×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Heat Pipes

Heat Pipes

Heat Pipes

(OP)
Hi,

I am looking into heat pipe technology for transferring heat from a flare tower to a water reservoir.

I have very limited knowledge on heat pipes and I am wondering whether heat can be transferred when the orientation of the heat pipe is vertical and also when the heat source is present at an elevation ('heat in' higher than 'heat out'). Does 'heat out' point has to be always at a higher elevation than 'heat in ' point?

Please have a look at the attached file, it might explain my problem better.

Thanks

RE: Heat Pipes

The typical heat pipe relies on boiling and condensation of a working fluid to move the heat.

So no, they don't work in the hot-high, cold-low orientation.

RE: Heat Pipes

The main advantage a heatpipe has is the ability to passively circulate the cooling fluid.  You could do the same yourself with an active pump.  You'll need to evaluate whether your reservoir can actually take in the cumulative heat flow from your stack, and whether there will be any detrimental effects to the surrounding environs from that heat buildup.

TTFN

FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies
Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize

RE: Heat Pipes

I am not ironclad sure of this, but I think that heat pipes have a finite length limitation per unit of diameter.  So most applications where I have used heat pipes the hot/cold interface was fairly close coupled across a wall, bulkhead, barrier or whatever.

rmw

RE: Heat Pipes

For your application you will have to use a liquid cooling flow loop. The only difference in a heat pipe is it uses gravity rather than a pump. This is not possible in your case.

RE: Heat Pipes

Many of the small design heat pipes for use in laptop computers do not rely on gravity for the liquid fluid return to the hot side.  They use a capillary action to move the fluid.  Still, rmw is correct that the distances are usually short.

RE: Heat Pipes

Static heat pumps work as heat DIODES, IE pump in one direction heat in bottom heat out top.
 
However, dynamic systems can use refrigerant pumps.
There are also glycol run around systems that may do the trick.

There are static self pumping arrangements that can move heat down, a very simple one is described google bubble action pumps to see a video of a down pumping thermal pump.  

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources