Dynamic test strategy for diagnosing a heat pipe cooling module

Abstract This article experimentally develops a dynamic test strategy for efficiently diagnosing a heat pipe cooling module in order to improve the time-consuming conventional steady-state test. The first step is to investigate the performance of a heat pipe by measuring its thermal resistance, and the next step is to examine the influence of the parameters on the temperature response of the heat pipe cooling module. The experimental parameters include the press force, preheating temperature, heating power, and starting time of the fan. The results show that the thermal performance of a heat pipe, the contact condition between the heat pipe and the base plate, and the heat dissipation ability of a heat sink, are diagnosed within 30 seconds. During the dynamic test, both the startup and the ability to reach uniformity of temperature of the heat pipe can be observed. In addition, the temperature response of a heat pipe cooling module based on a lumped model matches the experimental data.