Characterization of a Copper Powder for Heat Pipe Wick Applications

In powder metallurgy, it is necessary to know the powder's nature to understand how the processing of a powder occurs. In this paper, a characterization of a copper powder for heat pipe wick applications was experimentally done. The copper powder manufacturing method was atomization. This metallic powder was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (ED-XRF), and Laser Diffraction Granulometry. As a result, the purity and the shape are compatible with the powder manufacturing method and great for wicks. Also, the copper powder has a unimodal distribution that is excellent for capillary structures.