Thermal performance of a novel flat heat pipe with integral micro-grooved wick for energy saving

A novel flat heat pipe is put forward. The novel flat heat pipe is characteristic of its integral wick structure of microgrooves, which is made of a series of thin aluminum foils folded side by side. The thermal performance of the novel flat heat pipe under the different heat loads and incline angles has been investigated experimentally. It is found that the equivalent thermal conductivity of the novel flat heat pipe can be 12.3 times higher than that of the heat pipe material. Moreover, the novel flat heat pipe with integral micro-grooved wick has good temperature uniformity. The novel flat heat pipe can play a pronounced role in heat transfer enhancement, and be expected to be good candidates for thermal management of electronic devices.