Heat Pipe Design Guide
Copper/water heat pipes are made of a copper envelope, use water as a working fluid and typically operate in the temperature range of 20 to 150°C. Heat pipes are an extremely effective method of reducing hot spot temperatures and increasing allowable power in a system by moving heat to an external sink or spreading heat along a surface. ACT manufactures copper/water heat pipes from the following standard tube sizes (outside diameters) which are readily available:
- 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 mm
- 1/8, 1/4, 3/8 and ½ inch
ACT can also create custom heat pipes outside of these diameters. ACT very rarely provides customers with stand alone heat pipes. With the increase demands for system ready solutions, ACT manufactures custom assemblies developed specifically for each customer’s design requirements. Heat Pipes are easily integrated into system designs because of their ability to form to intricate geometries. ACT can bend and flatten to the following specifications. Please note that these values are guides, not limits. ACT has designed heat pipes below these values.
- Bend Radius > 3 x OD of the heat pipe
- Flatten ~ 2/3 x OD of the heat pipe
In addition ACT engineers will work with customers to properly integrate heat pipes into a system to minimize thermal resistance and maintain system integrity. ACT is experienced in soldering heat pipes as well as using thermal epoxies as an attachment technique. ACT Engineers are available to advise on which solution is best for your application.
At ACT, we guarantee quality and reliability for our heat pipes by our certified manufacturing procedures. All our heat pipes are subject to thermal testing before being delivered to the customer. ACT also has capability to validate our heat pipe performance under the following conditions:
- Freeze / Thaw
- Frozen Startup
- Shock
- Vibration
- Acceleration
For more information, please see the Heat Pipe Product Reliability Guide.
The total heat load a heat pipe can carry is a function of total length, evaporator and condenser length, diameter, and orientation with respect to gravity. There are several limits that govern heat pipe theory, however in terrestrial applications the capillary limit is the most limiting factor. This occurs when the capillary pumping capability is not efficient to provide enough liquid to the evaporator from the condenser. This will lead to dryout in the evaporator. Dryout prevents the thermodynamic cycle from continuing and the heat pipe no longer functions properly. Heat pipes are most capable when the evaporator is below the condenser creating a liquid return path that is gravity aided. ACT will use worst case orientation in its heat pipe designs assure the design will operate.
Though the total power is affected by orientation, thermal heat pipe characteristics are not. For instance the effective conductivity and thermal resistance of a heat pipe are simply a function of diameter and overall length. As long as the heat pipe can operate at a given temperature and power, it should see effective conductivities of about 50,000 – 200,000 W/mK. This range is a function of overall length with longer heat pipes having the higher effective conductivities. Heat pipes are convection devices, however through modeling and testing, ACT has proven these effective conductivities.
For a guide to how much power a heat pipe can carry please see our Heat Pipe Calculator
ACT has a proven track record of designing and manufacturing heat pipes for any suitable application. For additional help in designing with heat pipes please email one of our capable engineers at heatpipesolution@1-ACT.com or call us at (717)-295-6061.
