Heat transfer performance of a horizontal micro-grooved heat pipe using CuO nanofluid

Abstract

An experiment was carried out to study the heat transfer performance of a horizontal micro-grooved heat pipe using CuO nanofluid as the working fluid. CuO nanofluid was a uniform suspension of CuO nanoparticles and deionized water. The average diameter of CuO nanoparticles was 50 nm. Mass concentration of CuO nanoparticles varied from 0.5 wt% to 2.0 wt%. The experiment was performed at three steady operating pressures of 7.45 kPa, 12.38 kPa and 19.97 kPa, respectively. Effects of the mass concentration of CuO nanoparticles and the operating pressure on both the heat transfer coefficients of the evaporator and the condenser sections, the critical heat flux (CHF) and the total heat resistance of the heat pipe were discussed. Experimental results show that CuO nanofluid can improve the thermal performance of the heat pipe and there is an optimal mass concentration which is estimated to be 1.0 wt% to achieve the maximum heat transfer enhancement. Operating pressure has apparent influences on both the heat transfer coefficients and the CHF of nanofluids. The minimum pressure corresponds to the maximum heat transfer enhancement. Under an operating pressure of 7.45 kPa, the heat transfer coefficients of the evaporator can be averagely enhanced by 46% and the CHF can be maximally enhanced by 30% when substituting CuO nanofluids for water.