Abstract
The vapor flow in a flat plate micro heat pipe with both uniform and linear heat flux boundary conditions has been numerically analyzed. For both types of boundary conditions, the Navier-Stokes equations with steady incompressible two-dimensional flow were solved using the SIMPLE method. The results indicate that the pressure, shear stress, and friction factor under linear heat flux boundary conditions are considerably smoother, and hence, more closely approximate the real situation. As the heat flux increases, the pressure drop increases, but the friction factor demonstrates only a slight change for different heat flux conditions. The size and shape of the micro heat pipe vapor space was shown to have a significant influence on the vapor flow behavior for micro heat pipes. When the vapor space area decreases, the pressure drop, shear stress, and friction factor all significantly increase.
Liu, Xiaoqin (1996). Numerical analysis of vapor flow in a micro heat pipe. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1996 -THESIS -L59.