This study analyzes the thermal performance of a specially designed heat pipe heat exchanger (HPHE) containing distinct evaporator and condenser sections and utilizes two convective heat transfer media—deionized (DI) water and silver nanofluids. Low-grade industrial waste heat at 50–60 °C is the primary heat source. The HPHE employs a stainless steel mesh wick and copper fins to promote efficient evaporation and condensation heat transfer (background). The goal was to assess and compare the HPHE's performance in recovering this waste heat using DI water and silver nanofluids as the working fluids (purpose). A custom-built experimental setup allowed careful control and systematic variation of operating parameters, including thermal load (70-90W), and hot and cold fluid mass flow rates (0.2–0.6 kg⋅min⁻¹ and 0.1–0.3 kg⋅min⁻¹). The nanofluid was synthesized robustly, demonstrating remarkable uniformity and stability. The working fluids' heat exchange rates and efficiencies were analyzed and compared based on calculated thermal resistance, overall heat transfer coefficient (U), and effectiveness (ε) values (methods). The nanofluid reduced thermal resistance by 10–15% and improved U and ε by over 60% compared to DI water. A maximum effectiveness of 39.25% proved the HPHE's exceptional waste heat recovery capacity using nanofluids (results). Heat transfer performance escalated with higher thermal loads yet required optimal mass flow rates to balance turbulence and exposure time. The modified HPHE with silver nanofluids shows immense potential for harnessing industrial waste heat through substantially intensified heat exchange rates and thermal efficiency.

本研究分析了专门设计的热管热交换器 (HPHE) 的热性能，该热管热交换器包含不同的蒸发器和冷凝器部分，并利用两种对流传热介质——去离子 (DI) 水和银纳米流体。50-60℃的低品位工业废热是主要热源。HPHE 采用不锈钢网芯和铜翅片来促进高效的蒸发和冷凝传热（背景）。目标是评估和比较 HPHE 使用去离子水和银纳米流体作为工作流体回收废热的性能（目的）。定制的实验装置允许对操作参数进行仔细控制和系统变化，包括热负荷（70-90W）和冷热流体质量流量（0.2–0.6 kg·min ⁻¹和 0.1–0.3 kg·min ^{− 1}）。纳米流体合成稳健，表现出显着的均匀性和稳定性。根据计算的热阻、总传热系数（U）和有效性（ε）值（方法）对工质的换热率和效率进行了分析和比较。与去离子水相比，纳米流体的热阻降低了 10-15%，U 和 ε 提高了 60% 以上。39.25% 的最大效率证明了 HPHE 使用纳米流体的卓越废热回收能力（结果）。传热性能随着热负荷的增加而提高，但需要最佳的质量流量来平衡湍流和暴露时间。采用银纳米流体的改性 HPHE 通过大幅提高热交换率和热效率，显示出利用工业废热的巨大潜力。