THERMAL SCIENCE
International Scientific Journal
Find this paper on
COMPUTER ANALYSIS OF HEAT TRANSFER IN ANNULAR HEAT PIPES FOR THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE
ABSTRACT
This paper constructs a heat transfer model for an annular heat pipe. The volum of fluid model in FLUENT software is used to simulate vapor-liquid two-phase flow and phase change. A structured grid (0.5 mm in the evaporation and condensation sections, 1 mm in the adiabatic section) is used, with a convergence residual of 1 ⋅ 10-6) and a computational time of 300 seconds. Experiments using the controlled variable method investigate the effects of working fluid type (distilled water, ethanol, and a 3:1 mixture), filling ratio (30%-70%), heat load (500-2000 W/m2), and tilt angle (0°, 30°, and 60°) on the heat transfer performance. Experimental results show that the mixed refrigerant achieves optimal overall performance, with a heat transfer efficiency of 85%-92% in the stable phase, a startup time of 35 seconds, and a heat transfer coefficient of 986 W/m2K. The heat transfer coefficient reaches its peak at a filling rate of 60%. The heat load and heat transfer rate exhibit a significant linear correlation (Q = 0.92q - 35, R2 = 0.994), and the inclination angle has little effect on heat transfer. Numerical simulations and experimental results show consistent trends, validating the reliability of the model. Inclination angle minimally affects heat transfer because capillary pressure. This results in <2.3% variation in heat transfer coefficient across 0°-60°, confirming the heat pipe's adaptability to non-horizontal installations without performance degradation.
KEYWORDS
Loop heat pipe, heat transfer performance, numerical simulation, refrigerant, filling rate, heat load
PAPER SUBMITTED: 2025-04-26
PAPER REVISED: 2025-06-22
PAPER ACCEPTED: 2025-08-12
PUBLISHED ONLINE: 2026-02-22
DOI REFERENCE: https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI2601089C
CITATION EXPORT: view in browser or download as text file
REFERENCES
[1] Ren, X., et al., Parametric Analysis of A Novel Photovoltaic/Thermal System Using Amorphous Silicon Cells and Micro-Channel Loop Heat Pipes, Heat Transfer Engineering, 43 (2022), 13, pp. 1149-1170
[2] Reheem, Z. A., et al., Advances in Heat Pipe Technologies for Different Thermal Systems Applications: A Review, Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 147 (2022), 23, pp. 13011-13026
[3] Durga Priyadarsini, G., et al., Enhancing Pulsating Heat Pipe Performance Using Nanofluids and Deep Learning Methods: An Experimental Analysis, Journal of Nanofluids, 14 (2025), 3, pp. 360-368
[4] Narayanasamy, M. P., et al., Heat Transfer Analysis of Looped Micro Heat Pipes with Graphene Oxide Nanofluid for Li-ion Battery, Thermal Science, 25 (2021), 1A, pp. 395-405
[5] Bao, X., et al., Application of Thermal Energy Storage Technology in Power Grid Topology, Thermal Science, 27 (2023), 2A, pp. 1199-1206
[6] Zhao, Y. N., et al., Experimental Investigation on Thermal Characteristics of Long Distance Loop Heat Pipes, Journal of Thermal Science, 31 (2022), 3, pp. 741-750
[7] Sadaf, M., et al., Effect of Fractional Order on Unsteady Magnetohydrodynamics Pulsatile Flow of Blood Inside an Artery, Thermal Science, 27 (2023), 2B, pp. 1727-1734
[8] Teja, P. N. S., et al., Numerical Analysis of Nanomaterial-Based Sustainable Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage System by Improving Thermal Characteristics of Phase Change Material, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29 (2022), 34, pp. 50937-50950
[9] Acharya, N., et al., On the Entropy Analysis and Hydrothermal Behavior of Buoyancy-Driven Magnetized Hybrid Nanofluid Flow within a Semi-Circular Chamber Fitted with a Triangular Heater: Application to Thermal Energy Storage for Energy Management, Numerical Heat Transfer - Part A: Applications, 86 (2025), 6, pp. 1642-1672
[10] Mathry, A. H., et al., Impact of Design and Operating Parameters on the Thermal Performance of Heat Pipes: A Review, Journal of Engineering Research, 13 (2025), 2, pp. 985-1000
[11] Li, J. B., et al., Influencing Law of Key Parameters on the Thermal Efficiency of Single-Well Closed-Loop Heat Exchanger, Thermal Science, 28 (2024), 2A, pp. 1037-1043
[12] Qi, H., et al., Application of Artificial Intelligence Control in the Control System of Cooling and Heating Energy Stations, Thermal Science, 28 (2024), 2B, pp. 1321-1328
[13] Afzal, A., et al., A Critical Review on Renewable Battery Thermal Management System Using Heat Pipes, Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 148 (2023), 16, pp. 8403-8442
[14] Ahmadian-Elmi, M., et al., Effect of Filling Ratio, Number of Loops, and Transverse Distance on the Performance of Pulsating Heat Pipe in a Microchannel Heat Sink, Numerical Heat Transfer - Part A: Applications, 85 (2024), 8, pp. 1278-1299
PDF VERSION [DOWNLOAD]
© 2026 Society of Thermal Engineers of Serbia. Published by the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International licence


