Types of Heat Pipes

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 Related Topics Catalog
Historical Development of Heat Pipes

Operation Principles of Heat Pipes

Types of Heat Pipes

Working Fluids and Temperature Ranges of Heat Pipes

Capillary Wick Designs and Structures in Heat Pipes

Heat Transfer Limitations of Heat Pipes

Heat pipe Start Up

Heat Pipe Characteristics

Heat Pipe Analysis and Simulation

Heat Pipe Applications

Heat pipes have been designed and built with various cross-sectional areas as small as 30 μm width × 80 μm depth and 19.75 mm in length (micro heat pipes), and heat pipes as large as 100 m in length [1][2]. All heat pipes have an evaporator and condenser section where the working fluid evaporates and condenses, respectively. Many heat pipes also have a transport or adiabatic section which separates the evaporator and condenser sections by an appropriate distance, intended to satisfy the heat pipe limitations and/or the design constraints of the application. A given heat pipe may have multiple evaporators, condensers and adiabatic sections. The working fluid is usually circulated by capillary forces in a wick. However, gravitational, centrifugal, electrostatic, and osmotic forces can also be used to return the liquid from the condenser to the evaporator.

For simplicity of design and manufacturing, heat pipe containers are generally circular cylinders. Other shapes, however, such as rectangular (flat heat pipes), conical (rotating heat pipes), corrugated flexible heat pipes, and nosecap (leading edge heat pipes) geometries have been studied.

References

  1. Faghri, A., 2012, "Review and Advances in Heat Pipe Science and Technology," Journal of Heat Transfer, 134(12), 123001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/1.4007407
  2. Faghri, A., 1995, Heat Pipe Science and Technology, 1st ed., Taylor & Francis, Washington, D.C.