LEPTEN/Labtucal do research on applied heat transfer fields, which includes heat pipe technology development.
The heat pipe and thermosyphon research and development began in the 1990's, starting from the need of the Brazilian Space Agency (Agência Espacial Brasileira - AEB) and of the national space industry to develop a thermal control system for the Brazilian satellites. The laboratory infrastructure, acquired throughout the years, allowed the research to shift to industrial applications, with several partnerships and contracts created. Currently, the heat pipe and thermosyphon research can be divided in two main areas.
One branch studies the physical phenomena involved in heat pipe and/or thermosyphon operation, which includes the mechanic behavior of the tube materials, as well as the thermal behavior of working fluids, which go through processes such as boiling, condensation, porous medium flow, two-phase flow, among others. Such phenomena are analyzed in both theoretical and experimental studies, with temperature levels ranging from cryogenic to liquid metals in high temperatures. Several configurations, fluids, and device geometries are also studied.
The other branch develops equipment with heat pipe and thermosyphon technologies for the petroleum industry, such as heat exchangers for heat recovery, and heating systems for high viscosity product storage (i.e. asphalt, oils, crude oil, among others). Technology applied to the food industries (such as bread, biscuit, and pizza baking ovens) is also studied. This laboratory is being built under PETROBRAS investments. It is important to note that the developed equipment is now being introduced industry.
