Characterisation of a grooved heat pipe with an anodised surface

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Authors

Solomon, A. Brusly
Ram Kumar, A.M.
Ramachandran, K.
Pillai, B.C.
Kumar, Senthil
Sharifpur, Mohsen
Meyer, Josua P.

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Publisher

Springer

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.

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Keywords

Characterisation, Anodised surface, Grooved heat pipe (GHP)

Sustainable Development Goals

Citation

Solomon, AB, Ram Kumar, AM, Ramachandran, K, Pillai, BC, Senthil Kumar, C, Sharifpur, M & Meyer, JP 2016, 'Characterisation of a grooved heat pipe with an anodised surface', Heat Mass Transfer (2017) 53: 753-763. doi:10.1007/s00231-016-1856-8.