Performances of infrared emitters applied to the porous thin materials drying

Drying of solids is one of the oldest and most common unit operations found in diverse processes. In this paper the drying of hygroscopic textile materials is discussed. The authors have previously investigated the drying kinetic of different fabrics dried by a hot air jet. In this paper a comparison between the convective and electric IR drying is made. In particular two fabrics with fibers which show a different hygroscopic behaviour are analysed: wool and cellulose/cotton. Unlike the convective drying, IR drying is weakly affected by the radiation properties and by the hygroscopic behaviour of the two fabrics. This is likely due to a better diffusion of the heat flux, which is constant over the entire drying surface in the case of IR heating, and produces unexpected results on the nondimensional kinetic parameter (characteristic curve). Wool shows a complete different characteristic curve if dried with IR or with convective flow. The better performances have been reached with MW emitter, but it has been observed that this advantage decreases with the distance of the source from the surface to be dried

Design and experimental analysis of a screened heat pipe for solar applications

The use of the two-phase closed thermosyphons (TPCTs) is increasing for many heat transfer applications. This paper reviews the most recent published experimental and theoretical studies on the TPCT. After a description of the TPCT operating principle and the performance characteristics, the heat transfer analysis in condenser and evaporator sections that depends on the complex two-phase process are described. The influence of the affecting parameters on the performance of TPCTs such as the geometry (diameter, shape and length), the inclination angle, the filling ratio (FR), the working fluid, the operating temperature and pressure analyzed by various researchers is discussed. The various operating limits occurring in a thermosyphon includes viscous, sonic, dryout, boiling and flooding are also analyzed. Considering the application of TPCTs, the paper presents a review of experimental tests and applications. This paper can be used as the starting point for the researcher interested in the TPCTs and their renewable energy applications

Heat and mass transfer for a small diameter thermosyphon with low fill ratio

Abstract Thermosyphons of smaller dimensions are more commonly sought after as electronics cooling devices. The interactions of the tube wall and working fluid become more significant as the dimension of a thermosyphon is reduced, particularly for high surface tension fluids such as water. This paper aims to experimentally investigate a water-charged, small diameter (8 mm) thermosyphon as it operates with a low (25%) filling ratio for a relatively long evaporator length of 200 mm. High speed videography provides in-situ flow pattern visualization at different heat input power. The boiling regimes for each level of heat flux are determined by analyzing the flow patterns from the high-speed video footage. The interdependence of the flow regimes and the heat and mass transfer mechanisms is evaluated using the measured wall temperature variations and derived thermosyphon performance metrics, such as the average heat transfer coefficients and thermal resistances. It was observed that the heat and mass transport was dominated by Geyser-type boiling at lower heat fluxes with associated low heat transfer coefficients in the evaporator and condenser. With increasing thermal power, less liquid was observed to return to the evaporator resulting in more aggressive boiling events which improved the heat transfer coefficients in both the evaporator and condenser. For all power levels tested, the dominant thermal resistance was found to be that associated with the condenser. The ultimate failure of the thermosyphon was a result of liquid hold-up in the condenser section and subsequent falling liquid film and evaporator dryout

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

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

Two-phase closed thermosyphons: A review of studies and solar applications

The use of the two-phase closed thermosyphons (TPCTs) is increasing for many heat transfer applications. This paper reviews the most recent published experimental and theoretical studies on the TPCT. After a description of the TPCT operating principle and the performance characteristics, the heat transfer analysis in condenser and evaporator sections that depends on the complex two-phase process are described. The influence of the affecting parameters on the performance of TPCTs such as the geometry (diameter, shape and length), the inclination angle, the filling ratio (FR), the working fluid, the operating temperature and pressure analyzed by various researchers is discussed. The various operating limits occurring in a thermosyphon includes viscous, sonic, dryout, boiling and flooding are also analyzed. Considering the application of TPCTs, the paper presents a review of experimental tests and applications. This paper can be used as the starting point for the researcher interested in the TPCTs and their renewable energy applications

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

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

Closed Loop Pulsating Heat Pipes: Ground and Microgravity experiments

non

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

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