Research Interests:

Dr. Chow currently holds the University Chair in Mechanical Engineering. He is also a professor (joint appointment) of Optics and Photonics and a member of the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL). Dr. Chow is the pioneer of the low surface superheat, high heat flux spray cooling technique. This technique is recognized as an enabling technology in the thermal management of high power electronics and electro-optical devices. He has excellent background in thermo-fluid systems, heat and mass transfer, microprocessor design, process control, and data acquisition. He also has extensive experience with system integration and optimization. Dr. Chow's recent research interests focus on the research and development of efficient, compact and reliable systems in 1) compact cryocoolers for distributed cooling at liquid nitrogen and hydrogen temperatures; 2) portable vapor compression refrigerator; and 3) portable power generation based on turbomachineries. Funding for these activities came from NASA, AFOSR, Army, and companies such as Lockheed Martin. He has published over 100 journal publications and 140 conference papers. Currently, he is the Director of the Initiative on Miniaturization of Thermal Systems at the University of Central Florida. During 1996-2000, Dr. Chow was the chairman of the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering. During his tenure, a new MS degree in Miniature Energy Systems was created. He also served as Interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science in 2003-2004. He is very skillful in building research programs and managing people to work in teams toward a common goal. Key Words for Research Interest Heat Transfer in Electro-Optical, Computing and Power Systems, Miniaturization of Engineering Systems, Spray Cooling, Thermal Control in Aircraft and Spacecraft, Boiling and Thin Film Evaporation