vehicles, from the operator/costumer point of view, in terms of all-electric range and performance, charging time and cost. Only two BTMS technologies are employed at the moment, in commercial vehicles, which are air and liquid cooling. This review aims to extend on current knowledge on potential technologies applicable to BTMS, providing a thorough analysis of the research done on particular type of passive thermal devices, known as Heat Pipes, utilized as BTMS, articulating the analysis on the different types of Heat Pipes and the methods used to remove the excess heat at their condensers. The purpose of this review is to collect the results of different investigations, highlighting strengths and flaws, and ultimately collecting the following next steps that Heat Pipe BTMS research should pursue: focus on ambient temperature effect, foresee system scalability to battery modules and employ environmentally friendly working fluids.

The current trend in the electronics industry is to offer products that are progressively smaller and more powerful, resulting to an exponential increase in the generated residual heat.Effective and environmental-friendly cooling of electronic components is of upmost importance for the Thermal Management of Data Centres, Fuel Cells, Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors, Lithium-Ion Batteries and a variety of other important technological applications.Boiling heat transfer has been proven as one of the most efficient cooling strategies for such High-Power Density Electronics.However, such thermal management solutions that rely on the phase-change of a working fluid, are not yet used fully in practice.This is due to a lack of deep understanding of the underpinned complex flow and transport processes and a corresponding lack of reliable and easy-to-use thermal design tools.The cooling efficiency of phase-change heat transfer devices and components depends mainly on phenomena occurring at very small scales, such as bubble nucleation and bubble growth characteristics.Therefore, a parallel effort on developing interlinked (i) suitable theoretical models, (ii) specialized 3D, high-fidelity numerical simulations and (iii) accurate experiments is required to make a real breakthrough on understanding the underlying mechanisms of heat transfer during phase-change, especially in small scales.Here, an enhanced customised Volume of Fluid (VOF) based numerical simulation framework that has been developed in the general context of the OpenFOAM CFD Toolbox is presented.The proposed enhancements include: i) implementation of a treatment for spurious velocities dampening (a well-known defect of VOF methods) [1], ii) implementation of an accurate dynamic contact angle sub-model to account for wettability effects [2], [3], iii) implementation of a phase-change model that accounts for boiling and condensation [4] and iv) implementation of conjugate heat transfer between solid and two-phase fluid domains [5].Various applications of the proposed numerical simulation framework for boiling heat transfer are also presented [6]-[8], and the main limitations of the proposed numerical simulation methodology are discussed.Finally, some recommendations for future directions towards a multiscale modelling methodology that will couple the proposed VOF method with mesoscale simulations for boiling heat transfer [9], are proposed.

Flow boiling within microchannel heat sinks constitute a promising solution for the cooling of high-performance electronic devices, dissipating high values of heat flux. Yet still, due to the complexity of flow boiling in small scales, the effect of important parameters is not clearly defined. In the present study a numerical investigation on the effect of solid surface thermophysical properties on flow boiling heat transfer characteristics within micro -channels, is conducted. For the proposed investigation an enhanced, custom VOF-based numerical model that has been developed in OpenFOAM is used. The utilised computational domain consists of a top rectangular fluid domain in contact with a bottom rectangular solid domain. The solid domain is heated at its bottom boundary by the application of a constant heat flux. In total five different solid surface materials were examined, focusing on the first transient stages of the confined two-phase flow development. The findings indicate that the investigated effect has a significant influence on the resulting two-phase regimes and in the associated heat transfer char-acteristics. High thermal conductivity materials such as silver, aluminium and copper exhibited the highest values of the time-averaged heat transfer coefficient with more than 35% increase compared to the single-phase stage of the simulations, whereas the brass and silver channels resulted in a lower increase of<30%. The flow boiling process in the brass and silver channels, was characterised by frequent bubble break-ups and a lower total vapour fraction values within the channels. The rest of the examined material cases were characterised by thicker liquid films and higher values of total vapour fraction. Finally, a new correlation for the global Nusselt number is proposed that takes into consideration the thermophysical properties of the solid domain.

A numerical investigation on the effect of channel aspect ratio on a single bubble growth during saturated flow boiling conditions within square microchannels, is conducted in the present paper.The open-source toolbox OpenFOAM is applied for the simulations, utilising a user-enhanced Volume OF Fluid (VOF) solver.The solver enhancements include a treatment for spurious velocities dampening, the implementation of an improved dynamic contact angle sub-model for accurate prediction of wettability effects as well as the implementation of a phase-change model in the fluid domain, accounting for conjugate heat-transfer with a solid domain.It is shown that the variation of the aspect ratio of a microchannel has a significant effect in the local heat transfer coefficient, due to an enhancement of the single-phase heat transfer in combination with the alteration of the underpinned bubble growth dynamics, which result in different contributions of contact line versus liquid film evaporation.

In this paper, hypopycnal and hyperpycnal particulate currents that are formed at river outflows in the sea are studied. The main aim is the use of CFD methods, in order to investigate the plunging mechanism in the case of hyperpycnal currents. Two series of numerical experiments are conducted. The first series, aims to validate the numerical model by checking its ability in capturing the critical suspended sediment concentration for plunging. The second series, aims to investigate the dependence of the plunge depth from the initial flow conditions, in the case of hyperpycnal currents. From the analysis of the results, an empirical equation is derived which relates the plunge depth with the initial conditions. It is also found that secondary hyperpycnal currents, can be generated indirectly, from hypopycnal currents, due to descending sediment fingers. The model predictions, in the present paper are in agreement with previous investigations.

Experimentalists are limited in the amount of information they can derive from drop impact experiments on porous surfaces because of the short timescales involved and the normally opaque nature of porous materials. Numerical simulations can supplement experiments and provide researchers with previously unattainable information such as velocity and pressure profiles, and quantification of fluid volume flow rates into the pores. Ethanol drops, 2.0 mm in diameter, are impacted on a narrow gap at Weber numbers that match the impact of water drops, also 2.0 mm in diameter, on the same gap size in a previous study. The experiments show the ethanol drops cleaving at all Weber numbers tested, while the water drops completely enter the gap at low Weber numbers and only cleave at higher Weber numbers. A volume of fluid numerical model of the experiments is constructed in OpenFOAM and used to probe the interior of the drops during impact. For the water drop, a high-pressure region fills the drop during impact which continuously drives liquid into the gap. For the ethanol drops, the high-pressure region is smaller and quickly attenuates, which results in a near-zero vertical velocity at the entrance of the gap. Compared to water, the lower surface tension of ethanol causes these drops to spread further upon impact, recoil less, and overall have less liquid over the gap, which promotes cleaving. Against a superficial thought, when the penetration of liquids into porous materials is to be maximized, a higher surface tension liquid is therefore desirable.

Industry demand for high heat transfer capability, efficient thermal control, flexibility and low cost has motivated researchers to develop a new generation of passive systems mainly based on fluid phase-change. This project proposes the modelling and the experimental characterisation of a novel wickless heat transfer device applicable both on the ground and in space. The name Hybrid Heat Pipe (HyHP) comes from the fact that the well-established loop thermosyphon (TS) is here transformed to a plain serpentine device with one evaporator for each turn, as a pulsating heat pipe (PHP). Why do we need a new wickless heat device? Two-phase heat transfer devices play an important role in a variety of engineering fields; TSs, for example, are already successfully implemented in nuclear and solar plants, while heat pipe applications range from electronics cooling to the automotive sector. But the actual systems have two major problems: 1) dissipation of high thermal powers maintaining high heat fluxes has significant limits connected to the upscale of the internal wick and the system dimensions, 2) the deployability or the flexibility of the passive two-phase systems is quite reduced. How does HyHP work? The vertical operation in gravity, as well as the distinctive location of the heating and the cooling sections, causes the fluid to circulate regularly in a preferential direction guaranteeing stable operation and homogeneous temperature distribution of the system. The combination between channel dimension and working fluid is chosen in such a way that the device will operate in thermosyphon mode on the ground and, in the case of weightless conditions, in capillary mode, i.e the liquid completely fills the tube section and therefore vapour expansion and contraction cause an oscillation of the liquid/vapour patterns. Why do we need a new project on HyHP? Because, although in 2014 a first HyHP prototype was built and the first ground and microgravity experiments were successfully carried out, we are far from understanding all the physical phenomena inside a HyHP and our ability to simulate the processes involved is still quite limited, i.e. we are not able to design a HyHP to manage heat within given boundary conditions. Numerical analyses are fundamental to understanding the possible advantages and drawbacks of the HyHP and to predict its performance. The development and the use of innovative numerical tools and theoretical approaches will provide an insight into the physical phenomena and the governing mechanisms of a HyHP, opening the route to more efficient and customised design. These numerical studies will be supported by parallel extensive experimental campaigns. A prototype with an Infrared (IR) and Visible Spectrum (VIS) window will be designed, built, equipped with several sensors and tested both on the ground and in micro-gravity conditions. ESA has already offered us partial funding and access to the parabolic flight campaigns. It is expected that the primary beneficiary of this research will be the space industry; however advantages are not confined to this specific field, as the support of two ground-based companies indicates. Since the novel design of HyHPs combines technological aspects from both TSs and PHPs, the numerical tools we develop will be relevant to all industries concerned with thermal management. The investigation will benefit the scientific and industrial sectors by providing an open-source CFD tool for the simulation of general phase-change heat transfer phenomena. Finally the project is contributing to the growing of the new Advanced Engineering Centre of the University of Brighton, which starts with a initial investment of £14M with the aim of delivering world leading research in the sectors of Internal Combustion Engines, Thermal Efficiency and System Efficiency, and Thermal Management for Ground and Space Applications.