Dutch knowledge center

The Dutch knowledge center for heat pipe technology was founded in 2010 to promote the knowledge of two-phase heat transport mechanisms. Next to general heat pipe knowledge, the knowledge center specifically focuses on applying heat pipe technology for electronics cooling.


Why is the heat pipe so interesting?

As the heat pipe offers very high thermal coefficients for heat transport, it is increasingly used to manage heat dissipations in electronic products, such as laptops, desktop computers and game consoles. Other advantages are the fact that the heat pipe requires no external power, moving parts or pump, and that the temperature gradient is extremely low across its length. In fact, its equivalent thermal conductivity greatly exceeds that of any known metal. Moreover, the cross sectional area of the heat pipe is also very low, compared to, for instance, conducting heat sinks or coldplates. Finally, it also responds more quickly to a change of state, compared to conducting metals. More information about the heat pipe's working principles can be found here.