A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THERMAL PERFORMANCE OF A HEAT PIPE USING WATER AND NANOFLUID, AND A NANOPARTICLE-COATED WICK HEAT PIPE USING WATER

The heat pipe is commonly used in heat transfer applications. It is used to enhance the heat transfer rate for a limited temperature difference condition. Application of a nanofluid in a heat pipe is a new and fast-growing area of research. The thermal performance of heat pipe being enhanced with the use of a nanofluid as an advanced working fluid is observed by researchers. In this experimental work, the CeO2/H2O nanofluid (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt.%) is used as working fluid. The temperature distribution, thermal resistance, and the efficiency of a heat pipe using water and a nanofluid have been investigated for different power inputs (50, 100, and 150 W). A comparative study has been done among the heat pipes using water and nanofluids (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt.%). The thermal performance of CeO2 nanoparticle-coated wick heat pipe with water as working fluid is also investigated. To avoid the stability issues of nanofluids, the present study provides nanoparticles coating as a substitute of a nanofluid.