Development and Study of Operating Characteristics of a Loop Heat Pipe with Increased Heat Transfer Distance

Abstract

The task of energy-efficient heat supply and removal in thermal control, heating and cooling systems is very relevant for many branches of technology. The paper presents the results of the development and study of a 21 m long loop heat pipe (LHP) that is a passive heat-transfer device operating on a closed evaporation-condensation cycle and using capillary pressure to pump a working fluid. These devices can be used in systems where the heat source and the heat sink are removed from each other by a distance measured in meters and even tens of meters, without the use of additional energy sources. The device has a 24 mm diameter evaporator with a 188 mm long heating zone, a vapor line and a liquid line (external/internal diameters of 8/6 mm and 6/4 mm). A 310 mm long pipe-in-pipe heat exchanger equipped with a cooling jacket was used as a condenser. The tests were conducted with the LHP in a horizontal position. Heat was removed from the condenser by forced convection of a water-ethylene glycol mixture with temperatures of 20 and –20°C and a flow rate of 6 dm³/min. The heat load supplied to the evaporator from the electric heater increased from 200 to 1700 W in the first case and to 1300 W in the second. The vapor temperature at the outlet of the evaporator varied from 25 to 62°C and from 24 to 30°C, respectively. Its maximum temperature difference along the length of the vapor line did not exceed 4°C. Such devices can be used in energy-efficient systems for utilizing low-potential heat, heating or cooling remote objects, and for uniformly distributing heat over a large surface area of heat sinks.