Combined Pulsating and Capillary Heat Pipe Mechanism for Cooling of High Heat Flux Electronics

This paper discusses an advanced heat pipe mechanism for cooling of high heat flux electronics. The mechanism combines the capillary effect of sintered metal powder wicks with a pulsating motion of the working fluid to maintain sufficient liquid supply to high heat flux regions. The pulsating motion is driven by thermal conditions in the heat pipe evaporator and condenser and can be sustained with proper internal flow channel design. A theoretical model was developed to describe the pulsating motion of the working fluid. Proof-of-concept copper/water heat pipes were tested to verify the heat flux capability of this advanced mechanism. The test results demonstrated over 220W/cm2 heat flux capability, a fourfold improvement over present state of the art heat pipe performance. Comparisons between the test results and the model predictions validated the theoretical model.