| Within this work, a two-dimensional steady state loop heat pipe evaporator numerical model was developed. This model solved the diffusive thermal equation in the casing and meniscus, the convective-diffusive thermal equation, the Laplace equation and Darcy flow equation in the wick. Temperature and flux conservation coupled the domains at their respective interfaces. To couple the fluid flow and thermal equations, an iterative process was developed. A finite element solver was utilized for the method of solution. Two internal scenarios using the developed evaporator model were investigated: Scenario (1) - a fully saturated wick and casing; Scenario (2) - the addition of excess fluid in the vapour groove in the form of a meniscus which occurs at low applied heat flux. The results obtained were in good agreement with the available published trends. |
