Thermal Tests and Two-Phase Phenomena Observations in a Transparent Experimental Loop Heat Pipe

An experimental setup has been designed, assembled and instrumented to perform thermal tests and observations inside a loop heat pipe (LHP). The hysteresis and temperature oscillations phenomena are investigated. The influence of nucleate boiling in the reservoir on the LHP operation and the effect of non-condensable gases are assessed. The links between temperature oscillations and the hydrodynamic behaviour of the LHP are highlighted. Finally, observations through the transparent lines confirm the occurrence of the condensation phenomena in the condenser and in the transport lines that were already observed by other author .