Analysis on start up and heat transfer performance of mercury heat pipe under alternating heating power

¹ Key Laboratory of Neutronics and Radiation Safety, Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, HFIPS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China
² University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230027, China
³ Suzhou University, Suzhou, Anhui 234000, China

^* Corresponding author: zhangxiuxiang86@163.com

Abstract

Heat pipe may be affected by the high temperature heat source during operation, resulting in unsteady oscillation heating. In this paper, the influence of alternating power and period on the start-up and heat transfer performance of mercury heat pipe is studied by using the method of equivalent thermal resistance of heat pipe. The results are as follows:1) The start-up time of alternating power heating and steady-state power heating is basically equal; 2) For the alternating power heating, the steady-state temperature of heat pipe changes periodically, increasing the alternating period or the amplitude of alternating power will lead to the increase of the fluctuation amplitude of heat pipe temperature, and the influence of alternating period is greater than that of changing the amplitude of alternating power. 3) Under the condition of alternating power heating, the steady-state thermal resistance of heat pipe changes periodically. The fluctuation amplitude of steady-state thermal resistance of heat pipe increases with the increase of alternating period and alternating power amplitude, and the influence of alternating power amplitude is greater than that of alternating period.