Collaborative Research: EAGER: Exploring the Feasibility of a Novel Thermosyphon/Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger with Low Air-Side Thermal Resistance

拟议的研究将对电厂冷却产生科学、技术、教育和社会影响。目前，发电厂的冷却是美国第二大取水来源。这项研究为目前的干式冷却塔技术的潜在改造奠定了基础，从而减少了电厂冷却的用水量。除了支持研究生外，还将为本科生提供研究经验。提出的概念还将对从大功率电子冷却到大型数据中心和服务器热管理等应用产生广泛的有益影响。堪萨斯大学和康涅狄格大学的研究人员参与了这项合作探索工作，包括将两相、封闭热虹吸或热管与传热增强技术的创新集成，以开发一种新的热交换器概念，预期空气侧热阻非常低。热传递增强技术具体包括在热虹吸管的空气侧明智地使用多孔金属泡沫或翅片。将开发一个新的基于物理的连续体物理模型，该模型将描述在集成的两相封闭热虹吸换热器中发生的相关多相，多域，三维瞬态传热。两相封闭热虹吸管内部的传热传质效应与热虹吸管热管外部的传热现象相耦合，特别是在热虹吸管的空气和冷却水侧。这种基于物理的模型将为理解相关的传热现象以及它们如何相互作用以减少设备的整体热阻提供必要的见解。物理模型将通过一系列精心设计的实验来验证。

1435131 / 1435233Bergman / FaghriThe proposed research will have scientific, technological, educational, and societal impacts relevant to power plant cooling. Currently power plant cooling represents the second largest source of water withdrawl in the United States. The research forms the basis upon which current dry cooling tower technologies could be potentially transformed, leading to reduced water consumption for power plant cooling. In addition to supporting graduate students, research experiences will be provided for undergraduates. The proposed concept will also have a broad-based, beneficial impact on applications ranging from high power electronic cooling to large scale data center and server thermal management. This collaborative exploratory effort, involving investigators at The University of Kansas and The University of Connecticut, involves the innovative integration of two-phase, closed thermosyphons or heat pipes with heat transfer augmentation techniques to develop a new heat exchanger concept with expected very low air-side thermal resistance. The heat transfer augmentation techniques include, specifically, judicious use of porous metal foams or fins on the air side of the thermosyphons. A new physics-based continuum physical model will be developed that will describe the pertinent multi-phase, multi-domain, three-dimensional transient heat transfer occurring within an integrated two-phase, closed thermosyphon heat exchanger. The heat and mass transfer effects within the two-phase, closed thermosyphon are coupled to heat transfer phenomena external to the thermosyphon-heat pipe, specifically on the air- and cooling water sides of the thermosyphon. This physics-based model will provide the necessary insight to understand the pertinent heat transfer phenomena and how they interact to reduce the overall thermal resistance of the device. The physical model will be validated by conducting a set of carefully-designed experiments.