The evolution of heat pipes

Advancements in heat pipe technology covered in decade-long update to pivotal book

The history of the heat pipe traces back more than century. First patented as a “hermetic boiler tube” in the 1830s, it was later developed popularized in the 1960s by nuclear physicist George Grover as a two-phase heat transfer system known today as the “heat pipe.”

More recently, heat pipe technology has continued to evolve thanks to ongoing developments in manufacturing methods, wick design and additional applications.

A newly released edition of Heat Pipes: Theory, Design and Applications – the first update in more than 10 years – covers many of these recent advancements, along with updates on the theoretical background covered in previous editions.

Co-authored by Econotherm Technical Director Hussam Jouhara, the book features four new chapters on various types of heat pipes, theoretical principles of heat transfer and fluid mechanics, additive manufacturing and heat pipe heat exchangers.

We sat down with Jouhara to discuss the book, as well as get his insights into how it can help readers gain a sound understanding of the principles of heat pipe technology.

This is the seventh edition of this publication, and first in 10 years. What’s changed?

“The seventh edition provides brand new chapters on additive manufacturing and heat exchangers, in addition to a much enhanced chapter on electronics thermal management using heat pipes. The new edition also provides more insight into the design and fabrication of a heat pipe.”

Who is this book intended for?

"It is intended for researchers, engineers and industrialists who are decarbonising their processes. The case studies provided in Chapter 6 can also be useful to a much wider audience as it provides real case scenarios of heat pipe heat exchangers that are installed in full-scale worldwide."

What is this book intended to offer readers?

"An in-depth, easy-to-read guide book into the design and utilisation of the heat pipe technology in small-to-large-scale industries."

Which aspect of this new edition captivates your interest the most?

"From my point of view, the inclusion of real cases that are implemented in important industries is what led me to take the lead on this new edition."

How will the utilization of heat pipe heat exchangers, specifically, contribute to the advancing efforts in industrial decarbonisation?

"They will provide viable and cost-effective solutions for energy management in areas that are impossible to be dealt with when using conventional heat exchangers designs."

You and your fellow offers discuss several different industries in which HPHEs are being used currently. Do you see any emerging trends as to where HPHE applications are headed? For example, you touch on TES, high temps, etc.

"I certainly think energy storage and heat pumps are natural addition to heat pipe systems when dealing with low-grade waste heat recovery applications. This is something I am noticing at the moment."

Lastly, specific to manufacturing and testing, this edition discusses the rising applications of 3-D printing. What type of impact will this have on manufacturing moving forward?

"It is expected that the utilisation of adaptive manufacturing will ultimately lead to a lower cost of manufacturing for heat pipes and an increase in the value that they can bring. It will also enable complex geometries to be manufactured, which can be very complicated using traditional manufacturing techniques."

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Copies are now available to order via sites such as Amazon and Elsevier.

About the author: Hussam Jouhara is Technical Director at Econotherm and Full Professor of Thermal Engineering at Brunel University in London, UK. His research and professional foci are on the development of heat pipe-based heat exchangers with successful implementation in a multitude of temperature ranges, including cryogenic and high-temperature industrial waste heat recovery.

For more information, contact Hussam at hussam.jouhara@brunel.ac.uk.