Enhancing thermal performance of heat pipe based solar thermal collector

[摘要] In this work, a CFD model was developed to simulate the flow and phase-change process inside the Two-Phase Closed Thermosyphon (TPCT). This was carried out to investigate the effect of fill ratio and inclination angle on the thermal performance of the TPCT, and to visualise the phase change characteristics under the influence of the inclination and different fill ratios. Also, the surface wettability in terms of the contact angle was investigated to report their effect on the thermal characteristics of the TPCT and to visualise the phase-change characteristics inside the TPCT for different contact angles using Fluent Ansys. Furthermore, the effect of different parameters on the geyser boiling in the TPCT was investigated experimentally. Consequently, the influence of geyser effect on the TPCT thermal characteristics was examined under the effect of various liquid charges and inclination angles at a broad range of heat inputs. Finally, advanced manufacturing technique using wire Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) was employed to introduce a surface roughness in the TPCT internal wall, thereby enhancing the thermal performance of the TPCT. This was achieved by comparing its thermal performance with a plain TPCT at two different initial sub-atmospheric pressures (3 and 30 kPa) and different heat loads.

[发布机构] University:University of Birmingham;Department:School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering

[关键词] T Technology;TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery