Numerical Study of Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Characteristics of a Hydrogen Pulsating Heat Pipe with Medium Filling Ratio

Dongyu Yang, Zhicheng Bu, Bo Jiao (), Bo Wang and Zhihua Gan
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Dongyu Yang: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rongcheng Campus, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Rongcheng 264300, China
Zhicheng Bu: College of Naval Architecture and Port Engineering, Shandong Jiaotong University, Weihai 264209, China
Bo Jiao: College of Naval Architecture and Port Engineering, Shandong Jiaotong University, Weihai 264209, China
Bo Wang: Cryogenic Center, Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou 310015, China
Zhihua Gan: Cryogenic Center, Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou 310015, China

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-18

Abstract: Benefiting from its high thermal conductivity, simple structure, and light weight, the pulsating heat pipe (PHP) can meet the requirements for high efficiency, flexibility, and low cost in industrial heat transfer applications such as aerospace detector cooling and vehicle thermal management. Compared to a PHP working at room temperature, the mechanism of a PHP with hydrogen as the working fluid differs significantly due to the unique thermal properties of hydrogen. In this paper, a two-dimensional model of a hydrogen PHP with a filling ratio of 51% was established to study the flow characteristics and thermal performance. The volume of fluid (VOF) method was used to capture the phase distribution and interface dynamics, and the Lee model was employed to account for phase change. To validate the model, a comparison was conducted between the simulation results and experimental data obtained in our laboratory. The simulation results show that the pressure and temperature errors were within 25% and 5%, respectively. Throughout a pressure oscillation cycle, the occurrence of uniform flow velocity, acceleration, and flow reversal can be attributed to the changes in the vapor–liquid phase distribution resulting from the effect of condensation and evaporation. In addition, when the fluid velocity was greater than 0.6 m/s, dynamic contact angle hysteresis was observed in the condenser. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of the flow and heat transfer mechanism of the hydrogen PHPs, which have not been yet achieved through visualization experiments.

Keywords: pulsating heat pipe; hydrogen; VOF; Lee model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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