Method and Apparatus For Heat Exchange Using Hollow Foams And Interconnected Networks And Method of Making The Same
First Claim
1. A method of redistributing heat, comprising:
- providing an open cell foam having hollow ligaments;
partially filling said hollow ligaments of said foam with a working fluid;
evacuating the contents of said hollow ligaments except for the desired quantity of said working fluid;
sealing the ends of said hollow ligaments to contain said working fluid; and
placing one portion of said foam proximal to a heat source.
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus for the efficient transfer of heat utilizing micro heat pipes that include a cellular foam or interconnected cellular/truss network having hollow ligaments. A predetermined fraction of the internal volume of the hollow ligaments is filled with a carefully chosen working fluid, and the ends of the hollow ligaments are sealed. In operation, the working fluid evaporates in the region of high heat flux and condenses in regions of lower temperature, resulting in the transfer or redistribution of the fluid'"'"'s latent heat of vaporization. For open cell foams and interconnected networks, a second fluid flowing through the open cells, separate from the working fluid but also in thermal contact with the hollow ligaments, assists in the transfer of heat from the foam and networks.
71 Citations
70 Claims
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1. A method of redistributing heat, comprising:
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providing an open cell foam having hollow ligaments; partially filling said hollow ligaments of said foam with a working fluid; evacuating the contents of said hollow ligaments except for the desired quantity of said working fluid; sealing the ends of said hollow ligaments to contain said working fluid; and placing one portion of said foam proximal to a heat source. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
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22. A three-dimensional heat exchanger, comprising:
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an open cell foam having hollow ligaments with an evacuated internal volume; a means for sealing the ends of said hollow ligaments of said foam; and a working fluid confined within the interior volume of said hollow ligaments of said foam by said sealing means. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A method of redistributing heat, comprising:
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providing an open cell interconnected network having hollow ligaments; disposing at least one wicking structure within a plurality of each of said hollow ligaments; partially filling said hollow ligaments of said interconnected network with a working fluid; evacuating the contents of said hollow ligaments except for the desired quantity of said working fluid; sealing the ends of said hollow ligaments to contain said working fluid; and placing one portion of said interconnected network proximal to a heat source. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A method of manufacturing a three-dimensional heat exchanger, comprising:
providing an open cell interconnected network having hollow ligaments; disposing at least one wicking structure within a plurality of each of said hollow ligaments; partially filling said hollow ligaments of said interconnected network with a working fluid; evacuating all contents of said hollow ligaments except for the desired quantity of said working fluid; and sealing the ends of said hollow ligaments to contain said working fluid. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A three-dimensional heat exchanger, comprising:
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an open cell interconnected network having hollow ligaments with an evacuated internal volume; at least one wicking structure within a plurality of each of said hollow ligaments; a means for sealing the ends of said hollow ligaments of said interconnected network; and a working fluid confined within the interior volume of said hollow ligaments of said interconnected network by said sealing means. - View Dependent Claims (58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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Specification