Study of the characteristics of the separated gravity heat pipe of a self-activated PCM wall system

Self-activated phase change material (PCM) wall integrated with radiative sky cooling (RSC) is a novel wall system that uses natural energy directly for low-energy buildings to support carbon peaking and neutrality goals. A separated gravity heat pipe (SGHP) is an effective heat transfer component for heat transport from the wall body to the radiative cooler without using mechanical energy. Its heat transfer characteristics affect the thermal performance of the wall system. In this study, a numerical Volume of Fluid (VOF) model of the SGHP is established. The thermal and flow characteristics under the small temperature difference boundary of building scenarios are simulated and analyzed. Results show that the average temperature of the working fluid inside the SGHP in the “steady stage” is about 26.3 °C when the boundary temperature of the evaporation and condensation sections are respectively 28 °C and 20 °C. The heat exchange can reach 356 W/m2 and the flow velocity of the working fluid is about 0.1 m/s. Influences of different evaporation/condensation boundary temperatures on the heat transfer effect are further studied. Compared to increasing the evaporation section temperature, decreasing the condensation section temperature is a better strategy for improving the heat exchange capacity of the SGHP.