Development and Applications of the Groove Analysis Program (GAP)

An IBM Personal Computer (PC) version of the Groove Analysis Program (GAP) was developed to predict the steady state heat transport capability of axially grooved heat pipes for a specified groove geometry and working fluid. In the model, the heat transport capability of an axially grooved heat pipe, usually governed by the capillary limit, is determined by the numerical solution of the governing equation for momentum conservation with the appropriate boundary conditions.

This paper discusses the theory behind the development of the GAP model. It also presents many useful capabilities of the model. Furthermore, correlations of flight test performance data using GAP are presented and discussed.