INTRO 1
One technology - many applicationsVersatile heat pipes and where to find them
Conceived nearly 200 years ago and adapted to their current principle in the 1940s, heat pipe technology has since entered many aspects of modern life.
Choose one of the options below to find out more!
WHAT ARE HEAT PIPES
In a nutshell:Heat transfer devices in the form of sealed pipes.
Heat pipes are unique in their effective thermal conductivity, which can be 10,000 times that of normal pipes. This allows for a much faster, more efficient heat transfer.
Using different metals, fluids and internal pressure heat pipes are extremely adaptable.
They operate at ambient temperatures from -271°C to 2000°C.
Their size ranges from 20 mm to several hundred meters.
Moreover, they function maintenance-free for 15 to 20 years.
Thus, these thermal conductors have entered many aspects
of our life. Keep on scrolling and find out more about
11 uses of heat pipes you have never thought of!
10 USES OF HEAT PIPES
#1 Space application Heat pipes keep satellites in isothermal state
Heat pipes transfer heat away from the irradiated side of satellites to the cold side which faces the deep space. This establishes a thermal equilibrium across the whole satellite, which is crucial for optimal system operation and reliable data recording.
#2 ElectronicsHeat pipes cool computer processors
THE CHALLENGE
Today´s high-performance computers, laptops and smart phones require powerful processors which generate a lot of heat. This temperature has to drop to prevent damage and keep the processor operable at full computing power, especially while processing intensive applications.
The solution is small, light and efficient: copper heat pipes reliably transfer heat away from the processor and into the environment.
#3 Air conditioningHeat pipes make air conditioning units more eco-friendly
While heat pipes in computers transport the heat to the outside, and so warming the surrounding air, this process is reversed in air conditioners.
Wrapped around the unit´s cooling coil, they pre-cool the incoming air. As a result, the coil consumes less power to condition the air. This lowers the energy demand and operational costs, as demonstrated by Prof. Jouhara, a long-standing expert in this field.
#4 CookingHeat pipes used to halve roasting times
Heat pipes can be used not only for cooling but
also for heating.
In the 1960s and 1970s, they served as kitchen aids to prepare meat roast: the cooking pin, which consists of a heat pipe, would be stuck halfway into the roast. It transferred heat from the hot air inside the oven to the inside of the chunky meat:
In the 1960s and 1970s, they served as kitchen aids to prepare meat roast: the cooking pin, which consists of a heat pipe, would be stuck halfway into the roast. It transferred heat from the hot air inside the oven to the inside of the chunky meat:
For a juicier finish in half the cooking time. Plus, the cooking pin accelerated freezing and defrosting. Probably about time to revive this gadget!
#5 Permafrost coolingHeat pipes prevent permafrost thawing
While the cooking pin has disappeared from today´s kitchen, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline is still using heat pipe technology to keep the thaw-unstable permafrost frozen.
Over 62,000 pairs of heat pipes with silver fins extent from the pipeline´s supporting pillars. When the air temperature falls below the ground temperature, the heat pipes transfer cold from above the ground into the frozen soil. Since the 1970s, this has been used to prevent the thawing of the permafrost which otherwise could lead to the sinking of the pillars and damage of the pipeline.
#6 Nuclear reactor controlHeat pipes to shutdown nuclear reactors
There are also other energy sectors that are investigating the application of heat pipes. For instance, heat pipe cooled reactors have occupied engineers´ minds for decades.
Currently devised hybrid heat pipes could act as control rods that drop to the core to stop nuclear fission in the event of a problem. However, reactor cooling needs to continue even after shutdown, as some fission products experience delayed disintegration. These hybrid heat pipes can rapidly transfer the heat away from the nuclear fission process. As the heat pipes are not dependent on an external energy source, they can work reliably even during power cuts or other serious problems.
#7 PhotovoltaicsHeat pipes increase the efficiency of solar panels
Even sustainable energy sources like solar panels need cooling. As the temperature of a photovoltaic cell increases, its efficiency actually decreases by 0.25% to 0.5% with every degree above the optimal operation temperature.
In the PVadapt project researchers have integrated heat pipe technology in combined photovoltaic – thermal water collector cells.The heat pipes in their demo roof helped to increase the cooling by an additional 15% compared to a standard PV installation.
Vorher/Nacher Ansicht
#8 Geothermal heatingHeat pipes for residential homes
Terrestrial heat represents another sustainable energy resource. Could heat pipes soon bring terrestrial heat to households? Researchers explore this. Compared to conventional geothermal heating systems which actively circulate water in underground loop pipes, heat pipes operate passively and with higher conductivity. Engineers have calculated that they could boost the efficiency of geothermal heating to warm houses by 15% - 20%.
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#9 Frost protectionHeat pipes could prevent icy roads
In cold climate zones where thin layers of ice form quickly on roads during the winter months, heat pipes could transfer the warmth from below ground upwards to raise the temperature of the road surface above the freezing point. This could reduce the risk of icy roads and replace thawing salt.
#10 Car battery coolingHeat pipes to optimise battery performance
It seems likely that heat pipes will soon be regulating the temperature of lithium-ion batteries in electric cars. These batteries should be kept at 20°C to 40°C for optimal operation and maximum life span. For charging, the optimal temperature is even narrower: between 30°C to 35°C.
Researchers from Brunel University London have already demonstrated the efficiency of flat heat pipes to maintain the temperature optimum in batteries.
They are currently investigating new welding and manufacturing techniques to further improve their patented thermal management system.
#11 Energy intensive industriesHeat pipes recover waste energy
THE CHALLENGE
Industries cause one third of the global greenhouse gas emissions. About 70% of this energy is thereby used to generate heat.
For instance, aluminium, steel or ceramic products require high temperatures during many manufacturing steps; sometimes exceeding 1000°C.
THE SOLUTIONHeat pipe heat exchangers
Recovering heat from one manufacturing step to feed it into another process can save energy and reduce CO2 emissions.
A heat pipe heat exchanger is a set of heat pipes with one end in the hot and the other end in the cold stream. Combined, they mediate the heat transfer. This happens passively and in parallel. As a result and in comparison to conventional devices, efficiency improves and the life span extends.
Using heat pipe heat exchangers, the EU-funded research project ETEKINA set out to reshape energy intensive industries: Three pilots are planned in a steel factory, at a ceramics producer and in an aluminium die caster. Each production line aims to recover at least 40% of the waste heat generated.
Professor Hussam Jouhara
Technical coordinator of the ETEKINA project
Brunel University, London
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Versatile heat pipes and where to find them
Heat transfer devices in the form of sealed pipes.
VIDEO
Using different metals, fluids and internal pressure heat pipes are extremely adaptable.
Heat pipes keep satellites in isothermal state
Heat pipes cool computer processors
Heat pipes make air conditioning units more eco-friendly
Heat pipes used to halve roasting times
Heat pipes prevent permafrost thawing
Heat pipes to shutdown nuclear reactors
Heat pipes increase the efficiency of solar panels
Heat pipes for residential homes
Heat pipes could prevent icy roads
Heat pipes to optimise battery performance
Heat pipes recover waste energy
Heat pipe heat exchangers
Professor Hussam Jouhara
ETEKINA