Potentials of boiling heat transfer in advanced thermal energy systems

Boiling process is a highly efficient mechanism of heat transfer, which has an important role in industrial and domestic sectors. In this process, a large amount of thermal energy is transferred, including sensible and latent heat, at low temperature differences between the hot surface and the liquid bulk, which offers a plausible heat transfer rate for the thermal energy systems and cooling loops. The current paper reviews the plausible applications and potentials offered by the boiling heat transfer mechanism in various applications including (but not limited to) solar thermal systems, open- and closed-loop thermosyphons, electronic cooling loops, refrigeration, and active and/or passive battery cooling systems. Based on the information reflected by this review, the existing challenges and knowledge gaps are identified and highlighted for the future works.