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Heat Pipe Fabrication/Materials

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Materials:
To create a copper heat pipe as shown in the final design with meshed wick and Aluminum heat sink, the materials listed below are needed:
  • 2' of 1/2" thin walled copper pipe
  • 1/8" Male/Female NPT Ball Valve
  • 2" 6061-T5 Aluminum Round Stock
  • 1/2" Brass Round Stock
  • 31/64" Drill bit for tapping
  • 1/8" NPT Tap
  • 0.0045" Copper Mesh Sheet
  • High Temperature Solder/Silver Solder
  • Flux
  • 1/8" NPT Barbed Nipple for Vacuum Tubing
  • Vacuum Pump
Prototype Fabrication: April 19th, 2018
Prototypes 1 and 2 were constructed during Week 3 to gain valuable data and fabrication methods.

Raw Materials
Heat Pipe cut to length and copper mesh rolled into interior
Preparing to solder the ends of the mesh to prevent crinkling on the interior of the main body
Soldered end of the copper mesh
Crimped end of the main body to seal it off
Another shot of the crimped main body end
Prototype 1 in the testing apparatus
Prototypes 1 and 2 demonstrating their design and construction similarities

Heat Pipe Version 1
After reviewing the results from Prototypes 1 and 2, some design changes were implemented to further increase the efficiency and functionality of the heat pipe. It was decided that a smaller tube diameter would benefit capillary action within the heat pipe and transfer the working fluid more efficiently. These ideas were put into construction during Week 4.
 
Materials laid out for measuring
Smaller diameter copper pipe used as a forming tool for the mesh
Total length of the mesh and former
Mesh pushed into the interior of the copper pipe
Side by side view of Prototypes 3 and 4
Final Design Iteration
It was decided after some unexpected results from prototypes 3 and 4 that further design changes needed to be implemented. A partial vacuum was decided to be the best option to increase the performance of the heat pipe and reach the teams overall efficiency goal. Here are some of the fabrication pictures for the next version.

1/2" Brass round stock and 1/8" NPT Ball Valve
Facing the brass round stock
Drilling a tapping size hole for 1/8" NPT
Finished part
Bushing w/ Ball Valve
Ball Valve threaded into the bushing
Soldered bushing and copper heat pipe body
Completed valve assembly
Cutting off the 6061 stock to length
Facing the 2" round stock
Fin cutting for the heatsink

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