Investigation of a flat-plate oscillating heat pipe with Tesla-type check valves

• Published in: Experimental thermal and fluid science Vol. 35; no. 7; pp. 1265 - 1273
• Main Authors: Thompson, S.M., Ma, H.B., Wilson, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Inc 01-10-2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Check valve; Circulation; Devices using thermal energy; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Flow control; Fluid dynamics; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Heat pipes; Heat transfer; Heat transfer enhancement; Neutron radiography; Oscillating; Oscillating heat pipe; Physics; Pulsating heat pipe; Television; Tesla valve; Thermal resistance; Valves; Heat transfer enhancement; Neutron radiography; Tesla valve; Oscillating heat pipe; Flow control; Pulsating heat pipe; Check valve; Heat pipe; Experimental study; Oscillating flow; Test facility; Performance; Heat transfer; Pulsating flow
• ISSN: 0894-1777; 1879-2286
• DOI: 10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2011.04.014

Tesla-type check valves were integrated into a flat-plate oscillating heat pipe (FP-OHP) in order to promote and sustain a desired circulatory flow to increase overall thermal performance. Using neutron radiography, gray-scale images capturing the internal flow behavior within two bottom-heated copper FP-OHPs – one with Tesla-type valves (TV FP-OHP) and one without – both charged with water at a filling ratio of 70% – were collected. With the Tesla-type valves installed in the adiabatic section of the TV FP-OHP, it was found that circulation in the desired direction was promoted and that this promotion increased with heat input. The TV FP-OHP consistently possessed a lower thermal resistance than its counterpart without check valves. The percent-reduction in thermal resistance was on-the-order of 15–25% depending on the power input. Implementation of Tesla-type check valves is a promising means for circulatory flow rectification within an OHP, but future research is needed to further optimize valve design, quantity, and alignment.