Experimental Investigation of a Flat-Plate Oscillating Heat Pipe With Modified Evaporator and Condenser

The thermal performance of a flat-plate oscillating heat pipe (FP-OHP) - with modified evaporator and condenser was experimentally investigated during high heat flux conditions. The copper FP-OHP (101.6 × 101.6 × 3.18 mm³) possessed two inter-connected layers of 1.02 mm² square channels with the evaporator and condenser possessing two parallel, 0.25 × 0.51 mm² square microchannels. The microchannels were integrated to enhance evaporation and condensation heat transfer to improve the FP-OHP’s ability to transport high heat flux. The FP-OHP was oriented vertically and locally heated with a 14.52 cm² heating block at its base and cooled with a water block that provided either: 20 °C, 40 °C, or 60 °C operating temperatures. A FP-OHP without embedded microchannels was also investigated for baseline performance comparison. Both FP-OHPs were filled with Novec HFE-7200 (3M) working fluid at a filling ratio of approximately 80% by volume. The maximum temperature of each FP-OHP was recorded versus time for various heat inputs for the investigated operating temperatures. The results indicate that the integrated microchannels enhance the FP-OHP’s thermal performance for all operating temperatures. At 20 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C, the microchannel-embedded evaporator and condenser dissipated 80 W, 65 W, and 55 W more than the baseline control with a minimum thermal resistance of 0.219 °C/W, 0.205 °C/W, and 0.170 °C/W, respectively — corresponding to a percent enhancement on-the-order of 25%. This percent enhancement increased with operating temperature. It has also been shown that Novec HFE-7200 allows the FP-OHP to start at relatively lower heat inputs — as low as 35 W, demonstrating that this working fluid can enhance heat transfer even at lower heat flux applications.