Experimental study on the thermal performance of micro-heat pipe with cross-section of polygon

The electronic industries have been tried to develop the electronic packaging technology for high-density, light weight, and miniaturization of mobile personal information terminals such as notebook PC, personal digital assistant (PDA), or handheld PC as the performance and the portability of the system have been become important more and more. The generated heat from the CPU of the electronic system should be dissipated effectively for the stability in operation and the long life-time of the system. In the present study, micro-heat pipes (MHPs) with cross-section of polygon have been manufactured and tested for operating characteristics and heat transfer limit. An additional process for installing a wick that is an inevitable component of heat pipes is not required for the MHP. For a small-sized heat pipe in the present study, a high precision technology is needed in manufacturing process. The MHPs tested in this paper have a triangular cross-section with curved sides and a rectangular cross-section with curved sides. The material of the MHP is copper and the working fluid of it is pure water. The test was performed in a vacuum chamber to minimize heat loss. The operating temperatures of the MHP were considered from 60 to 90 C. From the test results, the MHP with triangular cross-section can dissipate up to a thermal load of 7 W. 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.