Experimental study on a dual compensation chamber loop heat pipe with a ceramic wick

Abstract

The dual compensation chamber loop heat pipe (DCCLHP) has excellent application prospects in the future field of space thermal management. However, DCCLHP has some problems, such as startup difficulty with a small heat load and serious heat leakage from the back of the capillary pump. To ensure the reliable startup and efficient heat transfer of DCCLHP in the space microgravity environment, a kind of DCCLHP with an eccentric structure of silicon nitride capillary wick was manufactured and verified. The experimental results show that the DCCLHP can be started with a 2 W small heat load, with two different starting conditions. The heat transfer capacity exceeds 450 W in the 2.0 m heat transfer range. The starting temperature overshoot of DCCLHP presents an inverted “V” shape relationship with the heat load. The smaller the temperature difference between the two compensation chambers is, the heat transfer performance of DCCLHP will be promoted. This study has significant reference value for applying DCCLHP in space microgravity thermal management.