Development of hybrid loop heat pipe using pump assistance for cooling application on high heat flux device

摘要

Loop heat pipe (LHP) is an effective two-phase heat transfer device that utilizes evaporation and condensation of a working fluid. LHP is widely used in a passive cooling system, highly reliable and a very high thermal conductive device. However, extreme power density can cause dry-out in the evaporator section of LHP and might hinder the performance of the cooling system. The purpose of this research is to design and manufacture a new prototype of LHP by modifying the conventional LHP. The modification was performed by adding a diaphragm pump, called hybrid loop heat pipe (HLHP). The experimental results show that the installation of pumps in the modified LHP was able to prevent the occurrence of a dry out and reduce the operating temperature. Under a constant conductance mode, the pump was activated for 20 minutes and succeded in forcing the system to a new stable condition with a significant temperature drop. These results indicate that HLHP is very promising as a two-phase cooling system that can be proposed for devices that produce high heat flux.