One of the most commonly used methods of heat transfer enhancement is flow turbulization. This effect can be achieved, e.g., by placing special turbulizing elements into the channel. In this paper, the effects of ball turbulators (BTs) on the heat transfer and fluid friction characteristics in a circular tube are investigated through numerical simulation. The Reynolds number (Re) is in the range of 5000–35,000 under a condition of uniform heat-flux. BTs with different diameter ratios (e.g., 0.5, 0.75, and 1) and spacer lengths (40, 51.77, and 62.5 mm) are inserted in the circular tubes. The results show that the heat transfer rates in the tube equipped with BTs are around 1.26–2.01 times that of those in the plain tube. The BTs with a ball diameter ratio of one provide higher friction factors than 0.75 and 0.5 by about 34.6–46.2% and 51.1–63.4%, respectively. A smaller ball diameter ratio is more able to decrease the friction factor. The performance evaluation criterion (PEC) data indicate that the use of a smaller ball diameter ratio (BDR) and a smaller spacer length are preferred. The results also reveal that BTs with a larger diameter ratio and a smaller spacer length yield the highest heat transfer rate as well as the largest pressure loss. Compared with the plain tube, the fluid flow velocity near the tube wall is significantly improved when BTs are used at the same Reynolds number.

Carbon fiber microelectrode (CFME) has been extensively applied in the biosensor and chemical sensor domains. In order to improve the electrochemical activity and sensitivity of the CFME, a new CFME modified with carbon nanotubes (CNTs), denoted as CNTs/CFME, was fabricated and investigated. First, carbon fiber (CF) monofilaments grafted with CNTs (simplified as CNTs/CFs) were fabricated in two key steps: (i) nickel electroless plating, followed by (ii) chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Second, a single CNTs/CF monofilament was selected and encapsulated into a CNTs/CFME with a simple packaging method. The morphologies of as-prepared CNTs/CFs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical properties of CNTs/CFMEs were measured in potassium ferrocyanide solution (K₄Fe(CN)₆), by using a cyclic voltammetry (CV) and a chronoamperometry method. Compared with a bare CFME, a CNTs/CFME showed better CV curves with a higher distinguishable redox peak and response current; the higher the CNT content was, the better the CV curves were. Because the as-grown CNTs significantly enhanced the effective electrode area of CNTs/CFME, the contact area between the electrode and reactant was enlarged, further increasing the electrocatalytic active site density. Furthermore, the modified microelectrode displayed almost the same electrochemical behavior after 104 days, exhibiting remarkable stability and outstanding reproducibility.