Miniature High Flux Heat Pipes for Cooling of Electronics

Modern electronic devices dissipate significant amounts of thermal energy at comparatively high heat fluxes up to 200 W/cm2 . Thermal management of power electronics will be very important not only for existing and future DOD applications but also for the success of the electric car, more efficient electric power distribution systems, etc. Heat pipes have been successfully used for cooling of various electric components. Thermacore manufactures miniature heat pipes that can withstand heat fluxes up to 50 W/cm2 on the evaporator wall. However, miniature heat pipes with higher heat fluxes, capable of operating at any orientation in gravity field are yet to be developed. The proposed program will develop innovative high heat flux miniature heat pipes tolerant to accelerations and vibrations, using combined capillary structures with porous metal elements. Prototype miniature heat pipes will be fabricated. Additional benefit of this Phase I program will be the initiation of mathematical modeling of major heat and mass transfer mechanisms in high heat flux two-phase systems, which will be continued and used in the Phase 11 work for optimization of performance characteristics of high heat flux heat pipes.