ANALYSIS OF CAPILLARY-INDUCED REWETTING IN CIRCULAR CHANNELS WITH INTERNAL GROOVES

A combined theoretical and experimental investigation was conducted to determine the rewetting characteristics of capillary-induced liquid f low in circular channels with microgrooves on the inside surface. This investigation provides a theoretical description of the mechanisms th at govern the rewetting of these surfaces, and presents an experimenta lly verified method by which the location of the rewetting front in th e evaporator section of high capacity heat pipes can be determined as a function of the applied heat flux. The rewetting velocity was found to be a function of the thermal properties of the liquid and the chann el, the input heat flux, the radii of the groove and the channel, and the location of the liquid front. The maximum heat flux under which re wetting would occur was found to be a function of all these factors pl us the input heat flux distribution.