Heat pipes. Design and industrial applications

Heat pipes are thermosiphons with vaporization where we can distinguish a boiler, a condenser, and eventually an adiabatic zone. To insure the returning liquid flow from the condenser to the boiler, surface tension forces, associated with the gravity forces, if need be, are used. For this, the condensing liquid is sucked by a capillary structure, generally situated against the inner wall. The review of the design methods, and particularly the prediction of the maximal performances shows the advantages and limitations of such devices. The main difficulties are technological for the heat pipes with high temperature liquid metals. The thermohydrodynamical limitations are: the maximum power which can be calculated by a balance between the friction forces and the active ones, the maximum heat flux leading to the dry-out of the evaporator, the critical conditions for the start up associated with the sonic conditions in the vapour phase. The description of heat pipes designed for some industrial applications (mainly for space) is given