Visualization of various working fluids flow regimes in gravity heat pipe

University of Zilina, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Power Engineering, Univerzitna 8215/1, 01026 Zilina, Slovakia

^* Corresponding author: patrik.nemec@fstroj.uniza.sk

Published online: 12 May 2017

Abstract

Heat pipe is device working with phase changes of working fluid inside hermetically closed pipe at specific pressure. The phase changes of working fluid from fluid to vapour and vice versa help heat pipe to transport high heat flux. Amount of heat flux transferred by heat pipe, of course depends on kind of working fluid. The article deal about visualization of various working fluids flow regimes in glass gravity heat pipe by high speed camera and processes casing inside during heat pipe operation. Experiment working fluid flow visualization is performed with two glass heat pipes with different inner diameter (13 mm and 22 mm) filled with water, ethanol and fluorinert FC 72. The working fluid flow visualization explains the phenomena as a working fluid boiling, nucleation of bubbles, and vapour condensation on the wall, vapour and condensate flow interaction, flow down condensate film thickness on the wall occurred during the heat pipe operation.