Characterization of Saturated Flow within Mesh-Type Wicks Based on the Capillary Suction Potential Corrected Using the Tortuosity

A relation of the friction factor cf to the Reynolds number Re, cfRe = 24, in mesh-type wicks has been deduced on the basis of a capillary bundle model, using the modified j-function of single-layer polyethylene mesh wicks measured by an electric resistance method. Correlation of the capillary drain height and the capillary drain number has yielded the tortuosity as a function only of the porosity. The cf and Re values calculated using the estimated tortuosity have proved the relation cfRe = 24 to be applicable to plain-woven stainless meshes as well as plain-woven and knitted-type polyethylene meshes, irrespective of the mesh number and the number of mesh layers constituting the wick.The results for the multi-layer mesh wicks have also reasonably supported that the modified j-function would be available even for the mesh wicks where the porosity increases by 12% or decreases by 14% compared to those of the single-layer mesh wicks.