From principles to practice: Review of recent advances and perspectives in spray flash evaporation technology towards thermal management of energy systems

In the pursuit of renewable and sustainable energy solutions, enhancing heat and mass transfer is crucial. Spray flash evaporation (SFE) is a rapid thermodynamic event that involves the sudden vaporization of a superheated liquid, which is deemed as an advanced enhancement technique of heat mass transfer in energy systems. This review has provided a comprehensive understanding of SFE, detailing its fundamentals, experimental and numerical studies, and potential energy applications. The heat mass transfer of fully-developed region during SFE has been widely investigated, but the flashing atomization and phase change near nozzle exit is not well understood for the dense spray, because of the lack of advanced measurement technique and accurate theoretical model. Technological advancements have shown to improve efficiency and environmental sustainability through advanced intermittent techniques and nanofluids. However, SFE faces challenges such as liquid film deposition, induced shock waves, energy consumption, and environmental impacts. Despite these challenges, SFE offers significant promise in thermal management of energy systems. It can effectively cool compressed air, enhance thermal efficiency in concentrated solar power systems, and improve panel performance in photovoltaic cooling. Future research should focus on exploring new materials and technologies like nanofluids and plasma-enhanced evaporation, and developing advanced measurement techniques and theoretical models for deep understanding of SFE. This review helps understanding the fundamentals, exploring mitigation strategies, and highlighting future research directions to of SFE for diverse energy applications, contributing to a sustainable energy future.