Experimental determination of the liquid-nitrogen accommodation coefficient

Determine experimentally the mass accommodation coefficient for liquid nitrogen near its normal boiling point to validate the Hertz–Knudsen–Schrage predictions of thermal performance in silicon micropillar wicks.

Background

The thermal model uses a mass accommodation coefficient in the Hertz–Knudsen–Schrage evaporation relation. Because the predicted evaporation rate and wall-temperature rise are sensitive to this coefficient, the study estimates it using a transition-state model rather than an experimentally measured liquid-nitrogen value. The absence of reliable measurements leaves the predicted thermal performance insufficiently validated, particularly for liquid-nitrogen evaporation near 77 K. Experimental measurements are therefore needed to establish the coefficient under the relevant interfacial conditions and assess the model’s quantitative accuracy.