Unveiling thermal dynamics: Integrated experimental and simulation insights into large-scale parallel pulsating heat pipe
The pulsating heat pipe (PHP) is an efficient passive heat transfer device that offers an effective solution for thermal management in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). However, conventional single-side channel PHPs face significant challenges in PEMFC thermal management, including integ...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25008925 |
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| author | Shilong Fan Zhiming Xu Wei Li Fumin Shang Hongliang Chang |
| author_facet | Shilong Fan Zhiming Xu Wei Li Fumin Shang Hongliang Chang |
| author_sort | Shilong Fan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The pulsating heat pipe (PHP) is an efficient passive heat transfer device that offers an effective solution for thermal management in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). However, conventional single-side channel PHPs face significant challenges in PEMFC thermal management, including integration limitations, high start-up temperatures, and insufficient working fluid oscillation intensity. This study proposes an optimized configuration for PEMFC thermal management based on its structural characteristics: a large-scale parallel pulsating heat pipe (P-PHP) with bilaterally symmetric channels. The aim is to improve the thermal performance of PEMFCs. Results show that, in the x-axis orientation, the P-PHP exhibits remarkable adaptability to low heat input, achieving a rapid start-up time of just 205 s, while maintaining a temperature control threshold as low as 51.08 °C. The P-PHP also excels in fluid oscillation under low heat input conditions, making it well-suited for heat-sensitive scenarios. Furthermore, it demonstrates excellent heat transfer performance, with a 40 % decrease in thermal resistance in the x-axis orientation compared to other orientations. These results offer valuable insights and new solutions for optimizing PEMFC thermal management, thereby contributing to the advancement of fuel cell technology commercialization. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d07ff911de4a45a5bb73690a64cedebb |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2214-157X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-d07ff911de4a45a5bb73690a64cedebb2025-08-20T02:40:15ZengElsevierCase Studies in Thermal Engineering2214-157X2025-09-017310663210.1016/j.csite.2025.106632Unveiling thermal dynamics: Integrated experimental and simulation insights into large-scale parallel pulsating heat pipeShilong Fan0Zhiming Xu1Wei Li2Fumin Shang3Hongliang Chang4School of Energy and Power Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin, 132012, ChinaSchool of Energy and Power Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin, 132012, ChinaSchool of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, ChinaSchool of Energy and Power Engineering, Changchun Institute of Technology, Changchun, 130012, ChinaSchool of Energy and Power Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin, 132012, China; Corresponding author.The pulsating heat pipe (PHP) is an efficient passive heat transfer device that offers an effective solution for thermal management in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). However, conventional single-side channel PHPs face significant challenges in PEMFC thermal management, including integration limitations, high start-up temperatures, and insufficient working fluid oscillation intensity. This study proposes an optimized configuration for PEMFC thermal management based on its structural characteristics: a large-scale parallel pulsating heat pipe (P-PHP) with bilaterally symmetric channels. The aim is to improve the thermal performance of PEMFCs. Results show that, in the x-axis orientation, the P-PHP exhibits remarkable adaptability to low heat input, achieving a rapid start-up time of just 205 s, while maintaining a temperature control threshold as low as 51.08 °C. The P-PHP also excels in fluid oscillation under low heat input conditions, making it well-suited for heat-sensitive scenarios. Furthermore, it demonstrates excellent heat transfer performance, with a 40 % decrease in thermal resistance in the x-axis orientation compared to other orientations. These results offer valuable insights and new solutions for optimizing PEMFC thermal management, thereby contributing to the advancement of fuel cell technology commercialization.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25008925Parallel pulsating heat pipeTemperature oscillation modesThermal managementStart-up characteristicsFluid oscillationHeat transfer performance |
| spellingShingle | Shilong Fan Zhiming Xu Wei Li Fumin Shang Hongliang Chang Unveiling thermal dynamics: Integrated experimental and simulation insights into large-scale parallel pulsating heat pipe Case Studies in Thermal Engineering Parallel pulsating heat pipe Temperature oscillation modes Thermal management Start-up characteristics Fluid oscillation Heat transfer performance |
| title | Unveiling thermal dynamics: Integrated experimental and simulation insights into large-scale parallel pulsating heat pipe |
| title_full | Unveiling thermal dynamics: Integrated experimental and simulation insights into large-scale parallel pulsating heat pipe |
| title_fullStr | Unveiling thermal dynamics: Integrated experimental and simulation insights into large-scale parallel pulsating heat pipe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unveiling thermal dynamics: Integrated experimental and simulation insights into large-scale parallel pulsating heat pipe |
| title_short | Unveiling thermal dynamics: Integrated experimental and simulation insights into large-scale parallel pulsating heat pipe |
| title_sort | unveiling thermal dynamics integrated experimental and simulation insights into large scale parallel pulsating heat pipe |
| topic | Parallel pulsating heat pipe Temperature oscillation modes Thermal management Start-up characteristics Fluid oscillation Heat transfer performance |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25008925 |
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