ABSTRACT
Clarification of microscale effects in transport phenomena in gas-liquid two-phase flow is gradually becoming a challenging topic, especially in the areas of modern science and technology such as biological systems, microstructured heat transfer devices, microfluidics devices, etc. These research areas represent great potential for a wide range of applications in the above areas and also in the area of nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulics and safety analysis. Research on this topic has been rapidly enhanced by the development of MEMS (micro elecro-mechanical system) technologies and a growing demand for product miniaturization in many industrial sectors. In fact, extensive discussions have been focused on this topic (Ghiaasiaan and Abdel-Khalik, 2000; Takei and Kimura, 2000; Serizawa, 2001, 2002; Serizawa and Fenz, 2001; Serizawa and Kawara, 2002; Serizawa et al., 2002; Kandlikar, 2003a, 2003b; Kawaji and Chung, 2003).
