Heat Pipe - Limitations

Limitations

Heat pipes must be tuned to particular cooling conditions. The choice of pipe material, size and coolant all have an effect on the optimal temperatures in which heat pipes work.

When heated above a certain temperature, all of the working fluid in the heat pipe will vaporize and the condensation process will cease to occur; in such conditions, the heat pipe's thermal conductivity is effectively reduced to the heat conduction properties of its solid metal casing alone. As most heat pipes are constructed of copper (a metal with high heat conductivity), an overheated heatpipe will generally continue to conduct heat at around 1/80 of the original conductivity.

In addition, below a certain temperature, the working fluid will not undergo phase change, and the thermal conductivity will be reduced to that of the solid metal casing. One of the key criteria for the selection of a working fluid is the desired operational temperature range of the application. The lower temperature limit typically occurs a few degrees above the freezing point of the working fluid.

Most manufacturers cannot make a traditional heat pipe smaller than 3mm in diameter due to material limitations (though 1.6mm thin sheets can be fabricated). Experiments have been conducted with micro heat pipes, which use piping with sharp edges, such as triangular or rhombus-like tubing. In these cases, the sharp edges transfer the fluid through capillary action, and no wick is necessary.