Major applications of heat pipe and its advances coupled with sorption system: a review

Heat pipe utilizes continuous phase change process within a small temperature drop to achieve high thermal conductivity. For decades, heat pipes coupled with novel emerging technologies and methods (using nanofluids and self-rewetting fluids) have been highly appreciated, along with which a number of advances have taken place. In addition to some typical applications of thermal control and heat recovery, the heat pipe technology combined with the sorption technology could efficiently improve the heat and mass transfer performance of sorption systems for heating, cooling and cogeneration. However, almost all existing studies on this combination or integration have not concentrated on the principle of the sorption technology with acting as the heat pipe technology for continuous heat transfer. This paper presents an overview of the emerging working fluids, the major applications of heat pipe, and the advances in heat pipe type sorption system. Besides, the ongoing and perspectives of the solid sorption heat pipe are presented, expecting to serve as useful guides for further investigations and new research potentials.