Minimizing the Wick Thickness in a Planar Microscale Loop Heat Pipe Using Efficient Thermodynamic Design

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Navdeep S. Dhillon ◽  
Jim C. Cheng ◽  
Albert P. Pisano
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Heat Pipe ◽  
Thermal Characteristics ◽  
Heat Pipes ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Loop Heat Pipe ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Loop Heat Pipes ◽  
Evaporator Section ◽  
Compensation Chamber

Theoretical and numerical thermodynamic analysis of the evaporator section of a planar microscale loop heat pipe is presented, to minimize the permissible wick thickness in such a device. In conventional cylindrical loop heat pipes, a minimum wick thickness is required in order to reduce parasitic heat flow, and prevent vapor leakage, into the compensation chamber. By taking advantage of the possibilities allowed by microfabrication techniques, a planar evaporator/compensation chamber design topology is proposed to overcome this limitation, which will enable wafer-based loop heat pipes with device thicknesses on the order of a millimeter or less. Thermodynamic principles governing two-phase flow of the working fluid in a loop heat pipe are analyzed to elucidate the fundamental requirements that would characterize the startup and steady state operation of a planar phase-change device. A three dimensional finite element thermal-fluid solver is implemented to study the thermal characteristics of the evaporator section and compensation chamber regions of a planar vertically wicking micro-columnated loop heat pipe. The use of in-plane thermal conduction barriers to reduce parasitic heat flow into the compensation chamber is demonstrated.

A Planar Evaporator Design to Counter Parasitic Heat Flow During Device Startup of a Microscale Loop Heat Pipe

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Navdeep S. Dhillon
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Heat Pipe ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Loop Heat Pipe ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Loop Heat Pipes

Abstract Due to increasing power densities and decreasing device footprints, thermal management has become an important design requirement in modern electronic devices. Loop heat pipes are phase change-based devices that can absorb and transport large heat fluxes via the latent heat of evaporation of a working fluid. However, these devices are bulky and difficult to miniaturize due to the constraining effect of undesired parasitic heat flow and other thermodynamic considerations of the two-phase flow loop. Here, we present experimental results demonstrating the operation of an ultra-thin microscale loop heat pipe that employs a planar evaporator wick designed to counter the negative effects of parasitic heat flow. Despite the extremely low wick thickness (< 0.5 mm), the device is able to successfully startup, with no apparent observation of a wick dry-out due to parasitic heat flow-induced disruptions of liquid supply to the evaporator. A latent heat flux of approximately 6.7 W/cm2 is absorbed per unit area of the evaporator during the device startup phase.

Investigation of Loop Heat Pipe Startup Using Liquid Core Visualization

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. P. d’Entremont ◽  
J. M. Ochterbeck
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pipe ◽  
Liquid Core ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Loop Heat Pipe ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Buoyancy Driven Flows ◽  
Compensation Chamber ◽  
Fill Level ◽  
Heat Loads

In this investigation, a Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) evaporator has been studied using a borescope inserted through the compensation chamber into the liquid core. This minimally intrusive technique allows liquid/vapor interactions to be observed throughout the liquid core and compensation chamber. A low conductivity ceramic was used for the wick and ammonia as the working fluid. Results indicate that buoyancy driven flows, both two-phase and single-phase, play essential roles in evacuating excess heat from the core, which explains the several differences in performance between horizontal and vertical orientations of the evaporator. This study also found no discernable effect of the pre-start fill level of the compensation chamber on thermal performance during startup at moderate and high heat loads.

Experimental investigation of a loop heat pipe with R245fa and R1234ze (E) as working fluids

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Guangming Xu ◽  
Rongjian Xie ◽  
Nanxi Li ◽  
Cheng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Resistance ◽  
Heat Pipe ◽  
Characteristic Temperature ◽  
Thermal Characteristics ◽  
Heat Pipes ◽  
Loop Heat Pipe ◽  
Working Fluids ◽  
Loop Heat Pipes ◽  
Heat Transfer Capacity ◽  
Heat Loads

Abstract Two kinds of new refrigerant-R1234ze (E) and R245fa were discussed as substitutes or supplements to traditional working fluids of loop heat pipes based on their favorable thermophysical properties and characteristics such as being safe and environmentally friendly. Thermal characteristics of a loop heat pipe with sintering copper wick at different charging ratios were experimentally investigated under variable heat loads. The results showed that the optimal charging ratio in the loop heat pipe range from 65% to 70%, and at this charging level, the R1234ze(E) system had better start-up response, while the R245fa system presented a stronger heat transfer capacity. The characteristic temperature of R1234ze(E) system was below 35 °C, and the corresponding thermal resistance was 0.08 K/W ~ 1.62 K/W under heat loads ranging from 5 W to 40 W. The thermal resistance of the R245fa system was 0.18 K/W ~ 0.91 K/W under heat loads of 10 W ~ 60 W, and the operating temperature was below 60 °C. The loop heat pipes charged with the proposed new refrigerants exhibit superb performance in room temperature applications, making them beneficial for enhancing the performance of electronics, and could provide a distinctive choice for the cooling of small-sized electronics especially.

A Hybrid CFD-Mathematical Model for Simulation of a MEMS Loop Heat Pipe

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ghajar ◽  
J. Darabi ◽  
N. Crews
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Heat Pipe ◽  
Heat Transport ◽  
Capillary Tube ◽  
Heat Rate ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Loop Heat Pipe ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Transport Distance ◽  
Compensation Chamber

A Hybrid CFD-Mathematical (HyCoM) model was developed to predict the performance of a Micro Loop Heat Pipe (MLHP) as a function of input heat rate. A micro loop heat pipe is a passive two-phase heat transport device, consisting of microevaporator, microcondenser, micro-compensation chamber (CC), and liquid and vapor lines. A CFD model was incorporated into a loop solver code to identify heat leak to the CC. Two-phase pressure drop in the condenser was calculated by several two phase correlations and results were compared [2]. Capillary tube correlations [3] were used for pressure drop calculations in fluid lines. Effects of working fluid and change in geometry were studied. For a heat transport distance of 10 mm, the base model MLHP was 50mm long, 16mm wide and 1mm thick. In the base model, widths of the grooves, liquid and vapor lines, evaporator, and condenser were 55μm, 200μm, 750μm, 2mm, and 4mm respectively.

Operating Ranges of the Planar Loop Heat Pipe Under Non-Vacuum Conditions

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junwoo Suh ◽  
Ahmed Shuja ◽  
Praveen Medis ◽  
Srinivas Parimi ◽  
Frank M. Gerner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pipe ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Energy Transport ◽  
Technical Conference ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Loop Heat Pipe ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Vapor Line ◽  
Compensation Chamber

As the trend of high throughput in small packages continues, the heat dissipation becomes a very critical design issue in electronic devices and spacecrafts. The two phase loop heat pipe utilizes the latent heat of working fluid. It consists of an evaporator, compensation chamber, condenser, and liquid and vapor line. The primary wick used as a core part to circulate the working fluid is located in the evaporator. The planar loop heat pipe uses coherent porous silicon (CPS) wick as opposed to the conventional cylindrical configuration, which uses a sintered amorphous metal wick. The clear evaporator machined from Pyrex glass and transparent silicone tubes were utilized to monitor the complex phenomena which occur in the evaporator. Tests were conducted under the non-vacuum condition without a secondary wick. DI-water was used as a working fluid. Like an open loop test previously conducted, there was an operating range in which the liquid could be properly pumped from the compensation chamber to the vapor line under the pumping motion. In this device, more than 6 Watts could be convected from the evaporator to the ambient. Therefore circulation was not observed until powers greater than 6 Watts. There was a circulation of working fluid occurring due to energy transport within the loop when the input power was from 7.94 Watts to 17.6 Watts. The quantity of heat transportation to the loop was calculated by acquiring the empirical heat transfer coefficient. From this calculation it was found that, roughly, 12.1 Watts was transported to the loop and 5.51 Watts was convected to the ambient from the evaporator itself when the applied power was 15.27 Watts.   This paper was also originally published as part of the Proceedings of the ASME 2005 Pacific Rim Technical Conference and Exhibition on Integration and Packaging of MEMS, NEMS, and Electronic Systems.

The Effect of CuO-Water Nanofluid and Biomaterial Wick on Loop Heat Pipe Performance

2014 ◽  
Vol 875-877 ◽  
pp. 356-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nandy Putra ◽  
Wayan Nata Septiadi ◽  
Rosari Saleh ◽  
Rardi Artono Koestoer ◽  
Suhendro Purbo Prakoso
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pipe ◽  
Pure Water ◽  
Sol Gel ◽  
Heat Pipes ◽  
Cuo Nanoparticles ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Loop Heat Pipe ◽  
Gel Method ◽  
Loop Heat Pipes ◽  
Copper Pipe

The determinants of heat pipe performances are its wick and working fluid, instead of controlled by the material, dimension, and the shape of heat pipe. This study aimed to determine the effect of using nanofluid on the performance of Loop heat pipes (LHP) with CuO-water nanofluid that using biomaterials wick. LHP was made of 8 mm diameter copper pipe, with the diameter of evaporator and the condenser was 20 mm respectively and the length of the heat pipe was 100 mm. The wick was made of biomaterials Collaria Tabulate and the working fluid was CuO-water nanofluids where the CuO nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel method. The characteristic of the Tabulate Collaria biomaterial as a wick in LHP was also investigated in this experiment. The results of the experiments showed that the temperature differences between the evaporator and condenser sections with the biomaterial wick and CuO-water nanofluid were less than those using pure water. These results make the biomaterial (Collar) and nanofluids are attractive both as wick and working fluid in LHP technology. Keywords: loop heat pipe, wick, biomaterial, nanofluid.

scholarly journals Experimental Study on Thermal Performance of a Loop Heat Pipe with Different Working Wick Materials

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2453
Author(s):  
Kyaw Zin Htoo ◽  
Phuoc Hien Huynh ◽  
Keishi Kariya ◽  
Akio Miyara
Keyword(s):  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Heat Pipes ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Stable Operation ◽  
Loop Heat Pipe ◽  
Heater Surface ◽  
Loop Heat Pipes ◽  
Limited Temperature ◽  
Sintered Stainless Steel ◽  
Continuous Heat

In loop heat pipes (LHPs), wick materials and their structures are important in achieving continuous heat transfer with a favorable distribution of the working fluid. This article introduces the characteristics of loop heat pipes with different wicks: (i) sintered stainless steel and (ii) ceramic. The evaporator has a flat-rectangular assembly under gravity-assisted conditions. Water was used as a working fluid, and the performance of the LHP was analyzed in terms of temperatures at different locations of the LHP and thermal resistance. As to the results, a stable operation can be maintained in the range of 50 to 520 W for the LHP with the stainless-steel wick, matching the desired limited temperature for electronics of 85 °C at the heater surface at 350 W (129.6 kW·m−2). Results using the ceramic wick showed that a heater surface temperature of below 85 °C could be obtained when operating at 54 W (20 kW·m−2).

scholarly journals An investigation on effect of EDL on heat transfer of micro heat pipe with square and triangular cross section

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 309
Author(s):  
Maryam Fallah Abbasi ◽  
Hossein Shokouhmand ◽  
Morteza Khayat
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Pipe ◽  
Double Layer ◽  
Electric Double Layer ◽  
Heat Pipes ◽  
The Body ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Micro Heat Pipe ◽  
Micro Heat Pipes

Electronic industries have always been trying to improve the efficiency of electronic devices with small dimensions through thermal management of this equipment, thus increasing the use of small thermal sinks. In this study micro heat pipes with triangular and square cross sections have been manufactured and tested. One of the main objectives is to obtain an understanding of micro heat pipes and their role in energy transmission with electrical double layer (EDL). Micro heat pipes are highly efficient heat transfer devices, which use the continuous evaporation/condensation of a suitable working fluid for two-phase heat transport in a closed system. Since the latent heat of vaporization is very large, heat pipes transport heat at small temperature difference, with high rates. Because of variety of advantage features these devices have found a number of applications both in space and terrestrial technologies. The theory of operation micro heat pipes with EDL is described and the micro heat pipe has been studied. The temperature distribution have achieved through five thermocouples installed on the body. Water and different solution mixture of water and ethanol have used to investigate effect of the electric double layer heat transfer. It was noticed that the electric double layer of ionized fluid has caused reduction of heat transfer.

Effect of Vibrations on Thermal Performance of Miniature Loop Heat Pipe for Avionics Cooling: An Experimental Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prem Kumar ◽  
Sameer Khandekar ◽  
Yuri F. Maydanik ◽  
Bishakh Bhattacharya
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pipe ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Longitudinal Vibration ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Fluid Distribution ◽  
Loop Heat Pipe ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Horizontal Orientation ◽  
Acceleration Rate ◽  
Compensation Chamber

Abstract A loop heat pipe (LHP) is an efficient passive, two-phase heat transfer device which can transport heat up to large distances (over ∼ 5 m) even in the anti-gravity mode. It is necessary to miniaturize the LHPs to make them suitable for space-constrained avionics applications. However, before incorporating these devices under high-vibrational environmental conditions such as those encountered in avionics applications, it is imperative to study their thermal performance under such loads. With the aim of understanding the effect of acceleration and frequency of imposed vibration on thermal performance of miniature LHP (mLHP), a contextual experimental study has been reported here using an ammonia charged mLHP (8 mm evaporator diameter; titanium wick) in the horizontal orientation for two cases: (a) without vibration and (b) with the transverse and longitudinal harmonic vibrations (1–4g, frequencies 15–45 Hz, and sine sweep 15–45 Hz in 1 s). With start-up loads between 5 W and 8 W, the LHP can transfer heat load of about 120 W at safe evaporation temperature of 70 °C. Results show that for the transverse vibration, acceleration rate and frequency of imposed vibrations do not affect the thermal performance of mLHP. For the longitudinal vibration, the device performance gets noticeably enhanced with increased acceleration. The decisive role of heat leak (from evaporator to the compensation chamber (CC)) with imposed vibrations is clearly observed, and its link to the internal fluid distribution can be discerned from data trends.

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