The article presents the results of numerical studies of the temperature load influence on flow regime of the condensate film under the toroidal vapour vortex of condensing vapour in short heat pipes (HP’s). The direction of axial rotation of the toroidal vortex depends on the temperature load and is reversed when the working fluid in the evaporator is overheated relative to its boiling point by δev  ≥ Tev –TB ~ 10 K. Vapour vortex formation on the surface of liquid condensate film, moving radially from the center to the periphery on the surface of the HP’s upper cover, leads to film braking at small temperature loads on the evaporator, and to acceleration of film flow at large temperature load.  The surface of the condensate film under the toroidal vapour vortex has a concave character and is not parallel to the flat surface of the top cover near the HP’s walls, the angle of film surface inclination near the walls reaches (14±1)°, and its thickness at the contact point can reach 3 mm.