Experimental study of heat transfer performance in a flattened AGHP

Round mini-axial grooved heat pipes (AGHP) with a diameter of 6 mm and a length of 210 mm were pressed into flattened heat pipes with a thickness of 3.5 mm, 3 mm, 2.5 mm and 2 mm, respectively. The article measured the heat transfer limit, thermal resistance and evaporation heat transfer coefficient of the said AGHPs and analyzed and studied the result. The result indicates: the heat transfer limit decreased with the increase of flattening degree. The heat transfer limit of the 2 mm thick flattened AGHP was only 1/4 of that of the φ 6 mm round AGHP. The thermal resistance of the 3.5–2.5 mm thick AGHPs basically maintained stable at around 0.08 °C/W, while the thermal resistance of the 2 mm thick flattened AGHP increased obviously. The variation of the heat transfer coefficient in evaporator section with the change of flattening degree follows a similar rule to the variation of thermal resistance. This article serves as a reference to understanding the heat transfer performance of mini AGHP and to electronic cooling design of AGHP.