• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.915-922
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• 2006

Considering heat pipe design principles in fabrication and operational performances, water is one of the most recommended working fluids to make mid to low tempera lure heat pipes. But the conventional water heat pipes might encounter the failure in a cold start-up operation when socked at a chilling temperature lower than the freezing point. If they are subjected to a heat supply for start-up at a temperature around $-20^{\circ}C$, the rate of the vapor flow and the corresponding heat transfer from the evaporator to the condenser is so small that the vapor keeps to stick on the surface of the chilling condenser wall, forming an ice layer, resulting in a liquid deficiency in the evaporator. This kind of problems was resolved by Kang et al. in 2004 by adopting a gas loading heat pipe technology to the conventional water heat pipes. This study was conducted to examine a chilling start-up procedure of gas loading heat pipes by investigating the behaviors of heat pipe wall temperatures. And the thermal resistance of the gas loaded heat pipe that depends on the operating temperatures and heat loads was measured and examined. Two water heat pipes were designed and fabricated for the comparison of performances, one conventional and the other loaded with $N_2$ gas. They were put on start-up test at a heat supply of 30 W after having been socked at an initial temperature around $-20^{\circ}C$. It was observed that the gas loaded one had succeeded in chilling start-up operation.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.427-446
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• 2008

A review on the papers published in the Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering in 2006 has been accomplished. Focus has been put on current status of research in the aspect of heating, cooling, ventilation, sanitation and building environments. The conclusions are as follows. (1) The research trends of fluid engineering have been surveyed as groups of general fluid flow, fluid machinery and piping, etc. New research topics include micro heat exchanger and siphon cooling device using nano-fluid. Traditional CFD and flow visualization methods were still popular and widely used in research and development. Studies about diffusers and compressors were performed in fluid machinery. Characteristics of flow and heat transfer and piping optimization were studied in piping systems. (2) The papers on heat transfer have been categorized into heat transfer characteristics, heat exchangers, heat pipes, and two-phase heat transfer. The topics on heat transfer characteristics in general include thermal transport in a cryo-chamber, a LCD panel, a dryer, and heat generating electronics. Heat exchangers investigated include pin-tube type, plate type, ventilation air-to-air type, and heat transfer enhancing tubes. The research on a reversible loop heat pipe, the influence of NCG charging mass on heat transport capacity, and the chilling start-up characteristics in a heat pipe were reported. In two-phase heat transfer area, the studies on frost growth, ice slurry formation and liquid spray cooling were presented. The studies on the boiling of R-290 and the application of carbon nanotubes to enhance boiling were noticeable in this research area. (3) Many studies on refrigeration and air conditioning systems were presented on the practical issues of the performance and reliability enhancement. The air conditioning system with multi indoor units caught attention in several research works. The issues on the refrigerant charge and the control algorithm were treated. The systems with alternative refrigerants were also studied. Carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons and their mixtures were considered and the heat transfer correlations were proposed. (4) Due to high oil prices, energy consumption have been attentioned in mechanical building systems. Research works have been reviewed in this field by grouping into the research on heat and cold sources, air conditioning and cleaning research, ventilation and fire research including tunnel ventilation, and piping system research. The papers involve the promotion of efficient or effective use of energy, which helps to save energy and results in reduced environmental pollution and operating cost. (5) Studies on indoor air quality took a great portion in the field of building environments. Various other subjects such as indoor thermal comfort were also investigated through computer simulation, case study, and field experiment. Studies on energy include not only optimization study and economic analysis of building equipments but also usability of renewable energy in geothermal and solar systems.