DURIP: A Confocal Imaging System for Ultra-Fast Three-Dimensional Transport Studies in Thermal Management Applications

We developed a new integrated imaging system, comprised of the requested confocal microscope and high-sensitivity camera, as well as our own state-of-the-art high-speed and high-resolution cameras, to achieve diffraction-limited 3D imaging of highly transient flows. The confocal incorporates selectable pinholes to enable fast scanning, and when interfaced with a high-speed camera, can achieve capture rates up to 1000 Hz. The combination of these features offers drastic improvements to our existing imaging systems, which are limited in spatial andor temporal resolution. The proposed system enables fundamental insights into our ongoing thermal management efforts focused on 1 Interfacial dynamics on nanostructured surfaces, 2 Phase-change and flow through porous media, and 3 3D velocity field measurements in microscale systems. The integrated confocal microscope system is a critical component to obtain understanding of fluid-heat-structure interactions, as well as offer design guidelines for the development of high-performance thermal management systems.