ABSTRACT
Heat pipes have become essential components in thermal systems for a variety of applications including electronics cooling, nuclear reactors, cryogenic systems, and so on. Axially grooved heat pipes are widely used for spacecraft thermal management due to their ability to transport heat over a large distance. A mathematical model was developed and solved using the MATLAB software package of MathWorks® to study the effect of various geometrical parameters of a trapezoidal-shaped ammonia-charged axially grooved heat pipe. It was found that heat pipe performance was highly influenced by wetting contact angle, groove inclination angle and groove depth. An increase in wetting contact angle reduces the heat transportation capability of the heat pipe. A decrease in groove inclination angle reduces heat transportation capacity and thermal resistance. An increase in groove depth leads to an initial increase in heat transportation capacity, which decreases further after attaining its maximum. Thermal resistance increases almost linearly by increasing groove depth. The current study is helpful in designing the optimal shape and tolerance level of the geometrical parameters of a trapezoidal-shaped axially grooved heat pipe.
