Heat transfer characteristics in a condenser of closed two‐phase thermosyphon: Effect of entrainment on heat transfer deterioration

Condensation heat transfer in a closed two‐phase thermosyphon is experimentally examined using two different types of test section. Test Section 1 is a straight‐pipe‐type thermosyphon, whereas Test Section 2 has a large‐diameter evaporator compared with a condenser to minimize entrainment at the evaporator. Condensation heat transfer in Test Section 1 shows much lower heat transfer coefficients than those estimated by a Nusselt theory. This low condensation heat transfer occurs due to a working fluid entrainment. It is confirmed from a result of Test Section 2 that the condensation heat transfer is similar to the values predicted by the Nusselt theory as far as the effect of the working fluid entrainment is negligible and flooding does not occur. A new correlation for the heat transfer coefficient considering the effect of entrainment is proposed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 31(3): 212–225, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10030     

An experimental study of heat transfer in an open thermosyphon

An experimental study was performed on heat transfer of an open thermosyphon with constant wall heat flux. Water and aqueous glycerin were used as working fluids. The experimental range of modified Rayleigh number was 1 × 10³ < Ra_m < 3 × 10⁵. The average and local heat transfer coefficients, vertical temperature distributions of the tube wall and fluid at the centerline of the tube, and temperature fluctuations of the fluid were measured. Flow patterns were observed by adding tracer powder to the fluid. Fluid velocities were measured by laser Doppler velocimeter. Experimental results indicate that, for a water thermosyphon, there are three regimes where different heat transfer characteristics and flow patterns occur. For 1 × 10³ < Ra_m < 3 × 10³, the flow was laminar and the thermal boundary layer reached the center of the tube. Heat was exchanged between the wall and descending flow. Wall temperature increased in the downward direction. For 4 × 10³ < Ra_m < 3 × 10⁴, no turbulence was observed in the flow and the thermal boundary layer was localized in the vicinity of the wall. The wall temperature increased upward. For 3 × 10⁴ < Ra_m < 3 × 10⁵, flow was considerably disturbed by the mixing of upward and downward flow in the upper part of the tube. However, the flow was laminar in the lower part of the tube. Reduction of the flow rate induced by the flow mixing at high Ra_m can be one of the major causes of the deterioration of heat transfer from Lighthill's theory. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 30(4): 301–312, 2001     

两相闭式热虹吸管混沌特性及其传热性能研究

探究两相闭式热虹吸管的传热混沌,以及操作参数对其混沌性和传热性能的影响,建立混沌特征参数与传热性能间的联系。通过搭建实验台测量两相闭式热虹吸管稳定运行过程中不同工况下的管壁温度信号,基于非线性分析的混沌理论研究处理测量的温度脉动信号,绘制吸引子轨迹图,建立最大Lyapunov指数与传热特征参数的联系,揭示传热性能与混沌特性的关系。结果表明：两相闭式热虹吸管具有确定性混沌行为,操作参数对混沌性和传热性能具有显著影响,混沌性与传热性能呈正相关关系。     

Comparative heat transfer characteristics of a flat two-phase closed thermosyphon (FTPCT) and a conventional two-phase closed thermosyphon (CTPCT)

This study investigated the effects of cross-sectional geometries, filling ratio and aspect ratio on thermal performance of thermosyphon at different rates of heat input. Two cross-sectional geometries of thermosyphon (circular and flat) were used. Each cross-sectional geometry was charged with distilled water with different filling ratios, aspect ratios and heat input. The results indicated that the FTPCT had a higher average wall temperature in the evaporator section than that of the CTPCT. The maximum heat input had a significant influence on the heat fluxes for each filling ratio and evaporator length. Heat fluxes were increased with an increase of aspect ratio and heat input and decreased slightly at the maximum aspect ratios.     

Heat transfer characteristics of a two-phase closed thermosyphon to the fill charge ratio

In this study, the heat transfer characteristics of a two-phase closed thermosyphon were investigated. For the test, a two-phase closed thermosyphon (copper container, FC-72 (C₆F₁₄) working fluid) was fabricated with a reservoir which could change the fill charge ratio. The experiments were performed in the range of 50-600 W heat flow rate and 10-70% fill charge ratio. Some findings are as follows.The heat transfer coefficients of the evaporator to the fill charge ratio were nearly negligible. These presented about 1-5 kW/m² K with the increase of heat flux and compared with those of smooth surface, showed some enhancement by the grooved surface. However at the condenser, the heat transfer coefficients showed some enhancement with the increase of fill charge ratio by the expanded working fluid pool. And the heat transport limitations appeared in different ways to the fill charge ratio. For the relatively small fill charge ratio (Ψ<20%), it presented about 100 W (Ψ: 10%) by the dry-out limitation.For the large fill charge ratio, it occurred by the flooding limitation and the maximum heat flow rate was about 500-550 W (Bo: 26-28), 230 W (Bo: 18.3) respectively and the Kutateladze number was about 1.9-2.1.     

Investigation on the effect of filling ratio on the steady-state heat transfer performance of a vertical two-phase closed thermosyphon

Filling ratio of the working fluid has a predominant effect on the heat transfer characteristics of a two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT). A comprehensive model is developed to investigate the effect of filling ratio on the steady-state heat transfer performance of a vertical TPCT. Three types of flow pattern and two types of transition, according to the distribution of liquid film and liquid pool, are considered in this model, while other models generally focus on only one or two types of them. The total heat transfer rate of liquid pool, including those of natural convection and nucleate boiling, is calculated by combination of their effective areas and heat transfer coefficients. New correlations of the effective area are proposed based on the experimental results from other study. Two different geometries of the TPCT with nitrogen as working fluid are performed experimentally, and the evaporator temperatures accord well with the theoretical calculation. And the calculated results are compared with those by other empirical heat transfer correlations for liquid pool. The range of filling ratio, which can keep a TPCT steady and effective, is proposed based on analysis and comparison. The effects of heat input, operating pressure and geometries of the TPCT on the range are also discussed.     

Numerical and experimental study of a thermosyphon closed‐loop system for domestic applications

A numerical and experimental study has been conducted to enhance the thermal performance of the thermosyphon system. The enhancement response focused on the temperature of both the working fluid within the system loop and water inside the tank. To achieve this, three models were investigated to increase the surface area of the riser pipe without changing the amount of the working fluid. The first one (model A) involved increasing the diameter of the riser pipe and inserting a closed tube inside it to maintain the same amount of working fluid. The second method (model B) involved adding toroidal fins around the riser pipe. However, the third model (model C) combined both models (A and B). The thermal performance of the thermosyphon system for the conventional model has been compared experimentally. Furthermore, numerical simulations for all cases have been done using commercial computational fluid dynamics, ANSYS R 19.3 software. The results show that there is good agreement between the experimental and numerical results. Furthermore, it is found that the thermal responses of models A and B are approximately equal and both are higher than that of the traditional model. Moreover, the thermal performance of model C is found to be higher than those of all the other models under study.     

Correlations to predict heat transfer characteristics of an inclined closed two-phase thermosyphon at normal operating conditions

This paper describes the effect of dimensionless parameters on heat transfer characteristics of an inclined thermosyphon. The parameters studied in this paper are: Bond numbers, Froude numbers, Weber numbers and Kutateladze numbers, and experiments are conducted to find out their effects on the heat transfer rate and on the total thermal resistance. Copper thermosyphons with an ID of 7.5, 11.1 and 25.4 mm are employed with R22, R123, R134a, ethanol, and water as the working fluids. The selected filling ratios are 50, 80, and 100% and the selected aspect ratios are 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 respectively. Experiments are conducted by varying the inclination angle from the horizontal axis by 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90°, and the controlled vapor temperature ranged from 0 to 30°C. It is found from the experiments that, the filling ratio has no effect on the ratio of heat transfer characteristics at any angle to that of the vertical position (Q/Q₉₀), but the properties of the working fluid affected Q/Q₉₀. Results show that the lower the latent heat of vaporization, the higher the Q/Q₉₀. It is also shown that the modified Kutateladze number can be employed to predict the maximum Q/Q₉₀, or Q_m/Q₉₀. Another modified Kutateladze number can also be used to predict the ratio of minimum total thermal resistance to that at vertical position, or R_m/R₉₀.     

以R32和R245fa为工质的重力热管传热特性

对以R32和R245fa为工质的长3m、管内径为40mm、管外径为44mm的重力热管开展了传热性能实验研究。热源为恒温水浴,冷源为固定进口温度和流量的冷水。实验得出了不同热源温度下的热管传热负荷、工质蒸发换热系数和冷凝换热系数,并与经典拟合公式的预测值进行了对比。实验分析对比表明,R32更适宜工作在热源温度为常温到50℃的工况,R245fa更适合工作在50~100℃的热管工况。     

Heat transfer characteristics of two-phase He I (4.2 K) thermosiphon flow

In the framework of the cryogenic cooling system design of a large superconducting magnet under construction at CERN-Geneva, heat transfer in two-phase He I natural circulation loop has been investigated experimentally. The experiments were conducted on a 2 m thermosiphon loop with copper tube of 10 mm inner diameter uniformly heated over a length of 0.95 m. All data were obtained near atmospheric pressure. Evolution of the exit vapour quality and wall superheat as a function of heat flux are presented and analyzed. A comparison between the two-phase heat transfer coefficient h_TP determined in our study and the most relevant correlations available in literature is made. Further, we predict h_TP with a correlation based on the combining effects of forced convection and nucleate boiling by a power-type asymptotic model. Finally, we present the boiling crisis study and we propose a critical heat flux correlation as a function of channel height to diameter ratio (z/D) to model our experimental results.     

An experimental investigation to augment the efficiency of photovoltaic panels by using longitudinal fins

The temperature of a photovoltaic (PV) panel has a negative effect on the generated power. As the solar irradiance that falls on the PV increases, the operating PV temperature rises, which leads to a decrease in electrical efficiency. Therefore, there arises a need to introduce a cooling system to minimize PV temperature. In this study, the simple passive cooling method of extending its surfaces with fins was used to reduce the PV temperature. Different numbers of longitudinal aluminum fins were attached to the bottom surface of a PV panel and their effects were examined under realistic weather conditions for Baghdad, Iraq. Results show that the use of the passive cooling method under natural convection will be more effective in reducing PV temperature before solar noon than after solar noon. The maximum power enhancement was about 2.5 W and occurred at solar noon when using 10 aluminum fins. The peak efficiency value of the PV panel with fin cooling was about 15.3% against 14% for the unfinned PV panel.     

Heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics of very compact heat sinks

High-performance compact heat sinks have been developed for the effective cooling of high-density LSI packaging. Heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics of the heat sinks in both air-cross-flow and air-jet cooling have been experimentally studied. The present heat sinks were of plate-fin and pin-fin arrays with a fin pitch of 0.7 mm. The plate-fin heat sinks had higher cooling performance than the pin-fin heat sinks in the range of large airflow rates both in air-cross-flow and air-jet cooling. The thermal conductance in cross-flow cooling was 20 or 40% larger than that in jet cooling. The correlation of Colburn j-factor/Fanning friction factor versus the Reynolds number for the present heat sinks was found to be very close to that of a conventional large-size heat exchanger. © Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 28(8): 687-705, 1999     

Modeling, experimental study on the heat transfer characteristics of thermoelectric generator

This paper investigates the heat transfer characteristics of a thermoelectric generator. The influence of heat dissipation intensity to the sub-thermal resistances distribution is experimentally studied. Based on the thermal network analysis and finite time thermodynamics, an analytical model including all thermal resistances (in both thermocouples and external heat exchangers) is developed to predict the performance of the generator. The results show that the computed values of output power agree well with the experimental values. The heat transfer enhancement on the generator cold side greatly reduces the cold side temperature and thermal resistance, and obviously improves the output power. Compare with air natural convection cooling, the main thermal resistance changes from the resistance between the fins and the ambient to the thermal contact resistances between the generator and the heat sink at the conditions of forced convection and water cooling. This study may be guide the optimization of generator structure.     

An experimental study of axial conduction through a thermosyphon pipe wall

The effect of the axial conduction through the pipe wall on the performance of a thermosyphon was experimentally investigated in this study. Two 2-phase closed thermosyphons were tested; each had the same dimensions, materials and partially filled with R134a. The only difference between them was that one had a thermal break within the adiabatic section that resisted axial conduction between the evaporator and the condenser sections. The thermosyphons were heated by a constant-temperature hot bath and cooled by water via a concentric heat exchanger. The experiments were performed for different bath temperatures and different fill ratios. It was found that the axial conduction through the pipe wall caused an increase in the overall heat transfer coefficient, evaporation heat transfer coefficient and condensation heat transfer coefficient of the thermosyphon. However, the fraction of heat transfer associated with axial conduction decreased as the heat flux increased. For small heat flux (T_b = 30 °C), the increment of the evaporation and condensation heat transfer coefficient contributed by axial conduction reached 100% and 25%, respectively. For high heat flux (T_b = 60 °C), the increment was negligible (less than 1%).     

Heat transfer and flow characteristics of offset fins in the low-Reynolds-number region

The characteristics of heat exchangers with offset-type plate fins for space stations are studied for Reynolds numbers less than 300 based on the hydraulic diameter. A three-dimensional analysis is carried out to study the effects of the following parameters on the heat transfer and the flow characteristics: (a) the thermal boundary layer developing on the bottom plate and on the fins on the plate, (b) the aspect ratio (height/pitch) of the cross section of the flow passage, the fin thickness, the fin length in the direction of the flow, the thermal conductivity of the fluid and the fins, and the Prandtl number of the fluid. The results obtained are as follows. (1) The heat-transfer coefficient on the fin surface is characterized by the thermal-conductivity ratio of fluid to fin material. When the thermal conductivity of the fin material approaches that of the fluid, the heat-transfer coefficient on the fin surface becomes low. (2) The optimum condition of the aspect ratio depends on the value of the thermal-conductivity ratio between the fluid and the fins. (3) When the aspect ratio becomes large or small, the friction factor of offset fins approaches that of fully developed duct flow with the same aspect ratio as the Reynolds number decreases. © 1998 Scripta Technica. Heat Trans Jpn Res, 26(4): 249–261, 1997     

An experimental study of the effect of pin fins on heat transfer in circulating fluidized beds

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the effect of pin fins on heat transfer in circulating fluidized beds. Experiments were conducted in a 100 mm i.d., 5.15 m tall CFB unit, initially with no fins and then with 16-pin and 32-pin fins. Each pin was 6.35 mm in diameter and 15 mm long. It was observed that, although the heat transfer coefficient decreases with the use of fins, the total heat transfer increases owing to the increase in surface area which the fins provide. The results of heat transfer for unfinned surface were compared with those of other workers and found to be in good agreement.     

An Experimental Study of Condensation Heat Transfer in Sub-Millimeter Rectangular Tubes

The characteristics of local heat transfer and pressure drops were experimentally investigated using condensing R134a two-phase flow, in single rectangular tubes, with hydraulic diameter of 0.494, 0.658, and 0.972 mm. New experimental techniques were used to measure the in-tube condensation heat transfer coefficient especially for the low heat and mass flows. Tests were performed for a mass flux of 100, 200, 400, and 600 kg/m2s, a heat flux of 5 to 20 kW/m2, and a saturation temperature of 40℃. In this study, effect of heat flux, mass flux, vapor qualities, and hydraulic diameter on flow condensation were investigated and the experimental local condensation heat transfer coefficients and frictional pressure drop are shown. The experimental data of condensation Nusselt number are compared with previous correlations, most of which are proposed for the condensation of pure refrigerant in a relatively large inner diameter round tubes.     

椭圆管散热器传热及阻力性能试验研究

对空气横掠片距不相等的叉排椭圆翅片管散热器的传热及阻力性能进行了试验研究,得到试件在一系列工况下的传热与管外流动阻力数据,并对试验数据进行分析计算,从总传热系数K中分离出管外空气侧的对流换热系数h,给出有工程应用价值的管外换热准则关系式及管外阻力准则关系式。认为椭圆管管外的平均换热效果优于圆管。在相同的流通截面积下椭圆管传热周边较长,换热面积相应增加,因此结构上允许布置得更紧凑。     

An experimental study of boiling in dilute emulsions,part A: Heat transfer

Results are reported of an experimental study of heat transfer in pool boiling of dilute emulsions of pentane in water and FC-72 in water. Heat transfer coefficients for single phase convection, boiling of the dispersed component, and enhanced boiling of the continuous component are reported. Results show that the boiling heat transfer coefficient is a function primarily of superheat of both the dispersed component and continuous component, sub-cooling of the bulk of the emulsion, and volume fraction of the dispersed component up to ～1%. Other properties of the dispersed component are relatively unimportant, as are the geometry of the heated surface and droplet size of the emulsion. Droplets of the dispersed component can accumulate on the heated surface, but this accumulation affects heat transfer only in single phase convection.     

An experimental study on thermal management of concentrated photovoltaic cell using loop heat pipe and heat sink

One of the most critical innovations in the solar energy conversion is the use of concentrators for generating power from a smaller area of the cell. The thermal management has an exceptional role in the concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) cell, without which the operating temperature will increase owing to the thermal degradation. In the present study, a prototype of low CPV with single‐cell configuration using a Fresnel lens and a manual tracker with geometrical concentration ratio of up to 25 Suns is made. The performance of the CPV with passive cooling arrangements, such as heat sink and loop heat pipes (LHPs), is analyzed under real‐time outdoor conditions. The results obtained infer that the LHP‐based cooling system has brought down the average temperature rise above ambient to 37.8°C from 54.16°C and 72.6°C in the heat sink and bare CPV systems, respectively. Also, the LHP managed to reject the heat to the surrounding with an average thermal resistance of 1.005°C/W, which is the least when compared with the heat sink. Apart from the instabilities caused by the interference of clouds, the CPV with the LHP cooling system could generate 10% more power output than the one with a heat sink.