Experimental investigation of thermal performance of the oscillating heat pipe for the grinding wheel

A massive amount of heat is generated during the high-efficiency grinding process, which leads to a serious burnout problem that limits the increase of the material removal rate. The oscillating heat pipe (OHP) can augment the heat transfer in the grinding zone to avoid the burnout. An oscillating heat pipe grinding wheel that is a combination of a grinding wheel and OHPs was proposed in this paper. Aimed to determine geometric dimensions and operating parameters of the OHP, experimental investigations were carried out to study effects of working fluid, inner diameter, and heat flux on the heat transport capability of OHPs. The dynamics of flow change and coupled effects of geometric dimensions and thermophysical properties of working fluids were further analyzed by visualization. The OHP filled with acetone shows an advantage in heat transfer. Within the critical diameter range, a large inner diameter is better for the thermal performance. As heat flux increases, changes of flow pattern and motion modes from bubbly flow to annular flow and from oscillation to circulation enhance the thermal performance. The inner diameter of 3 mm and acetone as the working fluid are preferred for better cooling effects.