Heat pipe

A heat pipe heat exchanger is a simple device which is made use of to transfer heat from one location to
another, using an evaporation-condensation cycle.

Heat pipes are referred to as the "superconductors" of heatdue to their fast transfer capability with low
heat loss.

Working Principle

• The heat input region of the heat pipe is called evaporator, the cooling region is called condenser.

• In between the evaporator and condenser regions, there may bean adiabatic region

Container

The function of the container is to isolate the working fluid from the outside environment.

Selection of the container material depends on many factors.

These are as follows:

  Compatibility (both with working fluid and externalenvironment)
 Strength to weight ratio
 Thermal conductivity
 Ease of fabrication, including welding, machineability and ductility
 Porosity
 Wettability

Container materials

Of the many materials available for the container, three are by far the most common in use—name
copper, aluminum, andstainless steel.

Copper is eminently satisfactory for heat pipes operating between 0–200◦C in applications such as
electronics cooling.

While commercially pure copper tube is suitable, the oxygen-free high conductivity type is preferable.

Like aluminum and stainless steel, the material is readily available and can be obtained in a wide variety
of diameters and wall thicknesses in its tubular form.

The prime requirements are:

1.compatibility with wick and wall material

2.Good thermal stability

3.wettability of wick and wall materials

4.vapor pressure not too high or low over the operatingtemperature range

5.high latent heat

6.high thermal conductivity

7.low liquid and vapor viscosities

8.high surface tension

9.acceptable freezing or pour point

Wick Structure

1. It is a porous structure made of materials like steel, alumunium, nickel or copper in various ranges of
pore sizes.

2. The prime purpose of the wick is to generate capillary pressure to transport the working fluid from
the condenser to the evaporator.

3. It must also be able to distribute the liquid around the evaporator section to any area where heat is
likely to be received by the heat pipe.

4. Wicks are fabricated using metal foams, and more particularly felts, the latter being more frequently
used. By varying the pressure on the felt during assembly, various pore sizes can beproduce.
5. The maximum capillary head generated by a wick increases with decrease in pore size.

6. The wick permeability increases with increasing pore size.

7. Another feature of the wick, which must be optimized, is its thickness. The heat transport capability of
the heat pipe is raised by increasing the wick thickness.

8. Other necessary properties of the wick are compatibility with the working fluid and wettability.

Types of Heat Pipes

 Thermosyphon
 Leading edge-
 Rotating and revolving-
 Cryogenic pumped loop heat pipe
 Flat Plate-
 Micro heat pipes-
 Variable conductance-
 Capillary pumped loop heat pipe

Advantages Of Heat Pipes

 May reduce or eliminate the need fir reheat,

 Allow cost effective manner to accommodate new ventilation standards,
 Requires no mechanical or electrical input,
 Are virtually maintenance free,
 Provide lower operating costs,
 Last a very long time,
 Readily adaptable to new installations and retrofitting existing A/C units and
 Are environmentally safe.