| Thermacore design, prototype and manufacture heat pipes and heat pipe assemblies | ||
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A heat pipe is a two-phase heat transfer device with an extremely high "effective" thermal conductivity. It can be cylindrical or planar, and the inner surface is lined with a capillary wicking material. Heat transfer occurs through the evaporation and condensation of a "working fluid".
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| Sintered wick pipes (above) have a wick made from minute copper spheres which have been sintered at high temperatures creating a structure with very high capilary power which will even work against gravity. |
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A pipe which uses a mesh wick (above) can transmit very high power for a given diameter pipe, however these pipes need gravity to get the working fluid back to the heat source. |
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The heat pipes shown above are "grooved" heat pipes. These are light weight, aluminium pipes used in space applications. |
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