Shi-Chune Yao

Professor, Mechanical Engineering

Bio

Professor Yao's research interests are mainly at multiphase flow and heat transfer. This is closely related to energy and thermal control industries. He works on both experimental and theoretical researches on subjects which are important to industries but are fundamental in nature. Some typical research areas are described below.

Due to increased packaging density and clock speed, the heat flux of electronics are steadily increasing.  Cooling of electronics with micro-channels and sprays are becoming inevitable solutions.   Dr. Yao pioneered the spray cooling technology in 1989, and now the spray cooling is common on military electronics and in super-computers.  Presently, our focus is on the evaporative micro-channel systems for the compact cooling devices.

Due to the large surface to volume ratio, droplets and sprays are used broadly in many critical processes in industries. Professor Yao’s research includes spray transport modeling, spray deposition, impaction coolings in metallurgical processes, micro-sprays for cooling of electronic chips, and drop combustion and flame propagation in fuel sprays. He has also conducted various numerical thermal modelings of material processes, which includes batch and continuous processes of sheet metals, and composite material thermal formings etc.

Professor Yao is also active in the development of micro-scale energy systems using the MEMS technology.  He develops micro-scale refrigeration systems on silicon chips and studies the two phase fluidics in micro-scale Direct Methanol Fuel Cells. 

Education

B.S. 1968, National Tsing Hua University

M.S. 1971, Ph.D. 1974, University of California at Berkeley

Selected Publications

• H.J. Lee and S.C. Yao, “Network Analysis of Non-Uniformly Heated Evaporative Micro-channel Systems,” International Journal of Heat Transfer Engineering, Vol. 33, Issue 10, 2012, pp. 835-844.
• G. Li, Z. Wu, W. Li, Z. Wang, H. Li, and S.C. Yao, “Experimental Investigation of Condensation in Micro-fin Tubes of Different Geometries,” Journal of Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, Vol. 37, 2012, pp. 19-28.
• H.J. Lee and S.C. Yao, “Flow Instability of Evaporative Micro-channels,” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 53, 2010, pp. 1740–1749.
• H.J. Lee and S.C. Yao, “System Instability of Evaporative Micro-channels,” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 53, 2010, pp. 1731–1739.
• G.B. Zhou and S.C. Yao, “Effect of Surface Roughness on the Pressure Drop of Liquid Flow in Micro-channels,” Journal of Applied Thermal Engineering, Vol. 31, 2010, pp. 228-234.
• H.J. Lee, D. Liu, S.C. Yao, and A. Alyousef, “Generalized Two-phase Pressure Drop and Heat Transfer Correlations in Evaporative Micro-channels,” Trans. ASME Journal of Heat Transfer, Vol. 132, 041004 – 1 to 9, April 2010.
• H. Al-Ahmadi and S.C. Yao, “Spray Cooling of High Temperature Metals Using High Mass Flux Industrial Nozzles," Journal of Experimental Heat Transfer, Vol. 21, pp. 38-54, 2008.
• J.M. LeCorre and S.C. Yao, “Two-phase Flow Regimes and Mechanisms of Critical Heat Flux Under Subcooled Flow Boiling Conditions,” Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 240, pp. 245–251, 2010.
• J.M. LeCorre and S.C. Yao, “A Mechanistic Model of Critical Heat Flux Under Subcooled Flow Boiling Conditions for Application to One- and Three-dimensional Computer Codes,” Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Design, Vol. 240, pp. 235–244, 2010.
• Y. Alyousef and S.C. Yao, "Development of a Silicon-based Wettability Controlled Membrane for Microscale Direct Methanol Fuel Cells," Journal of Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp 337-344, 2006
• S.C. Yao, X. Tang, C.C. Hsieh, Y. Alyousef, M. Vladimer, G. Fedder, and C. Amon, “Micro-electro-mechanical System (MEMS)-based Micro-scale Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Development, ASME Journal of Energy, Vol. 31, pp. 636–649, 2006.
• C. C. Hsieh and S.C. Yao,"Evaporative Heat Transfer Characteristics of a Water Spray on Micro-structured Silicon Surfaces," International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 49, pp 962-974, 2006.
• C. Amon, S.C. Yao, C.F. Wu, and C.C. Hsieh, “Microelectromechanical System-based Evaporative Thermal Management of High Heat Flux Electronics,” ASME Journal of Heat Transfer, Vol. 127, pp. 66–75, 2005.
• R. Issa and S.C. Yao, "A Numerical Model for Spray-wall Impactions and Heat Transfer at Atmospheric Conditions," Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer, Vol. 19, No.4, pp441-447, 2005.
• R. Issa and S.C. Yao, "A Numerical Model for Spray-wall Impactions and Heat Transfer for Non-atmospheric Applications," Journal of Fluids Engineering, Vol. 127, pp 631-639, 2005.