Performance Improvement in Pulsating Heat Pipes Using a Self-Rewetting Fluid

Author(s):  
K. Fumoto ◽  
M. Kawaji

New experimental results have been obtained on the enhancement of heat transport by a pulsating heat pipe (PHP) using a self-rewetting fluid. Self-rewetting fluids have a property that the surface tension increases with temperature unlike other common liquids. The increasing surface tension at a higher temperature could cause the liquid to be drawn towards a heated surface if a dry spot appears, and improving boiling heat transfer. In the present experiments, 1-butanol was added to water at a concentration of less than 1 wt% to make the self-rewetting fluid. A pulsating heat pipe made from an extruded multi-port tube was partially filled with the butanol-water mixture and tested for its heat transport capability at different input power levels. The experiments showed that the maximum heat transport capability was enhanced by a factor of four when the maximum heater temperature was limited to 120 °C. Thus, the use of a self-rewetting fluid in a PHP has been shown to be highly effective in improving the heat transport capability of pulsating heat pipes.

2010 ◽  
Vol 132 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Koji Fumoto ◽  
Masahiro Kawaji ◽  
Tsuyoshi Kawanami

This paper discusses a pulsating heat pipe (PHP) using a self-rewetting fluid. Unlike other common liquids, self-rewetting fluids have the property that the surface tension increases with temperature. The increasing surface tension at a higher temperature can cause the liquid to be drawn toward a heated surface if a dry spot appears and thus to improve boiling heat transfer. In experiments, 1-butanol and 1-pentanol were added to water at a concentration of less than 1 wt % to make self-rewetting fluid. A pulsating heat pipe made from an extruded multiport tube was partially filled with the self-rewetting fluid water mixture and tested for its heat transport capability at different input power levels. The experiments showed that the maximum heat transport capability was enhanced by a factor of 4 when the maximum heater temperature was limited to 110°C. Thus, the use of a self-rewetting fluid in a PHP was shown to be highly effective in improving the heat transport capability of pulsating heat pipes.


2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 879-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rathinasamy Senthilkumar ◽  
Subaiah Vaidyanathan ◽  
Sivaramanb Balasubramanian

This paper discuses the use of self rewetting fluids in the heat pipe. In conventional heat pipes, the working fluid used has a negative surface-tension gradient with temperature. It is an unfavourable one and it decreases the heat transport between the evaporator section and the condenser section. Self rewetting fluids are dilute aqueous alcoholic solutions which have the number of carbon atoms more than four. Unlike other common liquids, self-rewetting fluids have the property that the surface tension increases with temperature up to a certain limit. The experiments are conducted to improve the heat-transport capability and thermal efficiency of capillary assisted heat pipes with the self rewetting fluids like aqueous solutions of n-Butanol and n-Pentanol and its performance is compared with that of pure water. The n-Butanol and n-Pentanol are added to the pure water at a concentration of 0.001moles/lit to prepare the self rewetting fluids. The heat pipes are made up of copper container with a two-layered stainless steel wick consisting of mesh wrapped screen. The experimental results show that the maximum heat transport of the heat pipe is enhanced and the thermal resistances are considerably decreased than the traditional heat pipes filled with water. The fluids used exhibit an anomalous increase in the surface tension with increasing temperature.


Author(s):  
Koji Fumoto ◽  
Masahiro Kawaji ◽  
Tsuyoshi Kawanami

Pulsating heat pipes (PHPs) have recently emerged as a possible cooling device for high heat flux electronics to replace conventional cooling devices. In this study, new experimental results were obtained for using self-rewetting fluids to enhance the heat transport of PHPs. Unlike other common liquids, the surface tension of self-rewetting fluids increases with temperature. The increase in surface tension at high temperatures causes the liquid to be drawn towards a heated surface if a dry spot appears, which improves boiling heat transfer. PHPs were constructed out of multiport extruded aluminum tubing with a square channel cross section. In experiments, heptanol was added to water at a concentration of less than 1 wt% to form the self-rewetting fluid. Several other parameters were adjusted for optimization, such as the aqueous alcohol solution concentration of the working fluid, the fluid fill ratio, and the heat pipe orientation. Using a self-rewetting fluid in PHPs was found to be highly effective in improving their heat transport capability. The PHPs delivered a better performance when oriented vertically rather than horizontally. As a working fluid, the heptanol water mixture outperformed both the butanol water mixture and pure water within the parameters of this experiment.


1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 1064-1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Ha ◽  
G. P. Peterson

The original analytical model for predicting the maximum heat transport capacity in micro heat pipes, as developed by Cotter, has been re-evaluated in light of the currently available experimental data. As is the case for most models, the original model assumed a fixed evaporator region and while it yields trends that are consistent with the experimental results, it significantly overpredicts the maximum heat transport capacity. In an effort to provide a more accurate predictive tool, a semi-empirical correlation has been developed. This modified model incorporates the effects of the temporal intrusion of the evaporating region into the adiabatic section of the heat pipe, which occurs as the heat pipe approaches dryout conditions. In so doing, the current model provides a more realistic picture of the actual physical situation. In addition to incorporating these effects, Cotter’s original expression for the liquid flow shape factor has been modified. These modifications are then incorporated into the original model and the results compared with the available experimental data. The results of this comparison indicate that the new semiempirical model significantly improves the correlation between the experimental and predicted results and more accurately represents the actual physical behavior of these devices.


Volume 3 ◽  
2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Kempers ◽  
A. Robinson ◽  
C. Ching ◽  
D. Ewing

A study was performed to experimentally characterize the effect of fluid loading on the heat transport performance of wicked heat pipes. In particular, experiments were performed to characterize the performance of heat pipes with insufficient fluid to saturate the wick and excess fluid for a variety of orientations. It was found that excess working fluid in the heat pipe increased the thermal resistance of the heat pipe, but increased maximum heat flux through the pipe in a horizontal orientation. The thermal performance of the heat pipe was reduced when the amount of working fluid was less than required to saturate the wick, but the maximum heat flux through the heat pipe was significantly reduced at all orientations. It was also found in this case the performance of this heat pipe deteriorated once dry-out occurred.


1996 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 731-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. P. Peterson ◽  
H. B. Ma

A mathematical model for predicting the minimum meniscus radius and the maximum heat transport in triangular grooves is presented. In this model, a method for determining the theoretical minimum meniscus radius was developed and used to calculate the capillary heat transport limit based on the physical characteristics and geometry of the capillary grooves. A control volume technique was employed to determine the flow characteristics of the micro heat pipe, in an effort to incorporate the size and shape of the grooves and the effects of the frictional liquid–vapor interaction. In order to compare the heat transport and flow characteristics, a hydraulic diameter, which incorporated these effects, was defined and the resulting model was solved numerically. The results indicate that the heat transport capacity of micro heat pipes is strongly dependent on the apex channel angle of the liquid arteries, the contact angle of the liquid flow, the length of the heat pipe, the vapor flow velocity and characteristics, and the tilt angle. The analysis presented here provides a mechanism whereby the groove geometry can be optimized with respect to these parameters in order to obtain the maximum heat transport capacity for micro heat pipes utilizing axial grooves as the capillary structure.


Author(s):  
Takahiro Arai ◽  
Masahiro Kawaji ◽  
Yasushi Koito

A pulsating heat pipe (PHP) is a passive device with a good heat transport capability compared to other heat pipes. This paper describes an experimental investigation of a PHP with a serpentine channel fabricated by using a 3-D printer. The configuration of the flow channels in the PHP was close to that of commercially available PHPs made entirely of aluminum. To improve the heat transport capability and enable flow visualization, an aluminum plate was used on one side as the heat-transfer surface, on which transparent flow channels were fabricated by a 3-D printer and a polycarbonate filament. The interface between the aluminum plate and polycarbonate flow channel was cemented with a heat-resistant glue to ensure long term sealing. HFE-7000 was used as a working fluid. Oscillating two-phase flow in the PHP was observed with a high-speed digital video camera and transient surface temperatures at evaporator, insulator and condenser sections were measured by fine diameter thermocouples. The two-phase flow and thermal characteristics of the PHP at different heater power levels are presented.


2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calvin C. Silverstein

In a self-cooled drill, an especially designed bur is used to transport heat generated at the cutting edge into the handpiece, where it is dissipated into an air heat sink. The bur contains a sealed cavity partially filled with water, which transports heat via the principle of rotating heat pipe technology. The heat transport capability of burs fitted out as rotating heat pipes was established. A conceptual design for a representative bur was prepared, based on surgical drill sculpting criteria. It appears that a self-cooled surgical drill for sculpting can limit bone temperatures below levels for the initiation of thermal damage in bone, nerve, and brain tissue, without the need to employ an externally applied coolant.


Author(s):  
Koji Fumoto ◽  
Masahiro Kawaji ◽  
Tsuyoshi Kawanami

Pulsating heat pipes (PHPs) are complex heat transfer devices whose thermal performance is governed by a strong thermohydrodynamic coupling. Recently, PHPs have attracted attention as novel electronic cooling devices. In this study, we used a self-rewetting fluid and obtained new experimental results for the improvement of the heat transport efficiency in PHPs. In contrast to the case of common liquids, the surface tension of self-rewetting fluids increases with temperature. Because of the increase in the surface tension at high temperatures, these fluids tend to flow toward the dry spot appearing on a heated surface, and thus, the boiling heat transfer is improved. We constructed PHPs from multiport extruded aluminum tubes with square channels. The PHPs consisted of a heating section, an adiabatic section, and a condensation section with a heat sink. We investigated the effect of the type of working fluid and the fluid fill ratio on the device performance. The working fluids employed were a self-rewetting fluid, water, and ethanol. The thermophysical properties of the working fluid affected the device performance, which also depended strongly on the boundary conditions employed during the PHP operation. In particular, the use of a self-rewetting fluid in the PHPs helped enhance the heat transport efficiency to a considerable extent.


Author(s):  
H. Peter J. de Bock ◽  
Kripa Varanasi ◽  
Pramod Chamarthy ◽  
Tao Deng ◽  
Ambarish Kulkarni ◽  
...  

The performance of electronic devices is limited by the capability to remove heat from these devices. A heat pipe is a device to facilitate heat transport that has seen increased usage to address this challenge. A heat pipe is a two-phase heat transfer device capable of transporting heat with minimal temperature gradient. An important component of a heat pipe is the wick structure, which transports the condensate from the condenser to the evaporator. The requirements for high heat transport capability and high resilience to external accelerations leads to the necessity of a design trade off in the wick geometry. This makes the wick performance a critical parameter in the design of heat pipes. The present study investigates experimental methods of testing capillary performance of wick structures ranging from micro- to nano-scales. These techniques will facilitate a pathway to the development of nano-engineered wick structures for high performance heat pipes.


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