Numerical simulation of grooved heat pipes forming by extrusion process and investigation of the effect of geometric and material parameters on their proper forming

Heat pipe is a two-phase heat transfer device with extremely high thermal conductivity. The structure of a heat pipe is practically divided into three regions: a) the evaporator region at one end of the pipe where heat enters to this region, b) the condensation region at the other end of the pipe where heat is excreted in this zone, and c) the adiabatic region, includes the evaporator and condenser regions. In this research, the forming process of grooved heat pipes in mini/micro dimensions by extrusion is numerically simulated and the possibility of production by extrusion process is investigated. During the numerical simulations, the value of force required for forming and the effect of variables such as pipe material, pipe diameter, pipe length, number of grooves in cross section and groove profile are studied. Additionally, the mutual effects of the parameters on each other have been identified and proper values of some parameters such as extrusion process velocity and groove profile type are determined.