Design and testing of heat pipes [abstract]

Abstract

The project focuses on the design and testing of straight heat pipes. During the duration of the project three different styles of heat pipe manufacturing were developed. The first style consisted of flattening the pipe around a smaller charging tube, the second style utilized end caps, while the third method used a lathe to close the ends of the pipe. Extensive testing was completed on the heat pipes and the pipes were analyzed to determine what effect the various capillary wicks had on the performance of the heat pipes.