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Numerical investigations on the thermal performance of two-phase closed thermosyphon with extended condenser surface

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Abstract

A comprehensively two-dimensional model is established to investigate the thermal performance of two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT) charged with acetone. A Volume of Fluid (VOF) method is utilized to simulate the phase change and two-phase flow behaviors. The mass and heat transfer process during the evaporation and condensation are implemented by a user-defined function (UDF) source. The application of thermosyphon can meet the requirements of space structure of battery pack and transfer massive heat from the cell to the environment by phase change mechanism. Additionally, an extended condenser surface of the thermosyphon is developed to enhance the heat transfer performance of liquid film condensation by extended surface, which is estimated by several indicators in terms of temperature distribution, vapor volume fraction, thermal resistance, wall heat transfer coefficient, and velocity. The results reveal that TPCT with extended condenser surface can maintain a great thermal homogeneity and generate well-distributed bubbles along the vertical axial without heat accumulation at the upper zone of evaporator section. Compared with normal condenser, the total thermal resistances decrease by 5%, 25.7% and 17.0% respectively, while the heating power are 5 W, 10 W and 15 W. Moreover, higher power inputs can significantly accelerate the formation of bubbles at the boiling pool, as well as the droplets and liquid film at the condenser section, which increase the thermal performance of thermosyphon.

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Abbreviations

α:

Volume fraction

t:

Time (s)

u:

Velocity (m/s)

S:

Source term in equations

P:

Pressure (Pa)

g:

Gravitational acceleration (m/s2)

F:

Force (N)

C:

Curvature (m-1)

E:

Energy (W/m3)

k:

Thermal conductivity (W/m·K)

T:

Temperature (K)

LH:

Latent heat (kJ/kg)

Q:

Heating power (W)

d:

Diameter of thermosyphon

Cp:

Specific heat capacity (J/kg·K)

h:

Heat transfer coefficient (W/K·m2)

l:

Liquid phase

v:

Vapor phase

m:

Mass

av:

Average value

mix:

Mixture state

sat:

Saturation state

eo:

Evaporation

co:

Condensation

c:

Condenser section

e:

Evaporator section

a:

Adiabatic section

in:

Input

∞:

Cooling water

exp:

Experiment

sl:

Sonic limit

el:

Entrainment limit

ρ:

Density (kg/m3)

μ:

Dynamic viscosity (Pa·s)

σ:

Surface tension (N/m)

β:

Empirical frequency constant (s-1)

TPCT:

Two-phase closed thermosyphon

VOF:

Volume of fluid

UDF:

User-defined function

BTM:

Battery thermal management

HP:

Heat pipe

CFD:

Computational fluid dynamics

CSF:

Continuum surface force

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No.51965008), Major Science and Technology projects of China of Guizhou ZNWLQC [2019]3012.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China

    Zhao Liu, Jin Zhao, Yangjun Qin & Chang Liu

  2. Key Laboratory of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guiyang, 550025, China

    Yanbiao Wang

  3. China Construction Communications Engr. Group Corp. LTD, 100141, Beijing, China

    Chao Wang

Authors
  1. Zhao Liu
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  2. Jin Zhao
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  3. Chao Wang
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  4. Yangjun Qin
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  6. Chang Liu
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, Methodology, data collection, analysis and Funding acquisition, were performed by Zhao Liu, Chao Wang, Yangjun Qin, Yanbiao Wang, Chang Liu and Jin Zhao. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Chao Wang, Zhao Liu and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript, the overall modification is performed by Zhao Liu. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jin Zhao.

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Liu, Z., Zhao, J., Wang, C. et al. Numerical investigations on the thermal performance of two-phase closed thermosyphon with extended condenser surface. Heat Mass Transfer 59, 377–392 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-022-03264-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-022-03264-5

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