CFD modeling of flow and heat transfer in a thermosyphon

In the present study a gas/liquid two-phase flow and the simultaneous evaporation and condensation phenomena in a thermosyphon was modeled. The volume of fluid (VOF) technique was used to model the interaction between these phases. Experiments in a thermosyphon were carried out at different operating conditions. The CFD predicted temperature profile in the thermosyphon was compared with experimental measurements and a good agreement was observed. It was concluded that CFD is a useful tool to model and explain the complex flow and heat transfer in a thermosyphon.     

Experimental investigation of the transient thermal performance of a bent heat pipe with grooved surface

A bent copper–water heat pipe with grooved inner surface has been investigated experimentally. A comparison between the bent and the straight heat pipes was performed at different inclination angle. Experimental results show that there is a small temperature difference between the condenser of the straight and that of the bent at the vertical orientation. The temperature difference increases as an inclination angle increases. Furthermore, the response time increases as the inclination angle increases. The thermal response of the straight to a sudden heat load is slightly faster than that of the bent. However, as the inclination angle increases to after the horizontal, the heat flux at the condensers decreases nonlinearly and the response time increases nonlinearly. A two-phase flow map has been proposed to explain the nonlinear performance of the thermal response and the heat flux, based on force balance among gravity, capillary, friction and buoyancy force acting on the working fluids. The nonlinear performance of the thermal response and the heat flux results from the capillary blocking due to formation of liquid bridge of two-phase flow. It was also found that the bent heat pipe is more sensitive to the change of the inclination angle than the straight in terms of the thermal response time and the heat flux of the condenser. The heat flux of the bent decreases faster than that of the straight after the horizontal orientation.     

Performance evaluation of photovoltaic–thermosyphon system for subtropical climate application

The rapid development and sales volume of photovoltaic (PV) modules has created a promising business environment in the foreseeable future. However, the current electricity cost from PV is still several times higher than from the conventional power generation. One way to shorten the payback period is to bring in the hybrid photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) technology, which multiplies the energy outputs from the same collector surface area. In this paper, the performance evaluation of a new water-type PVT collector system is presented. The thermal collection making use of the thermosyphon principle eliminates the expense of pumping power. Experimental rigs were successfully built. A dynamic simulation model of the PVT collector system was developed and validated by the experimental measurements, together with two other similar models developed for PV module and solar hot-water collector. These were then used to predict the energy outputs and the payback periods for their applications in the subtropical climate, with Hong Kong as an example. The numerical results show that a payback period of 12 year for the PVT collector system is comparable to the side-by-side system, and is much shorter than the plain PV application. This is a great encouragement in marketing the PVT technology.     

An experimental investigation into the performance of a domestic thermosyphon solar water heater under varying operating conditions

An experimental investigation has been carried out on a thermosyphon solar water heater. The system consisted of a flat-plate collector of 1.5 m² absorber area with 21 tubes/m width and storage tank of 125 litre capacity. Experiments were carried out for both cloudy and clear weather conditions in winter and summer. The hourly system performance was evaluated for all test conditions. The final mean tank temperature was measured daily which enabled the calculation of the possible contribution of solar energy for domestic hot water supply in Basrah, Iraq (latitude 30.76°N). The system was tested at both no-load and loading conditions. Intermittent and continuous load was imposed, and system performance was evaluated for each condition.     

Heat transfer in a smooth-walled reciprocating anti-gravity open thermosyphon

This paper describes an experimental investigation of heat transfer in a smooth-walled reciprocating anti-gravity open thermosyphon with relevance to the ‘shaker’ cooling system for the pistons of marine propulsive diesel engines. A selection of experimental results illustrates the interactive effects of inertial, reciprocating and buoyancy forces on heat transfer. It is demonstrated that the gravitational and reciprocating buoyancy effects, respectively, improve heat transfer in the static and reciprocating anti-gravity open thermosyphon. The individual pulsating force effect impairs heat transfer in the axial region with 5 hydraulic diameter length measured from the entrance of thermosyphon (region I). In the vicinity of sealed end of reciprocating thermosyphon with one hydraulic diameter from the sealed surface (region II), the individual pulsating force effect improves heat transfer at low pulsating number range, over which range a subsequent heat transfer reduction in this axial region is followed. The synergistic effects of inertial force, reciprocating force and buoyancy interaction in the reciprocating anti-gravity open thermosyphon could, respectively, impede or improve the regional heat transfers in the axial regions I and II from the static references of zero-buoyancy. A set of empirical correlations, which is physically consistent, was developed that permits the individual and interactive effects of inertial, reciprocating and buoyancy forces on heat transfer to be evaluated.     

Investigation of boiling heat transfer characteristics of two-phase closed thermosyphons with various internal grooves

The boiling heat transfer characteristics of two-phase closed thermosyphons with internal grooves are studied experimentally and a simple mathematical model is developed to predict the performance of such thermosyphons. The study focuses on the boiling heat transfer characteristics of a two-phase closed thermosyphons with copper tubes having 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 internal grooves. A two-phase closed thermosyphon with plain copper tube having the same inner and outer diameter as those of grooved tube is also tested for comparison. Methanol is used as working fluid. The effects of the number of grooves, the operating temperature, the heat flux are investigated experimentally. From these experimental results, a simple mathematical model is developed. In the present model, boiling of liquid pool in the evaporator is considered for the heat transfer mechanism of the thermosyphon. And also the effects of the number of grooves, the operating temperature, the heat flux are brought into consideration. A good agreement between the boiling heat transfer coefficient of the thermosyphon estimated from experimental results and the predictions from the present mathematical model is obtained. The experimental results show that the number of grooves and the amount of the working fluid are very important factors for the operation of thermosyphons. The two-phase closed thermosyphon with copper tubes having 60 internal grooves shows the best boiling heat transfer performance.     

Visualization of flow pattern in thermosyphon by ECT

Visualization of the liquid flow in a two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT) is studied using electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) with optimal step lengths for iterative image reconstruction algorithm. Measurements are made under a range of heating rates. Experimental results demonstrated ECT’s capability of reconstructing images of thin films of the order of μm in thickness. Results are compared with the established theory and agreements and discrepancies are observed for different thresholds. ECT images of the liquid distributions in the TPCT show clear dependence on the variation of working conditions, which reveals the potential of ECT as an advanced technique for monitoring the operation of TPCT.     

A study on the improvement of heat transfer performance in low temperature closed Thermosyphon

The study focuses on the heat transfer performance of two-phase closed thermosyphons with plain copper tube and tubes having 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 internal grooves. Three different working fluids (distilled water, methanol, ethanol) are used with various volumetric liquid fill charge ratio from 10 to 40%. Additional experimental parameters such as operating temperature and inclination angle of zero to 90 degrees are used for the comparison of heat transfer performance of the thermosyphon. Condensation and boiling heat transfer coefficients, heat flux are obtained using experimental data for each case of specific parameter. The experimental results are assessed and compared with existing correlations. The results show that working fluids, liquid fill charge ratio, number of grooves and inclination angle are very important factors for the operation of thermosyphons. The relatively high rate of heat transfer is achieved when the thermosyphon with internal grooves is used compared to that with plain tube. The optimum liquid fill charge ratio for the best heat transfer performance lies between 25% and 30%. The range of the optimum inclination angle for this study is 20°-30° from the horizontal position.     

Technical note Best connection scheme of collector modules of thermosyphon solar water heater operated at high temperatures

Large scale thermosyphon solar water heater for high temperature applications is simulated by the use of the Transient Simulation Program (TRNSYS). A daily hot water load of 1500 l/day and 2500 l/day at 80°C was assumed. The hot water is consumed daily from 08·00–17·00 h. A back-up electric auxiliary heater was added to the system in two schemes: first, located inside the storage tank with a thermostat; second, outside the tank connected to the heating system between the tank and the facilities. The collector modules were connected in five different schemes: first, all collectors were connected in series in one line, or collectors were connected in two, three, four or five parallel lines each consisting of many collectors. The results showed that the best connection is when the 20 collectors, comprising the system, are connected in two parallel lines each consisting of 10 collectors. It was found that the monthly and yearly useful energy from the system was higher when the auxiliary water heater was added to the system outside the storage tank.     

Two-phase closed thermosyphon vapor-chamber system for electronic cooling

This article experimentally investigates a two-phase closed thermosyphon vapor-chamber system for electronic cooling. A thermal resistance net work is developed in order to study the effects of heating power, fill ratio of working fluid, and evaporator surface structure on the thermal performance of the system. The results indicate that either a growing heating power or a decreasing fill ratio decreases the total thermal resistance, and the surface structure also influences the evaporator function prominently. A reasonable agreement with Rohesnow's empirical correlation is found for the evaporator. An optimum overall performance exists at 140 W heating power and 20% fill ratio with sintered surface, and the corresponding total thermal resistance is 0.495 °C W⁻¹.