Flow in a Toroidal Thermosyphon with Angular Displacement of Heated and Cooled Sections

Abstract

A toroidal thermosyphon consisting of a fluid-filled torus located in a vertical plane was studied analytically and experimentally. Good agreement was obtained between analytical predictions and measurements for large values of the angular displacement of the heated and cooled sections. For smaller angular displacements, the analytical predictions of steady state flow rates were found to exceed the corresponding experimentally observed values. The discrepancies were attributed to a reverse flow phenomenon. Some analytically predicted flows were not physically achievable. In these situations the flow would either reach a steady condition in the opposite direction, or it would oscillate indefinitely.