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.

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.

Performances of Flat Plate Pulsating Heat Pipes

Flat plate pulsating heat pipe is useful for hot spot heat spreader. Two kinds of flat plate spreader of pulsating heat pipe are designed, fabricated and experimented. For the embedded circular capillary type, the transferred heat flux could reach 32 W/cm2, the smallest thermal resistance for acetone, methanol and FC-72 were respectively 0.50, 0.57 and 0.40℃/W. While for the square capillary type, the transferred heat flux could reach 26 W/cm2, the equivalent thermal conductivity could reach 3211 W/（m. ℃）. There are ranges of optimal transferred power and filling ratio for different working liquid. If the transferred power is constant, changing the heating area and the place has little effects on the performance.

Heat Transfer Properties and Chaotic Analysis of Parallel Type Pulsating Heat Pipe

The refrigerant mixture of ethanol aqueous was applied to the parallel type pulsating heat pipe (PHP). The operation characteristics of the PHP were analyzed by means of experiment and nonlinear chaotic theory. Moreover, the relationship between the running state and attractor was described. The results indicate that starting power, stable running power and dry burning transition power are about 64.08 W, 148.68 W and 234.0 W respectively. The cycle and amplitude of PHP initially decrease and then increase with the increasing power. However, the data are welldistributed in a certain range. The running state is in agreement with the attractors, and the changing process for attractors is as follows: the attractors first disperse in the whole phase space, then present mass status, and finally show band distribution.

Experimental Studies on Thermal Performance of a Pulsating Heat Pipe with Methanol/DI Water

The effect of working fluid on the start-up and thermal performance in terms of thermal resistance and heat transfer coefficient of a pulsating heat pipe have been studied in the present paper. Methanol and de-ionized water has been selected as the working fluid. The minimum startup power for DI water was obtained at 50% filling ratio and for methanol at 40%. The optimum filling ratio in terms of minimum startup power and minimum thermal resistance was 50% for DI water and 40% for methanol. The minimum thermal resistances for DI water and methanol were observed at vertical orientation. The evaporator side heat transfer coefficient for water was slightly more, while the condenser side heat transfer coefficient was appreciably more than that of methanol. Studies were also conducted for start-up time and temperature at different orientations and it was found that the PHP charged with methanol worked efficiently at all orientations.

Performance Evaluation of Small-channel Pulsating Heat Pipe Based on Dimensional Analysis and ANN Model

The pulsating heat pipe is a very promising heat dissipation device to address the challenge of higher heat-flux electronic chips,as it is characterised by excellent heat transfer ability and flexibility for miniaturisation.To boost the application of PHP,reliable heat transfer performance evaluationmodels are especially important.In this paper,a heat transfer correlation was firstly proposed for closed PHP with various working fluids(water,ethanol,methanol,R123,acetone)based on collected experimental data.Dimensional analysis was used to group the parameters.It was shown that the average absolute deviation(AAD)and correlation coefficient(r)of the correlation were 40.67%and 0.7556,respectively.For 95%of the data,the prediction of thermal resistance and the temperature difference between evaporation and condensation section fell within 1.13K/Wand 40.76K,respectively.Meanwhile,an artificial neural networkmodelwas also proposed.The ANN model showed a better prediction accuracy with a mean square error(MSE)and correlation coefficient(r)of 7.88e-7 and 0.9821,respectively.

Experimental Investigation of the Operating Characteristics of a Pulsating Heat Pipe with Ultra-Pure Water and Micro Encapsulated Phase Change Material Suspension

The specific heat capacity of working fluid is an important influence factor on heat transfer characteristic of the pulsating heat pipe(PHP).Due to the relatively large specific heat capacity of micro encapsulated phase change material(MEPCM) suspension,a heat transfer performance experimental facility of the PHP was established.The heat transfer characteristic with MEPCM suspension of different mass concentrations(0.5% and 1.0%) and ultra-pure water were compared experimentally.It was found that when the PHP uses MEPCM suspension as its working fluid,operating stability is impoverished under lower heating power and the operating stability is better under higher heating power.At the inclination angle of 90°,the temperature at heating side decreases compared to ultra-pure water and the temperature at heating side decreases with the raising of MEPCM suspension mass concentration.The heat transfer characteristic of the PHP is positively correlated with the inclination angle and the 90° is optimum.The unfavorable effect of the inclination angle decreases with heating power increasing.When the inclination angle is 90°,the PHP with MEPCM suspension at 1.0% of mass concentration has the lowest thermal transfer resistance and followed by ultra-pure water and MEPCM suspension at 0.5% of mass concentration has the highest thermal transfer resistance.When the inclination angles are 60° and30°,the effect of gravity on the flow direction is reduced to 86.6% and 50% of that on the inclination angle of 90°,respectively,and the promoting effect of gravity on the working fluid is further weakened as the inclination angle further decreases.Due to the high viscosity of MEPCM suspension,the PHP with ultra-pure water has the lowest heat transfer resistance.When the inclination angles is 60°,the thermal resistance with MEPCM suspension at0.5% of the mass concentration is lower than that at 1.0% at the heating power below 230 W.The thermal resistance of MEPCM suspension tends to be similar for heating power of 230-250 W.At the heating power above 270 W,the thermal resistance with MEPCM suspension at 1.0% of the mass concentration is lower than that at 0.5%.

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.

A Novel Integrated Photovoltaic System with a Three-Dimensional Pulsating Heat Pipe

Solar energy is a valuable renewable energy source,and photovoltaic(PV)systems are a practical approach to harnessing this energy.Nevertheless,low energy efficiency is considered a major setback of the system.Moreover,high cell temperature and reflection of solar irradiance from the panel are considered chief culprits in this regard.Employing pulsating heat pipes(PHPs)is an innovative and useful approach to improving solar panel performance.This study presents the results of the power performance of a PV panel attached to a newly designed spiral pulsating heat pipe,while graphene oxide nanofluid with three different concentrations was used as a working fluid to maximize the efficacy of the solar panel.The study proved that the cooling method delivered high efficiency by reducing the temperature,especially in the middle of the day.Using nanofluid graphene oxide at concentrations of 0.2,0.4,and 0.8 gr/lit as the working fluid can reduce the thermal resistance of PHPs by over 30%,24%,and 15%,respectively.This,in turn,enhances the system’s electrical power output by approximately 9%,7%,and 6%,respectively.

Evaporating Temperature Uniformity of the Pulsating Heat Pipe with Surfactant Solutions at Different Concentrations

The evaporating section of the pulsating heat pipe(PHP)is in direct contact with the electronics when it is used for heat dissipation,and thus the evaporating temperature uniformity has an important effect on the safe and reliable operation of electronic equipment.On the basis of these conditions,an experimental study on the evaporating temperature uniformity of the PHP with surfactant solutions at different concentrations was conducted at the heat fluxes of(1911–19427)W/m^(2).Sodium stearate was utilized for the solute;the surfactant solutions were prepared with the concentrations of 0.001 wt%,0.002 wt%,and 0.004 wt%,respectively,and the filling ratios of the PHP were 0.31,0.44 and 0.57,respectively.The experimental results revealed that under all tested working conditions,the highest temperature always appeared in the intermediate zone of the evaporating section.As the heat flux increased,the temperature differences among different zones rose initially and then reduced due to the change of the flow motion and the flow pattern.The evaporating temperature uniformity of the sodium stearate solutions-PHP was better than that of the deionized water-PHP,which suggested that the evaporating temperature uniformity might be improved through decreasing the surface tension.Furthermore,combined with the effect of surface tension and viscosity,for different filling ratios,the required concentration was different when the best evaporating temperature uniformity was achieved.To be specific,when the filling ratio were 0.31 and 0.44,the best evaporating temperature uniformity was achieved at the concentration of 0.004 wt%,while at the filling ratio of 0.57,the best evaporating temperature uniformity was attained at the concentration of 0.002 wt%.

波纹结构液氮脉动热管传热传质特性研究

低温热管换热器是天然气液化系统中的关键装置,液氮脉动热管作为其核心器件具有体积小、换热效率高等特性,可有效克服系统冻堵及设备紧凑等问题,然而开展相应实验难度较大,因此通过数值模拟方法研究其内部传热传质规律具有重要意义。首先,文章通过UDF(User-Defined Functions)编写自适应相变模型,研究了典型液氮脉动热管的传热传质特性。随后,在冷凝段优化设计了波纹结构,结合相态分布与轴线温度方差值,对比分析了充液率为50%情况三种液氮脉动热管传热传质特性,结2果表明5 mm波纹结构热管两侧方差值为51.49 K与99.22 K2,工质循环速率较快且轴线温度分布均匀。最后,研究了充液率分别为30%、50%与70%情况下5 mm波纹结构的脉动热管的传热性能。结合相态、温度及轴线温度分布分析得出充液率过高或过低均会导致热管内部产生液塞,充液率较高时,轴线温度均匀分布,热管充液率为70%时,综合性能最佳。

脉动热管太阳能集热器传热性能实验研究

以真空玻璃管为载体、石蜡为相变储热材料、脉动热管和铜管为传热元件,对比分析了充液率φ=50.0%的脉动热管太阳能集热器与铜管太阳能集热器在相同辐照度下的集热性能。研究结果表明,当辐照度大于0 W/m^(2)时,脉动热管太阳能集热器相比于铜管太阳能集热器管壁温度提高了40℃;相较于铜管太阳能集热器,热源温度越高,脉动热管太阳能集热器吸热能力越强,传热效果越好;在相同的辐照度下,相比于铜管太阳能集热器,脉动热管太阳能集热器内的石蜡达到熔点的时间缩短了13%;脉动热管太阳能集热器输出的热量比铜管太阳能集热器高0.5 kJ,随着辐照度的增强,热量差值将会更大;脉动热管蒸发段和冷凝段壁面与其相接触的传热工质会形成一种准平衡态,蒸发段与冷凝段的传热能力呈反比关系,当蒸发段传热能力下降时,冷凝段传热能力上升,保证了集热器的稳定运行。

Flow visualization of silicon-based micro pulsating heat pipes

Two sets of silicon-based micro pulsating heat pipes(SMPHPs) with trapezoidal cross section having hydraulic diameters of 352 μm(#1) and 394 μm(#2) respectively were fabricated for the first time using MEMS technology.With FC-72 as the working fluid,the start-up,steady operation state,as well as flow patterns were investigated using a CCD camera.It was found that the start-up process of these two SMPHPs was rather rapid.At the start-up period,no nucleation was observed,and the vapor plugs at the evaporator U-bends were formed mainly due to the breakup of liquid slugs.At the steady operation state,self-sustained oscillation with large amplitudes dominated the flow behavior when the inclination angle varied from 10° to 90°,but the nucleate boiling and bulk circulation were observed only in SMPHP #2.While bubbly,slug/plug,annular/semi-annular,and wavy-annular flows were observed in both two SMPHPs,the injection flow only appeared in SMPHP #2.

Experimental Study of Flow Patterns and Improved Configurations for Pulsating Heat Pipes

A series of experiments were performed on three types of closed loop pulsating heat pipes （PHPs）, intending to investigate various kinds of flow patterns, and to develop some improved configurations for the PHPs. Optical visualization results indicated that there might exist three flow patterns, i.e. bubble-liquid slug flow, semi-annular flow and annular flow, corresponding to different working conditions. For a given geometry and an adequate fill ratio, the PHPs had the self-adjusting characteristic for the flow patterns （from slug flow to semi-annular and then to annular flow） to meet the demands of the increasing heat input. Two special configurations, one with alternately varying channel diameter, the other equipped with one section of thicker tube, were found to be advantageous in establishing and maintaining reliable circulation of the working fluid. The thermal performance of the PHPs was examined over a range of working conditions. Comparing with the normal PHP with uniform diameter, either of the improved PHPs exhibited higher thermal performance.

A review of recent experimental investigations and theoretical analyses for pulsating heat pipes

Pulsating heat pipe （PHP）, or oscillating heat pipe （OHP）, a novel type of highly efficient heat transfer component, has been widely applied in many fields, such as in space-borne two-phase thermal control systems, in the cooling of electronic devices and in energy-saving technology, etc. In the present paper, the characteristics and working principles of the PHPs are introduced and the current researches in the field are described from the viewpoint of experimental tests, theoretical analyses as well as practical applications. Besides, it is found that the state-of-the-art experimental investigations on the PHPs are mainly focused on the flow visualization and the applications of nanofluids and other functional fluids, aiming at enhancing the heat transfer performance of the PHPs. In addition, it is also pointed out that the present theoretical analyses of the PHP are restricted by further development of two-phase flow theories, and are concentrated in the non-linear analyses. Numerical simulations are expected to be another research focus, in particular of the combination of the nanofluids and functional fluids.

Testing and Modeling of the Dynamic Response Characteristics of Pulsating Heat Pipes during the Start-up Process

Pulsating heat pipes(PHPs) are two-phase heat transfer heat pipes with high heat transfer capability and simple structure. Heating power is an important factor that affects the start-up response characteristics of PHPs. The operational characteristics during the start-up and stable operating stages were studied through experiments, and the corresponding dynamic response model under a specified heating power was established based on experimental data and flow pattern in the tube. The starting time, starting temperature, and dynamic response characteristic parameters at a certain heating power were calculated by the dynamic response model. The response characteristics of working fluid during the stable operation of PHPs were deduced based on the dynamic response curve of PHPs during the non-operational and stable operation stages. The response characteristics of PHPs for the step effect(given heating power) were quantitatively described by amplification factor K and time constant τ, thereby presenting the basis for the study on heat and mass transfer mechanisms of PHPs from non-operational to steady operation stage. Results showed that the minimum thermal resistance and the minimum time constant of the PHP are approximately 0.28 °C/W and 75, respectively, obtained at a heating power of 160 W. Moreover, these results indicated that the dynamic response of PHPs demonstrates a favourable performance and rapidly reaches another stable working state when their heat transfer performance is stable. However, the dynamic response time constant of pure fluids decreases when the quantity of the liquid working fluid in the PHP decreases with the increase in heating power.

脉动热管温度信号的小波分析及流型识别

脉动热管中的温度波动信号具有较复杂的瞬态波动特征,采用连续小波变换方法可以较好地分析此类信号特征。采用全玻璃脉动热管,在可视化实验基础上,应用小波分析方法,重点研究PHP温度振荡信号及流型识别。结果表明,采集频率、管壁材料以及热通量等会影响温度信号的主频值。当热通量较高(q=2.65~3.18 W/cm^(2))时,1 Hz的采集频率容易导致信号失真,应采用10 Hz及以上的采集频率。玻璃管的热惰性会导致温度信号失真,尤其在高热通量(q=2.65~3.18 W/cm^(2))时不可忽略。总体来看,随着热通量的增加,蒸发温度波动幅度减小、频率增加。当热通量从0.35 W/cm^(2)增加到3.18 W/cm^(2),流体温度信号的主频值从0.02 Hz增加到3.88 Hz。相应地,管内流型由弹状流逐渐向环状流转变,并出现单向大循环流。由管内流体温度信号求得的主频值可推广至铜管或其他金属材料的脉动热管,有助于识别其内部流型及流态变化,更好地理解其传热特性。

基于电池冷却用新型脉动热管性能的实验研究

提出一种电池冷却用C形脉动热管(pulsating heat pipe,PHP),具有较好的散热性和包裹特性。选择甲醇、丙酮、去离子水、乙醇和甲醇-丙酮混合物为PHP工质,实验研究了不同加热功率和充液率(filling rate,FR)工况下PHP的性能。结果表明,FR过高或过低均不利于C形PHP稳定运行,实际应用中需综合考虑热阻、传热极限等指标,选取合适的FR。实验研究范围内,C形PHP最佳FR在45%左右。综合考虑蒸发温度与热阻,甲醇-丙酮混合物C形PHP具备更好的性能,能够满足第二代Mirai电池冷却需求,可将其表面温度控制在84℃以下,允许的电池最大体积功率密度为6 kW/L。依据应用场合选择工质和布置方式后,PHP能保证受控对象的安全运行。相关结论为电池热控制系统设计提供了重要的参考和借鉴。

常温闭环脉动热管性能影响因素研究综述

常温闭环脉动热管依靠工质在管内脉动和相变传热,具有传热效率高、结构简单、成本低等优点,广泛应用于电子元件散热。将影响脉动热管启动和传热性能的因素分为3类展开综述:结构参数、操作参数和工质物性参数。首先对结构参数中管径、截面形状、弯头数以及各段长度比等因素的研究进行总结,其次分析操作参数中加热功率、倾斜角度和充液率的影响,最后将工质物性参数分为影响流动和传热两方面进行归纳。为提升脉动热管启动和传热性能,未来需对临界弯头数开展深入研究;为适应小倾角和负角度工况,需要提升热管抗重力性能;为描述工质物性对热管性能的影响,需构建物性参数综合评价指标。