CFD Analysis of Thermal Performance in Heat Pipes with Dissimilar Wick Materials

Heat pipe is the most significant successful device in thermal and heat transfer applications due to its exclusive aptitude for heat recovery from larger distances with no losses. In this paper, fluid flow affected by the physical properties of grooved wick structures is analysed in a Circular heat pipe model with two dissimilar wick materials and they are Zylon which is also known as Poly-Phenylene Benzo-Bisoxazole and Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene which is also known as high-modulus polyethylene (HMPE). Copper heat pipe was considered for analysis with water as a Working fluid with a temperature range of 348–282 K. The results show that the velocity of condensate flow from condenser to evaporator for both wick materials is almost, maximum velocity is 0.0191 m/s. The heat pipe with zylon wick with a grooved structure is low thermal resistance in the heat flux range of 21,980 to −21,670 W/m2 at 316.099 K and the thermal resistance slightly more in High-modulus polyethylene (HMPE) in heat flux range 15,890 to −15,890 W/m2 at 317.345 K. Ansys 2016 [Fluent—the CFD solver program] software is used for computerized numerical calculation.