A Study of the Short Heat Pipes by the Monotonic Heating Method

Abstract

The results of studies using the monotonous heating method in a vacuum adiabatic calorimeter the thermal resistance and heat capacity of short linear heat pipes (HP’s) designed for cooling spacecraft and satellites with strict take-off mass regulation are presented. Experimental results of thermal resistance, obtained at high thermal loads and starts boiling of the working fluid in the HP’s evaporator allow us to determine the evaporator heat capacity by solving the inverse coefficient problem of thermal conductivity equation. This allows us to estimate the thickness of the working fluid layer and the specific heat of evaporation, the heat capacity of the liquid and vapour phase of the boiling two-phase working fluid on the evaporator surface.