heat pipe

Has anyone been able to build a heat pipe themselves?
It appears to require a complete vacuum and a precise amount of
transfer material.
I would think that with my slot one and case I could physically fit a
heat pipe.
How could a regular joe make a heat pipe?
also any idea on calculating the design parameters?
IE-height, width, thickness, proper chemical ect....

I don't mean to be old-school. But have you tried your local library? Heatpipes have been out for like 30-years, so finding a book with the answers you seek should be easy.

I suppose your first step would be to guestimate the amount of surface area the is needed to shed the heat you need to shed. Then design the heatpipe with that figure in mind.

You may also want to do some research on the type of refrigerant you plan to use. Freon type refrigerants will require pressure, water/alcohol (or any other substance that is natively a liquid) will require a huge vacuum.

Good luck, I hope this helps.

When I was obsessed with making a heatpipe integrated into the base of a heatsink, I did a bit of research online, and from my understanding of the matter, you don't have to have a vacuum in order to have an effective heat pipe. If you use a liquid that has a low boiling point, it would compensate for the pressure.

However, let me tell you what I learned that crushed this dream of mine. The solid material in a heatpipe has a tendency to corrode rapidly. Any joe blow can make a pretty good heatpipe, but very few companies can make a good heatpipe last a long time. I'm not sure if this is because of the liquid inside promoting the corrosion, or if it is the constant heating/cooling, but it is a major issue to keep in mind, especially in a computer application.

I don't want to crush new ideas, so proceed with this if you are the adventerous type. If you do a search off Google for HEAT PIPE, there are a number of sites offering information on their use and construction.

I think you could prolly boil the water in the pipe and seal it hot and if you had the volume right it would create enough vacuum to lower the boiling point to a usable level in the tube

the guy over at www.benchtest.com has of couple of them and is using them. tells you how he built em also.

thanks for the replys.
I would think that using gas would keep the metal from rusting!
I guess any oil with a high vapor pressure would do.

I was thinking of using brass or copper, my plumping torch
and solder to make the thing. I guess it would be hard not
to heat the water to boiling

thank you for the info. I appreciate the constructive posts!
PS does the spell checker feature work for anyone.
I get a window that asks me if I want to debug the app.