Effects of Surface Coating of Nanoparticles on Thermal Performance of Open Loop Pulsating Heat Pipes

Homogenous dispersing of nanoparticles in a base fluid is an excellent way to increase the thermal performance of heat transfer devices especially Heat Pipes (HPs). As a wickless, cheap and efficient heat pipe, Pulsating Heat Pipes (PHPs) are important candidates for thermal application considerations. In the present research an Open Loop Pulsating Heat Pipe (OLPHP) is fabricated and tested experimentally. The effects of working fluid namely, water, Silica Coated ferrofluid (SC ferrofluid), and ferrofluid without surface coating of nanoparticles (ferrofluid), charging ratio, heat input, and application of magnetic field on the overall thermal performance of the OLPHPs are investigated. Experimental results show that ferrofluid has better heat transport capability relative to SC ferrofluid. Furthermore, application of magnetic field improves the heat transfer performance of OLPHPs charged with both ferrofluids.