Analysis of the Performance of Heat Pipes and Phase-Change Materials with Multiple Localized Heat Sources for Space Applications.

摘要

The objective of this report is to examine the performance characteristics of heat pipes and phase-change materials with multiple localized heat sources as well as the fundamental problems related to their specific applications. A numerical analysis is presented for the overall performance of heat pipes with single or multiple heat sources. The analysis includes the heat conduction in the wall and liquid-wick regions as well as the compressibility effect of the vapor flow inside the heat pipe. The solutions are compared with existing experimental data for the vapor and wall temperatures at both low and high temperatures. In addition, the performance of heat pipes with localized heat input including the effects of axial and circumferential heat conduction under high and low working temperatures was investigated. The numerical results for block heating a heat pipe with low working temperatures indicate a good agreement with existing experimental data. Keywords: Heat pipes; Phase change; Thermal control.