  The reported research work presents numerical studies validated by
experimental results of a flat micro heat pipe with sintered copper wick
structure. The objectives of this project are to produce and demonstrate the
efficiency of the passive cooling technology (heat pipe) integrated in a very
thin electronic substrate that is a part of a multifunctional 3-D electronic
package. The enhanced technology is dedicated to the thermal management of high
dissipative microsystems having heat densities of more than 10W/cm2. Future
applications are envisaged in the avionics sector. In this research 2D
numerical hydraulic model has been developed to investigate the performance of
a very thin flat micro heat pipe with sintered copper wick structure, using
water as a refrigerant. Finite difference method has been used to develop the
model. The model has been used to determine the mass transfer and fluid flow in
order to evaluate the limits of heat transport capacity as functions of the
dimensions of the wick and the vapour space and for various copper spheres
radii. The results are presented in terms of liquid and vapour pressures within
the heat pipe. The simulated results are validated by experiments and proved
that the method can be further used to predict thermal performance of the heat
pipe and to optimise its design.
