Analytical expression for thermal conductivity of heat pipe

An analytical expression is proposed to predict the thermal conductivity of a heat pipe based on the heat transport limit equations. The experimental results of thermal conductivity of heat pipe measured at different heat inputs are compared with the thermal conductivity obtained from the analytical expression and found to be reasonable in agreement. The thermal conductivity of heat pipe obtained from the heat transport limit equation is also compared with lumped thermal resistant network model. The proposed analytical model is computationally effective and simple, and can be applied to a variety of applications. It is also useful for design and computational analysis of embedded heat pipes for machining applications.