Effect of Operating Parameters on the Heat Transfer and Liquid Film Thickness of Revolving Heat Pipe

This paper presents a study on the effects of operating parameters on the liquid film thickness and heat transfer of revolving heat pipe. The effects of speed, radius of rotation, evaporator and condenser temperatures, and mass of the working fluid are considered. Also, the effects of these parameters on the maximum heat transfer and minimum mass of the working fluid supplied to the heat pipe are considered. A simplified theoretical model is presented to estimate the heat transfer and the liquid film thickness. The theoretical model is used to determine the driven forces on the control volume. The system of equations associated with the heat pipe model is solved using the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method through a numerical code written in MATLAB. The results show that the heat transfer increases by decreasing the mass of the working fluid and increasing the temperature difference through the heat pipe. They also show that the liquid film thickness increases with the decrease in temperature difference and with increase in the mass of fluid. The maximum heat transfer increases with the increase in the rotation speed. The minimum mass of the working fluid supplied to the heat pipe increases with the increase in temperature difference and with the decrease in the rotation speed.