Uploaded February 2016 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Water Vs Acetone: Working Fluid Options.
In this video I build two heat pipes to compare the performance of water vs. acetone as working fluids. The pipes were made from 3/8" soft copper approx. 20" long each. The condensers were made from 3/8"-1/2" adapters with a 1.5" long pipe and plug soldered into on end; this allowed for easy assembly and disassembly of the pipes to make any necessary adjustments during testing and eliminated any risk of fire with a soldering torch being near any vapours that might escape from the top of the acetone pipe as it's being sealed. The evaporator ends were simply clamped and soldered prior to the final assembly. Approximately 20% of each pipe was filled with either water or acetone. A heat source was then applied to force the fluids to vaporize and expel the air from the pipe. Before the heat was removed, the pipes were capped and sealed.
For performance logging, the evaporators were placed in a pot of gradually heated water and the pipes were situated vertically at an angle of approximately 80°. Temperature data was collected from each end of each pipe via four NTC sensors, then logged and graphed for a comparison of heat transfer rates using PC software. Only one test is performed in the video, please visit the link below to view the completed study:
resystech.com/water-vs-acetone-working-fluid-options.html
Water Vs Acetone: Working Fluid Options.
In this video I build two heat pipes to compare the performance of water vs. acetone as working fluids. The pipes were made from 3/8" soft copper approx. 20" long each. The condensers were made from 3/8"-1/2" adapters with a 1.5" long pipe and plug soldered into on end; this allowed for easy assembly and disassembly of the pipes to make any necessary adjustments during testing and eliminated any risk of fire with a soldering torch being near any vapours that might escape from the top of the acetone pipe as it's being sealed. The evaporator ends were simply clamped and soldered prior to the final assembly. Approximately 20% of each pipe was filled with either water or acetone. A heat source was then applied to force the fluids to vaporize and expel the air from the pipe. Before the heat was removed, the pipes were capped and sealed.
For performance logging, the evaporators were placed in a pot of gradually heated water and the pipes were situated vertically at an angle of approximately 80°. Temperature data was collected from each end of each pipe via four NTC sensors, then logged and graphed for a comparison of heat transfer rates using PC software. Only one test is performed in the video, please visit the link below to view the completed study:
resystech.com/water-vs-acetone-working-fluid-options.html
