Date of Award

12-1992

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

First Advisor

W. Jerry Bowman, PhD

Abstract

This is an experimental study of ethanol flowing in the narrow grooves of a copper plate which is subjected to heat fluxes sufficient to evaporate more liquid than can be replaced by capillary pumping. Three groove geometries are used: square, rectangle, and trapezoid. The objective is to simulate aspects of liquid flow in heat pipes with axial grooves. In order to validate analytical models of capillary flow in grooves, the capillary limit, dryout front location, and dryout front movement in response to power draw downs are documented. The results show the rewet performance of the groove is dependent on geometry. Grooves of higher heat transfer capacity can be poor for recovering from dryout, like the trapezoidal groove. Comparisons of the theoretical maximum heat transfer with the data are good for the square and rectangle, but overestimate the value for the trapezoid. No theory sufficiently predicted the location of the dryout front for the three geometries. For both a quiescent dryout front and a boiling dryout front, the theory does not utilize an accurate description of the geometry of the liquid front which is critical for determining the capillary pressure difference.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GA-ENY-92D-06

DTIC Accession Number

ADA259175

Comments

The author's Vita page is omitted.

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