Performance simulation and optimization of new radiant floor heating based on micro heat pipe array

This paper proposes two new radiant floor heating structures based on micro heat pipe array(MHPA),namely cement-tile floor and keel-wood floor.The numerical models for these different floor structures are established and verified by experiments.The temperature distribution and heat transfer process of each part are comprehensively obtained,and the structure is optimized.The results show that the cement-tile floor has the better heat transfer performance of the two.When under the same inlet water temperature and flow rate,the keel-wood floor's surface temperature distribution is about 2℃ lower than that of the cement-tile floor.The inlet water temperature of cement-tile floor is about 10℃ lower than that of keel-wood structure when the floor surface temperature is the same.During a longitudinal heat transfer above MHPA,the floor surface temperature decreases by 0.5℃ for every 10 mm filling layer increase.In order to reduce the non-uniformity of the floor's surface temperature and improve the thermal comfort of the heated room,the optimal structure for a floor is given,with the maximum surface temperature difference reduced by 3.35℃.We used research focusing on new radiant floor heating,with advantages including high efficiency heat transfer,low water supply temperature,simple waterway structure,low resistance and leakage risk,to provide theory and data to support the application of an effective radiant floor heating based on MHPA.

Numerical and Experimental Investigation on the Performance of Battery Thermal Management System Based on Micro Heat Pipe Array

Battery thermal management is very crucial for the safe and long-term operation of electric vehicles or hybrid electric vehicles.In this study,numerical simulation method is adopted to simulate the temperature field of Li-ion battery cell and module.It is proved that the maximum temperature and maximum temperature difference of battery cell and module increase with the increase of charge/discharge rate(C-rate)of the battery.For battery module,it can reach a maximum temperature of 61.1℃at a C-rate of 2 under natural convection condition with the ambient temperature of 20.0℃.A battery thermal management system based on micro heat pipe array(BTMS-MHPA)is deeply investigated.Experiments are conducted to compare the cooling effect on the battery module with different cooling methods,which include natural cooling,only MHPA,MHPA with fan.The maximum temperature of battery module which is cooled by MHPA with a fan is 43.4℃at a C-rate of 2,which is lower than that in the condition of natural cooling.Meanwhile,the maximum temperature difference was also greatly reduced by the application of MHPA cooling.The experimental results confirm that the feasibility and superiority of the BTMS-MHPA for guaranteeing the working temperature range and temperature uniformity of the battery.

Thermal Performance of a Micro Heat Pipe Array for Battery Thermal Management Under Special Vehicle-Operating Conditions

The thermal management of battery systems is critical for maintaining the energy storage capacity,life span,and thermal safety of batteries used in electric vehicles,because the operating temperature is a key factor affecting battery performance.Excessive temperature rises and large temperature differences accelerate the degradation rate of such batteries.Currently,the increasing demand for fast charging and special on-vehicle scenarios has increased the heat dissipation requirements of battery thermal management systems.To address this demand,this work proposes a novel micro heat pipe array(MHPA)for thermal management under a broadened research scope,including high heat generation rates,large tilt angles,mild vibration,and distributed heat generation conditions.The experimental results indicate that the temperature difference is maintained 3.44°C at a large heat generation of 50 W for a limited range of tilt angles.Furthermore,a mild vehicle vibra-tion condition was found to improve temperature uniformity by 3.3°C at a heat generation of 10 W.However,the use of distributed heat sources results in a temperature variation of 3.88°C,suggesting that the heat generation distribution needs to be considered in thermal analyses.Understanding the effects of these special battery-operating conditions on the MHPA could significantly contribute to the enhancement of heat transfer capability and temperature uniformity improvement of battery thermal management systems based on heat pipe technologies.This would facilitate the realization of meeting the higher requirements of future battery systems.