Abstract
We have observed that gas-flow can be blocked or disturbed by magnetic fields. To exaplain this phenomenon, we developed a model called a “magnetic curtain” based on the paramagnetic properties of the oxygen molecule. In this paper, we applied this phenomenon to the control of heat transport in heat pipes. We used a heat pipe 20 mm in diameter and 500 mm in length packed with oxygen as a working fluid. We positioned this device vertically in an airgap 70 mm wide between the poles of an electro-magnet with 240 mm in diameter, in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the magnetic poles. The top side of the heat pipe was chilled with liquid nitrogen (77 K), and the lower side of the heat pipe was exposed to room temperature (290K). When the middle part of the heat pipe was exposed to magnetic fields of 1.0 T with the gradient of 5～50 T/m, the heat transport was blocked.
