Numerical investigation on the startup performance of high-temperature heat pipes for heat pipe cooled reactor application

A suitable model for high-temperature heat pipe startup is a prerequisite to realizing the numerical simula-tion for the heat pipe cooled reactor startup from the cold state.It is required that this model not only describes the transient behavior during the startup period,but also reduces the computing resources of the heat pipe cooled reactor simulation in the simplest way.In this study,a simplified model that integrates the two-zone and network models is proposed.In this model,vapor flow in the vapor space,evaporation,and condensation in the vapor–liquid interface are decoupled with heat conduction to achieve a fast calculation of the transient characteristics of the heat pipe.An experimental system for a high-temperature heat pipe was developed to validate the proposed model.A potassium heat pipe was utilized as the experimental material.Startup experiments were performed with differ-ent heating powers.Compared with the experimental results,the accuracy of the proposed model was verified.Moreover,the proposed model can predict the vapor flow,pressure drop,and temperature drop in the vapor space.As indicated by the analysis results,the essential requirements for successful startup are also determined.The heat pipe cannot achieve a successful startup until the heating power satisfies these requirements.All the discussions indicate the capability of the proposed model for the simulation of a high-temperature heat pipe startup from the frozen state;hence,can act as a basic tool for the heat pipe cooled reactor simulation.

Heat and Mass Transfer Characteristics of Alkali Metals in a Combined Wick of High-Temperature Heat Pipe

To study the heat and mass transfer characteristics of alkali metals in a combined porous wick in high-temperature heat pipes,a three-dimensional(3-D)numerical model is constructed by using the finite volume method,Darcy’s theory,and the theory of local thermal equilibrium.The research finds that the pressure drop of fluids flowing through a combined porous wick exhibits an increasing trend with increasing flow velocity at the inlet and with decreasing permeability of the porous media;a combined porous wick of lower porosity and permeability and larger fluid velocity at the inlet is found to have a less uniformly distributed fluid velocity;the different temperatures of the fluid at the inlet mainly influence the inlet section of the computational model,while having negligible effect thereon in the axial direction(this embodies the thermal homogeneity of such heat pipes).The result reveals that the temperature change in fluids at the inlet does not significantly affect the overall temperature distribution in a combined wick.

A Comprehensive Review of Thermal Performance Improvement of High-Temperature Heat Pipes

Energy efficiency issues are being focused on the growing concern of global warming and environmental pollution.The high-temperature heat pipe(HTHP) is an effective and environmental-friendly heat transfer device employed in many industries,including solar power generation,high-temperature flue gas waste heat recovery,industrial furnaces,nuclear industries,and aviation.As a critical factor in HTHPs,thermal performance is mainly introduced in the entire paper.To date,most reviews have been published concerning one or several application scenarios.However,to the best of authors' knowledge,it is hard to find a review discussing how to improve the thermal performance of HTHPs comprehensively.First,the impact on the performance of three main components of HTHPs over the past 30 years is introduced:the working fluid,the HTHP structure,and the wick structure.Herein,it is a considerable review of the optimal operating conditions for each direction,and we expect this paper contribute to improving the thermal performance of HTHPs.Then,current numerical simulations and theoretical research on the heat transfer limit of HTHPs are recommended.The significant hypotheses used in numerical simulations and the present theoretical studies are compiled here.Finally,some potential future directions and tentative suggestions for HTHP research are put forward.

Thermo-Economic Performance of Geothermal Driven High-Temperature Flash Tank Vapor Injection Heat Pump System:A Comparison Study

Process heating constitutes a significant share of final energy consumption in the industrial sector around the world.In this paper,a high-temperature heat pump(HTHP)using flash tank vapor injection technology(FTVI)is proposed to develop low-temperature geothermal source for industrial process heating with temperature above 100°C.With heat sink output temperatures between 120°C and 150°C,the thermo-economic performance of the FTVI HTHP system using R1234ze(Z)as refrigerant is analyzed and also compared to the single-stage vapor compression(SSVC)system by employing the developed mathematical model.The coefficient of performance(COP),exergy efficiency(ηexe),net present value(NPV)and payback period(PBP)are used as performance indicators.The results show that under the typical working conditions,the COP andηexe of FTVI HTHP system are 3.00 and 59.66%,respectively,and the corresponding NPV and PBP reach 8.13×106 CNY and 4.13 years,respectively.Under the high-temperature heating conditions,the thermo-economic performance of the FTVI HTHP system is significantly better than that of the SSVC system,and the larger the temperature lift,the greater the thermo-economic advantage of the FTVI HTHP system.Additionally,the FTVI HTHP system is more capable than the SSVC system in absorbing the financial risks associated with changes of electricity price and natural gas price.

Decoupled thermal–hydraulic analysis of an air-cooled separated heat pipe for spent fuel pools under natural convection

An investigation of the decoupled thermal–hydraulic analysis of a separated heat pipe spent fuel pool passive cooling system(SFS)is essential for practical engineering applications.Based on the principles of thermal and mass balance,this study decoupled the heat transfer processes in the SFS.In accordance with the decoupling conditions,we modeled the spent fuel pool of the CAP1400 pressurized water reactor in Weihai and used computational fluid dynamics to explore the heat dissipation capacity of the SFS under different air temperatures and wind speeds.The results show that the air-cooled separated heat pipe radiator achieved optimal performance at an air temperature of 10℃ or wind speed of 8 m/s.Fitted equations for the equivalent thermal conductivity of the separated heat pipes with the wind speed and air temperature we obtained according to the thermal resistance network model.This study is instructive for the actual operation of an SFS.

Micro-analysis of high-temperature oxidation-resistance of a new kind of heat-resistant grid plate in grate-kiln

To further improve the oxidation-resistance of materials and reduce the cost of grid plates in grate-kiln, a new kind of heat-resistant grid plate was developed. The microstructure of this grid plate with a life more than 18 months was studied by XRD, SEM and EDS techniques. The results show that high hardness, high intensity and good impact property make the new kind of heat-resistant grid plate and its oxide film have a higher resistance to deformation and abrasion at 900-1000℃ Besides, small grain size is beneficial to form a complete protective oxide film. The oxide film composed of SiO2 layer, Cr2O3 layer and Fe2O3 layer is rather thin and bonds closely with the backing. The forming of the chemical stable nickel-rich layer increases the density of Cr2O3 layer.

Effect of the Arrangement of a New-Type of Turbulator Inserts on Heat Pipe Exchanger Performances

This research tests the effect of introducing turbulators of a new type into a circular tube heat exchanger under a constant and uniform longitudinal heatflux condition.A 45 mm diameter copper tube with a length of 1,350 mm is utilized with a solid disk being inserted inside the tube,which consists of three sections,each one containing two slots.The slot is cut at a 45 degree angle toward the inner tube surface,which results in diverging theflow toward the inner hot tube surface in order to enhance the heat transfer process.Air is considered as the workingfluid with Prandtl number 0.71.The Reynolds number spans the interval from 6,000–13,500,which indicates that the consideredflow is turbulent.The heat exchanger performance is studied and analyzed in terms of average Nusselt number.The experimental results show that the Nusselt number value is directly proportional to the increase of the Reynolds number,and the number of turbulators inserts.With the use of three novel turbulators,the heat transfer was about 3.15 times higher than that in the smooth tube and the friction factor was about 1.11.

Localized Theoretical Analysis of Thermal Performance of Individually Finned Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger for Air Conditioning with Freon R404A as Working Fluid

This work contributes to the improvement of energy-saving in air conditioning systems. The objective is to apply the thermal efficiency of heat exchangers for localized determination of the thermal performance of heat exchangers with individually finned heat pipes. The fundamental parameters used for performance analysis were the number of fins per heat pipe, the number of heat pipes, the inlet temperatures, and the flow rates of hot and cold fluids. The heat exchanger under analysis uses Freon 404A as a working fluid in an air conditioning system for cooling in the Evaporator and energy recovery in the Condenser. The theoretical model is localized and applied individually to the Evaporator, Condenser, and heat exchanger regions. The results obtained through the simulation are compared with experimental results that use a global approach for the heat exchanger. The thermal quantities obtained through the theoretical model in the mentioned regions are air velocity, Nusselt number, thermal effectiveness, heat transfer rate, and outlet temperature. The comparisons made with global experimental results are in excellent agreement, demonstrating that the localized theoretical approach developed is consistent and can be used as a comprehensive analysis tool for heat exchangers using heat pipes.

High-temperature oxidation behavior of heat resistant stainless steel 1.4828

The kinetic curves of the high-temperature oxidation of austenitic heat resistant stainless steel 1. 4828 at 1 050 ℃ were measured using a weighing method. It is shown that the oxidation curves at 1 050 ℃ followed the parabolic line law, and after 250 h of oxidation, the mass gain was about 80 g/m2. The surface morphology and structure of the oxide layers were studied by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. A complicated oxide layer obtained at 1 050 ℃ was mainly composed, from inner to outer, of （FeSi） 3 04, Cr2 03, Fe2 03, and spinel oxides FeCr204 and NiMn204.

Localized Theoretical Analysis of Thermal Performance of Individually Finned Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger for Air Conditioning with Freon R404A as Working Fluid

This work contributes to the improvement of energy-saving in air conditioning systems. The objective is to apply the thermal efficiency of heat exchangers for localized determination of the thermal performance of heat exchangers with individually finned heat pipes. The fundamental parameters used for performance analysis were the number of fins per heat pipe, the number of heat pipes, the inlet temperatures, and the flow rates of hot and cold fluids. The heat exchanger under analysis uses Freon 404A as a working fluid in an air conditioning system for cooling in the Evaporator and energy recovery in the Condenser. The theoretical model is localized and applied individually to the Evaporator, Condenser, and heat exchanger regions. The results obtained through the simulation are compared with experimental results that use a global approach for the heat exchanger. The thermal quantities obtained through the theoretical model in the mentioned regions are air velocity, Nusselt number, thermal effectiveness, heat transfer rate, and outlet temperature. The comparisons made with global experimental results are in excellent agreement, demonstrating that the localized theoretical approach developed is consistent and can be used as a comprehensive analysis tool for heat exchangers using heat pipes.

HIGH-TEMPERATURE HEAT CAPACITIES OF THE PHASES IN Y-Ba-Cu-O SYSTEM

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Macroscopic Structural Analysis on a 10 kW Class Lab-Scale Process Heat Exchanger Prototype under a High-Temperature Gas Loop Condition

A PHE (Process Heat Exchanger) is a key component in transferring high-temperature heat generated from a VHTR (Very High Temperature Reactor) to a chemical reaction for the massive production of hydrogen. Last year, a 10 kW class lab-scale PHE prototype made of Hastelloy-X was manufactured at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), and a performance test of the PHE prototype is currently underway in a small-scale nitrogen gas loop at KAERI. The PHE prototype is composed of two kinds of flow plates: grooves 1.0 mm in diameter machined into the flow plate for the primary coolant, and waved channels bent into the flow plate for the secondary coolant. Inside the 10 kW class lab-scale PHE prototype, twenty flow plates for the primary and secondary coolants are stacked in turn. In this study, to understand the macroscopic structural behavior of the PHE prototype under the steady-state operating condition of the gas loop, high-temperature structural analyses on the 10 kW class lab-scale PHE prototype were performed for two extreme cases: in the event of contacting the flow plates together, and when not contacting them. The analysis results for the extreme cases were also compared.

Improving the performance of a thermoelectric power system using a flat-plate heat pipe

A gravitational flat-plate heat pipe is designed and fabricated in this paper to serve as a heat spreader to diffuse the local heat source to the hot side of the thermoelectric power module.Based on this, an experimental test for the thermoelectric power generation system is conducted to study the influences of the heat spreader on the temperature uniformity and power generation performance when exposing to a local heat source.In addition,the effects of the heating power, inclination angle, and local heat source size on the power generation performance of the thermoelectric power module using a flat-plate heat pipe as a heat spreader are examined and compared with that using a metal plate.The results indicate that the gravitational flat-plate heat pipe has considerable advantages over the metal plate in the temperature uniformity.The superiority of temperature uniformity in the improvement of power generation performance for the thermoelectric power system using a heat pipe is demonstrated.Particularly, the heat pipe shows good adaptability to placement mode and the local heat source size, which is beneficial to the application in the thermoelectric power generation.

Analysis of Collapse in Flattening a Micro-grooved Heat Pipe by Lateral Compression

The collapse of thin-walled micro-grooved heat pipes is a common phenomenon in the tube flattening process, which seriously influences the heat transfer performance and appearance of heat pipe. At present, there is no other better method to solve this problem. A new method by heating the heat pipe is proposed to eliminate the collapse during the flattening process. The effectiveness of the proposed method is investigated through a theoretical model, a finite element（FE） analysis, and experimental method. Firstly, A theoretical model based on a deformation model of six plastic hinges and the Antoine equation of the working fluid is established to analyze the collapse of thin walls at different temperatures. Then, the FE simulation and experiments of flattening process at different temperatures are carried out and compared with theoretical model. Finally, the FE model is followed to study the loads of the plates at different temperatures and heights of flattened heat pipes. The results of the theoretical model conform to those of the FE simulation and experiments in the flattened zone. The collapse occurs at room temperature. As the temperature increases, the collapse decreases and finally disappears at approximately 130 ℃ for various heights of flattened heat pipes. The loads of the moving plate increase as the temperature increases. Thus, the reasonable temperature for eliminating the collapse and reducing the load is approximately 130℃. The advantage of the proposed method is that the collapse is reduced or eliminated by means of the thermal deformation characteristic of heat pipe itself instead of by external support. As a result, the heat transfer efficiency of heat pipe is raised.

FEM Simulation of Large Diameter Pipe Bending Using Local Heating

With the aid of elastic plastic large deformation finite element method （FEM）, an elastic plastic and cou pling thermo-mechanical model was built to calculate the bending process of the bent pipe, combining with local heating or cooling of the bent pipe. Based on the FEM simulation, the metal deformation during the bending process was analyzed in detail. The thinning and thickening ratio of the pipe wall thickness, the ovality of the cross section of the pipe and the spring back angle, etc. , are presented.

Thermal analysis of an LED module with a novelly assembled heat pipe heat sink

This work aims to improve the thermal performance of a light emitting diode(LED) module by employing a novelly assembled heat pipe heat sink. The heat pipe was embedded into the heat sink by a phase change expansion assembly(PCEA) process, which was developed by both finite element(FE) analysis and experiments. Heat transfer performance and optical performance of the LED modules were experimentally investigated and discussed. Compared to the LED module with a traditionally assembled heat pipe heat sink, the LED module employing the PCEA process exhibits about 20% decrease in the thermal resistance from the MCPCB to the heat pipe. The junction temperature is 4% lower and the luminous flux is 2% higher. The improvement in the thermal and optical performance is important to the high power LED applications.

Preparation of heat-resistant aluminum alloy pipe blanks by multi-layer spray deposition

A heat resistant aluminum alloy pipe blank with dimensions of d 700/300 mm×1 200 mm was prepared by the multi layer spray deposition technology. Optical microscopy, X ray diffractometry and transmission electron microscopy were used to analyze its morphologies and microstructures. The results show that the microstructures of the pipe blank are homogeneous and the precipitates are uniformly distributed d 25～70 nm spherical or sphere like Al 12 (Fe,V) 3Si particles, its mechanical properties at room temperature and 350 ℃ after densification by extrusion are σ b=412 MPa, δ =7.6% and σ b=187 MPa, δ =7.6%, respectively. The analyses indicate that the proper match of the motion rates of atomizer and substrate can produce deposited blanks with uniform thickness and relatively high cooling rate.

Numerical Simulation and Optimization of a Mid-Temperature Heat Pipe Exchanger

In this paper,we take the mid-temperature gravity heat pipe exchanger as the research object,simulate the fluid flow field,temperature field and the working state of heat pipe in the heat exchanger by Fluent software.The effects of different operating parameters and fin parameters on the heat transfer performance of heat exchangers are studied.The results show that the heat transfer performance of the mid-temperature gravity heat pipe exchanger is the best when the fin spacing is between 5 mm and 6 mm,the height of the heat pipe is between 12 mm and 13 mm,and the inlet velocity of the fluid is between 2.5 m/s to 3 m/s.

Experimental Investigation on Cooling/Heating Characteristics of Ultra-Thin Micro Heat Pipe for Electric Vehicle Battery Thermal Management

Due to the heat pipes’ transient conduction,phase change and fluid dynamics during cooling/heating with high frequency charging/discharging of batteries,it is crucial to investigate in depth the experimental dynamic thermal characteristics in such complex heat transfer processes for more accurate thermal analysis and design of a BTMS. In this paper,the use of ultra?thin micro heat pipe(UMHP) for thermal management of a lithium?ion battery pack in EVs is explored by experiments to reveal the cooling/heating characteristics of the UMHP pack. The cooling performance is evaluated under di erent constant discharging and transient heat inputs conditions. And the heating e ciency is assessed under several sub?zero temperatures through heating films with/without UMHPs. Results show that the pro?posed UMHP BTMS with forced convection can keep the maximum temperature of the pack below 40 °C under 1 ~ 3 C discharging,and e ectively reduced the instant temperature increases and minimize the temperature fluctuation of the pack during transient federal urban driving schedule(FUDS) road conditions. Experimental data also indicate that heating films stuck on the fins of UMHPs brought about adequate high heating e ciency comparing with that stuck on the surface of cells under the same heating power,but has more convenient maintenance and less cost for the BTMS. The experimental dynamic temperature characteristics of UMHP which is found to be a high?e cient and low?energy consumption cooling/heating method for BTMSs,can be performed to guide thermal analysis and optimiza?tion of heat pipe BTMSs.

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.