Experimental investigation on capillary force of composite wick structure by IR thermal imaging camera

A novel sintered–grooved composite wick structures has been developed for two-phase heat transfer devices. With ethanol as the working fluid, risen meniscus test is conducted to study the capillary force of wick structures. Infrared (IR) thermal imaging is used to identify and locate the liquid meniscus. The effects of sintered layer, V-grooves and powder size on capillary force are explored. The results show that the capillary force of composite wick structures is larger than that of grooved and sintered ones. Interaction wetting between groove and sintered powder happens during the liquid rise in composite wick, which provides an additional source of capillary force. It exhibits a variation of capillary force of composite wicks with different powder size due to the difference of open pore size and quantity in sintered porous matrix.