Abstract

The heat pipe is a novel heat transfer device to transfer large amount of heat through a
small cross sectional area with very small temperature differences and it also posses high
thermal conductance and low thermal impedance. In this paper, the heat pipe working
parameters are analyzed using Taguchi methodology. The Taguchi method is used to
formulate the experimental work, analyze the effect of working parameters of the heat
pipe and predict the optimal parameter of heat pipe such as heat input, inclination angle
and flow rate. It is found that these Parameters have a significant influence on heat pipe
performance. The analysis of the Taguchi method reveals that, all the parameters
mentioned above have equal contributions in the performance of heat pipe efficiency,
thermal resistance and overall heat transfer coefficient. Experimental results are provided
to validate the suitability of the proposed approach.

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1. INTRODUCTION
The heat pipe is a thermal device which affords efficient transport of thermal energy by
using an intermediate heat transfer fluid. Heat pipes consist of a sealed container with a
small amount of a working fluid. The heat is transferred as latent heat energy by
evaporating the working fluid in the evaporator zone and condensing the vapour in a
cooling zone, the circulation is completed by the return flow of the condensate to the
evaporator zone through the wrapped screen capillary structure which lines the inner wall
of the container. By suitable design, heat pipes are being constructed to serve diverse
functions such as precise temperature control, one-way transmission of heat (thermal
diode) and heat flux amplification and diminution. [The heat pipes are more
advantageous in heat recovery systems, solar energy, Electronics cooling, Ocean thermal
energy conversion, air craft cooling, geothermal conversion and light water nuclear
reactors. The common sections of the vapour space are circular, rectangular and annular
and are chosen based on the application of heat pipe. Taguchi techniques are
experimental design optimization techniques which use standard Orthogonal Arrays for
forming a matrix of experiments in such a way to extract the maximum important
Information with minimum number of experiments. Using Taguchi techniques, the
number of parameters can be tested at a time with probably least number of experiments
as compared to any of the other experimental optimization techniques. Moreover, the
technique provides all the necessary information required for optimizing the problem.
The main advantage of Taguchi Techniques is not only the smallest number of
experiments required but also the best level of each parameter can be found and each
parameter can be shared towards the problem separately. The main steps of Taguchi
Method are determining the quality characteristics and design parameters necessary for
the product/process, designing and conducting the experiments, analyzing the results to
determine the optimum conditions and carrying out a confirmatory test using the
optimum conditions.

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2. TAGUCHI METHOD
Dr. Taguchi born in Japan, 1924 .He was Electrical Engineer. He Worked during 1950s
to improve Japans post-WWII telephone communication system. He also known as
Father of the Taguchi Method and Robust Engineering.

Introduced by Dr. Genichi Taguchi (1980)

Comparable in importance to Statistical Process Control (SPC), the

Deming approach and the Japanese concept of TQC

Unique aspects of the Taguchi method

The Taguchi definition of quality

The Taguchi Quality Loss Function (QLF)

The concept of Robust Design

The Taguchi definition of quality

Ideal quality refers to a target value for determining the quality level

Ideal quality is delivered if a product or service tangible performs its

intended function throughout its projected life under reasonable operating
conditions without harmful side effects

Ideal quality is a function of customer perception and satisfaction.

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Figure1. The Taguchi loss function

2.1 Taguchi process

Taguchi Technique is applied in six steps.

Figure 2. Steps involved in Taguchi process

Problem Identification-Locate the problem source not just the symptom

Brainstorming Session-Attended at least by project leader/facilitator and workers
involved in the process. Other participants may include managers and technical

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staff. The purpose is to identify critical variables for the quality of the product or
service in question (referred to as factors by Taguchi).

Control factors variables under management control

Signal factors uncontrollable variation

Define different factor levels (three or four) and identify possible

interaction between factors

Determine experiment objectives

Less-the-better keep the level of defectives as close to zero as

possible

Nominal-is-best Outcome as close to target as possible

More-the-better max number of units per time unit or lot without

defects

Experimental Design
-

Using factor levels and objectives determined via brainstorming.

Taguchi advocates off-line-experimentation as a contrast to traditional on-line

or in-process experimentation.
Care should be taken to selecting number of trials, trial conditions, how to

measure performance etc.

Experimentation
- Various rigorous analysis approaches like ANOVA and Multiple Regression
can be used but also simpler customized methods are available
Analysis
- The experimentation provides best levels for all factors
- If interactions between factors are evident Either ignore or run a full
factorial experiment
Conforming Experiments-The results should be validated by running experiments with
all factors set to optimal levels

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Design of Experiments
The Taguchi method is a structured approach for determining the best combination of
inputs to produce a product or service. Many factors/inputs/variables must be taken into
consideration when making a product especially a brand new one. DOE is an important
tool for designing processes and products. A method for quantitatively identifying the
right inputs and parameter levels for making a high quality product or service. Taguchi
approaches design from a robust design perspective.

Traditional Design of Experiments (DOE) focused on how different design factors

affect the average result level

Taguchis perspective (robust design)

variation is more interesting to study than the average

Run experiments where controllable design factors and disturbing signal

factors take on 2 or three levels.

For each combination of the design variables a number of experiments are run
covering all possible combinations of the signal variables.

Can estimate average effects and the variation different design factor
levels imply.

choose factor levels that minimize the sensitivity against disturbances

From every trial series we can obtain an average result level

and a measure of

the variation, si, i=1,2, ,9. These values can then be used as a basis for
choosing the combination of factor levels that provides the most robust design.

Experiment
1
2

Factor
3 4

-1
-1

-1
0

-1
0

-1
0

Levels of
disturbing factors

Individual results

-1
1
1
-1

Y11
Y12
Y13
Y14

-1 -1 -1

Y21

Y24

-1
-1
1
1

-1
1
-1
1

( Y1 , s1 )

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1 1
Y23 ( Y2 , s 2 )
6
1 -1 1
9

-1

1 -1

Figure 3. Orthogonal Array

2.2 Robust Design
Products and services should be designed to be inherently defect free and of high
quality. Disturbances are events that cause the design performance to deviate from its
target values. Taguchi divide disturbances into three categories.
External disturbances: variations in the environment where the product is used.
Internal disturbances: ware and tare inside a specific unit.
Disturbances in the production process: deviation from target values.
Three step methods for achieving robust design (Taguchi) are Concept design, Parameter
design and Tolerance design. The focus of Taguchi is on Parameter design
Concept Design
The process of examining competing technologies for producing a product - Includes
choices of technology and process design. A prototype design that can be produced and
meets customers needs under ideal conditions without disturbances.
Parameter Design
The selection of control factors (parameters) and their optimal levels .The objective is
to make the design Robust!. Control factors are those process variables management can
influence. Ex. the procedures used and the type and amount of training .Often a complex
(non-linear) relationship between the control factors and product/design performance
.The optimal parameter levels can be determined through experimentation

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Tolerance Design
Necessary because there will always be some variation in the production process.Taguchi
fiercely advocates aiming for the target value not just settle for inside the specification
limits.

3. EXPERIMENTAL SET UP
The schematic diagram of the experimental setup is shown in Fig.4. The specifications of
heat pipe are tabulated in table 1. Heat input was given at the evaporator section using an
electric strip attached to it with proper electrical insulation and heater was energized with
an AC supply through a variac. The desired heat input was supplied to the evaporator end
of the heat pipe by adjusting the variac. Water jacket at the condenser end was used to
remove the heat from the pipe. The heat pipe has the ability to transfer the heat through
the internal structure. As a result, sudden rise in wall temperature occurs which could
damage the heat pipe if the heat was not released at the condenser properly. Therefore,
before heat was supplied to the evaporator, the cooling water was first circulated through
the condenser jacket. The power input was gradually raised to the desired power level.
The surface temperatures at seven different locations along the heat pipe were measured
using thermocouple at a regular time interval of ten minutes until heat pipe reaches steady
state condition. Simultaneously the evaporator wall temperature, wick temperature, water
inlet and outlet temperatures were measured using thermocouple. Once steady state was
reached, the input power was turned off and cooling water was allowed to flow through
the condenser to cool the heat pipe in order to make it ready for further experimental
purpose. Then the power was increased to the next level and the heat pipe was tested for
its performance. Experimental procedures were repeated for different flow rates and
different inclinations of the heat pipe with respect to the horizontal and observations were
recorded.

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Figure 4. Schematic diagram of experimental set up

Table 1. Specifications of heat pipe

SPECIFICATIONS

DIMENSIONS

Outside diameter , m

0.022

Inside diameter, m

0.0196

Evaporator length, m

0.15

Condenser length, m

0.15

Adiabatic length, m

0.70

Total length, m

1.00

Wick mesh size, m

1600

Wick porosity

0.769

No. Of layers to wick

Wick permeability, m2

2.213*10-9

Capillary limit, W

108.8

Sonic limit, W

83852.5

Entrainment limit, W

5553.2

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Volume limit, W
Working fluid

711.6
water

4. DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS AND DATA ANALYSIS

The Taguchi method is a structured approach for determining the best combination of
inputs to produce a product or service. Many factors/inputs/variables must be taken into
consideration when making a product especially a brand new one. DOE is an important
tool for designing processes and products. A method for quantitatively identifying the
right inputs and parameter levels for making a high quality product or service.
4.1 Design of Experiments
For the experimental purpose, the three parameters and three levels are used for Taguchi
method with very careful understanding of the levels taken for the factors. The factors to
be studied are mentioned in table 2. Before selecting an orthogonal array, the minimum
number of experiments to be conducted can be fixed by using the following relation,
NTaguchi=1+NV (L-1)

(1)

Where N Taguchi is the number of experiments to be conducted, NV is the number of

variables and L is the number of levels. In this analysis, NV = 3 and L = 3. Hence a
minimum of seven experiments are to be conducted. The standard orthogonal arrays
available are L4, L8, L9, L12, L16, L18 etc, According to the Taguchi design concept L9
Orthogonal array is chosen for the experiments as shown in Table 3. In this study, the

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observed values of heat input, inclination angle and flow rate are set at maximum level.
Each experimental trail is performed as per L9 table and the optimization of the observed
values is determined by comparing the standard method and analysis of variance
(ANOVA) which is based on the Taguchi method. Table 4 shows the experimental design
for L9 orthogonal array. In the Taguchi method, all the observed values are calculated
based on the concept higher the better and smaller the better. In this analysis, the
observed values of efficiency, thermal resistance and overall heat transfer coefficient are
set to the maximum, minimum and maximum respectively.
Table 2. Control parameters and levels

Control Parameters

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Heat input (w)

40

60

80

Inclination angle

45

90

Flow rates (kg/min)

0.06

0.08

0.1

Table 3. Orthogonal array for L9 design

L9

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

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4.2 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is used to analyse the experimental data as follows.
Sound to Noise ratio (S/N ratio) = -10 log [1/ yi 2]

(2)

Correction factor (C.F) = (sum of S/N) 2 /N

(3)

Sum of Squares (SS) is given by the equation,

SS = {(sum of S/N ratio I level)2 + (sum of S/N ratio II level)2 +
(sum of S/N ratio III level)2 C.F}
Percentage of Contribution = SS / total sum of squares

(4)
(5)

4.3 Data Analysis

In this study, the objective is to determine the main effects of the working parameters of
heat pipe, to perform the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and to establish the optimum
conditions based on the Taguchi method. The main effects of heat pipe analysis are used
to study the effects of each of the factors, as shown in figures 2, 3 and 4. The
performances of the heat pipe (ANOVA-significant factor) can be calculated for each
experiment of the L9 by using the observed values of the efficiency, thermal resistance

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and overall heat transfer coefficient from table 4. Table 5, 6 and 7 lists the ANOVA test
results for efficiency, thermal resistance and overall heat transfer coefficient respectively.
The optimum operating conditions of heat pipe (ANOVA-optimum condition) for each of
the observed values are illustrated in tables 8 and 9.

Table 4. Experimental design for L9 orthogonal array

Thermal
Test

Heat

Angle of

Flow

Efficiency

input

inclinatio

rate

40

0.06

26.42

40

45

0.038

40

90

60

S/N

resistanc

S/N

S/N

ratio

W/m2K

ratio

28.44

e
7.959

18.02

75.83

37.60

28.92

29.22

7.432

17.42

75.83

37.60

0.1

33.63

30.54

6.466

16.21

74.87

37.49

0.08

31.42

29.94

7.959

18.02

76.36

37.66

60

45

0.1

33.35

30.46

6.620

16.42

76.01

37.62

60

90

0.06

30.86

29.79

6.315

16.01

75.67

37.58

80

0.1

34.38

30.73

9.118

19.2

77..52

37.79

80

45

0.06

29.94

29.53

8.519

18.61

76.92

37.72

80

90

0.08

3.77

30.57

8.519

18.61

76.92

37.72

ratio

Table 5. Analysis of variance for Efficiency

Parameter

I Mean

II Mean

III Mean

SS

%contribution

Heat input

29.40

30.06

30.28

8055.15

33.33

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Angle of inclination

29.70

29.74

30.30

8054.28

33.34

Flow rate

17.55

18.02

17.28

2793.33

33.28

Table 6. Analysis of variance for Thermal resistance

Parameter

I Mean

II Mean

III Mean

SS

%contribution

Heat input

17.22

16.822

18.81

2802.04

33.39

Angle of inclination

18.41

17.83

16.94

2797.04

33.33

Flow rate

17.55

18.02

17.28

2793.33

33.28

Table 7. Analysis of variance for Overall Heat Transfer Coefficient

Parameter

I Mean

II Mean

III Mean

SS

%contribution

Heat input

37.56

37.62

37.74

12752.51

33.33

Angle of inclination

37.68

37.65

37.60

12752.45

33.33

Flow rate

37.63

37.66

37.63

12752.44

33.33

5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Figure 2 shows the effects of efficiency of each factor for various level conditions. From
the figure, it is clear that, the efficiency of heat pipe increases with all the three
parameters i.e. the heat input, angle of inclination and flow rate. The rate of increase for
the efficiency is higher for flow rate when compared with the heat input and angle of
inclination. As the flow rate increases, the amount of heat absorbed in the condenser
section is higher due to high heat transfer coefficient of water which is used as a cooling
medium in the condenser. Figure 3 depicts the variations of thermal resistance of heat
pipe with all the three working parameters. The thermal resistance of heat pipe decreases
for increasing values of heat input and angle of inclination. But in the case of flow rate,

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thermal resistance decreases up to the level II and afterwards its value increases from
level II to level III. The flow is disturbed inside the heat pipe between the evaporator and
condensate which is coming from the condenser. This may be the reason for an increase
in the thermal resistance of the heat pipe. The variations of thermal resistance in all the
levels are less than 10%. Figure 4 displays the variations of overall heat transfer
coefficient for all the parameters. But the variations are very less or almost same for all
the conditions. These variations are within the range of 1%. It indicates that the overall
heat transfer coefficient plays an important role in heat transfer characteristics of heat
pipe and its value is almost constant.
The percentage contributions of all the working parameters of heat pipe are almost same
in all the levels as seen in Table 5. The variations are quite less than 0.2% only. The
optimum working conditions of heat pipe is tabulated in table 8.

Graph 1 Effect of S/N on efficiency V/S Level of design Variable

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Graph 2 Effect of S/N on Thermal Resistance V/S Level of design Variable

Graph 3. Effect of S/N on Overall Heat Transfer V/S Level of design Variable

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Graph 4.Contribution in % V/S Level

Table 8. Optimum working parameters
Working parameters

Level I

Level II

Level III

Efficiency

80W

900

0.1kg/min

Thermal resistance

60W

900

0.1kg/min

Overall heat transfer coefficient

80W

00

0.8kg/min

After determining the optimum working parameters of heat pipe using Taguchi
methodology, the experiments are conducted and their values are displayed in the table 9.
The experimental results give the optimum performance of heat pipe and these values are
found to be better than the previous observations.

Table 9. Optimum solution of heat pipe

Parameters

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Result

% efficiency

35.03

Thermal resistance (0C/W)

6.1

Overall heat transfer coefficient (W/m2k)

78.51

6. SUMMARY
The results obtained for investigating the performance of the heat pipe after conducting
the experiments are summarized as follows.

The contributions of all the working parameters (heat input, angle of inclination

and flow rate) in heat pipe performance have equal importance.

The overall heat transfer coefficient of heat pipe is almost same for all levels.
Taguchi optimal solutions give the better results for heat pipe operations and it
also reduces the number of experiments that are required for finding its

performance metrics.
The experimental results show that the heat input, angle of inclination and flow
rate play an important role in the operations of heat pipe and these contributions
are almost equal.

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7. REFRENCES
[1]

Faghri A., Performance characteristics of a concentric annular heat pipe Part II

Vapour flow analysis, ASME J Heat Transfer ,111(A) 1989,pp 847 851

[2]

Senthilkumar R, Vaidyanathan S and Sivaraman B Thermal Analysis of Heat

Pipe using Taguchi Method, International Journal of Engineering Science and
Technology, Vol.2 (4), 2010, pp 564-569.

[3]

Chandourene S,Gruss A,Theoretical and experimental study of high temperature

Heat pipe heat exchanger application to 1300kW respirator, Sixth International
heat Pipe Conference Grenoffle France, (1987).

[4]

Sonan R., Harmand S, Pelle J, .Transient thermal and hydrodynamic model of

flat heat pipe for the cooling of Electronic Components, International Journal of
Heat and Mass Transfer 51, 2008, pp 6006-6017.

[5]

Kaminaga F, Hashimoto H, Feroz C, Goto K, Masumura, Heat transfer

characteristics of evaporation and condensation in a two phase closed

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thermosyphon, , Proc. 10th Int. Heat pipe Conf., Germany.

[6]

Chi S.W, Heat pipe theory and practice, McGraw-Hill, , Washington, 1976.

[7]

Faghri A., Taylor & Francis Heat pipe Science and Technology , Washington,
1995.

[8]

Ranjit K Roy, Design and Experiments using the Taguchi Approach, ,John
Wiley and Sons , New York 2001.

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