TY  - EJOU
AU  - Jie, Zongyu 
AU  - Dang, Chao 
AU  - Meng, Qingliang 

TI  - A Review of Pressure Drop Characteristics and Optimization Measures of Two-Phase Flow with Low Boiling Point Working Fluids in Microchannels
T2  - Frontiers in Heat and Mass Transfer

PY  - 2025
VL  - 23
IS  - 4
SN  - 2151-8629

AB  - With the increasing miniaturization of systems and surging demand for power density, accurate prediction and control of two-phase flow pressure drop have become a core challenge restricting the performance of microchannel heat exchangers. Pressure drop, a critical hydraulic characteristic, serves as both a natural constraint for cooling systems and determines the power required to pump the working fluid through microchannels. This paper reviews the characteristics, prediction models, and optimization measures of two-phase flow pressure drop for low-boiling-point working fluids in microchannels. It systematically analyzes key influencing factors such as fluid physical properties, operating conditions, channel geometry, and flow patterns, and discusses the complex mechanisms of pressure drop under the coupling effect of multi-physical fields. Mainstream prediction models are reviewed: the homogeneous flow model simplifies calculations but shows large deviations at low quality; the separated flow model considers interphase interactions and can be applied to micro-scales after modification; the flow-pattern-based model performs zoned modeling but relies on subjective classification; machine learning improves prediction accuracy but faces the “black-box” problem. In terms of optimization, channel designs are improved through porous structures and micro-rib arrays, and flow rate distribution is optimized using splitters to balance pressure drop and heat transfer performance. This study provides theoretical support for microchannel thermal management in high-power-density devices.
KW  - Pressure drop; two-phase flow; microchannels; bubble shape; prediction model

DO  - 10.32604/fhmt.2025.066792