In the present study pressure drop oscillations are analyzed with the aim of providing a better understanding on the dynamics of heat interaction between the fluid and the heated pipe wall. The influence of different approaches for updating the instant heat flux applied are analyzed, obtaining an imperceptible effect of the axial heat conduction along the pipe and a negligible influence of the instant heat flux axial distribution along the pipe. Lastly, a criterion was established for determining when the thermal capacity of the wall plays an important role in the dynamics of the oscillations. This criterion allows us to determine with a simple calculation whether the thermal capacity in the modeling can be neglected without losing considerable accuracy in the results. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.