Prof. Sunny Ri Li

Thermal Management and Multiphase Flows Lab,

University of British Columbia (UBC), Okanagan campus, Canada

Dr. Sunny Ri Li is currently a professor at The University of British Columbia (UBC), Okanagan campus. He is the director of UBC Thermal Management and Multiphase Flows Lab, the Chair of CSME Heat Transfer Committee, and the Canadian Delegate on The Assembly for International Heat Transfer Conferences. Before joining UBC, he was a research scientist in the Electronics Cooling Lab at the Global Research Center of General Electric, Schenectady, New York. He received his MASc and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from University of Toronto in 2004 and 2008, respectively.

His research around the fluid dynamics of multiphase flows and heat transfer involved in high-heat-flux cooling technologies and applications, with particular focus on the cooling and thermal management for microelectronics and power electronics. 

Title: Applying Surface Engineering to Thermal Fluid Research and Applications

Abstract：Energy transport between fluids and solid walls takes place at the fluid-solid interface, and the solid surface plays an important role in affecting thermal fluidic behaviors and the energy transport. The surface effects become even more significant when multi-phase flows are in contact with the surface, and in this case roughness and wettability are the major surface properties. There has been much research interest in applying modified surfaces in thermal fluid research and applications, and surface modification can be achieved by applying micro- and nano-scale surface textures and changing the surface chemistry. It is important to understand how the modified surfaces affect thermal-fluidic performance. In this talk, focus will be put on the surface effects related to droplet impact dynamics, droplet freezing, and transient boiling involved in a droplet train quenching high temperature substrates. Additionally, the surface effects on the bubble dynamics and heat transfer in pool boiling will also be discussed.