ABSTRACT
This paper presents the work carried out in evaluating efficiency of embedded heat pipes in simulated satellite substrates subjected to localized heat sources. Experimental set-ups with an aluminium plate and an aluminium honeycomb sandwich panel with a heating element as the heat source were designed. Various experiments were conducted with and without embedded heat pipes at various power inputs. Case studies with adjoined and inclined substrates, with one as well as two embedded heat pipes with different insertion lengths were performed. With the help of COMSOL MultiPhysics software, an equivalent three-dimensional finite element model of the experimental set up was created and analyzed under the same real-time conditions.
Based on the observations, some design guidelines are proposed for optimized heat management within a satellite substrate using embedded heat pipes.
Keywords: Heat pipe, Sandwich structure, Finite element analysis, Heat transfer, Temperature measurement.
