Variable conductance heat pipes - A first order model

A serious impediment to the widespread use of the variable conductance heat pipe (VCHP) for thermal control applications is related to the absence of a simple analytical model for predicting evaporator temperature as a function of heat load under varying environmental conditions. A thermal designer concerned with spacecraft applications is, therefore, obliged to deal with several problems when specifying a VCHP. The present paper provides the description of a simple, first-order analytical model which should be useful for formulating preliminary design. In addition, the model could be utilized as a teaching device, and some of its concepts may be adapted to computer codes.