Analysis of a Heat Pipe Assisted Heat Sink

Introduction
Heat pipes can be useful in improving the performance of heat sinks in electronics cooling applications. As phase change heat transfer devices, heat pipes very effectively transfer heat over their length with only a small temperature gradient. Heat pipes are commonly available in two form factors; cylindrical heat pipes that transfer heat in 1 dimension, and vapor chambers (flat heat pipes) that transfer heat in 2 dimensions. When used in high heat flux applications where conduction losses are significant, heat pipes can reduce component temperatures by 10-20C.