Study on heat transfer characteristics of reservoir embedded loop heat pipe (1st report, Influence of evaporator orientation against gravity and charged liquid weight on heat transfer characteristics)

High-powered satellites need larger heat rejection areas. A deployable radiator is one of the key technologies for a high-powered satellite bus. A Reservoir Embedded Loop Heat Pipe (RELHP) is a two-phase heat transfer device that constitutes a deployable radiator. RELHP has an evaporator core which is used as a liquid reservoir to enhance operational reliability. This paper presents the heat transport characteristics of a RELHP under changing evaporator orientation against gravity and charged ammonia weight by experiment and calculation. Liquid slug position in the reservoir has a great influence on heat transport characteristics, caused by changing heat transfer coefficients between returned liquid into the evaporator and vapor in the reservoir. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 36(3): 143– 157, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20150