重力热管内部相变及传热传质过程的数值模拟

重力热管内部包含复杂的两相流动以及相变传热过程,传统理论分析及实验手段不能直观给出其内部流动、相变、热质传递的详细信息。采用VOF(volume of fluid)多相流模型对重力热管内气液两相流动及传热进行模拟,捕捉到蒸发段气泡产生、合并、长大、上升,以及冷凝段壁面附近液滴形成、合并、下滑、汇集到液池的全过程,得到的壁温分布与实验测量值对比体现良好一致性,表明数值模拟的正确性。同时,以热阻、传热量和热效率为评价标准,研究不同充液率和倾斜角度下对重力热管运行性能的影响。结果表明:在所研究的参数范围内,随着充液率的增加,热阻逐渐减小,冷凝段传热量逐渐增大。且工质初始充注量充满蒸发段时热管性能较好;倾角对热阻的影响不明显,冷凝段传热量和热效率均随倾角增加而增长。     

CFD Simulation of Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop in Compact Brazed Plate Heat Exchangers

In this paper, the thermal and hydraulic characteristics of corrugated fluid channels of compact brazed plate heat exchangers (BPHE) are investigated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using the commercial CFD software ANSYS CFX 14.0. The influence of geometry parameters of the corrugated pattern such as chevron angle and corrugation pitch on the BPHE performance is investigated on small fluid section geometries. The influence of various types of wall heat transfer boundary conditions on the simulation results is also studied. An entire fluid channel is simulated using various turbulence models in the Reynolds number range of 300 to 3000. The CFD predictions are also validated using data obtained from laboratory experiments. The simulations of the entire fluid channel underpredict heat transfer and pressure drop by 20–30% and 10–35%, respectively. The results from the small fluid sections suggest that the CFD simulations can be used as a reasonably effective tool in determining the relative performance variation of various plate patterns.     

Performance enhancement of a two-phase closed thermosiphon with a thin porous copper coating

In this study, the heat transfer augmentation of a two-phase closed thermosiphon (TPCT) with a thin, porous copper coating is studied and compared with an uncoated TPCT. The inner surface of the TPCT is coated using an electrochemical deposition process. The coated and uncoated TPCTs are filled with deionised water and tested with a heat input of 50 to 250 W. The heat transfer coefficient in the evaporator and condenser is assessed and compared with the thermal resistance of coated and uncoated TPCTs. The effects of the inclination angle, power input and thin copper coating on the performance of the TPCTs are explored. The heat transfer coefficient of the evaporator is found to be enhanced up to 44% at a heat flux of 10 W/m² for an inclination angle of 45°. TPCTs with an oxide coating are also compared to those with a metallic coating and the metal-coated TPCT was found to perform better than the oxide-coated TPCT. The effect of non-dimensional numbers, such as Bond (Bo), Webber (We), Kutateladze (Ku) and condensation (Co) numbers, with the variation of heat flux, is also investigated.     

Thermal performance enhancement studies using graphite nanofluid for heat transfer applications

Enhanced boiling heat transfer using nanofluids is highly relevant due to its potential applications in thermal management of systems producing large heat fluxes. However, the sedimentation of nanoparticles limits their application in heat transfer systems. So, the preparation of a stable nanofluid remains a big research challenge. The stability issues arise due to the large difference in the density of nanoparticle and the base fluid. Graphite nanoparticle is selected in this study, as it has 4.5 times lower density than copper and comparable thermal conductivity. An experimental study is conducted to evaluate the suitability of graphite nanofluid in mesh wick heat pipes, which are devices that utilize boiling and condensation principles to transfer high heat fluxes. Thermal transport properties and boiling heat transfer characteristics showed enhancement and the effect of nanofluid on the device level thermal performance is thoroughly assessed. Experimental results are compared with the published literature. A reduction in thermal resistance by 32.5% and an improvement in the heat transfer coefficient by 48.02% in comparison with base fluid clearly indicate the superiority of the graphite nanofluid for heat transfer applications.     

CFD and experimental studies on heat transfer enhancement in an air cooler equipped with different tube inserts

This paper reports the experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling studies on heat transfer, friction factor and thermal performance of an air cooled heat exchanger equipped with three types of tube insert including butterfly, classic and jagged twisted tape. In the studied range of Reynolds number the maximum thermal performance factor was obtained by the butterfly insert with an inclined angle of 90°. The results have also revealed that the difference between the heat transfer rates obtained from employing the classic and jagged inserts reduces by decreasing the twist ratio. The CFD predicted results were used to explain the observed results in terms of turbulence intensity. In addition, good agreements between the predicted and measured Nu number as well as friction factor values were obtained.     

基于CFD的活塞振荡冷却的流动与传热仿真研究

由于柴油机热负荷不断提高,必须要对活塞进行有效冷却。应用计算流体动力学(CFD)方法对活塞的振荡冷却瞬态传热进行了仿真分析,得到了不同转速下冷却油腔的机油填充率以及壁面换热系数等随曲轴转角的变化规律。研究结果表明,随着发动机转速的提高,冷却油腔内的机油填充率下降,但是壁面换热系数却有所提高;机油的振荡冲击对冷却油腔顶部和底部的强化换热明显高于侧壁。此结果可为活塞有限元分析提供热边界条件,在活塞概念设计阶段为活塞的优化设计提供依据。     

Flow distribution in a solar collector panel with horizontally inclined absorber strips

The objective of this work is to theoretically and experimentally investigate the flow and temperature distribution in a solar collector panel with an absorber consisting of horizontally inclined strips. Fluid flow and heat transfer in the collector panel are studied by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations. Further, experimental investigations of a 12.5 m² solar collector panel with 16 parallel connected horizontal fins are carried out. The flow distribution through the absorber is evaluated by means of temperature measurements on the backside of the absorber tubes. The measured temperatures are compared to the temperatures determined by the CFD model and there is a good similarity between the measured and calculated results.

Calculations with the CFD model elucidate the flow and temperature distribution in the collector. The influences of different operating conditions such as flow rate, properties of solar collector fluid, solar collector fluid inlet temperature and collector tilt angle are shown. The flow distribution through the absorber fins is uniform if high flow rates are used. By decreased flow rate and decreased content of glycol in the glycol/water mixture used as solar collector fluid, and by increased collector tilt and inlet temperature, the flow distribution gets worse resulting in an increased risk of boiling in the upper part of the collector panel.     

Effect of using nanofluids on efficiency of parabolic trough collectors in solar thermal electric power plants

In this paper, forced convection heat transfer nanofluid flow inside the receiver tube of solar parabolic trough collector is numerically simulated. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are carried out to study the influence of using nanofluid as heat transfer fluid on thermal efficiency of the solar system. The three-dimensional steady, turbulent flow and heat transfer governing equations are solved using Finite Volume Method (FVM) with the SIMPLEC algorithm. The results show that the numerical simulation are in good agreement with the experimental data. Also, the effect of various nanoparticle volume fraction on thermal and hydrodynamic characteristics of the solar parabolic collector is discussed in details. The results indicate that, using of nanofluid instead of base fluid as a working fluid leads to enhanced heat transfer performance. Furthermore, the results reveal that by increasing of the nanoparticle volume fraction, the average Nusselt number increases.     

Numerical Investigation on Thermal Performance Design of Cryogenic Compact Heat Exchangers with Serrated-Fin Channels

Abstract

Traditional empirical formulas of Colburn heat transfer factors will lead to a design deviation for cryogenic heat exchangers. This paper employs the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique to numerically study the thermal performance of cryogenic compact heat exchangers (CCHEs). To obtain more precise convective heat transfer coefficients, the heat transfer performance of CCHE with serrated fin channels is analyzed considering various cryogenic fluid properties, fin materials and the axial heat conduction (AHC), and a heat transfer deterioration rate is proposed to investigate the effect of AHC on the heat transfer performance of CCHEs. For the simulation design, a quasi-one-dimensional calculation model is developed to obtain the temperature and pressure fields of the whole heat exchanger using the previous CFD results of the finned channels to avoid the deviation caused by traditional empirical formulas. Finally, a case study for a CCHE in a practical system is designed and analyzed by the proposed approach. The results suggest that cryogenic conditions have a significant effect on the design performance of heat exchangers, especially when considering the influences of fluid properties, materials, and AHC. For different cryogenic fluids, accurate heat transfer factors should be selected for the design calculations, and materials with high thermal conductivity will increase the effect of AHC and deteriorate the performance of the CCHE.     

Evaporation and condensation heat transfer in a heat pipe with a sintered-grooved composite wick

A mathematical model of evaporation and condensation heat transfer in a copper-water wicked heat pipe with a sintered-grooved composite wick is developed and compared with experiments. The wall temperatures are measured under different input power levels and working temperature conditions. The results show that the heat transfer in the condenser section was found to be only by conduction. In the evaporator, however, either conduction or boiling heat transfer can occur. The experimental data for the boiling heat transfer are well correlated by the theory of Stralen and Cole. Higher heat load drives the heat pipe to spend more time achieving the equilibrium state during the transient start-up process. The response curves of the evaporator thermal resistance are overlapped, and the condenser thermal resistance increases more sharply at the beginning. The total thermal resistance of the heat pipe ranges from 0.02 to 0.56 K/W.     

Numerical and experimental investigation of a thermosiphon solar water heater system thermal performance used in domestic applications

The thermosiphon is a passive heat exchange method, which circulates a fluid within a system without the need for any electrical or mechanical pumps. The thermosiphon is based on natural convection where the thermal expansion occurs when the temperature difference has a corresponding difference in density across the loop. Thermosiphons are used in different applications such as solar energy collection, automotive systems, and electronics. The current study aims to investigate thermosiphon thermal performance used in domestic applications. The thermal performance of a thermosiphon has been studied by many researchers; however, according to the knowledge of the authors, the influence of the amount of the working fluid on the thermal output has not yet been investigated. Therefore, the influence of the amount of working fluid within the riser pipe has been investigated on the thermal performance of the thermosiphon. In the current study, a computational fluid dynamics model is involved. This model has been validated by comparison with experimental findings. The maximum variation between numerical and experimental results is 14.2% and 11.2% for the working fluid at the inlet and outlet of the absorber pipe, respectively. Furthermore, the results show that the amount of working fluid inside the closed thermosiphon has a great influence on the thermal performance of the system. Additionally, it is found that Case-B, when the amount of working fluid is less than by 10% compared to the traditional model, is the best case among all cases under study. Furthermore, a correlation equation to predict water temperature at the exit of the absorber pipe has been established with an accuracy of 95.05%.     

Numerical Simulation of Single Bubble Dynamics During Flow Boiling Conditions on a Horizontal Surface

Complete three-dimensional numerical simulations of single bubble dynamics during flow boiling conditions are carried out using the computational fluid dynamics code FLOW3D based on the volume-of-fluid method. The analyses include a numerically robust kinetic phase-change model and transient wall heat conduction. The simulation approach is calibrated by comparison with available experimental and theoretical data. It is found that the observed hydrodynamics (i.e., bubble shape, departure, and deformation) are simulated very well. The comparison with high-resolution transient temperature measurements during a heating foil experiment indicates that the modeling of the spatiotemporal heat sink distribution during bubble growth requires major attention. The simulation tool is employed for single bubble dynamics during flow boiling on a horizontal heating wall, and the agreement is excellent with published experimental data. The numerical results indicate how bulk flow velocity and wall heat transfer influence the bubble dynamics and heat transfer characteristics.     

Forced convective mixing in a zero boil-off cryogenic storage tank

This paper presents the results of a study of fluid flow and heat transfer of liquid hydrogen in a cryogenic storage tank with a heat pipe and an array of pump-nozzle units. A forced flow is directed onto the evaporator section of the heat pipe to prevent the liquid from boiling off when heat leaks through the tank wall insulation from the surroundings. An axisymmetric computational model was developed for the simulation of convective heat transfer in the system. Steady-state velocity and temperature fields were solved from this model by using the finite element method. Forty five configurations of geometry and velocity were considered. As the nozzle fluid speed increases, the values of the maximum, average, and spatial standard deviation of the temperature field decrease nonlinearly. Parametric analysis indicates that overall thermal performance of the system can be significantly improved by reducing the gap between the nozzle and the heat pipe, while maintaining the same fluid speed exiting the nozzle. It is also indicated that increased inlet tube length of the pump-nozzle unit results in slightly better thermal performance. Increased heat pipe length also improves thermal performance but only for low fluid speed.     

Thermal/structural analysis of radiators for heavy-duty trucks

A thermal/structural coupling approach is applied to analyze thermal performance and predict the thermal stress of a radiator for heavy-duty transportation cooling systems. Bench test and field test data show that non-uniform temperature gradient and dynamic pressure loads may induce large thermal stress on the radiator. A finite element analysis (FEA) tool is used to predict the strains and displacement of radiator based on the solid wall temperature, wall-based fluid film heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop. These are obtained from a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. A 3D simulation of turbulent flow and coupled heat transfer between the working fluids poses a major difficulty because the range of length scales involved in heavy-duty radiators varies from few millimeters of the fin pitch and/or tube cross-section to several meters for the overall size of the radiator. It is very computational expensive, if not impossible, to directly simulate the turbulent heat transfer between fins and the thermal boundary layer in each tube. In order to overcome the computational difficulties, a dual porous zone (DPZ) method is applied, in which fins in the air side and turbulators in the water side are treated as porous region. The parameters involved in the DPZ method are tuned based on experimental data in prior. A distinguished advantage of the porous medium method is its effectiveness of modeling wide-range characteristic scale problems. A parametric study of the impact of flow rate on the heat transfer coefficient is presented. The FEA results predict the maximum value of stress/strain and target locations for possible structural failure and the results obtained are consistent with experimental observations. The results demonstrate that the coupling thermal/structural analysis is a powerful tool applied to heavy-duty cooling product design to improve the radiator thermal performance, durability and reliability under rigid working environment.     

Experimental investigation of small diameter two-phase closed thermosyphons charged with water,FC-84, FC-77 and FC-3283

An experimental investigation of the performance of thermosyphons charged with water as well as the dielectric heat transfer liquids FC-84, FC-77 and FC-3283 has been carried out. The copper thermosyphon was 200 mm long with an inner diameter of 6 mm, which can be considered quite small compared with the vast majority of thermosyphons reported in the open literature. The evaporator length was 40 mm and the condenser length was 60 mm which corresponds with what might be expected in compact heat exchangers. With water as the working fluid two fluid loadings were investigated, that being 0.6 ml and 1.8 ml, corresponding to approximately half filled and overfilled evaporator section in order to ensure combined pool boiling and thin film evaporation/boiling and pool boiling only conditions, respectively. For the Fluorinert? liquids, only the higher fill volume was tested as the aim was to investigate pool boiling opposed to thin film evaporation. Generally, the water-charged thermosyphon evaporator and condenser heat transfer characteristics compared well with available predictive correlations and theories. The thermal performance of the water-charged thermosyphon also outperformed the other three working fluids in both the effective thermal resistance as well as maximum heat transport capabilities. Even so, FC-84, the lowest saturation temperature fluid tested, shows marginal improvement in the heat transfer at low operating temperatures. All of the tested Fluorinert? liquids offer the advantage of being dielectric fluids, which may be better suited for sensitive electronics cooling applications and were all found to provide adequate thermal performance up to approximately 30–50 W after which liquid entrainment compromised their performance.     

Computational Fluid Dynamics in Research and Design of Heat Exchangers

This paper gives a brief summary of computational methods in heat transfer equipment, such as CFD (computational fluid dynamics), methods for thermal problems (computational heat transfer), and turbulence modeling for single-phase applications in the design, research and development of heat exchangers. Details of the finite volume method and their extension to arbitrary geometries are presented. An overall presentation of turbulence modeling is provided. Some of the most common commercially available computer codes are listed. Ways to apply CFD to heat exchangers are discussed. The paper presents results from some examples of application of CFD methods for real heat exchangers in order to demonstrate how such methods can be used in the research, development, and design of heat transfer equipment. Limitations and shortcomings as well as needs for further research are also highlighted.     

Parametric analysis of loop heat pipe operation: a literature review

Loop heat pipes (LHPs) are heat transfer devices whose operating principle is based on the evaporation/condensation of a working fluid, and which use the capillary pumping forces to ensure the fluid circulation. Their major advantages as compared to heat pipes are an ability to operate against gravity and a greater maximum heat transport capability. In this paper, a literature review is carried out in order to investigate how various parameters affect the LHP operational characteristics. This review is based on the most recent published experimental and theoretical studies. After a reminder of the LHP operating principle and thermodynamic cycle, their operating limits are described. The LHP thermal resistance and maximum heat transfer capability are affected by the choice of the working fluid, the fill charge ratio, the porous wick geometry and thermal properties, the sink and ambient temperature levels, the design of the evaporator and compensation chamber, the elevation and tilt, the presence of non-condensable gases, the pressure drops of the fluid along the loop. The overall objective for this paper is to point the state-of-the-art for the related technology for future design and applications, where the constraints related to the LHPs are detailed and discussed.     

Heat transfer performance in 3D internally finned heat pipe

An experimental study of heat transfer performance in 3D internally finned steel-water heat pipe was carried out in this project. All the main parameters that can significantly influence the heat transfer performance of heat pipe, such as working temperature, heat flux, inclination angle, working fluid fill ratio (defined by the evaporation volume), have been examined. Within the experimental conditions (working temperature 40 °C–95 °C, heat flux 5.0 kw/m²–40 kw/m², inclination angle 2–90°), the evaporation and condensation heat transfer coefficients in 3D internally finned heat pipe are found to be increased by 50–100% and 100–200%, respectively, as compared to the smooth gravity-assisted heat pipe under the same conditions. Therefore, it is concluded that the special structures of 3D-fins on the inner wall can significantly reduce the internal thermal resistance of heat pipe and then greatly enhance its heat transfer performance.     

Numerical Investigation of Saturated Flow Boiling in Microchannels by the Lattice Boltzmann Method

Bubble formation in saturated flow boiling in 2D microchannels, generated from a microheater under constant wall heat flux or constant wall temperature conditions, is studied numerically based on a newly developed lattice Boltzmann model for liquid-vapor phase change. Simulations are carried out to study effects of inlet velocity, contact angle, and heater size on saturated flow boiling of water under constant wall heat flux conditions. Important information, such as effects of static contact angle on nucleation time and nucleation temperature, which was unable to be obtained by other numerical simulation methods, is obtained. Furthermore, effects of inlet velocity, contact angle, and superheat on nucleate boiling heat transfer in steady flow boiling of water under constant wall temperature conditions are also presented. It is found that the nucleate boiling heat transfer at the microheater is higher if the heater surface is more hydrophilic, because the superheated vapor at the hydrophilic wall has a thinner thermal boundary layer and a larger thermal conductivity.     

Battery module thermal management based on liquid cold plate with heat transfer enhanced fin

Battery, as the main energy storage element, directly affects the performance of electric vehicle. Battery thermal management research is required as the battery performance influenced by temperature obviously. This article selects liquid cold plate with different heat transfer enhanced fins as the research object. The angle and length of fins are chosen as the variables. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods and experiments are used in this research. The fin angle of 15°, 30°, and 45° and fin length of 8, 10, 12 mm are selected to compose enhanced fins. The results indicate that heat transfer fins inside liquid cold plate can significantly decrease the highest temperature of battery module and temperature difference among cells. Otherwise, different fin angle and fin length can achieve different heat dissipation performance, which is not positive correlation. Then the design reference of heat transfer enhanced fin in liquid cold plate is offered.