Next generation loop heat pipe wick technology for thermal management of Space and Terrestrial applications

Fully Funded Project

Loop Heat Pipes (LHP) are passive, two-phase, high-flux cooling devices capable of transporting heat over distances of greater than 20 metres with near-isothermal temperature differentials between heat source and sink. The technology is an advancement of the basic heat pipe concept, which is based on the geometry of a straight pipe. The LHP utilises advanced wick structures to allow the transport of heat over long distances against gravity via flexible, bendable and routable flow paths. Multiple heat sources and/or sinks can be incorporated into a single thermal bus. Aavid Thermacore LHPs are currently installed in a wide range of thermal management applications across the space, aerospace, medical/test equipment and satellite sectors.

The demand for cooling electronics devices is increasing beyond the limits of the current state of the art cooling strategies. Therefore, there is a need to further improve LHP technology to meet this demand. Tailoring wick properties and the construction of new wick profile designs (non-circular) is key to realising high performance compact designs, enabling deployment in next-gen applications such as commercial aerospace and high-volume deployment in terrestrial applications identified by Aavid Thermacore.

Specifically, new wicks are required which provide high capillary force and high permeability/mass flow rate: two design features that are typically inhibitive of each other. In this fully funded project, the use of advanced materials and manufacturing methods (such as selective laser melting/additive manufacturing and micro-fibre wick sintering) will be investigated to develop the next generation of passive cooling systems for electronic components.

Further details can be found at:

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/media/wwwnclacuk/facultyofsage/files/1617_EPSRC_CASE002.pdf

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding/sources/ukeustudents/case001-005.html

How to Apply

You must apply through Newcastle University's online postgraduate application portal. To do this, click "Create new account" and complete all relevant fields (marked with a red asterisk). The following information will help us to process your application. You will need to:

• Insert the programme code 8030F in the programme of study section

• Select "PhD School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials - Chemical Engineering (Full Time) as the programme of study

• Insert the studentship code CASE002 in the studentship/partnership reference field

For more details, please contact Dr Richard Law or Prof David Reay.