Pore-scale analysis of regular and irregular sintered wick structures in heat pipes.

This article focuses on a pore-scale simulation study comparing permeability (k), maximum velocity (U_max), and average velocity (U_ave) in three sintered porous wick structures—irregular, regular, and uniform—used in thermal management applications such as micro heat pipes (MHPs). The irregular structure, characterized by random particle sizes and arrangements, demonstrated the highest permeability and fluid velocities due to enhanced pore connectivity and size variability, while the uniform structure with fixed particle sizes and regular arrangement showed the lowest values. The regular structure, with fixed particle sizes but random arrangement, exhibited intermediate performance. Statistical analysis using analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed significant differences among these configurations, emphasizing the critical influence of particle size variability and spatial arrangement on fluid flow dynamics. The study’s findings provide insights for optimizing sintered porous wicks in heat transfer systems, highlighting that structural heterogeneity can enhance fluid transport efficiency, whereas uniformity offers predictability and control.