Engineering Science and Technology, an International Journal (Aug 2020)
An experimental investigation on thermal efficiency of two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT) filled with CuO/water nanofluid
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to experimentally investigate thermal performance of Two Phase Closed Thermosyphon (TPCT) using nanofluid containing CuO nanoparticles at a mass concentration of 1% and 2% wt. For this purpose, an experimental setup was designed and manufactured which contains a copper pipe, 100 cm in length and 18 mm in the inner diameter. TPCT consists of three sections: the evaporator section (40 cm), adiabatic section (20 cm) and condenser section (40 cm). The evaporator section was wrapped with electrical spiral heater to apply heat, and whole section of TPCT was insulated. A cooling water circuit was used to remove the heat from condenser section. The temperatures were measured on the TPCT surface and cooling water inlet and outlet. The inclination angle of the TPCT was fixed at 90°. The effects of various parameters such as heat load (ranging from 200 to 800 W), cooling water flow rate (ranging from 18 to 54 l/h) and type of working fluid on the thermal performance of TPCT were examined. The results were plotted graphically and discussed in detail. As a result, the performance enhancement was established by using CuO/water nanofluids instead of pure water in TPCT. Approximately 10% and 18.5% enhancement were found when 1% CuO/water and 2% CuO/water nanofluids were used, respectively. In addition, TPCT thermal resistance was reduced averagely 25% and 35% with the use of 1%CuO/water and 2%CuO/water working fluids, compared to the base fluid pure water.
