Development and Investigation of a Miniature Copper-Acetone Loop Heat Pipe with a Flat Evaporator

The paper presents the results of development and investigation of a copper miniature loop heat pipe (LHP) with acetone as a working fluid. The device was equipped with a flat evaporator measuring 80 × 42 × 7 mm and vapor and liquid lines with an outside diameter of 3 mm, whose lengths were 145 mm and 175 mm, respectively. The LHP was tested at heat loads from 5 W to 60 W, different orientations in the gravity field and heat-sink temperatures from -40°C to +50°C. It is shown that the LHP retains its efficiency at all testing conditions. It is also mentioned that at a heat-sink temperature of +50°C the device operates in the mode of constant conductivity in the whole range of heat loads, and in this case a minimum thermal resistance of the “heat source-heat sink” system equal to 0.16°C/W is achieved, which is independent of the LHP orientation in the gravity field.

倾角对平板型LHP 运行性能的影响

通过改变内部毛细芯结构达到改善环路热管性能、减小环路热管体积的目的,取消储液腔,将传统的长矩形蒸汽槽道更改为特斯拉阀形状,并且将蒸发器进出口设置在蒸发器两侧。研究该热管在不同倾角下的启动性能、运行特性。结果显示:相对于0°倾角运行,倾角的存在能够减少环路热管的启动时间,降低蒸发器温度,存在倾角的条件下启动特性差别不大。随着功率的增加,不同倾角的环路热管热阻减小,仅在倾角(10°以下)较低时有较大的热阻。随着倾角的增加,环路热管热阻随功率的变化无较大改变。

Visual Study on Flow and Operational Characteristics of Flat Plate Closed Loop Pulsating Heat Pipes

This paper presents an experimental study including visualization on a flat plate closed loop pulsating heat pipes.It consists of a total of 40 channels with square cross section(2 mm×2 mm,165 mm long) machined directly on an aluminum plate(180 mm×120 mm×3 mm) covered by a transparent plate.The working fluid employed is ethanol.As a result,various flow patterns and their transitions are observed and found to be related to the fluid fill ratio,input heat load and the device orientation.Also the operational characteristics and working mechanism are discussed.

Parametric Influence on Thermal Performance of Flat Plate Closed Loop Pulsating Heat Pipes

This paper presents an experimental study on a flat plate closed loop pulsating heat pipes. It consisted of total 40 channels with square cross section （2 × 2 mm^2, 165 mm long） machined directly on an aluminum plate（180×120×3 nm^2）, which was covered by a transparent plate. The working fluid employed was ethanol. As the results, the influence parameters of thermal performance were investigated, such as filling ratio, heat load and operational orientations etc. Filling ratio was found to be a critical parameter, and its effect was rather complicated. According to its values the PHP plate could have four distinct working zones with different operational characteristics and heat transfer performance. The effect of heat load on thermal performance was found to be positive, and in general, iucrcasing the heat load would improve heat transfer performance. In order to analyze the effect of gravity on thermal performance, three different heat modes and total seven tilt angles were tested and compared. Successful operation at all orientations with respect to gravity was also achieved.

Experiment investigation on visualization and operating characteristics of closed loop plate oscillating heat pipe with parallel channels

Using ethanol or acetone as the working fluid, visualization of oscillations in steady state was observed visually by high-speed cameras, and temperature oscillating and heat transfer characteristics of closed-loop plate oscillating heat pipe with parallel channels(POHP-PC) were experimentally investigated by varying liquid filled ratios(50%, 70%, 85%), section scales(1 mm×1 mm and 1 mm×1.5 mm), inclination angles, working fluids and heating inputs. It was found that during operating there was mixed flow consisting of plug flow and annular flow in channels of oscillating heat pipe at steady-state. There was an equilibrium position for working fluid of condenser during oscillating, and periodic oscillations occurred up and down in the vicinity of equilibrium position. With heat input increasing, equilibrium position rose slowly as a result of vapor pressure of evaporation.Evaporation temperature oscillating amplitude possessed a trend of small-large-small and frequency trend was of small-large during steady-state. It may be generally concluded that temperature, whether evaporator or condenser, fluctuated sharply or rose continuously when oscillating heat pipe coming to dry burning state. Simultaneously, it was found that temperature difference of cooling water possibly dropped with heat input rising during dry burning state. Thermal resistance of No. 2 with acetone was lower than that of No. 1 during experiments, but No. 2 achieving heat transfer limit was earlier than No. 1. However, with ethanol, thermal resistance of No. 1 and No. 2 were similar with the heating input less than 110-120 W and filling ratios of 50% and 70%. And with filling ratio of 85%, heating transfer performance of No. 2 was better compared to No. 1 during all the experiments.

Numerical Study of Thermal Performance of a Capillary Evaporator in a Loop Heat Pipe with Liquid-Saturated Wick

Heat transfer of a capillary evaporator in a loop heat pipe was analyzed through 3D numerical simulations to study the effects of the thermal conductivity of the wick, the contact area between the casing and the wick, and the subcooling in the compensation chamber (CC) on the thermal performance of the evaporator. A pore network model with a distribution of pore radii was used to simulate liquid flow in the porous structure of the wick. To obtain high accuracy, fine meshes were used at the boundaries among the casing, the wick, and the grooves. Distributions of temperature, pressure, and mass flow rate were compared for polytetra-fluoroethylene (PTFE) and stainless steel wicks. The thermal conductivity of the wick and the contact area between the casing and the wick significantly impacted thermal performance of the evaporator heat-transfer coefficient and the heat leak to the CC. The 3D analysis provided highly accurate values for the heat leak;in some cases, the heat leaks of PTFE and stainless steel wicks showed little differences. In general, the heat flux is concentrated at the boundaries between the casing, the wick, and the grooves;therefore, thermal performance can be optimized by increasing the length of the boundary.

Investigation of Geometric Factors of Convex Platforms in the Flat Evaporator of Loop Heat Pipes

This paper investigated the influence of geometric factors of vapor groove structures on the performance of flat evaporator of a loop heat pipe system. COMSOL multiphysics software was employed to simulate the heat transfer in the evaporator with convex platforms of different shapes,sizes and area ratios(φ)between convex platforms and the heated surface. The maximum temperature and temperature distribution of each model were obtained. The results showed that the decrease of the size of platforms and the increase of φ can lower temperatures and improve temperature distribution homogeneity of the heated surface. Compared with circle and oval platforms,square platforms achieved lower temperature. The results also indicated that φ had the most significant impact on the performance of the evaporator.

Mass-Spring-Damper Model with Steady State Parameters for Predicting the Movement of Liquid Column and Temperature Oscillation in Loop Heat Pipe

In order to investigate the mechanism of the temperature oscillation in loop heat pipes,this paper investigated the movement of the phase interface as the changed input power by a mass-spring-damper model.The model was solved with MATLAB and was used to explain the high-frequency and low-amplitude temperature oscillation.Temperature variation with the input power from 20 W to 75 W was investigated based on a LHP prototype in a literature.The model agreed well with the experimental data in the literature.The simulation results suggested that the movement of the liquid column was caused by the fluctuation of pressure difference applied on the liquid column and the stiffness coefficients of the vapor springs increasing with the input power.According to parameter analyses,the temperature oscillation at the outlet of the condenser can be weakened by increasing the mass of the liquid column and keeping the temperature at the outlet of the condenser steady.

Experimental Investigation on the Effection of Flow Regulator in a Multiple Evaporators/Condensers Loop Heat Pipe with Plastic Porous Structure

Multiple loop heat pipes which have two evaporators and two condensers in one loop are a kind of active heat transfer device. Since they have two evaporators and two condensers, the operating mode also becomes multiple. This work discusses the cases that multiple loop heat pipes were operated with one condenser at high temperature and the other at low temperature. To avoid the high temperature returning liquid and keep the multiple loop heat pipes work properly, the flow regulator which was made of polyethylene was designed, fabricated and applied in this test. The effect of flow regulator was confirmed and analyzed. In the test that large temperature difference existed between two sinks, it can be found according to the result that the flow regulator worked effectively and prevented the high temperature vapor to enter the inlet of common liquid line, which can keep the evaporators and returning liquid to operate at low temperature. With the increment of heat loads and the temperature difference between two sinks, the pressure difference between two condensers became larger and larger. When the pressure difference was larger than the flow regulator’s capillary force, the flow regulator could not work properly because the high temperature vapor began to flow through the flow regulator. According to the test data, the flow regulator can work properly within the sinks’ temperature 0°C/60°C and the two evaporators’ heat load 30/30 W.

Two-Phase Flow Modeling in a Single Closed Loop Pulsating Heat Pipes

Mathematical modeling of pulsating heat pipes through ‘first’ principles is a contemporary problem which remains quite elusive. Simplifications and assumptions made in all the modeling approaches developed so far render them unsuitable for engineering design. In this paper, a more realistic modeling scheme is presented which provides considerable try for thought toward the next progressive step. At high enough heat flux level, closed loop pulsating heat pipes experience a bulk internal unidirectional fluid circulation. Under such a condition, conventional two-phase flow modeling in capillary tubes may be applied. This has been attempted for single-loop PHPs. A homogeneous model and a separated two-fluid flow model based on simultaneous conservation of mass, momentum and energy, have been developed for an equivalent ‘open flow’ system. The model allows prediction of two-phase flow parameters in each sub-section of the device thereby providing important insights into its operation. The concept of ‘void fraction constraint’ in pulsating heat pipe operation is introduced and its relevance to future modeling attempts is outlined.

Operating Characteristics of Multiple Evaporators and Multiple Condensers Loop Heat Pipe with Polytetrafluoroethylene Wicks

This paper presents fabrication and testing of a multiple-evaporator and multiple-condenser loop heat pipe (MLHP) with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) porous media as wicks. The MLHP has two evaporators and two condensers in a loop heat pipe in order to adapt to various changes of thermal condition in spacecraft. The PTFE porous media was used as the primary wicks to reduce heat leak from evaporators to compensation chambers. The tests were conducted under an atmospheric condition. In the tests that heat loads are applied to both evaporators, the MLHP was stably operated as with a LHP with a single evaporator and a single condenser. The relation between the sink temperature and the thermal resistance was experimentally evaluated. In the test with the heat load to one evaporator, the heat transfer from the heated evaporator to the unheated evaporator was confirmed. In the heat load switching test, in which the heat load is switched from one evaporator to another evaporator repeatedly, the MLHP could be stably operated. The loop operation with the large temperature difference between the heat sinks was also tested. From this result, the stable operation of the MLHP in the various conditions was demonstrated. It was also found that a flow regulator which prevents the uncondensed vapor from the condensers is required at the inlet of the common liquid line when one condenser has higher temperature and cannot condense the vapor in it.

Testing of a Low-Cost Loop Heat Pipe Design

This paper presents and describes the test campaign of a low-cost Loop Heat Pipes (LHP) design. LHP have been around for many decades now. Their potential as passive heat transfer devices has been widely demonstrated in numerous both ground- and space-based applications. One of the major disadvantages of LHP is their inherent high manufacturing cost;this is the main factor why LHP are still confined to niche/high end applications such as thermal management of spacecrafts. This paper proposes to use an alternative manufacturing design for the LHP evaporator, which is the main contributor to the overall LHP cost. Preliminary thermal results are also reported and briefly explained. Future work is needed to confirm the promising results discussed in this paper and address fully other issues such as tolerance of this LHP design to vibrations and accelerations typical of space missions.

Experimental Investigation of Loop Heat Pipe with Two Evaporators/Two Condensers under Thermal Vacuum Condition

Multiple loop heat pipe is a high-functional thermal transport device. This work was conducted to confirm the working performance of Multiple loop heat pipe under thermal vacuum ambience with the working fluid ammonia. Asmall multiple loop heat pipe with two evaporators and two ra- diators was designed and fabricated. Then thermal vacuum test was conducted. The heaters were fasten on both evaporators, both radiators, both compensation chambers. In the case that both evaporators were heated, the multiple loop heat pipe can transport 120/120 W for 1.5 m, in the case that only one evaporator was heated, evaporator 1 can transport 80 W for 1.5 m, while eva- porator 2 can transport 120 W for 1.5 m. Two flow regulators were installed near the confluence of liquid line to prevent uncondensed vapor penetrating into returning liquid when the tempera- ture difference exists between two radiators. In the case that the heat load at both evaporators were 40/40 W and one radiator was heated, the flow regulator1 can tolerate the 160 W of heat load which was supplied to radiator1 while the flow regulator2 can tolerate the 100 W of heat load which was supplied to radiator2. To demonstrate the multiple loop heat pipe’s startup behavior at lowheat load, each of the compensation chamber was preheated to change the initial distribution of liquid and vapor in the evaporator and compensation chamber, in the result, each evaporator can start up at 5W through preheating.

Heat Transfer and Flow Analysis in Loop Heat Pipe with Multiple Evaporators Using Network Model

Thermal performance of a loop heat pipe with two evaporators and two condensers was examined using a lumped network model analysis. Thermosyphon-type vertical loop heat pipe and capillary-pump-type horizontal loop heat pipe were calculated by examining the change of heating rate of two evaporators. Calculation results showed that the vapor and liquid flow rates in the loop heat pipe and the thermal conductance of the heat pipe changed significantly depending on the distribution ratio of the heating rate of the multiple evaporators. The thermal performance of the vertical loop heat pipe with two evaporators was also examined and experimental results of flow direction and thermal conductance of the heat pipe agreed with the analytical results. The lumped network model analysis is therefore considered accurate and preferable for the practical design of a loop heat pipe with multiple evaporators.

Microscale Infrared Observation of Liquid-Vapor Phase Change Process on the Surface of Porous Media for Loop Heat Pipe

Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) performance strongly depends on the performance of a wick that is porous media inserted in an evaporator. In this paper, the visualization results of thermo-fluid behavior on the surface of the wick with microscopic infrared thermography were reported. In this study, 2 different samples that simulated a part of wick in the evaporator were used. The wicks were made by different two materials: polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and stainless steel (SUS). The pore radii of PTFE wick and SUS wick are 1.2 μm and 22.5 μm. The difference of thermo-fluid behavior that was caused by the difference of material was investigated. These two materials include 4 different properties: pore radius, thermal conductivity, permeability and porosity. In order to investigate the effect of the thermal conductivity on wick’s operating mode, the phase diagram on the q-keff plane was made. Based on the temperature line profiles, two operating modes: mode of heat conduction and mode of convection were observed. The effective thermal conductivity of the porous media has strong effect on the operating modes. In addition, the difference of heat leak through the wick that was caused by the difference of the material was discussed.

Performance of an R410a Filled Loop Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger

A simple theoretical model of a heat pipe heat exchanger （HPHE） based on the ε-NTU method is presented. An iterative computer program was developed to predict the overall effectiveness of a counter-flow air-air loop heat pipe heat exchanger （LHPHE）. A thermal resistance network approach for a single thermosyphon was first considered to determine the overall heat transfer coefficients and the NTU＇s for the evaporator and condenser sections. The model incorporated previously determined evaporating and condensing coefficients. The overall effectiveness of the 6, 4 and 2 row LHPHE was then predicted. The theoretical overall effectiveness was compared with experimental data obtained from a R410a filled LHPHE. The experimental overall effectiveness results compared very well with the simulated values, The results showed that the 6 row arrangement performed better than the 4 or 2 row arrangement in the experiment.

Operational Characteristics of Loop Heat Pipe in Microgravity and Normal Gravity Environments

The loop heat pipe(LHP)is an advanced,efficient two-phase heat transfer unit,whose operational performance may be affected by microgravity conditions in contrast to ground-based applications.The performance of on-orbit temperature data and ground test of a copper-propylene LHP with a condenser temperature range of 243.15 K to 303.15 K were employed to compared and analyzed.The LHP has successfully started up for more than 193 times with a good heat transfer performance and a stable start-up stabilization on-orbit under a complex orbital heating environment for more than eight months.With a small heat load(10.0W),the average start-up time is 110.0 s while the start-up temperature ranges from 5.71 K-12.78 K.The start-up time at large temperature differences in the high temperature zone will be higher than the time required for start-up at smaller temperature differences in the low one.When the condenser temperature is 250.0 K,the stable temperature difference on orbit is 3.83 K,which is generally consistent in heat transfer compared to 2.20 K in the ground test.In this paper,we can conclude that the on-orbit flight data up to now can provide a reference to the design of subsequent LHP space applications.

Heat Pipe for Aerospace Applications—An Overview

The paper presents an overview of heat pipes, especially those used in different space missions. Historical perspectives, principles of operations, types of heat pipes are discussed. Several factors have contributed to the science and technology of the present state-of-Art heat pipe leading to the development of loop heat pipes, micro and miniature heat pipes and micro loop heat pipes. The paper highlights the advancement of heat pipe for hypersonic cruise vehicles, loop heat pipes with higher conductance in 10 K range, heat pipe switches for temperature control of the spacecraft electronics.

Complex Heat Pipe System

Based on the analysis for the situation about heat pipe,this paper points out that high efficiency micro heat pipe,high temperaturelarge heat pipe,high efficiency heat pipe reaction equipment and high efficiency heat pipe heat exchange equipment are the developing di-rection of the heat pipe,and the complex heat pipe system is a new heat pipe idea that can satisfy the modern large heat pipe heat exchangeequipment and the high efficiency heat pipe heat exchange equipment.A new complex heat pipe system that is called double circulation con-trollable heat pipe system is advanced and several basic structure modes are given in this paper.The working principle and the basic character-istics about this special heat pipe system are also introduced and analyzed.

光学舱推进剂补加过程的热分析仿真与试验研究

推进剂补加是确保光学舱在轨长寿命工作的重要功能,补加过程面临的热环境条件比以往任务恶劣,全过程热控制十分必要。针对光学舱推进剂补加过程的复杂传热新问题,建立包含压气机、液冷模块和环路热管等部件的光学舱平台集成热数学模型,进行热分析仿真研究,并开展系统级热试验。对比高温和低温2种补加条件的瞬态热分析和热试验结果,研究传热关系和温度变化规律;针对热试验中垂直热管因重力因素从不运行至运行的瞬态过程,提出一种变热导率仿真方法;提出高温补加优化设计方案并进行在轨预示。结果表明:瞬态仿真结果与试验结果吻合良好,验证了热分析方法和仿真模型的准确性和有效性;在轨补加采用压气机本体预热并启动2套环路热管,压气机的最高温度≤34.1℃,预热总功耗50 Wh,满足指标要求。研究结果对于光学舱停靠空间站期间的推进剂补加流程设计具有一定参考价值。