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.     

Flow patterns and heat-transfer characteristics of a top heat mode closed-loop oscillating heat pipe with check valves (THMCLOHP/CV)

The aim of this research was to investigate the flow patterns and heat transfer of a top heat mode closed-loop oscillating heat pipe with check valves (THMCLOHP/CV). In this study, the heat pipe was made of a high-quality glass capillary tube with an inner diameter of 2.4 mm bent into 10 meandering turns. The number of check valves was 2 and the tube was filled with R141b at a filling ratio of 50% of internal volume of the tube. The combined lengths of the evaporator, adiabatic and condenser sections were equal to 50 mm. The pipe was operated at the top heat mode, and the angles of inclination were 20°, 40°, 60°, 80°, and 90°. The heat applied at the evaporator section was controlled at 85°Cto 105°C, and 125°C. The results show that in the evaporator section, bubbles are produced and grow as a result of the continuous nucleate boiling. They coalesced and their volume expanded. Similarly, in the condenser section the vapor plug condensate caused the bubbles to collapse and accumulate as a liquid mass at the lower section of the U-bend tube. A new slug then developed and the bubbles coalesced in an upward flow. Heat flux increased when the evaporator temperature and inclination angle increased causing the average length of the vapor plug to decrease and the average velocity of vapor plug to increase. The maximum heat flux occurred at an evaporator temperature of 125°C and an inclination angle of minus 90°.     

Experimental study on the heat transfer characteristics of a new type flat micro heat pipe heat exchanger with latent heat thermal energy storage

An experimental energy storage system has been designed using a new type flat micro heat pipe heat exchanger that incorporates a moderate-temperature phase change material paraffin with a melting point of 58°C. The basic structure, working principles, and design concept are discussed. The heat transfer process during the charging and discharging of the heat exchanger under various operating conditions has been experimentally investigated. Results show that the performance of the new type flat micro heat pipe was steady and efficient during charging and discharging. The average thermal storage power and absorption efficiency have been determined to be approximately 537 W and 92.5%, respectively.     

照明用大功率LED回路热管散热器的研究

分析了照明用大功率LED封装的散热特性,提出了一种用于大功率LED系统散热的回路热管;研究了热负荷、倾角、加热方式等对热管的起动性、均温性、热阻等的影响。试验结果表明,所设计的热管散热器的热阻在0.19K/W~3.1K/W之间,蒸发器的均温性被控制在1.5℃以内,满足大功率LED封装的均温性要求,在热负荷为100W时,蒸发器的温度被控制在100℃以下,满足大功率LED结点温度的控制要求。     

补偿腔支路对环路热管传热性能影响的实验研究

在环路热管系统工作中,存在因补偿腔温度过高而造成的蒸发器烧干现象。在常规环路热管系统中设计了补偿腔支路,以带走热源向补偿腔传递的径向热量,并对设计的环路热管系统进行实验测试,分析补偿腔支路对环路热管传热特性的影响。实验结果表明:补偿腔支路开启后,在热流密度14 W/cm²时,系统稳定启动所需时间从4 min减少到3 min,表明系统稳定启动所需时间减小,有利于快速启动;在热流密度18 W/cm²下,对应的壁面温度从88.2℃降至85.4℃,系统热阻从0.56 K/W减小到了0.49 K/W,表明系统所能承受的最大热流密度更大,系统热阻也更低,因此系统的传热性能更好。     

Utilization of blast furnace slag nano-fluids in two-phase closed thermos-syphon heat pipes for enhancing heat transfer

This article deals with utilization of blast furnace slag nano-fluids in two-phase closed thermo-syphon heat pipes for enhancing heat transfer at various states of operation. The utilization of nano-fluids obtained from X₂O₃-, XO-, XO₂-, and X₂O-type oxides, such as Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, CaO, SiO₂, MgO, MnO, K₂O, and Na₂O, on the improvement of heat pipe performance has been separately reported in a number of studies in the literature. The present study experimentally demonstrated the effect of using a nano-fluid obtained from blast furnace slag comprised of various types of metal oxides in varying ratios on improving the performance of a heat pipe. The slag was obtained from the iron blast furnace of Karabük Iron Steel Workings (Turkey). Triton X-100 (Dow Chemical Company) dispersant was used in the study to produce the blast furnace slag/water nano-fluid via direct-synthesis. The 2 wt% concentration of blast furnace slag/water nano-fluid was used as the working fluid in heat pipes. A straight copper tube with an inner diameter of 13 mm, outer diameter of 15 mm, and length of 1 m was used as the heat pipe in the present experimental study. The nano-fluid filled 33.3% (44.2 ml) of the volume of the two-phase closed thermo-syphon. Three heating power levels (200, 300, and 400 W) were used in the experiments with three different flow rates of cooling water (5, 7.5, and 10 g/s) used in the condenser for cooling the system. An increase of 22% was achieved in thermal performance of the two-phase closed thermo-syphon when 2 wt% blast furnace slag containing nano-fluid was used to replace pure water at a heat load of 200 W with a cooling water flow rate of 5 g/s.     

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.     

Empirical Study of an Air-to-Air Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger in Tropical Climates

Abstract

This article presents the empirical study of a heat pipe heat exchanger that was directly experiencing the ambient tropical air in its evaporator section. The performance of the heat pipe heat exchanger was monitored during two weeks of operation to determine the performance curves. The temperature of return air was controlled at about 22°C as the representative temperature of inside air, and a face velocity of 2 m/s on the heat pipe heat exchanger coil was established for this purpose. It was found that for the present investigation, the heat pipe heat exchanger can pay for itself in 1.5 years.     

Experimental comparison of Triton X-100 and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate surfactants on thermal performance of TiO2–deionized water nanofluid in a thermosiphon

This study investigates how TiO₂/deionized water nanofluids affect the thermal performance of a two-phase closed thermosiphon (TPCT) at various states of operation, according to the surfactant types. A straight copper tube with an inner diameter of 13 mm, outer diameter of 15 mm, and length of 1 m was used as the TPCT, i.e., heat pipe. The nanofluid utilizing in experiments was prepared by mixing the TiO₂ nano-particles at the rate of 1.3% and a surfactant at the rate of 0.5% with deionized water. The surfactants used for lowering the surface tension give rise to prevent the flocculation in nanofluids. In order to see the influences of the surfactants on the nanofluid properties, two types surfactants, Triton X-100 and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), were selected as nonionic and ionic surfactants and used in this study. The nanofluid was charged with in the ratio of 33.3% (equals to 44.2 ml) of the volume of the TPCT. To be able to make experimental comparisons, three different working fluids prepared under the same conditions in the same heat pipe were tested at three different heating powers (200, 300, and 400W) and three different coolant water flow rates (5, 7.5, and 10 g/s). The experiments were conducted for both TiO₂ and Triton X 100–deionized water nanofluid and TiO₂ and SDBS–deionized water nanofluid. The findings obtained from the tests were also compared to each other for showing off to what extent a surfactant affects the nanofluid properties. The maximum improvement in the thermal resistance was achieved by 43.26% in the experiment realized at 200 W input power and 7.5 g/s cooling water mass flow rate, in which the working fluid is TiO₂ and SDBS–deionized water nanofluid.     

Experimental Study of Two Phase Closed Thermosyphon Using Cuo/Water Nanofluid in the Presence Of Electric Field

In this article, the effect of applying an electric field on the performance of a two-phase closed thermosyphon is investigated experimentally. A CuO/water nanofluid is used as the working fluid in the present investigation; 40% of the evaporator volume is filled with the working fluid during the tests. An electric field in various voltages ranging from 5 to 20 kV is applied to the system. Also, the input power supplied to the evaporator varies between 60 to 120 W. The thermal efficiency and the thermal resistance of the two-phase closed thermosyphon are evaluated in various strengths of electric field and different volume fractions. It is found that using the nanofluid and applying an electric field could increase the thermal efficiency by up to 30% as compared with the case in which the working media is pure water and no electric field is applied. To illustrate the effect of the electric field on the heat transfer enhancement, the augmentation Nusselt number, defined as the ratio of the Nusselt numbers after and before applying the electric field, is discussed. The results show that utilizing an electric field is more advantageous when the input power applied to the system is lower.     

A correlation to predict heat-transfer rates of a miniature loop thermosyphon

This research is aimed at enhancing the traditional thermosyphon by preventing flooding and drying out from the opposite directions of the vapor and liquid. A miniature loop thermosyphon (MLT) consists of three sections, namely, the evaporator, the adiabatic and condenser sections. The return liquid channel is connected between the condenser and the evaporator to convey the condensed liquid. The MLT has a ratio of internal diameter of the condenser section to internal diameter of the evaporator section (Idc/Ide), which is 1.4. The MLT was made from a copper tube of 15-mm, 19-mm, and 22-mm ID. The filling ratios of the working fluid were 30%, 50%, and 80% of evaporator volume with an inclination angle of 90°. The operating temperatures were 70°C, 80°C, and 90°C with ratios of Ide/Idr of 3, 3.8, and 4.4. The research reports the effect of dimensionless parameters on heat-transfer characteristics, namely, Bo, Pr, We, Fr, Ja, Ku, ρ _υ /ρ _l, and Ide/Idr. It was found that the Bo, Pr, Ja, Ku, ρ _υ /ρ _l, and Ide/Idr have no effect on heattransfer characteristics. The We, Fr, and Ku have an effect on the heat-transfer characteristics as with increasing We, Fr, and Ku, the heat-transfer characteristics decrease. The research established another modified Kutateladze number, which can also be used to predict MLT in the vertical position.     

环路热管式空调机组传热特性的实验研究

采用环路热管式空调机组用于新风的预冷及再热,减少了表冷器的冷量及降低再热设备的能耗。文中研究了充液率、倾角对热管蒸发段和冷凝段温差及显热效率的影响。研究表明,环路热管式空调机组,充液率介于55%～75%时,热管蒸发段和冷凝段温差较大;随着倾角的增加,热管蒸发段和冷凝段温差也逐渐增大,显热效率也随之较高。因此,采用环路热管式空调机组可降低能耗,提高人体的热舒适性,可用于热带及亚热带地区,最大限度回收热量。     

Heat pipe heat exchanger optimization

An equation to determine the optimum position of the partition separating a heat pipe into evaporator and condenser regions in a heat pipe heat exchanger was formulated by minimizing the total thermal resistance of the heat path. The optimal position of the partition plate for various operating conditions was found and analysed. Some improvements of thermal efficiency could be achieved.     

The sorption heat pipe—a new device for thermal control and active cooling

The sorption heat pipe (SHP) is a new heat transfer device, which can be used as a sorption cooler or as a heat pipe. The SHP has a sorbent bed (adsorber/desorber and evaporator) at one end and a condenser+evaporator at the other end. This device is insensitive to some “g” acceleration and could be suggested for space and ground application. The most crucial feature of this device is that in different cases it can be used, for example, as a loop heat pipe, because they have the same evaporator and condenser, or as a SHP. The SHP can be used also as a cryogenic cooler. The SHP is convenient for cryogenic fluid storage, when the system does not work at low pressure and room temperature, and for use in the active cryogenic thermal control systems of spacecraft in orbit (cold plates for infrared observation of the Earth or space), or as an efficient electronic component cooling device.     

复合结构毛细蒸发器传热特性研究

研制了复合结构毛细蒸发器环路热管,实验研究了环路热管的启动性能与运行特性,通过与单一结构毛细蒸发器环路热管对比,表明复合结构毛细蒸发器环路热管传热功率密度得到了提高,热阻明显降低.但在低功率下启动时,复合结构毛细蒸发器环路热管的温度波动现象加剧.     

Experimental Investigation of Natural Convection in Inclined Channel in Presence of Electrostatic Field

The influence of external electrohydrodynamic forces on natural convection from a flat plate has been studied. Temperature distribution in the aforementioned channel at α = 45°, 90°, and 150° angles in different 10-, 12-, and 15-kV electrostatic fields has been reviewed. Corona wind and the shape of the created vortex by electrohydrodynamics were detected. The results showed that heat transfer was enhanced by increasing the electrostatic field in all angles. In the presence of the field, enhancement of heat transfer of the plate at acute angles is better than for obtuse ones. The optimal angle in terms of heat transfer was 45°, noting heat transfer improvement by 61%.     

Effect of Swirl Generator Inserted Into a Tube on Exergy Transfer: Decaying Flow

This study experimentally investigates the effect of conical injector type swirl generator inserts on heat and exergy transfer in a uniform heat flux tube for turbulence regime. One hundred twenty watts of heat are applied by coiling a flexible silicone heater on the tube (copper pipe) with an inside diameter of 62 mm and length of 1,200 mm. The conical injector type swirl generator has a conical shape, which is similar to a funnel, with angle (α) of 30°, 45°, and 60°. Circular holes are drilled on the conical injector type swirl generator as three different cross-sectional areas (A_h). The total areas (A_t = N.A_h) of the holes on the conical injector type swirl generator equal each other. Because of this, the three different holes numbers (N) are produced. Flow directors having three different angles (β = 30°, 60°, and 90°) to radial direction are attached to every one of the holes. This study is a typical example for decaying flow. Reynolds number (Re) was varied from 10,000 to 35,000, so the flow was considered as only a turbulent regime. All experiments were conducted with air accordingly; Prandtl number was approximately fixed at 0.71. The local and average heat transfer Nusselt number (Nu_h) and exergy transfer Nusselt number (Nu_e) are calculated and discussed in this article. It is found that the Nu_h increases with an increase in Reynolds number, director angle (β), and director diameter (d) but with a decrease in the conical injector type swirl generator angle (α). However, Nu_e decreases depending on the same independent parameters.     

分离式螺旋热管蓄冰过程动态特性模拟

在提出分离式螺旋热管蓄冷空调系统的基础上,建立了螺旋热管蒸发段蓄冰过程的理论模型,分析了单位时间内管外结冰厚度、管外冰层厚度、蓄冰率、单位时间蓄冷量以及系统总蓄冷量随时间的变化关系,并对三种不同管径的螺旋热管的蓄冰特性进行了分析研究,研究结果表明在螺旋热管曲率半径相同的条件下,增大管径可以提高系统的单位时间蓄冷量。     

燕尾形轴向槽道热管瞬态特性实验研究及热阻模型

实验研究燕尾形轴向槽道热管启动/关闭及负荷变化的瞬态响应特性。建立了燕尾形轴向槽道热管的热阻理论预测模型,分析工作温度和热负荷及对热管总热阻的影响。结果表明:热管在负荷突然增加或减小时,响应特性良好;热管在启动过程中,热管的蒸发段、绝热段和冷凝段的温度都在增大;总热阻随热负荷的增大而增大;然而,总热阻受工作温度的影响较小;比较总热阻和平均温差的实验测量和计算值,两者符合较好。