Heat Pipe Performance Enhancement for Microelectronics Cooling

The heat dissipated by convection from the fins of the heat pipe condenser section is strongly limited by the thermal barrier of the oxide layer formed on their aluminum surface. A lot of work has been done to enhance the heat transfer coefficient of this heat pipe section by changing the fins roughness. The present experimental study demonstrates the enhancement in heat transfer coefficient by applying a more conductive coating on the condenser fins surface. A comparison between a conventional technique consisting of applying a rougher surface and this new technique is performed. Results clearly show the performance of the heat pipe exhibits a better enhancement in the case of a more conductive coating than a rougher one. The orientation of the heat pipe is also investigated to demonstrate the effect of gravity on the enhancement so observed. Hydrodynamics inside the heat pipe is considered to explain the findings.