Experimental study on the thermal performance of a dual compensation chamber loop heat pipe with dual vapor and condenser lines

Dual compensation chamber loop heat pipe (DCCLHP) holds significant application potential in the aircraft thermal management due to its flexible installation and orientation-free operation. In this work, a DCCLHP with dual vapor and condenser lines was developed, aiming to enhance its maximum heat transfer capability without changing other component structures. To verify its startup performance and heat transfer capability, extensive experimental studies have been carried out when the evaporator was placed at the horizontal, unfavorable, and favorable attitudes, respectively. Experimental results with the evaporator at the horizontal attitude show that the DCCLHP could realize the startup successfully under the heat load range of 10–150 W. The maximum heat transfer capability reached greater than 600 W over a transport distance of 1.1 m, which was increased by 87.5% by merely changing the pipeline layout. The minimum thermal resistance of the system was as low as 0.086 °C/W. In addition, the heat load range in which the DCCLHP encountered startup failure at unfavorable attitudes was identified, and the responsible physical mechanism was analyzed. This work shows that the DCCLHP with proper design can meet the application requirements in the aircraft thermal management with large heat load and varying attitude.