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A Comprehensive Review of Thermal Performance Improvement of High-Temperature Heat Pipes

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Abstract

Energy efficiency issues are being focused on the growing concern of global warming and environmental pollution. The high-temperature heat pipe (HTHP) is an effective and environmental-friendly heat transfer device employed in many industries, including solar power generation, high-temperature flue gas waste heat recovery, industrial furnaces, nuclear industries, and aviation. As a critical factor in HTHPs, thermal performance is mainly introduced in the entire paper. To date, most reviews have been published concerning one or several application scenarios. However, to the best of authors’ knowledge, it is hard to find a review discussing how to improve the thermal performance of HTHPs comprehensively. First, the impact on the performance of three main components of HTHPs over the past 30 years is introduced: the working fluid, the HTHP structure, and the wick structure. Herein, it is a considerable review of the optimal operating conditions for each direction, and we expect this paper contribute to improving the thermal performance of HTHPs. Then, current numerical simulations and theoretical research on the heat transfer limit of HTHPs are recommended. The significant hypotheses used in numerical simulations and the present theoretical studies are compiled here. Finally, some potential future directions and tentative suggestions for HTHP research are put forward.

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Abbreviations

AS:

adiabatic section

A w :

cross section area of wicks/m2

CS:

condenser section

D :

characteristic length of the HTHP/m

d :

diameter of the vapor channel/m

D I :

inner diameter/m

D O :

outer diameter/m

D v :

steam power coefficient

ES:

evaporator section

F v :

steam friction coefficient

g :

acceleration of gravity/m2·s−1

HTHP:

high-temperature heat pipe

h :

characteristic length of the wick structure/m

h fg :

latent heat of vaporization/kJ·kg−1

K :

permeability/m2

k :

ratio of specific heats of steam

L :

length of the HTHP/m

l eff :

effective length of the HTHP/m

P :

pressure/Pa

r c,I :

the effective capillary radiuses of the inner wall/m

r c,O :

the effective capillary radiuses of the outer wall/m

R v :

gas constant

ST:

startup time

T :

temperature/K

TR:

thermal resistance

TRC:

thermal response characteristics

V a :

the speed of sound in steam/m·s−1

η :

viscosity/Pa·s

θ :

inclination angle/(°)

μ :

dynamic viscosity/Pa·s

ρ :

density/kg·m−3

σ :

surface tension coefficient/N·m−1

i :

ith position node

j :

jth time node

l:

liquid phase

v:

steam phase

0:

the property at the end of the evaporator section

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Acknowledgements

This work was completed at the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52006218).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy, Power and Mechanical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 100096, China

    Qihan Chen & Gaosheng Wei

  2. Nanjing Institute of Future Energy System, Nanjing, 211135, China

    Qihan Chen, Jingzhi Zhou, Guohui Zhou, Keyong Cheng & Xiulan Huai

  3. Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Qihan Chen, Jingzhi Zhou, Guohui Zhou, Keyong Cheng & Xiulan Huai

Authors
  1. Qihan Chen
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  2. Jingzhi Zhou
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  3. Guohui Zhou
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  4. Keyong Cheng
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  5. Xiulan Huai
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  6. Gaosheng Wei
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Jingzhi Zhou or Xiulan Huai.

Ethics declarations

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest. HUAI Xiulan is an editorial board member for Journal of Thermal Science and was not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article. All authors declare that there are no competing interests.

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Chen, Q., Zhou, J., Zhou, G. et al. A Comprehensive Review of Thermal Performance Improvement of High-Temperature Heat Pipes. J. Therm. Sci. 33, 625–647 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-024-1890-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-024-1890-7

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