Flow Patterns and Heat Transfer Characteristics of a Polymer Pulsating Heat Pipe Filled with Hydrofluoroether

Visualization experiments were conducted to clarify the operational characteristics of a polymer pulsating heat pipe(PHP).Hydrofluoroether(HFE)-7100 was used as a working fluid,and its filling ratio was 50%of the entire PHP channel.A semi-transparent PHP was fabricated using a transparent polycarbonate sheet and a plastic 3D printer,and the movements of liquid slugs and vapor plugs of the working fluid were captured with a high-speed camera.The video images were then analyzed to obtain the flow patterns in the PHP.The heat transfer characteristics of the PHPwere discussed based on the flowpatterns and temperature distributions obtainedwith thermocouples.Before starting heating,because of high wettability,large liquid slugs positioned at the evaporator section of the PHP.After starting heating,since the occurrence of boiling divided the large liquid slugs,oscillatory flowof smaller liquid slugs and vapor plugs was found in the PHP.Clear circulation flow of liquid slugs and vapor plugs was observed when the power input to the PHP was larger than 12.0 W.The flow patterns and temperature distributions confirmed that the circulation flow enhanced the heat transfer from the evaporator section to the condenser section of the PHP.In the circulation flow mode,large growth and contraction of vapor plugs were found one after another in all even-numbered PHP channels.However,the analysis of flow patterns clarified that the phase-change heat transfer rate by large growth and contraction of vapor plugs was 19%of the total heat transfer rate of the PHP.Although the generation of large vapor plugs was found in the PHP,most of the heat was transferred by the sensible heat of the working fluid.

Experimental Analyses of Flow Pattern and Heat Transfer in a Horizontally Oriented Polymer Pulsating Heat Pipe withMerged Liquid Slugs

Extended experiments were conducted on the oscillation characteristics of merged liquid slugs in a horizontally oriented polymer pulsating heat pipe(PHP).The PHP’s serpentine channel comprised 14 parallel channels with a width of 1.3 mm and a height of 1.1 mm.The evaporator and condenser sections were 25 and 50 mm long,respectively,and the adiabatic section in between was 75mmlong.Using a plastic 3D printer and semi-transparent filament made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene,the serpentine channel was printed directly onto a thin polycarbonate sheet to form the PHP.The PHP was charged with hydrofluoroether-7100.In the experiments,the evaporator section was heated,and the condenser section was cooled using high-temperature and low-temperature thermostatic baths,respectively.Flow patterns of the working fluid were obtained with temperature distributions of the PHP.A mathematical model was developed to analyze the flow patterns.Themerged liquid slugs were observed in every two channels,and their oscillation characteristics were found to be approximately the same in time and space.It was also found that the oscillations of the merged liquid slugs became slower,but the heat transfer rate of the PHP increased with a decrease in the filling ratio of the working fluid.This is because vapor condensation was enhanced in vapor plugs as the filling ratio decreased.However,the filling ratio had a lower limit,and the heat transfer rate was maximum when the filling ratio was 40.6%in the present experimental range.