Abstract
A numerical model to analyze the steady-state operational characteristics of loop heat pipes (LHPs) is presented. The mathematical model uses a new approach and is developed in a way that it can be easily extended to a transient model. The LHP components are discretized into control volumes. The one-dimensional mass, momentum and energy conservation equations are solved by using a staggered grid. The model uses both single-phase and two-phase correlations to determine the heat transfer coefficient and friction factor for each control volume. All the fluid interfaces in the LHP is tracked by using a phase-check algorithm. Four main experimentally-determined accommodation parameters are considered in the model. Later, it is shown that two of these parameters can be ignored without a significant effect on the results. The model results are validated by comparing them with experimental values obtained from the two different LHPs and the predictive capability of the model is demonstrated. Finally, a detailed sensitivity analysis is presented to study the effects of various essential variables including the accommodation parameters on the model results.
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