Solution to the Problem of Thermal Contact Between the Wick and the Body of a Flat Heat Pipe by Means of a Barothermic Process

A flat heat pipe with the dimensions of 150 × 30 × 3 mm with an improved thermal contact between the wick and the body has been developed and fabricated. The body was made using chemical etching of a copper billet; the heat-transfer agent was water; the wick was made up of brass meshes soldered to the body by means of a barothermic process. An experimental sample of a flat heat pipe has been investigated at various heat loads. The hydrodynamic boundary of the pipe is 106 ± 2 W; the optimum transmission capacity is 75.2 ± 1.1 W at the thermal resistance 0.044 ± 0.011 K/W. The paper shows the advantages of the developed technology of wick formation by means of a barothermic process due to a reduction in thermal resistance with increase in the transmitted power of the heat pipe.