Failure analysis and reliability research of copper-water heat pipe in metro vehicle application

As simple and economical heat dissipation devices, copper-water heat pipes are widely used in all walks of life. Studying their reliability is greatly significant to the thermal management of equipment, especially the cooling of power electronic devices with high thermal sensitivity. This study focu...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: LIANG Jinfa, LIU Xiong, WU Zhiyong, FAN Wei
Format: Article
Language:zho
Published: Editorial Department of Electric Drive for Locomotives 2024-11-01
Series:机车电传动
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Online Access:http://edl.csrzic.com/thesisDetails#10.13890/j.issn.1000-128X.2024.06.017
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Summary:As simple and economical heat dissipation devices, copper-water heat pipes are widely used in all walks of life. Studying their reliability is greatly significant to the thermal management of equipment, especially the cooling of power electronic devices with high thermal sensitivity. This study focused on heat pipe radiators used in several rail transit lines that have been operated for at least 10 years in different regions. A series of experiments were conducted for evaluation in multiple aspects including isothermal performance, temperature resistance, power transfer, and vacuum degree, along with laboratory tests of the working fluid. The analysis of results show that, thanks to the stable working fluid, the copper-water heat pipes generally have a service life of more than 10 years. Furthermore, a low probability of failure was identified, primarily associated with wall damage and air ingress during the pipe sealing process. Therefore, recommendations are offered for heat pipe manufacturer to improve the performance and reliability of heat pipes by refining the pipe sealing process.
ISSN:1000-128X