Volume-4, Issue-2, April-2014, ISSN No.: 2250-0758
International Journal of Engineering and Management Research
Available at: www.ijemr.net
Page Number: 277-281
Performance Behaviour of Copper Pipe, Stainless Steel pipe and Steel
Heat Pipe
Shailesh Prajapati1, Prajesh Patel2
ME Thermal scholar Ldrp-itr,Gandhinagar, INDIA
2
Assistant Professor, Ldrp-itr , Gandhinagar, INDIA
1
ABSTRACT
In this paper study of heat pipe, copper pipe and
stainless steel pipe is done using apparatus. The power is
supplied to the all three pipes using suitable electric heater
and change of heat is possible with Dimmer stat suitable
heat is supplied and Temperatures were taken at certain
length from temperature sensor and indicator results shows
that the heat transfer is very good in case of the stainless
steel heat pipe compare to rest two pipes and also
computational analysis carried out in the ansys workbench
and cfx module and the result from the experiment is
validated from it.
Keywords: Heat Pipe, Heat flux, Temperature, Length.
I.
INTRODUCTION
Figure 1 Working Principal of Heat Pipe
The Heat pipe is a device, which transfer heat by
boiling a fluid at one end and condensing it on the other
end of pipe. The evaporation and condensation processes
are responsible for the nearly isothermal working of the
heat pipe. The condensed liquid is transferred back to
boiling area by the capillary action for pumping the
liquid back is the unique characteristic of the heat pipe
Heat pipes are particularly useful in energy
conservation equipment where it is desired to recover
heat from hot gases for air preheats or supplemental
heating applications.in some cases the heat pipe can take
the place of more costly combinations of pumps, piping
and dual heat exchanger configurations.
The demonstrator consists of a heat pipe,
stainless steel tube and a copper pipe of identical Cal
properties such as diameters and lengths.
Heat pipe made up of stainless steel pipe. A
stainless steel pipe. A stainless steel wire mesh of
suitable mesh size is inserted in this pipe .circumferential
layers of this mesh have been used.
Calculated quantity of
distilled water as
working fluid is introduced in the heat pipe after
cleaning the pipe and mesh with hydrochloric acid,
acetone and distilled water ,making perfect vacuum as
far as possible. The pipe is sealed after filling distilled
after. A stainless steel pipe and copper pipe are taken for
comparison
The lengths of the three pipes are kept equal .band
type heaters and used and mounted on the heating
sections. Temperature sensors measure the surface
temperatures along the lengths of pipe and temperature
of water in the condenser tank.
(i) Working Principal of heat Pipe
Heat pipes are devices that can transfer large
amount of heat with small temperature differences
between evaporator i.e. the heat source and condenser
i.e. heat sink. A heat pipe is a simple device that can
quickly transfer heat from one point to another. They
are often referred as a ”superconductors” of heat as they
possess an extra ordinary heat transfer capacity. The
length of the heat pipe is divided into three sections as
shown in Figure 1. Evaporator section - The region where
the external heat source is connected to the heat pipe.
Adiabatic (transport) section - The region where the heat
pipe is externally insulated and thus inhibits heat transfer
to or from the heat pipe, it is mainly a transport section for
the vapour and liquid. Condenser section - The region
where the external heat sink is connected.
Working fluid in the evaporaor evaporate as it get heat
from source and vapour pressure drives the vapour from
the evaporator to the condenser. And in the condenser its
reject heat and convert in to liquid due to the capillary
action of wick porosity the capillary pressure drives the
working fluid in to the evaporator back.
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II. EXPERIMENTAL SET UP
As shown in figure 1. Heat pipe demonstrator
used for experimentation of all three pipes which are
connected to electric supply and certain amount of power
is supplied to band heater. Three band heater connected
to pipes heating section of suitable pipe diameter. There
are 12 Temperature sensoers provided which can provide
temperature at the length of 100mm,180mm,in
condenser and 340 mm in the length of whole the pipe.
Other two pipes contain the same sturctures but it is
not closed secton as it not contain any working fluid or
loop
inside
Figure 3 .Schematic Diagram of Pipes
Steel Heat Pipe specification
Diameter
32 mm
Length of Evaporator
75 mm
Length of adiabatic section
Figure 2. Experimental Apparatus
Now in all three pipes there are different
sections as shown in schematic diagram figure 2
and also temperature sensors provided at 100
mm,180 mm in condenser and at the end 340 mm in the
pipe for measuring temperatures.
Length of Condenser
Wick material
Type of wick structure
Working fluid
III.
Three sections of heat pipe contains :
(1) Evaporator
(2) Adiabatic section
(3) Condenser
100 mm
135 mm
steel
Screen wire mesh
Distiled water
EXPERIMANTAL OBSEVATION
Following Tempeartures avalilable from the
supply of 0.5 Amp Power to the heater
V=Voltage= 115 volt
I=Current= 0.5 amp.
Q=Power = V*I=115*0.5 =57.5 watt
As we can see from the table 1. The
Temperature reading taken at every 20 min after starting
apparatus.with increase in time heat flux to the every
pipe increases. In the steel pipe intial Temperature T 1 is
higher as steel is having lower melting point temperature
it is becomes more heated compare to other two copper
pipe and steel heat pipe. Table 2,3,4 and 5show the
temperaures after 20,40,60 and 80 min .
at the length of the Pipes of 100mm length which is T1
,T2 at 180 mm length and T3 at 340 mm length
respectively.all the temperatures in degree celsius.
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Table 1
Temperature at every min.
Copper pipe
Steel heat pipe
Time
(min)
20
40
60
80
Steel pipe
T 1 °c
T 2 °c
T 3 °c
T 4 °c
T 5 °c
T 6 °c
T 7 °c
T 8 °c
T 9 °c
T 10 °c
T 11 °c
T 12 c
60.6
70.6
74
75.3
53.7
57.5
60.7
62.7
43.5
48.5
53
55.5
38
41
44.6
47.4
110
115
118.2
120
64.9
68.5
71.3
73.1
40.3
43.3
46.2
48
35.5
37.3
40.1
42.3
146.6
166.1
174.2
176.5
54.8
58.6
62
64
37.7
39.3
40.5
40.8
35.2
35.2
36.1
37
Table 2
Table 3
Temperature After 20 min
Temperature After 40 min
Length
(mm)
Temp.
Heat
pipe °c
Temp.
Copper
pipe °c
Temp.
Steel
pipe °c
Length
(mm)
Temp.
Heat
pipe °c
Temp.
Copper
pipe °c
Temp.
Steel
pipe °c
100
60.6
110
146.6
100
70.6
115
166.1
180
53.7
64.9
54.8
180
57.5
68.5
58.6
340
43.5
40.3
37.7
48.5
43.3
39.3
340
at evaporator section is about 85°c(358 k) and
condenser section 38°c (311k)
Table 4
Table 5
Temperature After 60 min
Temperature After 80 min
Length
(mm)
Temp.
Heat
pipe °c
Temp.
Copper
pipe °c
Temp.
Steel
pipe °c
Length
(mm)
Temp.
Heat
pipe °c
Temp.
Copper
pipe °c
Temp.
Steel pipe
°c
100
74
118.2
174.2
100
75.3
120
176.5
180
60.7
71.3
62
180
62.7
73.1
64
53
46.2
40.5
55.5
48
40.8
340
IV.
340
COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS
IN ANSYS-CFX
Heat pipe model is prepared in solid works
and imported for simulation in software ansys and
analysis is carried out for similar condition as
experimental
(1) Evaporator section boundary condition is
heat flux in w/m2 .
(2) Adiabatic section boundary condition is
adiabatic region-no heat transfer from
outside.
(3) for condenser section boundary condition
is water temperature 30°c
Analysis of steel heat pipe is carried out using
computational fluid dynamics module which is
shown in figure 5 and figure 6.Temperature contour
Shows maximum and minimum temperature
available after putting suitable amount of heat flux
Figure 4 Meshing of Heat Pipe
279
Figure 5 Steel Heat Pipe Water Temperature Profile
Figure 6 Water Temperature Contour at 100 mm
Length
Figure 6 shows the water Temperature
contoure at 100 mm length temperature is hold
around 65°c (338 k)
V.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
From above it is clear that exit temperature
in steel heat pipe is higher as compared two both
copper and steel pipes.
From the above work experimental and
Analytical there are different charts are plotted in
Time vs. temperature and length vs. temperature.
Graph 1 shows the Temperature with time
at 100 mm length of pipe.in which steel pipe having
maximum temperature at every stage of heating of
pipe. Copper pipe is at some lesser temperature and
steel heat pipe is at minimum temperature at this
point.
Graph 2 shows the Temperatures at length
of 340 mm of pipe in which steel heat pipe is at
maximum temperature 55.5°c, copper pipe is at
48°c and steel pipe 40.8 °c
280
Graph 3 shows comparison of analytical and
experimental results which clearly indicate small
difference in the both the results.so result obtained
from experimental is validated from above.
VI.
CONCLUSION
From above experimental work we can
conclude that heat pipes can transfer more amount
of heat as compared to normal pipe of same length
and diameter of other material copper and steel.
Heat pipe is very efficient heat transfer device.
REFERENCES
[1] Peterson G.P. An Introduction to Heat pipes
Modeling, Testing and Applications. A WileyInterscience Publication, 1994.
[2] David Reay and Peter Kew.
Design
and
Heat Pipes Theory,
Applications. Butterworth-Heinemann
Publications.
[3] Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis of TwoPhase Thermo syphon byNikhil E. Chaudhari Nishtha
Vijra , T. P. Singh
[4] Experimental investigation and computational fluid
dynamics analysis of a air cooled condenser heat pipe by
arul selvan annamalai and Velraj Ramlingam
[5] CFD Study of the Heat Pipes with WaterNanoparticles Mixture By Gabriela Huminic, Angel
Huminic
[6] Heat Pipe demonstrator laboratory manual Ldrpitr,Gandhinagar.
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