Effect of sintering process on properties of Ni porous capillary wicks for loop heat pipe

The sintered nickel porous capillary wicks for loop heat pipe(LHP) were prepared by powder metallurgy. The effects of sintering temperature, time and packing density on porosity, average pore size, microstructure, permeability,and capillary pressure were investigated by the Archimedes drainage method, scanning electron microscopy(SEM),Darcy's Law and other property test methods. The results show that the porous capillary wicks with the most excellent comprehensive performance can be fabricated by sintering at the temperature of 750~800 ℃, sintering time of 30~45min and packing density of 0.9~1.0 g/cm3. And the fabricated porous capillary wicks have the porosity of 55%~64%,permeability of 1.2~1.7×10-13 m2 and capillary pressure of 200~240 kPa, which meet the demands of porous capillary wick for LHP.