FURI | Spring 2020

Flow Visualization and Heat Transfer in Micro-Polymer Tubes

This study investigates the flow and heat transfer properties of 3D printed, millimeter-scale polymer tubes. This work starts with a series of manufacturability tests to determine the smallest sizes of tube that the printer can accurately replicate. Then, the properties of the 3D printed polymer tubes are characterized by flow experiments. By visualizing the internal flow, the critical Reynolds numbers are determined where the laminar-to-turbulent transition occurs and heat transfer efficiency is significantly enhanced.