Experimental study of a novel loop heat pipe with a vapor-driven jet injector and a boiling pool

Abstract To remove the heat leakage in the compensation chamber (CC) and increase the maximum heat flux of the loop heat pipe, a novel loop heat pipe with a vapor-driven jet injector and a boiling pool (LHPIB) was proposed. The injector driven by the vapor from an evaporator was designed to remove the heat leakage and provide liquid for the boiling pool. The boiling pool was the main heat dissipation component where high heat flux was achieved. Comprehensive experimental research was conducted to evaluate the heat transfer performance of the LHPIB, and visualization study was carried out to reveal its operation mechanism. The results indicated that a timely liquid supply from the injector to the boiling pool was essential for a smooth startup. The LHPIB worked well under variable operating conditions and a new steady state was established quickly when the heat load changed. Maintaining the evaporator heat load at about 238 W, the maximum boiling pool heat load reached 507 W, with the corresponding heat flux up to 105 W·cm−2, which was higher than most of the conventional loop heat pipes. In general, the LHPIB is a promising candidate for heat dissipation of high heat flux and multi-heat sources.