An Experimental Study on the Operational Characteristics and Performance of the Sodium Heat Pipe

나트륨 히트파이프의 작동 특성 및 성능에 관한 실험적 연구

The experimental study for an operational characteristics and performance of the sodium heat pipe were carried out. For an experiment. the heat pipe which is 1000mm length and 25.4mm diameter of stainless steel container with 50 mesh of screen wick using sodium as a working fluid is manufactured and tested as functions of heat flow rate, inclined angle and operating temperature. The test results are as follows. During the start-up. frontal start up was observed because of the vapor density increasing as increased the hot zone. Also, the heat pipe showed uniform temperature over than $420^{\circ}C$ of the operating temperature. The average heat transfer coefficient increased as the heat flux and the vapor temperature increase, and the range of the total thermal resistance was 0.075-0.04 $^{\circ}C/W$ at the 12-53.55 $kW/m^2$ of heat flux and $500-750^{\circ}C$of operating temperature. The maximum heat flow rate was 750W at the 10 degree of top heating mode.