Abstract
This paper describes the performance of the composite wick heat pipe, which has two kinds of wicks, namely, circumferential grooves as a pumping wick and sintered stainless metal felt as a transport wick.
The maximum heat transfer rate and evaporator heat transfer coefficient was obtained by changing the influential parameters; groove geometry, porosity of felt, evaporator length and inclination angle. And a theoretical model has been developed to predict the maximum heat transfer rate of this type of the composite wick heat pipe. In this model, a liquid recession into the bottom of the groove due to the increased heat transfer rate, so called "LEVERETT effect, " was taken into consideration.
It is concluded that the predicted maximum heat transfer rate agrees well with the experimental data.
