Experimental Investigation on the Performance of Naphthalene Heat Pipe in Half-Circumferential Heating Method

Based on the characteristics of a carbon steel-naphthalene heat pipe, a new type of medium temperature heat pipe solar receiver has been developed. According to Direct Steam Generation (DSG) with solar parabolic trough concentrators, a simulation experiment is founded which used a new half-circumferential heating method. At the working dip angles 4° and 8°, the working temperature of heat pipe is stabilized at 250°C, 300°C, 350°C, 380°C, respectively. In this article, the temperature uniformity in circumferential direction, thermal resistance and heat transfer coefficient of the carbon steel-naphthalene has been analyzed and studied. The results indicate: the temperature uniformity in circumferential direction is below 20°C. The optimum filling ratio is 30% and when used this filling ratio, the total thermal resistance basically maintained below 0.23°C/W. Heat transfer coefficient increased with the increase of the transfer power. This article serves as a reference to understanding the heat transfer performance of the carbon steel-naphthalene heat pipe in medium soar receiver.