Theoretical analysis of screened heat pipes for medium and high temperature solar applications

A mathematical model is applied to study the cylindrical heat pipes (HPs) behaviour when it is exposed to higher heat input at the evaporator for solar collector applications. The steady state analytical model includes two-dimensional heat conduction in the wall, the liquid flow in the wick and vapour hydrodynamics, and can be used to evaluate the working limits and to optimize the HP. The results of the analytical model are compared with numerical and experimental results available in literature, with good agreement. The effects of heat transfer coefficient, power input, evaporator length, pipe diameter, wick thickness and effective pore radius on the vapour temperature, maximum pressure drop and maximum heat transfer capability (HTC) of the HP are studied. The analysis shows that wick thickness plays an important role in the enhancement of HTC. Results show that it is possible to improve HTC of a HP by selecting the appropriate wick thickness, effective pore radius, and evaporator length. The parametric investigations are aimed to determine working limits and thermal performance of HP for medium temperature solar collector application.