Xiyin Zhang

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF A PULSATING HEAT PIPE USING FC-72, ETHANOL, AND WATER AS WORKING FLUIDS

Experimental studies were performed on a pulsating heat pipe (PHP), consisting of a heating section, an adiabatic section, and a condensation section incorporating a heat sink. The capillary tube used in this study has an inside diameter of 1.18 mm and a wall thickness of 0.41 mm. The experiments were conducted under the condition of pure natural convection, for heating powers from 5 to 60 W, fill ratios from 60% to 90%. Three working fluids—FC-72, ethanol, and deionized water—were used. The thermal oscillation of the thin wall surface was recorded by a high-speed data acquisition system. Such thermal oscillation waves are random for some run cases due to the randomly distributed vapor plug and liquid slugs inside the PHP. The thermal oscillation amplitude is much smaller for FC-72, due to its lower surface tension, than for ethanol and water, while the oscillation cycle period for FC-72 is shorter than for the other two fluids, indicating the faster oscillation movement in the channels, possibly due to the lower latent heat of evaporation for FC-72. The unlooped PHP is not helpful for the fluid circulation and the PHP does not work. For the looped PHP, there is a minimum heating power that initiates the PHP working. Such minimum heating power is strongly dependent on the working fluid, and is considerably smaller for FC-72 compared with water. The optimal filling ratio is around 70% for all three working fluids. The looped PHP with water as working fluid provides better overall thermal performance once the heating power is greater than a minimum value. However, FC-72 is suggested to be used for low-heat-flux situations, due to its lower minimum heating power.

Molecular dynamics calculation of heat dissipation during sliding friction

A novel method of calculation of heat dissipation during sliding between metals was presented by using molecular dynamics. Temperature distribution in the regions near the contact interface was calculated. The calculation results show that plastic deformation in the near-surface regions accounts for most of the friction heat and the temperature increase. Friction heat was built up in the regions subject to plastic deformation. In the case that no plastic deformation occurred, elastic waves contributed mainly to the energy dissipation so that no large heat buildup could take place in the vicinity of the contact regions

Lateral thermal disturbance of embankments in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor

Numerous engineering projects have been completed on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and with continued economic growth, additional important engineering projects are being planned. Major transportation construction is largely restricted to the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor, which is as narrow as a few hundred meters in some places. In this narrow corridor, projects such as the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the Qinghai-Tibet Highway can influence the stability of the permafrost. We use a numerical model to investigate the individual thermal disturbance caused by the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, and the planned Qinghai-Tibet Expressway. To simulate an upper limit of disturbance under current climate we use the most unfavorable combination of engineering design practices, with unprotected embankments, a traditional ballast embankment for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and traditional asphalt pavement embankments for the Qinghai-Tibet Highway and the Qinghai-Tibet Expressway. The lateral thermal disturbance extent of the three projects increases linearly with embankment height. Under the same embankment heights, the lateral extent of thermal disturbance is smallest for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and is largest for the full Qinghai-Tibet Expressway. The model results provide guidance for minimum distances between the transportation projects to prevent thermal interaction, as a function of embankment height and design. In future research it is important to evaluate the thermal disturbance scopes of other engineering structures, such as tunnels, bridges, and oil pipelines, and to evaluate the thermal interaction and cumulative impact of multiple structures under current and future climate scenarios.

Effect of Temperature Gradients on the Frost Heave of a Saturated Silty Clay with a Water Supply

AbstractFrost heave is the primary cause of frost damage in cold regions. For frost-susceptible soils, water migration induced by a temperature gradient is a key factor in determining the frost hea...

Water–heat migration and frost-heave behavior of a saturated silty clay with a water supply

ABSTRACT In this study, a large-scale one-directional freezing experiment with water supply was performed to investigate the water–heat migration and frost-heave behavior of the saturated silty clay. The results indicate that the temperature gradient is larger in the frozen zone than that in the unfrozen zone because of the heat release of the supplied water and its water–ice phase change during the freezing process. Furthermore, the different parts of the total frost heave are evaluated, respectively, and it is also found that the frost heave can be reduced if the advance rate of the freezing front is effectively controlled even if external water is sufficient.