A team of researchers from Nagoya University in Japan has developed a loop heat pipe (LHP) that can transport up to 10 kW of heat without the need for electricity.
A team of researchers from Nagoya University in Japan has developed a loop heat pipe (LHP) that can transport up to 10 kW of heat without the need for electricity. This heat transport capability is the largest in the world. The group's LHP aims to contribute to energy savings and carbon neutrality in various fields, including industrial waste heat recovery, solar heat utilization, electric vehicle (EV) thermal management, and data center cooling. The findings are detailed in the International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer.
This LHP surpasses the previous largest loop heat pipe due to enhancements in the evaporator structure. These improvements led to an 18% reduction in size, 1.6 times increase in heat transport capability, and a fourfold increase in heat transfer efficiency compared to the previous LHP developed by Nagoya University. LHPs have been used in manned space flights, electric vehicles, meteorological satellites, and home electronic appliances.
"This LHP is unprecedented in transporting such a large amount of heat without electricity, achieving the world's largest non-electric heat transport," said Professor Hosei Nagano, a senior researcher involved in the project. "This eliminates the need for the electricity previously consumed by conventional mechanical pumps, allowing for near-perpetual heat transport without electricity."
Read more at Nagoya University
Image: Researchers have developed a loop heat pipe that can transport up to 10 kW of heat without the need for electricity. (Credit: Nagano Lab)
