Advanced evaluation of transient heat transfer experiments using thermochromic liquid crystals

Abstract

An advanced evaluation method for transient heat transfer experiments using thermochromic liquid crystals (TLCs) combining the advantages of standard hue and maximum intensity methods is presented. In order to obtain a global evaluation of locally correct heat transfer coefficients by using the one-dimensional solution of Fourier's equation, assuming heat conduction in a semi-infinite medium with a convective boundary condition, local input values have to be identified from measurements of the fluid and surface temperatures. For that reason, two different approaches have emerged. First, a two-dimensional numerical method has been adapted to evaluate the transient fluid temperature distributions in multi-pass systems from a few local measurements. Additionally, on the basis of latest calibration and indication experience of TLCs, especially in complex passages, an innovative temporal indication analysis method using a neural network has been implemented in the process of heat transfer evaluation.