Design and thermal analysis of a segmented single-artery heat pipe

• A single-artery heat pipe using the meniscus coalescence technique was presented.
• The sizing of the venting hole diameter and distance separating holes were explained.
• An arterial heat pipe satisfying the presented sizing criteria was tested.
• The test results obtained at horizontal and adverse elevation were analyzed.

A segmented single-artery heat pipe was studied. The work specifically focused on venting of the noncondensable gas-supported vapor blockage in the liquid artery. The successful operation of the heat pipe requires a careful sizing of the venting holes placed on the fine arterial mesh. The two important design parameters, namely, the venting hole diameter and the distance separating the holes, were analyzed by taking into account the required trade-offs. An arterial heat pipe satisfying the sizing criteria was tested at horizontal and adverse elevations at varying heat loads. The measured heat transfer limit and thermal resistance of the pipe demonstrated effectiveness of the design. The pipe performance continuously degraded at adverse elevations.