EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF MINIATURE RADIALLY ROTATING HEAT PIPES WITH WATER AS THE WORKING FLUID

In this study, three copper water rotating heat pipes having inner diameters of 1.5, 2, and 3 mm, respectively, are fabricated and tested. The effectiveness of the copper water heat pipe is first validated by comparing its performance with that of a copper cylinder having the same outer diameter. The heat pipes are then tested to prove their reliability, high effective thermal conductance, and critical working limitation. The experimental data show that the critical limitation may be reached when the inner diameter of the heat pipe is below 1.5 mm and under the condition of a low rotational speed. The tests of these water heat pipes could also explore potential applications of radially rotating heat pipes in disks and/or blades of a high-pressure compressor.