Experimental investigations of heat transfer from an internally finned two phase closed thermosyphon

This paper reports the results of an experimental investigation of heat transfer from an internally finned thermosyphon charged with either water or acetone. Six constant area fins with a rectangular cross section are placed internally along the length at the condenser section. The ratio of initial liquid pool volume to the evaporator volume, known as the filling ratio in a thermosyphon system, has been varied in this study. Experiments are carried out for filling ratios of 20, 50, and 80% for two working fluids (i) water and (ii) acetone. Results show that a fill ratio of 50% gives better heat transfer performance. Providing internal fins at the condenser produces additional condensation which improves the thermal performance of the thermosyphon by 17% in terms of the temperature reduction at the source and sink and 35.48% in terms of reduction in thermal resistance at lower heat inputs. The thermosyphon is tested between power levels of 50 and 275 W.