Heat transfer characteristics analysis of heat pipe based on COMSOL

In order to analyze the heat transfer characteristics of high-temperature heat pipes under steady and transient state, a numerical model of heat pipes based on COMSOL's CFD module was proposed, and the calculation results of the model were compared with the experimental data and previous studies to verify the accuracy of the model. Secondly, the influence of the geometric parameters of the heat pipe on the heat transfer amount under given boundary conditions of the heat pipe under steady-state conditions was studied. The results show that the length of the adiabatic section does not affect the heat transfer amount of the heat pipe. The increase of the length of the condensation section and the diameter of the vapor channel will increase the heat transfer amount of the heat pipe, but it would reduce the isothermal nature of the heat pipe and reduce the average temperature of the condensing section. After that, the dynamic characteristics of the heat pipe and the influence of geometric parameters on the dynamic performance were studied. The results show that the temperature rise process of the heat pipe can be divided into three stages. The increase of the length of the condensation section will increase the time required for the temperature rise of the heat pipe, and the increase of the length of the condensation section and the increase of the radius of the vapor channel would reduce time requirements. This study can provide a reference for heat pipe design and calculation in subsequent fields such as reactor thermal design.