Effect of phase change materials on heat dissipation of a multiple heat source system

Abstract

This paper experimentally investigates heat dissipation of a heat pipe with phase change materials (PCMs) cooling in a multiple heat source system. Two heat sources are fixed at one end of the heat pipe. Considering that a heat sink cannot dissipate all the heat generated by two heat sources, various PCMs are used due to a large latent heat. Different materials in a container are wrapped outside of the middle heat pipe to take away the heat from the evaporation section. The experimental tests obtain temperature data of heat source, evaporation section, and energy storage characteristics of PCMs are also determined under constant and dynamic values of the heat source powers. It is found that under this multiple heat source system structure, the phase change material RT35 maintains temperature variations of the evaporation section at a lower temperature and shortens the required time to reach the equilibrium temperature under a heating power of 20 W.