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ISSN Online: 2379-1748

ISBN Flash Drive: 978-1-56700-431-1

ISBN Online: 978-1-56700-430-4

First Thermal and Fluids Engineering Summer Conference
August, 9-12, 2015 , New York City, USA

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF COPPER-WATER HEAT PIPES OPERATION AT MID-LEVEL TEMPERATURE RANGE FOR AEROSPACE AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS

Get access (open in a dialog) pages 1295-1298
DOI: 10.1615/TFESC1.hte.012834

Abstract

Heat pipes are two-phase heat transfer devices with the capacity of transferring large amounts of heat with a small temperature difference between the evaporation section and the condensation section, making the heat transfer process to be highly efficient. Heat pipe technology is not restricted to aerospace applications, which is frequently used as thermal control devices of satellites and space vehicles, but also being widely used in the industrial sector especially on heat recovery systems, with an increasing development for thermal control of electronic equipment and heat exchangers performance augmentation. The use of heat pipes in such equipment technology allows the development of more compact and efficient heat exchanger compared to traditional designs, which increases the interest on applying heat pipes for industrial purposes. Heat pipes operating at mid-level temperatures (up to 200 °C) have found several applications on both aerospace sector and industry segments. In this scenario, this paper presents an investigation regarding the operation of heat pipes designed and manufactured in copper, with different configurations on the metal screen mesh utilized as porous structure and water as the working fluid, operating at mid-level temperatures. Results of experimental tests have demonstrated reliable operation when cyclic loads were applied, obtaining fast responses since their start-up until their operation at steady-state.