156 research outputs found

    Low Cost True Monofiber Optical Probe for Local Void Fraction Measurements in Minichannels

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    Two phase flow inside minichannels is one of the most investigated research topic at present. The measurement of the flow rate parameters is fundamental to characterize the flow pattern and its evolution over time. This paper shows that an optical technique, well-known for large diameter pipes, can be applied to mini channels with a laminar mass flow rate. In particular, a Y-junction mono-fiber optic system with a chamfered tip probe has been built and tested. This method is applied to the local void fraction measurement in a copper capillary pipe with internal diameter of 2 mm and external diameter of 3.00 mm. Different probes have been developed and tested. The accuracy of the method depends on the size, the shape of the tip and on the tip distance from the pipe centre. Different distances and liquid flow rate have been tested. The two-phase flow pattern is also visualized and recorded by a high speed camera (FASTEC Troubleshooter 16000 fps) and post processed with an image analysis technique. A good agreement between the optical and the video signal has been observed

    Flow Characterization of a Pulsating Heat Pipe through the Wavelet Analysis of Pressure Signals

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    Pulsating Heat Pipes are two phase passive heat transfer devices characterized by a thermally induced two phase oscillating flow. The correct detection of the dominant frequencies of such oscillations is fundamental to fully characterize the device thermofluidic operation but the studies available in the literature are very heterogenous and results are often discordant. In this work, the concept of dominant frequency in Pulsating Heat Pipes is thoroughly discussed and defined analytically. The wavelet transform is used to characterize the fluid pressure signal in the frequency domain varying the heat power input at the evaporator and in the condenser zone of a full-scale Pulsating Heat Pipe tested in microgravity conditions. During the slug-plug flow regime, the dominant frequencies falls in the range 0.6–0.9 Hz, showing an increasing trend with the heat load input. The Cross-Correlation reveals that the two signals at the evaporator and at the condenser are very similar. Finally, the instantaneous angle of phase is calculated and lies between 310 and 360 deg. This value can be physically interpreted as a repeatable time shift between the two signals that can be used to evaluate the flow local mean velocity (0.09–0.13 m/s) constituting a valuable alternative to the visualization techniques

    Effect of the application of an electric field on the performance of a two-phase loop device: Preliminary results

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    In the last decade, the continuous development of electronics has pointed out the need for a change in mind with regard to thermal management. In the present scenario, Pulsating Heat Pipes (PHPs) are novel promising two-phase passive heat transport devices that seem to meet all present and future thermal requirements. Nevertheless, PHPs governing phenomena are quite unique and not completely understood. In particular, single closed loop PHPs manifest several drawbacks, mostly related to the reduction of device thermal performance and reliability, i.e. the occurrence of multiple operational quasi-steady states. The present research work proposes the application of an electric field as a technique to promote the circulation of the working fluid in a preferential direction and stabilize the device operation. The tested single closed loop PHP is made of a copper tube with an inner tube diameter equal to 2.00 mm and filled with pure ethanol (60% filling ratio). The electric field is generated by a couple of wire-shaped electrodes powered with DC voltage up to 20 kV and laid parallel to the longitudinal axis of the glass tube constituting the adiabatic section. Although the electric field intensity in the working fluid region is weakened both by the polarization phenomenon of the working fluid and by the interposition of the glass tube, the experimental results highlight the influence of the electric field on the device thermal performance and encourage the continuation of the research in this direction

    A Modular Rack for Shared Thermo-Fluid Dynamics Experiments in Reduced Gravity Environment

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    Abstract Parabolic flights represent an important tool for short space-related experiments under reduced gravity conditions. During the ballistic flight manoeuvres, the investigators have the possibility to operate their experiments, in a laboratory-like environment, where the level of gravity subjected to the experiments repetitively in a series of periods of reduced gravity, preceded and followed by periods of hypergravity. Aboard large aircraft, the duration of this phases varies from approximately 20 s for a 0g flight up to up to 32 s for a Martian g level. A parabolic flight rack able to host experiments concerning thermo-fluid dynamics, has been designed, realized and qualified during the ESA 66th Parabolic Flight Campaign. This microgravity research platform, is the first UK facility available for such investigations, providing a data acquisition system, cooling system and heating system compliant with Novespace requirements

    Numerical Simulation of a Capillary Pulsating Heat Pipe in Various Gravity Conditions

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    In the last two decades a new concept of capillary heat pipe without wick structures, commonly known as Pulsating Heat Pipe (PHP), entered the domain of the two-phase passive heat transfer devices. The thermal-hydraulic behavior of this mini-channel with alternate heating and cooling zones, evacuated and partially filled with a working fluid, mainly depends on the interplay between phase change phenomena, capillary and gravity, if present, which may assist or damp the fluid motion. Numerous are the attempts to simulate PHPs complex behavior, but only a few of them are capable of complete thermal-hydraulic simulations; in addition, none is able to predict the effects of various gravity levels. Nevertheless, validated numerical simulations can constitute useful tools to complete and support experimental studies, and to help the design of new and better performing PHPs. Thus, a novel lumped parameters numerical code for the transient thermo-hydraulic simulation of PHPs has been developed and validated. It consists of a two-phase separated flow model where capillary slug flow is assumed a priori. A complete set of balance differential equations accounts for homogeneous and heterogeneous phase-changes, as well as thermal and fluid-dynamic phenomena. This novel model shows a very good quantitative and qualitative prediction capability not only when computing the correct measured equivalent thermal resistance, but even when reproducing the experimental trend of temperature when transient conditions are applied. This paper presents the comparison between numerical and experimental data, for a copper PHP (I.D./O.D. 1.1mm/2.0mm) filled with FC-72 tested experimentally in micro-gravity (58th Parabolic Flight Campaign), and hyper-gravity conditions (ESA SYT!2013 Programme

    Developing flow pattern maps for accelerated two-phase capillary flows

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    The prediction offlow pattern transitions is extremely important to understand the coupling of thermal andfluiddynamic phenomena in two phase systems and it contributes to the optimum design of heat exchangers. Twophaseflow regimes have been extensively studied under controlled massflow rate and velocity. On the otherhand, less effort has been spent in the literature on the cases where theflow motion is purely thermally inducedand consequently the massflow rate or the velocity of the phases are not known a priori. In the present work,flow pattern transitions and bubble break-up and coalescence events have been investigated in a passive twophase wickless capillary loop, where the massflow rate is intrinsically not controllable. Modified Froude, Weberand Bond numbers have been introduced, considering the actual acceleration of thefluid and the length of thebubble as merit parameters for the transitions. The proposed nondimensional investigation was developed byanalysing experimental data obtained with ethanol and FC-72, as workingfluids, different heat input levels(from 9 to 24 W) as well as three different gravity levels (through a parabolicflight campaign). A new empiricaldiabaticflow pattern map for accelerated two-phase capillaryflows is presented, together with quantitativecriteria for the calculation of theflow regime transitions, defining the physic limits for the bubble coalescenceand break-up. This kind of new regime maps will be useful to the further development of comprehensive de-signing tools for passive two-phase wickless heat transfer devices

    SINGLE LOOP PULSATING HEAT PIPE WITH NON-UNIFORM HEATING PATTERNS: FLUID INFRARED VISUALIZATION AND PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS

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    Abstract. A novel Single Loop Pulsating Heat Pipe (SLPHP) filled at 60% filling ratio with pure ethanol, with an inner diameter of 2mm is tested in Bottom Heated mode varying the heating power. The system is designed with two sapphire tubes mounted between the evaporator and the condenser allowing simultaneous fluid flow high-speed visualizations and IR analysis. Furthermore, two highly accurate pressure transducers carry out local pressure measurements just at the ends of one of the sapphire inserts. Additionally, three heating elements are controlled independently, in such a way to heat up the device varying the distribution of the heating location at the evaporator. It is found that peculiar heating distributions promote the slug/plug flow motion in a preferential direction, increasing the overall performance of the device. Pressure measurements point out that the flow patterns are strictly related to the pressure drop between the evaporator and the condenser. Furthermore, the IR visualization highlights interesting phenomena related to the liquid film dynamics during the device operations, which represent a very useful information for future numerical modeling of Pulsating Heat Pipes
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