Numerical Analysis of Performance of Closed-Loop Pulsating Heat Pipe

Abstract

This presents a computational study on the heat transfer characteristics of closed loop pulsating heat pipe (CLPHPs). However modeling of a CLPHP system in GAMBIT has many challenging issues due to the complexity and multi-physics nature of the system. So, the closed loop pulsating heat pipe modeled here has no wick material inside it as it present in heat pipe. The closed loop pulsating heat pipe has no complex structure so it is to be modeled. Flow visualization was conducted for the closed loop pulsating heat pipe using ANSYS Fluent 13.0. With appropriate boundary conditions we can visualize the behavior of the model and make predictions regarding its performance. Water-water vapor and ethyl alcohol ant ethyl alcohol vapor are taken as the working fluid and heat flux is supplied at the inlet. Phenomena such as nucleation boiling, formation of slug and propagation of inertia wave were observed in the closed loop PHPs. Also the analysis has been done to know the behavior of CLPHPs under varying supply of heat flux at the inlet (evaporator).for this, the output heat flux is obtain at outlet (condenser) and find out how the heat flux is varying for different heat flux and the different working fluid.