The Problem of Freezing of Copper Water Heat Pipes

29 September 2021, Version 1

Abstract

To cool electronic components of spacecraft, engineers are considering the use of heat pipes, which are sealed copper pipes containing an annular copper wick saturated with water. Water vapor from the hot end travels to the cold end, where it condenses in the wick and flows back to the hot end. In space, the cold end can freeze the water inside, which can cause two modes of pipe failure. First, if water accumulates in the cold end, then freezes, it can burst the pipe wall. Second, with the repeated expansion of the freezing water, pores in the copper wick can enlarge, reducing the speed of transport and hence the heat pipe's effectiveness. In this work we will examine both types of failures, with an eye toward establishing tolerances below which we expect the wick to remain functional.

Content

Comments

Comments are not moderated before they are posted, but they can be removed by the site moderators if they are found to be in contravention of our Commenting Policy [opens in a new tab] - please read this policy before you post. Comments should be used for scholarly discussion of the content in question. You can find more information about how to use the commenting feature here [opens in a new tab] .
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy [opens in a new tab] and Terms of Service [opens in a new tab] apply.