Shinichi Sugihara

Experimental study of sodium heat pipes. 2nd report.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of the sodium heat pipe having a screen mesh wick with a hole for the relief of vapor bubbles yielded in a narrow space between the inner surface and the screen mesh layers at the evaporator section. The heat pipe was fabricated from Inconel 600 tubing of 1.5 mm wall thickness 25 mm in outer diameter and 1000 mm in length. A 50-mesh screen was used as the wick. In order to examine the effect of this wick, the performance tests of this heat pipe were carried out in the vapor temperature range of 500°C to 1000°C. As a result, it became clear that this type of wick is useful for removing the vapor bubbles from the narrow space and can prevent early generation of dry-out.