Heat-pipe

Heat-transfer media other than water, Heat pipes. 

Heat pipes are used to perform several important heat-transfer roles ia the chemical and closely aUied iadustries. Examples iaclude heat recovery, the isothermaliziag of processes, and spot cooling ia the mol ding of plastics. In its simplest form the heat pipe possesses the property of extremely high thermal conductance, often several hundred times that of metals. As a result, the heat pipe can produce nearly isothermal conditions making an almost ideal heat-transfer element. In another form the heat pipe can provide positive, rapid, and precise control of temperature under conditions that vary with respect to time. 

The heat pipe is self-contained, has no mechanical moving parts, and requires no external power other than the heat that flows through it. The heat pipe, which has been called a thermal superconductor, was described initially ia 1944 (1) but commercial use did not foUow. The same basic stmcture was again described ia 1963 ia conjunction with the space nuclear power program (2). 

The heat pipe has properties of iaterest to equipmeat desigaers. Oae is the teadeacy to assume a aeady isothermal coaditioa while carrying useful quantities of thermal power. A typical heat pipe may require as Htfle as one thousandth the temperature differential needed by a copper rod to transfer a given amount of power between two poiats. Eor example, whea a heat pipe and a copper rod of the same diameter and length are heated to the same iaput temperature (ca 750°C) and allowed to dissipate the power ia the air by radiatioa and natural convection, the temperature differential along the rod is 27°C and the power flow is 75 W. The heat pipe temperature differential was less than 1°C the power was 300 W. That is, the ratio of effective thermal conductance is ca 1200 1. 

A second property, closely related to the first, is the abiHty of the heat pipe to effect heat-flux transformation. As long as the total heat flow is ia equiHbrium, the fluid streams connecting the evaporatiag and condensing regions essentially are unaffected by the local power densities ia these two... 

The third characteristic of interest grows directly from the first, ie, the high thermal conductance of the heat pipe can make possible the physical separation of the heat source and the heat consumer (heat sink). Heat pipes >100 m in length have been constmcted and shown to behave predictably (3). Separation of source and sink is especially important in those appHcations in which chemical incompatibilities exist. For example, it may be necessary to inject heat into a reaction vessel. The lowest cost source of heat may be combustion of hydrocarbon fuels. However, contact with an open flame or with the combustion products might jeopardize the desired reaction process. In such a case it might be feasible to carry heat from the flame through the wall of the reaction vessel by use of a heat pipe. 

---