Experimental research on heat transfer of pulsating heat pipe

Experimental research was conducted to understand heat transfer characteristic of pulsating heat pipe in this paper, and the PHP is made of high quality glass capillary tube. Under different fill ratio, heat transfer rate and many other influence factors, the flow patterns were observed in the start-up, transition and stable stage. The effects of heating position on heat transfer were discussed. The experimental results indicate that no annular flow appears in top heating condition. Under different fall ratios and heat transfer rate, the flow pattern in PHP is transferred from bulk flow to semi-annular flow and annular flow, and the performance of heat transfer is improved for down heating case. The experimental results indicate that the total heat resistant of PHP is increased with fill ratio, and heat transfer rate achieves optimum at filling rate 50%. But for pulsating heat pipe with changing diameters the thermal resistance is higher than that with uniform diameters.     

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.     

Visualization investigation on flowing condensation in horizontal small channels with liquid separator

A simultaneous visualization and measurement experiment was carried out to investigate condensation flow patterns and condensing heat transfer characteristics of refrigerant R141b in parallel horizontal multi-channels with liquid-vapor separator. The hydraulic diameter of each channel was 1.5 mm and the channel length was 100 mm. The refrigerant vapor flowing in the small channels was cooled by cooling water. The parallel horizontal multi-channels were covered with a transparent silica glass for visualization of flow patterns. Experiments were performed at different inlet superheat temperatures(ranging from 3℃ to 7℃). Mass velocity was in the range of 82.37 kg m~(-2)s~(-1) to 35.56 kg m~(-2)s~(-1). It was found that there were three different flow patterns through the multi-channels with the increase of mass velocity. The flow patterns in each channel pass almost tended to be same and all of them were annular flows. The efficiency of the liquid-vapor separator with U-type was related to vapor mass velocity and the pressure in the small channels. It was also found that the heat transfer coefficient increased with the increase of the mass velocity while the cooling water mass flow rate increased. It increased to a top point and then decreased. It increased with the increase of superheat in the low superheat temperature region.     

Electrical Capacitance Tomography Measurement of Flow Patterns and Film Thickness in a Thermosyphon

An experimental study was performed to evaluate the suitability of using an electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) system to visualize the flow patterns, and to measure the film thickness of the annular flow in a two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT). The performance of the ECT system was examined over a range of flow conditions. The experimental data were compared with the visual observations and existing correlations. Results indicated that the ECT system, with the linear back projection (LBP) algorithm, could be used to give an on-line qualitative image of the flow patterns. The Landweber iteration algorithm with optimal step length was implemented off-line to reconstruct high-resolution images. Then, the images were analyzed to obtain the film thickness of the annular flow. The experimental data compared well with the Nusselt's equation in low vapor velocity range, but showed an increasing deficiency with the increase of vapor velocity.     

Experimental Study on Jet Impingement Boiling Heat Transfer in Brass Beads Packed Porous Layer

Jet impingement boiling has been widely used in industrial facilities as its higher heat transfer coefficient(HTC)and critical heat flux(CHF)can be achieved in comparison with the pool boiling.By covering beads packed porous layer on the heated wall surface,the enlarged heat transfer area and rise of nucleation sites for boiling occur,thus,the heat transfer performance of boiling can be enhanced.For the jet impingement boiling with brass bead packed porous layers,the heat transfer performance is crucially influenced by the characteristics of porous layer and working fluid flow,so the experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of the jet flow rate,fluid inlet subcooling,number of porous layer and brass bead diameter of porous layer.Comparison study shows that impingement boiling promotes the HTC and CHF as 1.5 times and 2.5 times respectively as pool boiling at similar conditions.Higher heat transfer performance can be obtained in the cases of a higher jet flow rate and a higher fluid inlet subcooling,and there exist the optimal layer number and bead diameter for heat transfer.Particularly,a double-layer porous layer results in an increase of 39%in heat flux at superheat of 30 K compared with a single-layer case;a single porous layer at d=8 mm brings an increase of 23%in heat flux at superheat of 30 K compared with that of bare plain surface.Besides,the actual scene of jet impingement boiling was recorded with a camera to investigate the behavior evolution of vapor bubbles which is highly correlated to the heat transfer process.     

Visualization on flow patterns during condensation of R410A in a vertical rectangular channel

The visualization experiments on HFC R410A condensation in a vertical rectangular channel （14.34mm hydraulic diameter, 160mm length） were investigated. The flow patterns and heat transfer coefficients of condensation in the inlet region were presented in this paper. Better heat transfer performance can be obtained in the inlet region, and flow regime transition in other regions of the channel was also observed. Condensation experiments were carried out at different mass fluxes （ from 1.6 kg/h to 5.2 kg/h） and at saturation temperature 28~ C. It was found that the flow patterns were mainly dominated by gravity at low mass fluxes. The effects of interfacial shear stress on condensate fluctuation are significant for the film condensation at higher mass flux in vertical flow, and con- sequently, the condensation heat transfer coefficient increases with the mass flux in the experimental conditions, The drop formation and growth process of condensation were also observed at considerably low refrigerant vapor flow rate.     

Experimental investigation of micro heat pipes of different cross-sections having same hydraulic diameter

Effects of micro heat pipe （MHP） cross-sections and orientations on its thermal performance are experimentally investigated in this study. Tests are conducted using five different cross-sections （circular, semicircular, elliptical, semi-elliptical and rectangular） of micro heat pipes having same hydraulic diameter of 3 rnm placed at three different inclination angles （0°, 45°, 90°）, where water is used as the working fluid. Evaporator section of the MHP is heated by an electric heater and the condenser section is cooled by circulation of water in an annular space between condenser section and the water jacket. Temperatures at different locations of the MHP are measured using five calibrated K type thermocouples. Heat supply is varied using a voltage regulator which is measured by a precision ammeter and a voltmeter. It is found that thermal performance tends to deteriorate as the MHP is flattened. Thus among all cross-sections of MHP, circular one exhibits the best thermal performance in terms of heat flux dissipation followed by semi-elliptical, semi-circular, elliptical and rectangular cross-sections. Moreover, its heat transfer capability also decreases with decreasing of its inclination angle. Finally, a correlation is developed which covers all the experimental data within ＋7%.     

Flow Pattern and Heat Transfer Behavior of Boiling Two—Phase flow in Inclined Pipes

Movable Electrical Conducting Probe (MECP), a kind of simple and reliable measuring transducer, used for predicting full-flow-path flow pattern in a boiling vapor/liquid two-phase flow is introduced in this paper. When the test pipe is set at different inclination angles, several kinds of flow patterns, such as bubble, slug, churn, intermittent, and annular flows, may be observed in accordance with the locations of MECP. By means of flow pattern analysis, flow field numerical calculations have been carried out, and heat transfer coefficient correlations along full-flow-path derived. The results show that heat transfer performance of boiling two-phase flow could be significantly augmented as expected in some flow pattern zones.The results of the investigation, measuring techniques and conclusions contained in this paper would be a useful reference in foundational research for prediction of flow pattern and heat transfer behavior in boiling two-phase flow, as well as for turbine vane liquid-cooling design.     

Unsteady internal flow conditions of mini-centrifugal pump with splitter blades

Mini centrifugal pumps having a diameter smaller than 100mm are employed in many fields. But the design method for the mini centrifugal pump is not established because the internal flow condition for these small-sized fluid machines is not clarified and conventional theory is not suitable for small-sized pumps. Therefore, mini centrifugal pumps with simple structure were investigated by this research. Splitter blades were adopted in this research to improve the performance and the internal flow condition of mini centrifugal pump which had large blade outlet angle. The original impeller without the splitter blades and the impeller with the splitter blades were prepared for experiment. The performance tests are conducted with these rotors in order to investigate the effect of the splitter blades on performance and internal flow condition of mini centrifugal pump. On the other hand, a three dimensional unsteady numerical flow analysis was conducted to investigate the change of the internal flow according to the rotor rotation. It is clarified from the experimental results that the performance of the mini centrifugal pump is improved by the splitter blades. The blade-to-blade low velocity region was suppressed in the case with the splitter blades. In addition to that, the unsteady flows near the volute casing tongue were suppressed due to the splitter blades. In the present paper, the performance of the mini centrifugal pump is shown and the unsteady flow condition is clarified with the results of the numerical flow analysis. Furthermore, the effects of the splitter blades on the performance and the unsteady internal flow condition are investigated.     

Thermal modeling and cooling analysis of high-power lithium ion cells

The heat generation model and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model for lithium ion cells were established with boundary conditions defined.In order to provide a better insight about the behaviors of high-power lithium ion cells under realistic discharge conditions,the temperature difference of the cells and an active thermal management system with a pure air-cooling mode were analyzed and predicted with the factors affecting the unevenness of temperature field discussed.The results show a significant effect of the cooling flow rate on the temperature rise of the cells for all discharge rates.Average surface temperatures are relatively uniform at lower discharge rate that makes it easier to control the temperature of the pack.Cell temperatures are expected to rise significantly toward the end of discharge and they show non-uniformity at higher discharge rates.Adequate air flow rate of active cooling is required at high discharge rate and high ambient temperature for practical pack thermal management system.     

Thermo-hydrodynamics analysis of vapor–liquid two-phase flow in the flat-plate pulsating heat pipe

A three-dimensional unsteady model of vapor–liquid two-phase flow and heat transfer in a flat-plate pulsating heat pipe (FP-PHP) is developed and numerically analyzed to study the thermal-hydrodynamic characteristics in two different configurations of FP-PHPs. The thermo-hydrodynamics characteristics under steady unidirectional circulation condition of the studied FP-PHPs are numerically investigated and discussed. The results indicate that the bubbly flow, slug flow and semi-annular/annular flow occur in the FP-PHP under the condition of steady unidirectional circulation, when the adjacent tubes of the FP-PHP become ‘upheaders’ and ‘downcomers’ of working fluid. The periodical oscillations of fluid temperature and vapor volume fraction are observed to be synchronous, while the temperature oscillation amplitude at adiabatic section is larger than that at condenser section but less than that at evaporator section. The increases in the heat load lead to the high temperature level and small integral equivalent thermal resistance of the FP-PHP. Additionally, compared with the traditional FP-PHP with uniform channels, the FP-PHP with micro grooves incorporated in the evaporator section is effective for the heat transfer enhancement and possesses a smaller thermal resistance at high heat loads.     

Flow pattern of boiling in micro-channel by numerical simulation

Boiling flows of R-134a and R-22 fluids in a 0.50 mm circular channel have been simulated to analyze bubbly flow, bubbly/slug flow, slug flow and slug/semi-annular flow depending on bubble evolution. The vapor–liquid interface was captured using VOF method. We studied the behavior of bubble growth and coalescence related to flow pattern transitions (bubbly/slug flow to slug flow, slug flow to slug/semi-annular flow) and analyzed the effect of fluid properties on transition lines. Some parameters, including heat flux, mass velocity, ONB point, vapor velocity, bubble lifting diameter, growth rate and generation frequency, have been analyzed in detail. The results show that bubble growth and coalescence are important factors for flow pattern transitions. The flow patterns at the micro-channel outlet predicted by simulation were in agreement with phenomena observed in experiments for bubbly/slug flow, slug flow and slug/semi-annular flow. In addition, the peak bubble frequency at the outlet was predicted and the general shape of the bubble frequency distribution at the outlet from simulation was found to be consistent with the achieved experimental results.     

脉动热管流型的电容层析成像识别及热管换热特性

结合高速摄像和电容层析成像技术,对脉动热管进行了可视化测量研究.从流型和流向两方面分析了脉动热管的运行机理和传热特性.根据受力分析对脉动热管的结构进行了改进.结果表明:脉动热管存在3种不同流型,即塞状流、环状流以及两者共存的混合流,其对应的影响因素、运行特性与传热强度也不同;从流动方向来看,脉动热管内工质的流动可分为脉动流和循环流;对脉动热管的改进说明改变脉动热管流道的对称性和均衡性有利于循环流的形成和维持.     

Two-phase flow instability for boiling in a microchannel heat sink

The present study explores experimentally the two-phase flow instability in a microchannel heat sink with 15 parallel microchannels. The hydraulic diameter for each channel is 86.3 μm. Flow boiling in the present microchannel heat sink demonstrates significantly different two-phase flow patterns under stable or unstable conditions. For the stable cases bubble nucleation, slug flow and slug or annular flows appear sequentially in the flow direction. On the other hand, forward or reversed slug/annular flows appear alternatively in every channel. Moreover, the length of bubble slug may oscillate for unstable cases with reversed flow demonstrating the suppressing effect of pressure field for bubble growth. It is found that the magnitude of pressure drop oscillations may be used as an index for the appearance of reversed flow. A stability map on the plane of inlet subcooling number versus phase change number is established. A very narrow region for stable two-phase flow or mild two-phase flow oscillations is present near the line of zero exit quality.     

Experimental analysis of the unit cell approach for two-phase flow dynamics in curved flow channels

Flow behavior of gas–liquid mixtures in thin channels has become increasingly important as a result of miniaturization of fluid and thermal systems. The present empirical study investigates the use of the unit cell or periodic boundary approach commonly used in two-phase flows. This work examines the flow patterns formed in small tube diameter (<3 mm) and curved geometry flow systems for air–water mixtures at standard conditions. Liquid and gas superficial velocities were varied from 0.1 to 7.0 (～±0.01) m/s and 0.03 to 14 (～±0.2) m/s for air and water respectively to determine the flow pattern formed in three geometries and dispersed bubble, plug, slug and annular flow patterns are reported using high-frame rate videography. Flow patterns formed were plotted on the generalized two-phase flow pattern map to interpret the effect of channel size and curvature on the flow regime boundaries. Relative to a straight a channel, it is shown that a ‘C shaped’ channel that causes a directional change in the flow induces chaotic advection and increases phase interaction to enhance gas bubble or liquid slug break-up thus altering the boundaries between the dispersed bubble and plug/slug flow regimes as well as between the annular and plug/slug flow regimes.     

Flow pattern transition instability during flow boiling in a single microchannel

We studied the unique characteristics of flow boiling in a single microchannel, including the periodic pressure drop, mass flow rate, and temperature fluctuations, in terms of a long time period. Experiments were conducted using a single horizontal microchannel and deionized water to study boiling instabilities at very small mass and heat flow rate conditions. A Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) rectangular single microchannel had a hydraulic diameter of 103.5 μm and a length of 40 mm. A series of piecewise serpentine platinum microheaters were fabricated on the inner bottom wall of the rectangular microchannel to supply thermal energy to the test fluid. Real-time flow visualizations of the flow pattern inside the microchannel were performed simultaneously with measurements of the experimental parameters. Tests were performed for mass fluxes of 170 and 360 kg/m² s and heat fluxes of 200–530 kW/m². The test results showed that the heated wall temperature, pressure drop, and mass flux all fluctuated with a long period and large amplitude. These periodic fluctuations exactly matched the transition of two alternating flow patterns inside the microchannel: a bubbly/slug flow and an elongated slug/semi-annular flow. Therefore, the flow pattern transition instability in the single microchannel caused a cyclic behavior of the wall temperature, pressure drop, and mass flux, and this behavior had a very long period (100–200 s) and large amplitude.     

Study of the critical heat flux condition with water and R-123 during flow boiling in microtubes. Part I: Experimental results and discussion of parametric effects

Extensive experimentation was performed to obtain flow boiling critical heat flux data in single stainless steel microtubes with diameters from 0.286 to 0.700 mm over a wide range of mass fluxes, inlet subcoolings, and exit pressures for two different working fluids (water and R-123). The effect of different operating parameters – mass flux, inlet subcooling, exit quality, heated length and diameter – were assessed in detail (Part I of the paper). The conventional DNB-type behavior is observed in the high subcooled region, and the typical dryout type behavior is seen in the high-quality saturated region when the flow is completely annular. The flow in transitional flow patterns (churn–annular or slug–annular) causes a peculiar increase of CHF with exit quality. Also, the increased void fraction near the saturated region in subcooled boiling results in increased subcooled CHF values. Part II of the paper deals with comparison of data with existing correlations and development of a new correlation to predict the CHF condition in the subcooled liquid region.     

Flow and heat transfer of liquid plug and neighboring vapor slugs in a pulsating heat pipe

A model of fluid flow and heat transfer on liquid slug and neighboring vapor plugs in a pulsating heat pipe (PHP) is proposed. A new energy equation for the liquid slug is built by aid of Lagrange method. The shear stress term related with the fluid flow state is included in the motion equation of the liquid slug. A sensitive heat term is replaced by a phase change term in the energy equation of the vapor plug. Based on our analysis on the displacement variation of the liquid slug with time, it is known that the harmonic force acting on the liquid slug in PHPs is the pressure difference between the vapor plugs. The flow oscillation can be considered as a forced damping vibration of one degree of freedom system. The phase difference of the oscillating flow between with and without the gravity effect can reach 45°. The amplitude and angular frequency of flow oscillation is irrespective with the initial displacement of liquid slug. If the flow pattern remains strictly slug flow in the entire system, the contribution of the sensible heat exchange to the total heat transfer of the PHP is about 80%.     

Advances and Unsolved Issues in Pulsating Heat Pipes

Pulsating (or oscillating) heat pipes (PHP or OHP) are new two-phase heat transfer devices that rely on the oscillatory flow of liquid slug and vapor plug in a long miniature tube bent into many turns. The unique feature of PHPs, compared with conventional heat pipes, is that there is no wick structure to return the condensate to the heating section; thus, there is no countercurrent flow between the liquid and vapor. Significant experimental and theoretical efforts have been made related to PHPs in the last decade. While experimental studies have focused on either visualizing the flow pattern in PHPs or characterizing the heat transfer capability of PHPs, theoretical examinations attempt to analytically and numerically model the fluid dynamics and/or heat transfer associated with the oscillating two-phase flow. The existing experimental and theoretical research, including important features and parameters, is summarized in tabular form. Progresses in flow visualization, heat transfer characteristics, and theoretical modeling are thoroughly reviewed. Finally, unresolved issues on the mechanism of PHP operation, modeling, and application are discussed.