Experimental investigations on operating characteristics of a closed loop pulsating heat pipe

Abstract

The operating mechanism of the pulsating heat pipe (PHP) is not well understood and the present technology cannot predict required design parameters for a given task. The aim of research work presented in this paper is to better understand the operation regimes of the PHP through experimental investigations. A series of experiments were conducted on a closed loop PHP with 5 turns made of copper capillary tube of 2 mm in inner diameter. Two different working fluids viz. ethanol and acetone were employed. The operating characteristics were studied for the variation of heat input, filling ratio (FR) and inclination angle of the tested device. The results strongly demonstrate the effect of the filling ratio of the working fluid on the operational stability and heat transfer capability of the device. Important insight into the operational characteristics of PHP has been obtained.

Keywords

closed loop pulsating heat pipe / thermal performance / operation limit / thermography

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