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Subject: |
This unidentified attack is an attack to be
remembered. |
Date: |
6/1/2017 9:07:40 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time
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In addition to tyranny, the following from our National Science
Foundation is infuriating:
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Proposal
Number:
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1132890
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NSF
Program:
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THERMAL
TRANSPORT PROCESSES
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Principal Investigator:
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Leyse,
Robert H
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Proposal
Title:
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Proprietary
Transformative Separations
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Rating:
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Fair
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REVIEW:
What
is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
The most compelling
portion of this proposal is that the PI has identified an anomalous boiling heat
transfer regime from microscale wire surfaces. Unfortunately, the PI has not
presented a convincing research plan that will lead to a fundamental
understanding of the heat transfer process he has identified. Countless
anomalous regimes have been identified in boiling heat transfer. While the PI
believes that his discoveries are transformative, this Reviewer fails to see it.
Truly transformative research will seek to explain the physical mechanisms
driving the anomalous observations, and provide technologists with the
understanding that may lead to technological advances. However, the PI fails to
mention any of the various physical boiling phenomena at different length and
time scale which may influence the process. For example, the PI claims his
measurements are steady state. This completely ignores the time scales
associated with ebullition. The PI claims the dispersive mechanism is turbulence
without any evidence. It can just as easily be hypothesized that the dispersive
mechanism is microbubble growth and collapse that has been observed in highly
subcooled systems. It is unfortunate that the PI has expended so much effort to
convince NSF to fund his proposed research. If the PI is convinced that his
discoveries are transformative and can lead to revolutionary new technology, he
should focus his efforts on developing that technology. For whatever it is
worth, this Reviewer believes that the heat transfer behavior observed is
confined to microscale wires, and attempts at scale-up would not be fruitful.
What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
It is
difficult to identify broader impact associated with the proposal.
Summary Statement
Past Reviewers have been too gentle in
pointing out the weaknesses of the proposed study. The PI should not be
encouraged to resubmit a proposal covering the core topic.
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