Operation Characteristics of Loop Heat Pipes with PTEF and SUS wicks

A loop heat pipe (LHP) is a two-phase heat transfer device. Recently, small LHPs on the order of a few hundred watts have been investigated. We have developed a new primary wick made of stainless steel (SUS). In this study, the two types of the primary wick are investigated. One is the PTFE wick with a pore radius of 1.2 micron and the other is stainless steel wick which is made of stainless steel material with a pore radius of 1 micron. Using these 2 types of primary wick, a 100W class small LHPs are designed and fabricated for laboratory test. The LHP in which this stainless steel wick is installed can transfer the heat from the evaporator to the condenser and shows the high heat transfer performance. By comparison with these two types of wick, the stainless steel wick has high heat transport capability and low operating temperature. From these results, we can confirm that developed stainless steel wick and LHP has high performance.