Recently, thermal regulators based on adsorption in a heat pipe have been proposed. The advantage of these so-called “switchpipes” over similar approaches is their low on state thermal resistance. In this paper, we propose a methodology to calculate and adjust the activation temperature of such switchpipes. For this purpose, we use a mass balance-based model that considers both the heat transfer properties of the heat pipe itself, which depend on the amount of working fluid, and the adsorption equilibrium of the adsorbent used. This model can be used not only to describe the activation behavior of a given heat pipe but also to optimize the configuration of a heat pipe for specific operating conditions and to select appropriate adsorbents. In this paper, we also propose definitions for basic indicators of the activation properties of the heat pipe, such as the activation temperature and the activation temperature span. Finally, a simplified calculation method is presented that allows the selection of the correct adsorbent among all adsorbents with Type IV and Type V adsorption isotherms.
