Experimental Study of a Curved Rotating Heat Pipe

Abstract

A curved rotating heat pipe for use in motor and generator applications is studied experimentally. The heat pipe is built so that both the condenser and evaporator sections are parallel to the axis of rotation. The condenser section is close to the axis of rotation while the evaporator section can be placed in contact with off-axis heat sources in the rotating machine. The geometry is achieved by incorporating an S-shaped curve between the on-axis rotating condenser section and the off-axis revolving evaporator section. The curved rotating heat pipe allows for a direct coupling of the rotating condenser section to an on-axis stationary refrigeration system, while allowing the revolving evaporator section to intercept off-axis heat sources in the rotating machine. An experimental rotating heat pipe test apparatus was built and operated. The test data indicate that the working fluid continued to circulate, resulting in heat transfer with a high effective thermal conductivity, with the curved rotating heat pipe operating under the influence of centrifugal accelerations approaching 400g. Furthermore, the experimental results were used to validate a heat pipe thermal model that can be used in the design of rotating machines that rely on the curved rotating heat pipe as part of the thermal management system.