Effects of Surface Wetting Characteristics on Start-Up Performance of an Oscillating Heat Pipe

A simultaneous visualization and heat performance of oscillating heat pipes (OHPs) were performed. Experiments were performed under different surface wetting characteristics. Results showed that the start-up performance was improved on hydrophilic OHP as opposed to the copper OHP. A small bubble grew quickly and became a vapor plug in the evaporation section with hydrophilic surface. The process of vapor expansion and contraction accompanying liquid slug movement upward and backward continued to occur as a spring, and the OHPs started up. However, the hydrophobic OHP failed to start up. For the superhydrophobic OHP, nucleate boiling took place in the evaporation section, and the bubble expansion and contraction phenomenon were not observed. Heat transfer results showed that wall temperature fluctuations were observed at the start-up stage. The start-up time for the hydrophilic OHP was lowest and the amplitudes of temperature oscillations were increased in hydrophilic OHP compared to the copper OHP.