Entrainment or flooding limit in a closed two-phase thermosyphon
Abstract
Closed two-phase thermosiphons and gravity-supported heat pipes are highly efficient heat transfer elements which are being increasingly applied in terrestrial heat transport and heat recovery systems, but their performance is limited by various heat transport limitations. In the present paper the entrainment or flooding limit is investigated in more detail. Experiments with a copper-water thermosiphon (2.5 m long, 20 mm outer diameter) have been carried out, the steady-state operation has been studied, and the maximum performance due to flooding has been measured. The influence of liquid fill charge, inclination angle, and operating temperature on the maximum performance has been determined. The experimental results have been assessed and compared with existing theories. Good agreement with the theories of Wallis and Sakhuja has been found.
- Publication:
-
Advances in Heat Pipe Technology
- Pub Date:
- 1981
- Bibcode:
- 1981ahpt.proc..147N
- Keywords:
-
- Entrainment;
- Heat Transfer Coefficients;
- Thermosiphons;
- Two Phase Flow;
- Copper;
- Energy Conservation;
- Gas-Liquid Interactions;
- Heat Pipes;
- Performance Prediction;
- Steady State;
- Temperature Effects;
- Water Flow;
- Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer