Considerations for the Maximum Heat Load and Its Influence on Temperature Variation of the Evaporator in Flat MHPs in Transient Regimes

Abstract

The present paper describes a series of considerations for the occurrence of capillary boundaries in flat micro heat pipes (flat MHPs) and the conditions required for their stable operation in relation to the working circumstances and to the type of liquids inside the pipes. Particularities of heat transfer in a flat MHP are analyzed for situations of either excessive or deficient working liquid. Depending on the physical properties of the working liquids (acetone, methanol and distilled water), the maximum rate of heat flow that can be applied to a flat MHP is determined analytically. The calculus is made with the assumption that constant vaporization of the liquid is ensured in the flat MHP’s evaporator, with no overheating. The considered analytical models allow for the evaluation of the liquid film thickness and the mass flow corresponding to the vaporization region. The temperature difference between the inner and outer walls of a flat MHP is found in the case of a transient regime and a variable thermal flow is applied in the evaporation region. The interior of flat MHPs was modeled in MATLAB using an FTCS (Forward-Time Central-Space) method, which is a finite difference method used for numerically solving the heat equation.