Design, Fabrication, and Experimental Investigation of an Additively Manufactured Flat Plate Heat Pipe

Heat pipes are passive heat transfer devices in which a working fluid is sealed inside a metal enclosure. Properly designed wick structures on the inner surface of the heat pipe are critical as the wick aids in the return of the condensed liquid from the cold end back to the hot end where the vaporization-condensation cycle begins again. Additive manufacturing techniques allow for manufacturing complex parts that are typically not feasible with conventional manufacturing methods. Thus, additive manufacturing opens the possibility to develop high performance heat pipes with complex shapes. In this study, an additive manufacturing technique called Binder Jetting is used to fabricate a fully operational compact (78 mm x 48 mm x 8 mm) flat plate heat pipe. Rectangular grooves with converging cross section along the length act as the wicking structure. A converging cross section was designed to enhance the capillary force and to demonstrate the capability of additive manufacturing to manufacture complex shapes. This work describes the challenges associated with the development of heat pipes using additive manufacturing such as de-powdering and sintering. Multiple de-powdering holes and internal support pillars to improve the structural strength of the heat pipe were provided in order to overcome the manufacturing constraints. The heat pipe was experimentally characterized for thermal performance with acetone as the working fluid for two different power inputs. The heat pipe operated successfully with a 25% increase in effective thermal conductivity when compared to solid copper.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Mechanical Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Ravi, Bharath Ram

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Huxtable, Scott T.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Diller, Thomas E.
• Paul, Mark R.

• Heat Pipe
• Heat Sink
• Thermal Management
• Additive manufacturing

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:26311

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/99051