Simulation study of the thermal insulation performance of a vacuum‐insulated tube inside an electrically heated device

Abstract

To realize stable heating of a heated cigarette while effectively controlling the outer‐wall temperature of an electric heating‐type appliance, a vacuum‐insulated tube (VIT) is currently widely used for thermal insulation against the heating element. The effects of the critical parameters of the VIT, gases at different pressures, wall thickness, and material on its thermal insulation performance, were simulated using Fluent to provide guidance on the structure and performance optimization of the EHD. When the absolute pressure of gas in the VIT was <0.5 Pa, increasing the degree of vacuum did not improve the thermal insulation performance. The thermal insulation performance of VITs made from different materials (stainless steel, copper, aluminium, brass, and titanium alloy) was closely related to the emissivity and thermal conductivity of the material. Stainless steel yielded better overall thermal insulation owing to its low thermal conductivity and emissivity. Highly emissive materials, such as brass and titanium alloy, contributed to higher heat transfers through the radiation inside the vacuum chamber and external radiation from the VIT, decreasing the thermal insulation performance of the VIT. Stainless steel VITs yielded an improved thermal insulation performance as the wall thickness decreased, but at the cost of decreased mechanical stability. For a wall thickness of 0.05–0.30 mm, stainless steel yielded the best structural stability. VITs with different wall thicknesses were made from stainless steel, copper, and aluminium, and the thermal insulation performance and structural stability of the EHD were optimized.