EURO HEAT PIPES SA

Their core work

Euro Heat Pipes is a Belgian SME specializing in the design and manufacture of heat pipe technologies for thermal management applications. Their core capability lies in passive thermal transfer devices — heat pipes that move heat efficiently without pumps or moving parts. In H2020, they applied this expertise primarily to aircraft ice protection systems under the Clean Sky 2 programme, developing passive and integrated anti-icing solutions for aviation. They also contributed to academic training in multiphase flow and process engineering through an MSCA network.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Euro Heat Pipes entered H2020 in 2016 with a strong focus on aviation ice protection, coordinating PIPS to develop passive anti-icing systems using heat pipe technology. By 2018, they expanded into two directions simultaneously: deepening their aviation work through I3PS (integrating ice protection systems) and branching into fundamental research on multiphase flow modeling via COMETE. This suggests a company moving from pure product application toward understanding the underlying physics of their core technology at a deeper computational level.

Moving from applied heat pipe products toward deeper computational understanding of multiphase thermal processes, which could enable them to enter new application domains beyond aviation.

How they like to work

Euro Heat Pipes operates as both a project leader and a specialist contributor. They coordinated PIPS (their largest project at EUR 447K) while joining two others as a participant, showing comfort in both roles. With 10 unique partners across 7 countries from just 3 projects, they build diverse international consortia rather than relying on repeat partnerships — typical of a specialist SME that brings a niche capability different teams need.

Despite a small project portfolio, they have built a relatively broad network of 10 partners across 7 countries, reflecting the international demand for their specialized thermal management expertise. Their network spans both industrial aviation consortia (Clean Sky 2) and academic research networks (MSCA).

What sets them apart

Euro Heat Pipes occupies a very specific niche: they are one of few European SMEs with deep expertise in applying heat pipe technology to aircraft ice protection — a safety-critical aviation challenge. Their combination of industrial heat pipe manufacturing capability with participation in fundamental multiphase flow research gives them a rare bridge between production-ready thermal products and advanced computational modeling. For consortium builders in aerospace or thermal management, they bring both hardware know-how and scientific credibility.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PIPS
  Their largest project (EUR 447K) and only coordination role — a Clean Sky 2 innovation action developing passive ice protection for aircraft, representing their core business translated into EU research.
• COMETE
  An MSCA training network running until 2023 focused on computational multiphase flow — signals a strategic move into deeper scientific understanding beyond their traditional product focus.