Sintered Wick Heat Pipes with Excellent Heat Transfer Capabilities—Case Study

Abstract

A sintered wick was formed in a heat pipe through the process of sintering a mixture of copper powder with particle sizes of 100 µm and 200 µm, mixed with a pore-forming agent. The heat pipe’s thermal resistance, which affects its heat transfer efficiency, is determined during manufacturing according to the powder type, thickness of the sintered wick, and filling rate of the working fluid. Heat transfer efficiency was then tested at various inclination angles (0°, 45°, and 90°) to evaluate the performance of heat pipes. Regardless of the filling amount and test angle, the 200 μm copper powder type exhibited superior heat transfer efficiency compared to the 100 μm type. After analyzing heat transfer performance at various filling rates between 20% and 50%, it was determined that the heat pipe’s optimal heat transfer capability occurred at a working fluid filling rate of 30%. The width of the wick was directly related to the heat transfer performance.

Keywords

• heat pipe
• heat transfer performance
• effective pore radius
• capillary force
• sintered wick
• working fluid filling ratio