Abstract
Loop heat pipes (LHPs) are heat transfer devices whose operating principle is based on the evaporation/condensation of working fluid, and use the capillary pumping forces to ensure the fluid circulation. In this paper, the influence of groove shape on LHPs' performance was investigated by calculations with steady-state model, and experiments with a LHP which is able to exchange wicks. As results, in the case of only axial grooves, it was found that there are the existences of optimum width, depth, and number to get down the evaporator temperature. To make maximum heat transfer greater, it was revealed that groove shape should be designed to minimize the sum of the pressure losses at contact surface and axial grooves.
