Influence of microchannel condenser with different change rate of cross-sections along the flow field on the anti-gravity performance of loop heat pipe.

· Different change rate of cross-sections along the flow field is investigated. · Microchannel condenser is used in loop heat pipe. · Effects of operating height situation and microchannel structure are studied. · Smooth operation and anti-gravity performance are effectively improved with the help of tapered channel. The microchannel condenser has the advantages of high condensation efficiency and low flow resistance. The vapor can liquefy and return to the evaporator rapidly, and the heat transfer performance and the smooth operation of the loop heat pipe can be improved. Suitable change rate of the cross-section along the microchannel flow field can adjust the pressure drop and flow rate of working fluid, and improve the anti-gravity performance of the loop heat pipe. In this paper, microchannels with different change rates of cross-section along the flow field, including 0.5 mm straight channel, 1 mm straight channel, divergent channel, and tapered channel, are designed and applied as condensers in loop heat pipes. The entrance size of the gradient microchannel is 0.5 mm or 1 mm, which uniformly expands to 1 mm or shrinks to 0.5 mm along the flow field. The vapor and cooling water form a countercurrent direction of motion in the microchannel, and the heat exchange is carried out through the bottom of the channel. The influence of the microchannel condenser structure and operating height situation between the evaporator and condenser on the heat transfer performance of the loop heat pipe are experimentally investigated. The results show that the loop heat pipe achieves an extremely low thermal resistance of 0.004℃/W with gravity assist. Under the gravity-free operation situation, the maximum evaporator temperature of the loop heat pipe with 0.5 mm straight channel and 1000 W heat load is 128.1 °C, and the vapor pressure drop fluctuated is in the range of -1000 ∼ 2500 Pa. Under the anti-gravity operation, the loop heat pipe with the tapered channel has effective transfer performance at 500 W, and the influence factor is only 28.1 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]