Modelling the mass migration phenomena in partially frozen heat pipes
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Phillips Lab., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Liquid metal heat pipes operated at power throughputs well below their design point and with sink temperatures below the freezing temperature of the working fluid may fail as a result of the working fluid migrating to a cold region within the pipe, freezing there, and not returning to the evaporator section. Eventually, sufficient working fluid inventory may be lost to the cold region to cause a local dry-out condition in the evaporator. A joint experimental and analytical effort by the Air Force Phillips Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory is underway to investigate this phenomena. This paper presents an analytical model developed to describes this phenomena. The model provides for analytic determination of heat pipe temperature profiles, freeze-front locations and mass migration rates.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Department of Defense, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 10104383
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-93-3651; CONF-940101-16; ON: DE94002716
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 11. symposium on space nuclear power systems,Albuquerque, NM (United States),9-13 Jan 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1993]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
HEAT PIPES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
LIQUID METALS
POTASSIUM
FLUID MECHANICS
SPACE POWER REACTORS
HYDRAULICS
HEAT TRANSFER
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
210600
420400
POWER REACTORS, MOBILE, PROPULSION, PACKAGE, AND TRANSPORTABLE
HEAT TRANSFER AND FLUID FLOW