Physics and modeling of liquid films in pulsating heat pipes
Xiaolong Zhang, Vadim S. Nikolayev
Abstract
A pulsating heat pipe (PHP) is a capillary meandering between hot spot and cooled area filled with a two-phase fluid that oscillates inside it due to evaporation and condensation. We introduce a one-dimensional physical model, the Oscillating Film Thickness model, that incorporates previously overlooked physics related to liquid film deposition, evaporation, and contact line motion. The model more accurately represents the physics of the phenomena without loss of computational efficiency. Improvements in modeling accuracy and computational efficiency are demonstrated for the case of the simplest, single branch PHP.
Topics & Concepts
EvaporationHeat pipeCondensationDeposition (geology)MechanicsCapillary actionMaterials sciencePhysicsHeat transferThermodynamicsGeologySedimentPaleontologyHeat Transfer and Boiling StudiesFluid Dynamics and Thin FilmsFluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer