Oscillating heat pipe (OHP) is highly efficient heat transfer devices with simple structures and versatile configurations, making them valuable for thermal management in complex environments. For equipment operating under variable load conditions, rapid startup is critical to ensuring reliability and operational safety. A heat-source-assisted approach was employed to experimentally investigate a three-dimensional copper-water OHP. The results indicate that while the auxiliary heat source stabilizes temperature fluctuations, it also suppresses the formation of unidirectional flow, leading to higher evaporator temperatures, increased thermal resistance, and reduced overall heat transfer performance. Nevertheless, the auxiliary heat source prevents stagnation during startup, allowing the OHP to bypass the conventional startup stage and achieve significantly faster activation. Based on these findings, a heat-source-assisted strategy was proposed: the auxiliary heat source was activated during the initial startup phase to quickly induce oscillation, and once stable operation was established, it was switched off. This strategy shortens the OHP startup time without compromising heat transfer performance, thereby enabling rapid response to sudden thermal loads. Under a 50 W input, the OHP's time to reach stable operation decreases from 33 s to 11 s, while at 150 W, it is reduced from 7 s to 5 s. The research results provide a novel and effective solution for efficient thermal management of OHPs under abrupt load variations.
LIU Zhang, JI Yu-long.
Performance of Oscillating Heat Pipe under Auxiliary Heat Source Strategy[J].
Science Technology and Engineering, 2026, 26(12): 5092-5100 DOI:10.12404/j.issn.1671-1815.2506767
WangYu, WangXincheng. Exploration of aircraft anti-icing me-chanism and airborne application of superhydrophobic materials[J]. Science Technology and Engineering, 2024, 24(1): 72-87.
WangYu, NiuQian, KangNa, et al. Comparison and optimization of cooling methods for airborne electronic equipment in high-altitude environment[J]. Science Technology and Engineering, 2021, 21(34): 14459-14470.
YuChuanbo, ZhangQuan, ZouSikai. Simulation study on effect of heat pipe backplane air supply on chip temperature in data center[J]. Science Technology and Engineering, 2023, 23(28): 12091-12100.
LiXinze, ZhangShuangxing, YangHonghai, et al. Experimental study on performance of new type of pulsating heat pipe for battery cooling[J]. CIESC Journal, 2024, 75(6): 2222-2232.
ZhanHongren, WangXinyu, WangLipeng, et al. Study on a new pulsating heat pipe and its heat transfer performance[J]. Science Technology and Engineering, 2022, 22(32): 14237-14244.
[11]
LiM, HuangR, XuD, et al. Theoretical analysis of start-up power in helium pulsating heat pipe[J]. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 2017, 171(1): 012102.
[12]
ZamanifardA, MuneeshwaranM, WangY H, et al. A novel 3-D pulsating heat pipe module for high heat-flux applications[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2023, 228: 120549.
[13]
HongkunL, NoorM M, WenlinY, et al. Experimental research on heat transfer characteristics of a battery liquid-cooling system with ⊥-shaped oscillating heat pipe under pulsating flow[J]. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2024, 224: 125363.
[14]
XuR, ChenH, WuQ, et al. Testing and modeling of the dynamic response characteristics of pulsating heat pipes during the start-up process[J]. Journal of Thermal Science, 2018, 28(1): 72-81.
[15]
QianN, JiangF, MarengoM, et al. Start-up behavior of oscillating heat pipe in grinding wheel under axial-rotation conditions[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2023, 219: 119443.
[16]
ZhangD, LiZ, LiH, et al. Rapid starting three-dimensional annular pulsating heat pipe with binary zeotropic and immiscible working fluid[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2025, 276: 127010.
[17]
Patel V M, Gaurav, Mehta H B. Influence of working fluids on startup mechanism and thermal performance of a closed loop pulsating heat pipe[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2017, 110: 1568-1577.
[18]
HuY, MengG, YaoY, et al. Experimental investigation on the start-up and thermal performance of nanofluid-based pulsating heat pipe[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2025, 259: 124897.
[19]
LiQ, WangL, ZhangD, et al. Vibration-enhanced performance of asymmetric channel flat-plate pulsating heat pipes: reducing thermal resistance and start-up time under dynamic loads[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2025, 281: 128588.
[20]
LiuY, DanD, WeiM, et al. Numerical investigation on the start-up and heat transfer performance of dual-diameter pulsating heat pipes[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2024, 236: 121709.
[21]
WeiZ, YulongZ, YulongG, et al. Study on the start-up characteristics and thermal-dynamic performance of pulsating heat pipes with Tesla valve: a numerical case[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2025, 280: 128525.
[22]
HuaC, WangX, GaoX, et al. Experimental research on the start-up characteristics and heat transfer performance of pulsating heat pipes with rectangular channels[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2017, 126: 1058-1062.
[23]
HaoT, MaX, LanZ. Effects of hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces on start-up performance of an oscillating heat pipe[J]. Journal of Heat Transfer, 2018, 140(1): 012002.
[24]
ChincheduR, KumarK K, ChandramohanV P. Numerical investigations on the start-up characteristics and heat transfer performance of a single-loop oscillating heat pipe with different surface wettable vertical tubes[J]. ASME Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2025, 147(5): 4067340.
[25]
QuJ, SunQ, WangH, et al. Performance characteristics of flat-plate oscillating heat pipe with porous metal-foam wicks[J]. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2019, 137: 20-30.
[26]
KimW, KimS J. Effect of reentrant cavities on the thermal performance of a pulsating heat pipe[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2018, 133: 61-69.
[27]
ZhangD, GuanJ, HeZ, et al. Experimental investigation on heat transfer and flow patterns of pulsating heat pipe assisted by ultrasonic cavitation[J]. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2022, 183: 122187.
[28]
KangS W, WangY C, LiuY C, et al. Visualization and thermal resistance measurements for a magnetic nanofluid pulsating heat pipe[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2017, 126: 1044-1050.
[29]
LiuY, WeiM, DanD, et al. Experimental analysis of the start-up characteristics in a pulsating heat pipe with different filling ratios under vertical vibration excitations[J]. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2025, 251: 127427.
ZhangDongwei, JiangErhui, ZhouJunjie, et al. Research progress on enhanced pulsating heat pipe heat transfer technology[J]. Science Technology and Engineering, 2019, 19(21): 1-7.
[32]
WangP, XuD, JiaP, et al. Multi-parametrical investigation on the start-up of nitrogen pulsating heat pipes for space applications[J]. Cryogenics, 2025, 150: 104115.
ZhangDong, HouHongyi, LiQingliang, et al. Analysis of operation characteristics of pulsating heat pipe under the condition of non-uniform heat flux[J]. Journal of South China University of Technology(Natural Science Edition), 2022, 50(7): 126-135.
[35]
ZhanJ, ChenX, JiY, et al. Experimental investigation on the ethane pulsating heat pipe under asymmetric heating[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2023, 229: 120563.
[36]
陈梦淑. 非均匀加热条件下脉动热管传热及流动特性研究[D]. 保定: 华北电力大学, 2024.
[37]
ChenMengshu. Study on heat transfer and flow characteristics of pulsating heat pips under non-uniform heating conditions[D]. Baoding: North China Electric Power University, 2024.
[38]
ShiW, LiM, ChenH, et al. Effect of evaporating-condensing length ratio and heat flux on starting and operating characteristic of pulsating heat pipe[J]. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2024, 246: 122963.
YuJunsheng, ZhuYe, LiQiankun, et al. Performance of pulsating heat pipe with rising and declining heat flux[J]. Chemical Industry and Engineering Progress, 2023, 42(3): 1178-1186.
[41]
ChuL, JiY, LiuZ, et al. Structure optimization of a three-dimensional coil oscillating heat pipe[J]. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2022, 183: 122229.