Abstract:
A grooved heat pipe (GHP) is an important
device for managing heat in space applications such as
satellites and space stations, as it works efficiently in
the absence of gravity. Apart from the above application,
axial GHPs are used in many applications, such as
electronic cooling units for temperature control and permafrost
cooling. Improving the performance of GHPs is
essential for better cooling and thermal management. In
the present study, the effect of anodization on the heat
transfer characteristics of a GHP is studied with R600a
as a working fluid. In addition, the effects of fill ratio,
inclination angle and heat inputs on the heat transfer performance
of a GHP are studied. Furthermore, the effect
of heat flux on dimensional numbers, such as the Webber,
Bond, Kutateladze and condensation numbers, are
studied. The inclination angle, heat input and fill ratio of
GHPs are varied in the range of 0°–90°, 25–250 W and
10–70 % respectively. It is found that the above parameters
have a significant effect on the performance of a
GHP. Due to the anodisation, the maximum enhancement in heat transfer coefficient at the evaporator is 39 % for a
90° inclination at a heat flux of 11 kW/m2. The reported
performance enhancement of a GHP may be due to the
large numbers of nucleation sites created by the anodisation
process and enhancement in the capillary force due
to the coating.
