Corrosion failures of high temperature heat pipes

Over 30 years heat pipe technology has found many applications in various i ndustries and is proven to be a highly efficient heat transfer technology. There is therefore an emerging problem to ensure the safe operation and lon g term service life of heat pipes. In the present paper a high temperature life test is conducted on the heat pipes of low-alloy ferritic steels and a stainless steel with alkali metals as working fluids. The corrosion mechan isms of the alkali metals at elevated temperature are studied and measures are suggested for improving the design and manufacturing technology of high temperature heat pipes. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved .