Experimental Investigation of Ultrasonic Frequency Effect on an Oscillating Heat Pipe

Abstract

The heat transport capability in an oscillating heat pipe (OHP) significantly depends on the oscillating frequency. An external frequency directly affects the natural frequency in the system. In this investigation, the ultrasound sound effect on the heat transport capability in an OHP was conducted with focus on the ultrasonic frequency effect on the oscillating motion and heat transfer capacity in an OHP. The ultrasonic sound was applied to the evaporating section of the OHP by using the electrically-controlled piezoelectric ceramics. The heat pipe was tested with or without the ultrasonic sound with different frequencies. In addition, the effects of operating temperature, heat load from 25 W to 150 W were investigated. The experimental results demonstrate that the heat transfer capacity enhancement of the OHP depends on the frequency of the ultrasound field, and there exists an optimum combination of the frequencies which will lead to the largest enhancement of the heat transfer capacity of the OHP.