Single-Phase Convective Heat Transfer of Water and Aqua Ethylene Glycol Mixture in a Small-Diameter Tube

A tailor-made convective heat transfer test facility is constructed to study the single-phase convective heat transfer of deionized water and 30 vol% and 60 vol% aqua–ethylene glycol in a stainless steel tube of 4 mm in inner diameter and 1 m in length. The heat flux is varied between 1 and 4 kW·m^?2 and for mass flux ranging from 160 to 475 kg·m^?2 s^?1. The experiments were predominantly conducted only for laminar flow regime. Finally, the heat transfer coefficient is recorded and compared with the conventional theories. It is observed that the presence of ethylene glycol in water decreases the heat transfer coefficient by more than 50%, due to the decreased Reynolds number and thermal conductivity of the mixture.     

Study on Ultra-fast Cooling Behaviors of Water Spray Cooled Stainless Steel Plates

Spray cooling is an effective tool to dissipate high heat fluxes from hot surfaces. This article thoroughly investigates the effect of thickness of a hot stainless steel plate on the cooling time, cooling rate, heat flux, and heat transfer coefficient under constant mass flow rate maintained at 1 MPa using water as the coolant. Cylindrical samples of stainless steel with constant diameter (D = 25 mm) and thickness (δ = 7.5, 12, 16.5, and 21 mm) were used in the present study. Critical droplet diameter to achieve an ultra-fast cooling rate of 300°C/s was estimated by using an analytical model for samples of varying thicknesses. The analytical model (one side spray cooling) showed good agreement with experimental results with a relative error of 3.2% in the plate thickness range of 1–12 mm. An increasing trend in maximum heat flux was found with increasing thickness of the plate. Maximum heat flux as high as 1,800 kW/m² was achieved for a 21-mm-thick sample. Heat transfer coefficients in the range 0.092–96.24 kW/m²K, 0.111–98.9 kW/m²K, 0.074–63.4 kW/m²K, and 0.127–55.63 kW/m²K were reported for sample of varying thicknesses in the present study. Limited published work is available with reference to water spray cooling dynamics and thickness of stainless steel plate. Therefore, the present study focuses on the correlation between the thickness of the plate and spray dynamics of water spray cooling.     

Tube-side heat transfer enhancement in flat-plate liquid solar collectors with wire coil inserts

This work presents an experimental study of the thermal-hydraulic characteristics in a flat-plate solar collector with two different geometries of helical coil inserts. Isothermal pressure drop tests are conducted in a horizontal tube using water as working fluid to obtain the fully developed Fanning friction factor for a range of Reynolds number Re = 80–8,000. Heat transfer tests are performed in the solar collector loop using a mixture of propylene-glycol and water at 30 wt%, covering the ranges Pr = 16–28 and Re = 140–600. A significant decrease in the temperature of the absorber is observed when the appropriate wire coil is selected for the given flow conditions, proving the beneficial effect of this type of insert device for the augmentation of the thermal efficiency in flat-plate solar collectors.     

Experimental thermal performance study of natural graphite as sensible heat storage material using different heat transfer fluids

In this paper thermal performance of graphite-based sensible heat storage system with embedded helical coil in rectangular shell was studied. Plain water at four flow rates (0.25 LPM–1.0 LPM) and four inlet temperatures (60°C–90°C) was passed through the graphite bed and charging time was measured. Expanded graphite/water suspension and Al₂O₃/water nanofluid were also used to study charging behavior of graphite. Results showed that charging time of packed bed was reduced with increase in flow rate and inlet temperature of heat transfer fluid. Charging time using expanded graphite/water solution and nanofluid was 14.2% and 21.2% lesser than water.

Abbreviations: h_i: internal heat transfer coefficient (W m^?2 K^?1); HTF: Heat transfer fluid; h_o: External heat transfer coefficient (W m^?2 K^?1); LPM: liter per minute; k: thermal conductivity (W m^?1 K^?1); TSU: Thermal storage unit     

Thermal characterization of longitudinal merging of turbulent spots

This study presents the thermal behavior of two young turbulent spots merging into a longitudinal direction on an isothermal flat plate for the local Reynolds number between 6.1 × 10⁴ and 1.3 × 10⁵ in a low freestream turbulence water tunnel having a turbulent intensity of 1.16%. The two turbulent spots are generated by water injection through a 1-mm-diameter hole in the perpendicular direction of the mainstream flow with a dimensionless separating time (Δτ) of 42.08, 84.16, and 126.24. Thermochromic liquid crystals are utilized mutually with an image processing technique to extract the spot characteristics qualitatively and quantitatively. The results demonstrate that the following turbulent spot directly causes an increase in the local Nusselt number and heat rate within the footprint of the merging spots. The relatively highest increase in this study occurs when Δτ = 84.16. The average Nusselt number and effectiveness characterize differently in the intersection zone, non-intersection zone of the leading spot, and non-intersection zone of the following spot. The results confirm that turbulent spots under the boundary layer transition augment the heat transfer rate to the level of full turbulence by not only their spot maturity but also the merging mechanism. Finally, the heat transfer mechanism is discussed and the predictive formulas for the Nusselt number and heat flux of the longitudinal merging of turbulent spots for Δτ from 0 to 126.24 are provided.     

Experimental analysis of conical baffles with rifts on heat transfer and pressure drop

In the present study, convective heat transfer to the air from a heating tube attached to conical baffles with rift was experimentally examined. The air entering the test section first contacts the large surface of the conical baffle. Therefore, the conical baffle both directs the air toward the heating surface and increases the heat transfer surface area. In the experiments, baffles with inclination angles of 45°, 60°, and 80° were used. The baffles were placed on the heating tube at the pitch of 15 mm. The temperature of the heating fluid (water) was kept fixed at 65°C. In addition to the riftless baffles, the experiments were carried out by using baffles with a rift spacing of 1.5 and 3.5 mm so that the boundary layer separation mechanism could be accelerated. Experimental results for eight different velocities of airflow (2–20 m/s) were presented. For the inclination angle of 60°, the increase in the heat transfer of the baffle with rift was 13% at a rift spacing of 1.5 mm and 4% at a rift spacing of 3.5 mm according to the riftless baffle. In addition, for the inclination angle of 60°, the pressure drop values of the riftless and the rift spacing of 1.5 and 3.5 mm were almost the same.     

An Experimental Study on the Performance of a Loop Heat Pipe

Modern electronics require better thermal management technologies to ensure long lifetime stability and reliable working. Aiming to evaluate the feasibility for a loop heat pipe being used for the heat dissipation of electronics, a stainless-steel/water loop heat pipe is design and an experimental system to study its heat transfer performance is set up. Experimental results show that at optimal heat load and with the loop heat pipe being aligned perpendicularly to the horizontal plane, its thermal resistance is lowered to be ～0.27 K/W. The loop heat pipe also shows good startup characteristics and can steadily work as well. All these indicate that the loop heat pipe has the potential to be a good solution for cooling of modern electronics.     

Thermal Performance of a Capillary Pumped Loop for Automotive Cooling

The design and test results for a capillary pumped loop (CPL) for thermal management of up to 210 W at the source and heat transfer over a distance of 1 m are discussed. The design configuration of the CPL evaporator consists of an internally grooved aluminum evaporator, 31.70-mm outer diameter and 500-mm long, fitted with a porous ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene wick, 8- to 15-μm pore radius, and 38% porous volume. Heat was transferred using a stainless steel tube of 4.5-mm internal diameter for vapor and liquid lines. High-grade acetone (99.99% pure) was used as the heat transfer fluid inside the loop. In the tests, thermal characteristics of the CPL were specifically studied with respect to the temperature control capability using an active thermal device on the reservoir and to the start-up process through pressure priming of the capillary evaporator. The loop was able to start-up successfully at both low and high heat loads, although proper priming of the wick structure before start-up was necessary to attain low evaporator temperatures during steady-state operation. While maintaining constant reservoir temperature through active means, the loop was able to control evaporator temperature within 55 ± 3°C, even with changing input heat from 30 to 210 W. Total thermal resistance from the evaporator surface to the surroundings was 0.19° to 1.15° C/W with the minimum value achieved at the maximum heat load of 210 W. This study is intended to illustrate the thermal potential of the CPL as an effective temperature control device in automotive applications.     

A Study on Nucleate Boiling Heat Transfer Characteristics of Acetone on Smooth and Indented Surfaces

This article presents the nucleate boiling heat transfer characteristics of acetone at one bar on smooth and enhanced circular stainless steel surfaces (SS 316) of 20 mm diameter for heat flux between 1 and 4 W cm^? 2, which mimic the operating condition of a typical immersion electronic cooling system. The experimental heat transfer coefficient from the smooth surface is validated against Borishanski correlation [1] within acceptable limits of ± 5%. The steel smooth surface is enhanced by providing 100 equally spaced indents of 0.5 mm diameter and 0.05 mm depth. The experimental results indicate that the enhanced surface shows a good shift in the boiling curve and thus, enhancing the nucleate boiling heat transfer at a lesser wall super heat when compared to the smooth surface by around 35% for tested condition. The effect of subcooling on nucleate boiling in enhanced surface reveal that the heat transfer coefficient degrade by 40 to 55% for a sub cooling of 5 to 10 K. The influence of material is studied by a similar enhanced surface made of brass and compared for the same working condition. The brass enhanced surface showed an improved of around 50% against the steel-enhanced surface. Also, the influence of fluid is studied by comparing acetone and n-pentane, which showed that the latter an enhancement in heat transfer coefficient of 50% over the former.     

Effect of precipitates on thermal conductivity of aged Mg-5Sn alloy

Abstract

The influence of precipitates on thermal conductivity of aged Mg-5Sn alloy has been investigated at different heat treatment temperatures. The results show that the thermal conductivity of aged Mg-5Sn alloy increases from 87.5 to 92.8 W·m^?1·K^?1 at 433 K for 720 h and from 87.5 to 122 W·m^?1·K^?1 at 513 K for 120 h with the increasing ageing time. The increasing rate of the former is obviously lower than that of the latter. Meanwhile, the Sn content of precipitates at 433 K is considerably below that of aged Mg-5Sn at 513 K. The interface between precipitates and α-Mg matrix is completely coherent at 433 K for 720 h. The increase in thermal conductivity is mainly attributed to the remaining Sn solutes in α-Mg matrix, and the interface relationship between precipitates and α-Mg matrix.     

Red phosphorus encapsulated in porous carbon derived from cigarette filter solid waste as a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Red phosphorus (RP) is considered to be one of the promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) on account of its high theoretical capacity (2596 mAh g^?1), abundant resources, and environmental friendliness. However, the intrinsic insulating nature and large volume change during lithium insertion/extraction process lead to drastic capacity loss upon cycling. Recently, great attention has been devoted to constructing P-based composites via mixing with carbon materials. Here, a novel P/C composite, in which red P nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed in cigarette filter-derived porous carbon (CPC), was fabricated by vaporization-condensation method. Due to the unique characteristics of porous carbon, including high specific area, good conductivity, and rich internal porous structure, CPC obtained by means of heat treatment that serves as conductive matrix to load red P could be of great benefits, which can not only improve the overall electrical conductivity but also mitigate the volume expansion issues. As a result, the RP/CPC composite as an anode material for LIBs delivers a good cycling stability (500 mAh g^?1 at 100 mA g^?1 with a high Coulombic efficiency above 99% after 50 cycles) and rate capability (355 mAh g^?1 even at 1000 mA g^?1).     

An experimental investigation on heat transfer enhancement in circular jet impingement on hot surfaces by using Al2O3/water nano-fluids and aqueous high-alcohol surfactant solution

The present article reports the heat transfer characteristics of a vertical stainless steel foil of 0.15 mm thickness (SS304) by circular impinging jets of various fluids such as pure water, nano-fluids (Al₂O₃-water, ф = 0.15%, 0.6%), and aqueous high-alcohol surfactant (HAS, i.e., 2-ethyl-hexanol, 100–400 ppm) studied using an infrared thermal imaging camera (A655sc, FLIR System). The enhancement in the heat transfer rates for Al₂O₃-water nano-fluids with ф = 0.15%, ф = 0.60%, and aqueous surfactant solution (150ppm) is found to be 140%, 207%, and 117% higher compared to pure water results, respectively. The surface characteristics of the foil after jet impingement by various fluids are also studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and surface wettability.     

Experimental Investigation of Heat Transfer in Two-phase Flow Boiling

In this article, an experimental investigation is performed to measure the boiling heat transfer coefficient of water flow in a microchannel with a hydraulic diameter of 500 μm. Experimental tests are conducted with heat fluxes ranging from 100 to 400 kW/m², vapor quality from 0 to 0.2, and mass fluxes of 200, 400, and 600 kg/m²s. Also, this study has modified the liquid Froude number to present a flow pattern transition toward an annular flow. Experimental results show that the flow boiling heat transfer coefficient is not dependent on mass flux and vapor quality but on heat flux to a certain degree. The measured heat transfer coefficient is compared with a few available correlations proposed for macroscales, and it is found that previous correlations have overestimated the flow boiling heat transfer coefficient for the test conditions considered in this work. This article proposes a new correlation model regarding the boiling heat transfer coefficient in mini- and microchannels using boiling number, Reynolds number, and modified Froude number.     

Construction of 3D polypyrrole/CoS/graphene composite electrode with enhanced pseudocapacitive performance

Herein, 3D graphene/nickel foam (GE/NF) composite matrix was successfully fabricated by using NF as template through a self-catalytic thermal chemical vapor deposition process. By using the prepared GE/NF as substrate, CoS nanosheets were deposited via a facial one-step electrochemical deposition method. Owing to the advantage of GE in boosting the electrical contact between the electroactive host material and current collector, the as-prepared 3D CoS/GE/NF electrode demonstrated a superior capacitance value of 2308 F g^?1 at 1 A g^?1 and a high rate capability of 70.49% at 20 A g^?1. After depositing the polypyrrole (PPY) film on 3D CoS/GE/NF electrode, the electrochemical performance of CoS was further greatly improved and delivered an extremely high capacitance value of 3450 F g^?1 at 1 A g^?1, with good rate capability (62.61% at 20 A g^?1) and improved cycling stability. The enhanced electrochemical performance of PPY/CoS/GE/NF electrode is closely related to the advantage of PPY film in increasing the electrical conductivity and reinforcing the integrity of electrode.     

The effect of oxide layer in case of novel coolant spray at very high initial surface temperature

The significant reduction of Leidenfrost effect during the cooling of high carbon steel plate by different potential cooling methodologies does not assure their successful implementation in the fast quenching of high carbon steel plate due to the formation of oxide layer of comparatively low thermal conductivity on the quenching surface. Therefore, the role of oxide layer in case of different potential cooling methodologies needs to be addressed. In the present study, the effect of oxide layer on heat transfer rate in case of upward, downward, and both upward and downward facing spray with additives has been investigated by conducting and comparing the heat transfer cooling data of an AISI 1020 plate with the AISI 304 plate. The comparison clearly depicts that the formation of oxide layer during cooling significantly hinders the heat transfer rate in nucleate boiling regime; however, the reverse phenomenon is observed in transition boiling regime. Among all the coolants, the least effect of oxide layer on enhancement is obtained in case of NaCl (0.4 M)-added water spray due to the deposition of salt on the evaporating surface. The X-ray diffraction analysis and the thickness of the formed oxide layer clearly assert that the coolant depicting minimum oxidation characteristic is preferred.

Abbreviations: AISI: American iron and steel institute; OES: Optical emission spectrophotometer; CHF: Critical heat flux, MW/m²; IHF: Initial heat flux, MW/m²; T_CHF: Temperature at which CHF is achieved, °C; Fps: Frames per second; XRD: X-Ray diffraction; k₁: Thermal conductivity of steel plate, W/m °C; k₂: Thermal conductivity of oxide layer, W/m °C; k₃: Thermal conductivity of coolant, W/m °C; X: x-axis, mm; Y: y-axis, mm; Z: z-axis, mm     

Heat Transfer Characteristics in a Double-Pipe Heat Exchanger Equipped with Coiled Circular Wires

An experimental investigation has been carried out to study the enhancement in heat transfer coefficient by inserting coiled wire around the outer surface of the inner tube of the double-pipe heat exchanger. Insulated wires, with a circular cross-section of 2 mm diameter, forming a coil of different pitches (p = 6, 12, and 20 mm), were used as turbulators. The investigation is performed for turbulent water flow in a double-pipe heat exchanger with cold water in the annulus space for both parallel and counter flows. The experiments were performed for Reynolds numbers ranging from 4,000 to 14,000. The experimental results reveal that the use of coiled circular wires leads to a considerable increase in heat transfer coefficients compared with a smooth wall tube for both parallel and counter water flows. The mean Nusselt number increases with Reynolds number and pitch. The convective heat transfer coefficient for a turbulent water flow increases for all coiled wire pitches, with the highest enhancement of about 450% for counter flow and 400% for the parallel flow. New correlations for mean relative Nusselt numbers at different coiled wire pitches are provided.     

Analysis of refrigerant-charged solar collectors with phase change

This paper presents a mathematical model for natural circulation refrigerant-charged solar collector plates with phase change. The model accounts for the thermal nonequilibrium vapor generation process along fully charged collector tubes.The local vapor generation rate is determined by solving the steady one-dimensional two-phase energy conservation equations in finite difference form along the flow path. The integral momentum balance around the circulation loop determines the circulation flow rate, which shows dependency on the solar flux and the pressure of the heat carrying refrigerant inside the loop. Calculations have been made for a system fully charged by R-11, with temperature-dependent thermophysical properties.The effect of solar insolation, for a controlled pressure system, on the vaquality, ad circulation rate is presented and discussed. Performance of the system is studied for a range of the independent variables, solar flux up to 1000 W m⁻², and refrigerant saturations temperatures up to 80°C.     

Heat transfer enhancement by combination of serpentine curves and nanofluid flow in microtube

Heat transfer and flow characteristics of Cu/water nanofluids' flow in the serpentine microtubes are investigated experimentally. The serpentine microtubes are fabricated by bending a straight copper microtube with an inner diameter of 787 μm. Also, the Cu/water nanofluids are prepared using a novel one-step technique, namely electro-exploded wire. The effects of serpentine microtubes' geometrical parameters (pitch spacing, p, and straight section, l) and nanofluid concentration (weight fraction, φ) are examined. It is found that the heat transfer enhances by decreasing both the pitch spacing and the straight section of the serpentine microtube as well as increasing the weight fraction of the nanofluid. Also, the results show that the friction factor tends to increase in the same manner. A noticeable average enhancement in the thermal performance factor of 21.8% is obtained for a specific operating condition, i.e., the nanofluid at φ = 0.3% through the serpentine microtube with p = 9.6 mm and l = 10 mm. Finally, two correlations of Nusselt number and friction factor for the Cu/water nanofluids across the serpentine microtubes are proposed.     

Preparation,characterization, and performance study of beeswax/expanded graphite composite as thermal storage material

In this study, beeswax as a new energy storage material and its composite with expanded graphite were prepared and characterized for their surface and thermal properties. Surface characterization showed no chemical interaction between beeswax and expanded graphite. The thermal conductivity of the composite was improved with 117% enhancement. The thermal performance of beeswax and its composite as a heat storage material was studied in a rectangular shell-and-tube thermal storage unit. The melting point of the composite remained almost same as that of beeswax; however, the melting time was reduced considerably, from 540 to 360 min with inlet water at 80°C and a 2-lpm flow rate.     

Experimental study of transient heat transfer characteristics of single-phase natural convection in multidimensional porous bed with volumetric heat generation

Natural convection in an internally heated porous bed of height and diameter of 450 mm and 500 mm, respectively, and superposed with the fluid layer has been experimentally investigated. The onset of natural convection in the bed is indicated by change in the rate of temperature rise within the bed. An empirical model based on local Nusselt number and local Rayleigh number has been developed. A comparison of the present model with the models in literature is made to draw out the differences between the local heat transfer of large multidimensional beds and the average heat transfer of small beds.