Establishing low-power operating limits for liquid metal heat pipes
- Phillips Lab., Kirtland AFB, NM (United States)
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
Liquid metal heat pipes operated at power throughputs well below their design point for long durations may fail as a result of the working fluid migrating to a cold region within the pipe, freezing there, and hot 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 between the Air Force Phillips Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory is underway to investigate the phenomena. Experiments include both high temperature liquid metal and low temperature organic heat pipes. To date, a low temperature working fluid has been selected and its performance in a heat pipe validated. Additionally, a low-temperature heat pipe has been fabricated and is presently being tested.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Department of Defense, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 10137029
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-92-849; CONF-920981-1; ON: DE92011367
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 8. international heat pipe conference,Bejing (China),14-18 Sep 1992; Other Information: PBD: [1992]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
HEAT PIPES
PERFORMANCE TESTING
LIQUID METALS
LIMITING VALUES
FAILURES
EFFICIENCY
HEAT TRANSFER
WORKING FLUIDS
ALKANES
POTASSIUM
OPERATION
420400
210600
HEAT TRANSFER AND FLUID FLOW
POWER REACTORS, MOBILE, PROPULSION, PACKAGE, AND TRANSPORTABLE