Ferrofluidic Open Loop Pulsating Heat Pipes: Efficient Candidates for Thermal Management Of Electronics

Abstract

Thermal management of electronic devices is presently a serious concern. This article investigates the thermal performance of a five-turn open-loop pulsating heat pipe in both start-up and steady thermal conditions. The effects of working fluid, namely water and ferrofluid, heat input, charging ratio, ferrofluid concentration, orientation, as well as application of magnetic field, are explored. Experimental results show that using ferrofluid enhances the thermal performance in comparison with the case of distilled water under certain conditions. In addition, applying a magnetic field on the open-loop pulsating heat pipe charged with ferrofluid improves its thermal performance. Charging ratios that lead to lower thermal are mentioned. Optimum concentration of ferrofluid in steady-state performance is 2.5 g/L. This study helps to design electronic cooling devices more efficiently.

Keywords:

• thermal management
• open-loop pulsating heat pipe
• ferrofluid
• charging ratio
• concentration

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mr. Haghdoost and Mr. Firouzpour for their valuable guidance during this research. In addition, they express their gratitude to Mr. Azami at Construction Workshop, School of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, for his generous help during the experiments.