ANALYSIS OF ASYMMETRIC DISK-SHAPED AND FLAT-PLATE HEAT PIPES

An analytical investigation and conceptual design of a disk-shaped asy mmetric heat pipe is presented in this work. Using the conservative fo rmulations for the steady incompressible vapor and liquid flow for a d isk-shaped heat pipe, an in-depth integral analysis is applied. Analyt ical results for the asymmetric vapor velocity profile, the vapor and liquid pressure distributions, and the vapor temperature distribution in the heat pipe are obtained and compared to those of rectangular fla t-plate heat pipe. The analysis establishes the physics of the process and the intrawick interactions for the disk-shaped heat pipe. The eff ects of variations in the thicknesses of the vapor channel and the wic k as well as the heat pipe on the performance of both disk-shaped and rectangular flat-plate heat pipes are analyzed in detail and compared with each other. The factors limiting heat pipe performance are discus sed and the results show that the disk-shaped heat pipe, while utilizi ng a smaller surface area and being more adaptable to several applicat ion areas, significantly increases the heat transfer capability per un it surface area compared to rectangular flat-plate heat pipe.