3D printed novel wick structures for enhanced capillary flow
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Abstract
This study delves into the usage and creation of wicks for high heat flux evaporative cooling systems. One of the main challenges in traditional evaporative cooling systems is a premature coolant dryout under high heat flux heat demand due to the limited capillary flow through wick structures. A desired wick structure requires good capillary pumping capability and larger permeability, i.e., enhanced wickability; however, it typically needscomplex microstructures that are not compatible with conventional manufacturing approaches. The recent advancement of 3D printing technology enables us to print unique microstructures, and this study aims to create a new microstructure to 3D print as a wick for high heat flux evaporative cooling systems. To improve the wickability, this study examines two designs. One design is a triangular channel having internal iso truss structures, and the other is an internal isotruss built-in cubic lattice structure. These structures are designed by postulating that the smaller pores near the isotruss structures increases capillary pumping capability, while the large permeability is offered near the triangle channel walls or open cubic lattice structures. The two different strut diameters, 600 and 900 um, are printed to understand the effects of the strut diameters. The designed wick performance is experimentally characterized using the rate of rise test, and the enhanced wickability is compared with the reference structures such as the triangular channel and cubic structures without the isotruss structures. The triangular channel with the isotruss structures, both 600 and 900 um diameter struts, increased the maximum liquid height by 100% compared to that without the internal isotruss structures.

