Experimental and numerical investigation of traveling wave tube radial heat sink connector thermal stress and deformation with a focus on energy cost management

Abstract

The present investigation concentrated on cooling high temperature traveling wave tube collectors under steady state conditions. The reference of power (high temperature) is a constant power flow (1.1 A) came from a traveling wave tube electron generator utilizing for a Klystron lamp performance. The purpose of the comprehensive research is to determine a proper microchannel number on the collector's geometry and picking a suitable initial temperature for the working fluid concerning structural stability for energy cost management. The idea of studying TWT collectors thermal stress and deformation is novel and has not investigated yet. Simulation outcomes presented a satisfactory agreement among the experimental results. By considering the number of channels (from 200 to 400) and working fluid temperature at 300 CFM, the length and width of microchannels, Nusselt and Reynolds number, required pumping power, pressure drop, friction factor, thermal deformation, and thermal stress studied. The investigation outcomes depicted that Kovar, Copper, and Alumina can be considered as the collectors and connectors manufacturing materials. Moreover, 25 °C is functional as the coolant temperature at 300 CFM.