Numerical Study on the Transient Thermal Performance of a Two-Phase Closed Thermosyphon

The transient thermal performance of phase change and heat and mass transfer in a two-phase closed thermosyphon are studied with computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A CFD model based on the volume of fluid technique is built. Deionized water is specified as the working fluid of this thermosyphon. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhongchao Zhao, Yong Zhang, Yanrui Zhang, Yimeng Zhou, Hao Hu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-06-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/11/6/1433
Description
Summary:The transient thermal performance of phase change and heat and mass transfer in a two-phase closed thermosyphon are studied with computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A CFD model based on the volume of fluid technique is built. Deionized water is specified as the working fluid of this thermosyphon. The CFD model reproduces evaporation and condensation in the thermosyphon at different heating inputs. The average wall temperatures are also analyzed. Variations of average wall temperatures indicate that this thermosyphon reaches a steady state after 19 s, and starts to work in advance when the heating input increases. Moreover, thermal resistance is decreased until a minimum (0.552 K/W) by increasing the heating input, and the effective thermal conductivity is elevated to a maximum (2.07 × 106 W/m∙K).
ISSN:1996-1073