Design of heat pipe cooled laser mirrors with an inverted meniscus evaporator wick

Journal Article · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1979 · AIAA Pap.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2514/6.1980-148· OSTI ID:6846676

Feldman, Jr, K T ^[1]; Noreen, D L ^[2]

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1. New Mexico, University, Albuquerque, N. Mex.
2. Solar Energy Research Institute, Golden, Colo.

The heat pipe laser mirror is cooled by evaporation of a liquid from a porous wick on the backside of the mirror. The liquid is distributed over the surface by the capillary wick, eliminating the need for a liquid pump, piping, heat exchanger, and pumping power. Thus the heat pipe cooled mirror can be particularly valuable where compact, light weight, high heat flux mirrors are required. In this report an analysis of the hydrodynamic performance limits of a flat plate heat pipe evaporator is described. A thin copper plate is heated on one side and cooled on the other by evaporation of water from fine grooves fed by a liquid transport wick. This type of evaporator wick is known as the inverted-meniscus heat pipe evaporator. The analysis includes determination of the wicking limit for three composite wick designs and gives the optimum wick dimensions.

• OSTI ID: 6846676
• Journal Information: AIAA Pap.; (United States), Journal Name: AIAA Pap.; (United States) Vol. 80-0148; ISSN AAPRA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420200* -- Engineering-- Facilities
Equipment
& Techniques
COOLING SYSTEMS
DESIGN
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EVAPORATION
FLUID MECHANICS
HEAT PIPES
HYDRODYNAMICS
LASER MIRRORS
LASER RADIATION
LASERS
MECHANICS
MIRRORS
PERFORMANCE
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
RADIATIONS