Nanofluids as an innovative class of heat transfer fluids created by dispersing nanometre-sizedmetallic or non-metallic particles in conventional heat transfer fluids displayed the potential toimprove the thermophysical properties of the heat transfer fluids. The main purpose of this study is toinvestigate the influence of the use of nanofluids on two-phase heat transfer, particularly on thethermal performance of the heat pipes. In the first stage, the properties of the nanofluids were studied,then, these nanofluids were used as the working fluids of the heat pipes. The thermal performance ofthe heat pipes when using different nanofluids was investigated under different operating conditionsexperimentally and analytically. The influences of the concentration of the nanofluids, inclinationangles and heat loads on the thermal performance and maximum heat flux of the heat pipes wereinvestigated.This study shows that the thermal performance of the heat pipes depends not only on thermophysicalproperties of the nanofluids but also on the characteristics of the wick structure through forming aporous coated layer on the heated surface. Forming the porous layer on the surface of the wick at theevaporator section increases the wettability and capillarity and also the heat transfer area at theevaporator of the heat pipes.The thermal performance of the heat pipes increases with increasing particle concentration in all cases,except for the heat pipe using 10 wt.% water/Al2O3 nanofluid. For the inclined heat pipe, irrespectiveof the type of the fluid used as the working fluid, the thermal resistance of the inclined heat pipes waslower than that of the heat pipes in a horizontal state, and the best performance was observed at theinclination angle of 60o, which is in agreement with the results reported in the literature. Otheradvantages of the use of nanofluids as the working fluids of the heat pipes which were investigated inthis study were the increase of the maximum heat flux and also the reduction of the entropy generationof the heat pipes when using a nanofluid.These findings revealed the potential for nanofluids to be used instead of conventional fluids as theworking fluid of the heat pipes, but the commercialization of the heat pipes using nanofluids for largescale industrial applications is still a challenging question, as there are many parameters related to thenanofluids which are not well understood. / <p>QC 20170228</p>

This dissertation is focused on studying transport behavior in vapor chambers at ultra-thin form factors so that their use as heat spreaders can be extended to applications with extreme space constraints. Both the steady-state and transient thermal transport behaviors of vapor chambers are studied. The steady-state section presents an experimental characterization technique, methodologies for the design of the vapor chamber wick structure, and a working fluid selection procedure. The transient section develops a low-cost, 3D, transient semi-analytical transport model, which is used to explore the transient thermal behavior of thin vapor chambers: 1) The key mechanisms governing the transient behavior are identified and experimentally validated; 2) the transient performance of a vapor chamber relative to a copper heat spreader of the same external dimensions is explored and key performance thresholds are identified; and 3) practices are developed for the design of vapor chambers under transient conditions. These analyses have been tailored to ultra-thin vapor chamber geometries, focusing on the application of heat spreading in mobile electronic devices. Compared to the conventional scenarios of use for vapor chambers, this application is uniquely characterized by compact spaces, low and transient heat input, and heat rejection via natural convection.

Nous étudions expérimentalement le comportement d'un film liquide, dit de Landau-Levich, lorsqu'il s'évapore dans une atmosphère constituée uniquement de sa vapeur.La dynamique de ce type de film est un paramètre-clef qui gouverne le fonctionnement des caloducs oscillant (en anglais PHP - Pulsating Heat Pipes). Les PHP sont des liens thermiques de forte conductance. Les recherches récentes leur attribuent un pouvoir de refroidissement très élevé, ce qui les rend particulièrement convoités par l'industrie. Leur géométrie est simple : il s'agit d'un tube capillaire enroulé en plusieurs branches entre une partie froide (condenseur) et une partie chaude (évaporateur). Le tube est rempli d'un fluide pur diphasique, c'est-à-dire présent sous la forme d'une succession de bulles de vapeur et de bouchons de liquide. Lorsque la différence de température entre l’évaporateur et le condenseur dépasse un certain seuil, les bulles et bouchons commencent à osciller dans le tube, entre les deux parties, ce qui permet au PHP de transférer la chaleur.Notre installation expérimentale représente un PHP dans sa configuration la plus simple, à branche unique. Une interface liquide-vapeur oscille dans un tube de section rectangulaire, et dépose un film liquide à chaque passage. Nous nous intéressons au mécanisme qui permet l'entretien de l'oscillation de l'interface, et fixe sa fréquence. L'équation de mouvement obtenue prend en compte la dissipation visqueuse engendrée par un écoulement oscillant. Dans les modèles actuels de PHP, l'hypothèse d'un écoulement de type Poiseuille est formulée. Or, notre approche montre que l'hypothèse d'un écoulement faiblement inertiel est mieux adaptée, conduit à une dissipation deux fois supérieure.Le dispositif expérimental permet l'observation du film. Une combinaison originale de méthodes optiques permet également de mesurer sa longueur et son épaisseur, et de reconstruire son profil 3D à chaque instant. Nous pouvons suivre l'évolution du film tout au long de sa durée de vie, et ainsi analyser son comportement dynamique. Le film est presque plat (pente inférieure à 0,1°). Sur toute sa longueur, qui est de quelques centimètres, cela correspond à une variation de son épaisseur de moitié, la valeur moyenne étant de 50 microns. Sous l'effet du chauffage, le film se rétracte progressivement. Dès le début de son évaporation, un bourrelet de démouillage est formé sur le pourtour du film, près de la ligne triple. L'apparition de ce bourrelet est caractéristique d'un démouillage visqueux sous conditions de non-mouillage. Ce comportement est surprenant, dans la mesure où nous avons choisi un fluide mouillant parfaitement la paroi en conditions isothermes. A l'échelle nanométrique, au plus près de la ligne triple, l'angle de contact entre le liquide et la paroi est donc très faible. Nous mesurons cependant un grand angle apparent (c'est-à-dire visible à l'échelle millimétrique), qui augmente avec la surchauffe de la paroi. Dès l'augmentation de cet angle, le bourrelet de démouillage se forme, et le film se rétracte. Ce phénomène est expliqué par l'évaporation à l'échelle microscopique. Les résultats expérimentaux sont en accord quantitatif avec la théorie développée par d'autres chercheurs. / We experimentally study the behavior of liquid films - so called Landau-Levich films - when they evaporate in their pure vapor atmosphere.The dynamics of this film is a key parameter that rules out the functioning of Pulsating Heat Pipes (PHPs). PHPs are high conductive thermal links. Their heat transfert capability is known to be extremely high. For this reason they are promising for numerous industrial applications. Their geometry is simple. It is a capillary tube bent in several branches that meander between a hot part (called evaporator) and a cold part (called condenser), and filled up with a pure two-phase fluid. When the temperature difference between evaporator and condenser exceeds a certain threshold, gas bubbles and liquid plugs begin to oscillate spontaneously back and forth inside the tube and PHP starts transferring the heat.Our experimental setup features the simplest, single branch PHP. A liquid/vapor interface oscillates in a tube. It deposits a liquid film at each passage. We focus first on the mecanism which makes possible self-sustained interface oscillations and defines its frequency. The obtained motion equation accounts for the viscous dissipation caused by oscillatory flow. In existing PHP modelling, a laminar flow is supposed. Yet, our approach shows that the assumption of weakly inertial flow is preferable and leads to a dissipation rate twice larger that the Poiseuille flow.The experimental setup allows the film visualization. An original combination of optical measurement techniques lets us measure the film length, thickness and 3D-profile at all times. The film evolution has been measured during its whole lifetime. The film is nearly flat (its slope is smaller than 0,1°). The film length is of several centimeters, and the average thickness is 50 microns. Thus, along the total length, its thickness decreases by half. Under heating conditions, the film gradually recedes. A dewetting ridge is formed, near the triple contact line. Such a behavior is typical under non-wetting conditions. At the nanometric scale the contact angle between the liquid and the solid wall is very low. However, we measure a large apparent contact angle (visible at the millimetric scale) which increases with the wall superheating. Once this angle increases, the dewetting ridge is formed and the film recedes. The large apparent contact angle is explained by evaporation in the microscopic vicinity of the contact line. The measured apparent contact angle value agrees quantitatively with theoretical results obtained by other researchers.

The purpose of this thesis is to design a robust test facility for a small space nuclear power system and model its physical behavior under different scenarios. The test facility will be used to simulate a 1-10kWe nuclear reactor, its electrical generation, and heat removal capabilities. This simulator will be used to explore, test and understand the steady-state and transient operation capabilities of small space nuclear power systems. Currently, the system is planned to operate on a variable, electrical heat source directly connected to heat pipes. The heat pipes are to be stainless steel with a water working fluid. These heat pipes will then be connected to a power conversion simulator or actual power conversion technologies. The power conversion simulator is connected to a radiator using a water based heat pipe network using fins and connecting plates in a cylindrical geometry. Modeling of the facility was performed using two different analysis programs, STELLA and SolidWorks. STELLA was used as a lumped sum heat transport code, and SolidWorks was used as a more accurate system to verify the validity of STELLA's results. Both programs were used to analyze startup, heat pipe failures, and loss of power conversion with the end goal of finding safe operational transient scenarios for the transient test facility. / Graduation date: 2013

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A desirable feature of concentrated solar power (CSP) with integrated thermal energy storage (TES) unit is to provide electricity in a dispatchable manner during cloud transient and non-daylight hours. Latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) offers many advantages such as higher energy storage density, wider range of operating temperature and nearly isothermal heat transfer relative to sensible heat thermal energy storage (SHTES), which is the current standard for trough and tower CSP systems. Despite the advantages mentioned above, LHTES systems performance is often limited by low thermal conductivity of commonly used, low cost phase change materials (PCMs). Research and development of passive heat transfer devices, such as heat pipes (HPs) to enhance the heat transfer in the PCM has received considerable attention. Due to its high effective thermal conductivity, heat pipe can transport large amounts of heat with relatively small temperature difference. The objective of this research is to study the charging and discharging processes of heat pipe-assisted LHTES systems using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and experimental testing to develop a method for more efficient energy storage system design. The results revealed that the heat pipe network configurations and the quantities of heat pipes integrated in a thermal energy storage system have a profound effect on the thermal response of the system. The optimal placement of heat pipes in the system can significantly enhance the thermal performance. It was also found that the inclusion of natural convection heat transfer in the CFD simulation of the system is necessary to have a realistic prediction of a latent heat thermal storage system performance. In addition, the effects of geometrical features and quantity of fins attached to the HPs have been studied. / Mechanical Engineering

Le but de la thèse est de développer d’une part, une méthode permettant de quantifier la chaleur générée par la cellule de manière précise. D’autre part, il s’agit d’évaluer la performance thermique d’un panel de solutions de refroidissement pour les batteries destinées à des applications HEV/PHEV/EV. La première partie de ce rapport présente une méthode d’estimation de la chaleur globale de la cellule, permettant de prendre en compte la chaleur ohmique et la chaleur entropique. Ce modèle d’estimation de perte est couplé à un modèle thermique 2D afin d’estimer la température de la cellule. La température obtenue par simulation pour une cellule LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2/graphite 22 Ah correspond très bien aux mesures expérimentales. Dans la deuxième partie du rapport, la performance thermique de plusieurs solutions de refroidissement (refroidissement à air, refroidissement par matériau à changement de phase (MCP) et refroidissement par caloduc) pour la batterie a été évaluée expérimentalement sous plusieurs puissances de perte et plusieurs conditions de ventilation. Le refroidissement par caloduc s’est révélé d’être une solution efficace, même sous des conditions de ventilation critiques. Quant à la solution de refroidissement par MCP, le prototype qui a été expérimenté a une faible performance thermique. Cela est principalement dû à la faible conductivité thermique de la formulation MCP utilisée. Toutefois, l’utilisation d’autres formulations alternatives de MCP est envisageable. Les résultats de simulation montrent que ces formulations permettraient une amélioration significative de la performance thermique du système de refroidissement par MCP. / Lithium-ion batteries, characterized by their high energy and power density, are highly recommended as power sources for electrified vehicles (HEV/PHEV/EV). However, lithium-ion batteries are very sensitive to their environment and are prone to thermal runaway at high temperature. The goals of this thesis are to develop an accurate lithium-ion cell heat loss calculation method and to investigate the thermal performance of several cooling solutions for HEV/PHEV/EV batteries. The first part presents a global heat calculation procedure for lithium-ion cell which takes into account both the polarization heat and the entropic heat. This heat generation model was coupled with a cell two-dimensional thermal model in order to predict the cell’s temperature. Temperature estimations obtained by simulation for a 22 Ah LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2/graphite cell showed a very good agreement with experimental results. In the second part, thermal performances of several cooling solutions for HEV/PHEV/EV batteries (air, phase change material (PCM) and heat pipe) were evaluated experimentally under several heat rates and cooling conditions. Heat pipe cooling was found to be a promising cooling solution which works efficiently even under low rate ventilation cooling condition. The experimented PCM cooling system had very poor thermal performance, mainly due to the low thermal conductivity of the used PCM formulation. However, simulations showed that significant improvement could be achieved by using another alternative PCM formulation.

Cette thèse porte sur l’étude et l’optimisation du refroidissement des convertisseurs électriques de puissance (CVS) utilisés dans les trains. Ces composants de grandes dimensions sont lourds, bruyants, et représentent un gouffre énergétique à cause de leur système de refroidissement composé de ventilateur. Nous analysons d’autres types de refroidissements économiques et efficaces. Nous étudions numériquement sous Comsol Multiphysics le refroidissement des CVS par convection naturelle en utilisant l’effet cheminée et par film liquide en exploitant le changement de phase pour évacuer le maximum de chaleur. Les résultats numériques sont validés avec les résultats issus de la littérature et ceux obtenus expérimentalement grâce à un dispositif réalisé pour cette étude. Les résultats obtenus ont permis de constater que la convection naturelle n’est pas suffisante pour évacuer la chaleur et que le refroidissement par film liquide représente une solution très efficace. Nous avons aussi étudié expérimentalement l’efficacité du refroidissement par caloducs. L’influence de la répartition de la chaleur a aussi été analysée pour optimiser l’emplacement des composants électroniques dans le CVS. Une comparaison générale de tous les résultats a permis de proposer le système le plus optimiser en fonction des paramètres choisis. / This thesis is about a study and optimization of the cooling electric power converters (CVS) used in trains. These components are heavy, noisy, and are not energetically efficient. We analyze other types of economic and efficient cooling. We used Comsol Multiphysics to study numerically CVS cooling by natural convection using the chimney effect and liquid film by exploiting the phase change to evacuate heat. The numerical results are validated with the results from literature and those obtained experimentally. The results have shown that natural convection is not sufficient to evacuate the heat and the cooling by liquid film represents an interesting solution. We also studied experimentally the effect of the heat pipe cooling. The influence of the heat distribution was also analyzed to optimize the location of the electronic components in the CVS. A general comparison of all results was proposed to optimize the cooling system.