HEAT PIPE HAVING A CHANNELED HEAT TRANSFER ARRAY

• US 20140138058A1
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A.
• Application Number:
  US13/682,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20140138058A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/104.26
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/00 Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies F28D17/00, F28D19/00, F28D20/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0275 Arrangements for coupling heat-pipes together or with other structures, e.g. with base blocks; Heat pipe cores
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/04 with tubes having a capillary structure
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2260/02 having microchannels

Abstract

Described embodiments include a heat pipe system. The system includes an evaporator portion having a wall internally defining an evaporator chamber and configured to evaporate a liquid phase of a working fluid by absorbing heat. A condenser portion has a wall internally defining a condenser chamber and configured to condense a vapor phase of the working fluid by releasing heat. The system includes the working fluid. The system includes a channeled heat transfer array including at least two tubes. Each tube of the at least two tubes has a wall defining (i) a channel flowing an intermediate fluid and (ii) an exterior surface directly exposed to the working fluid. The evaporator chamber, the condenser chamber, and the exterior surfaces of the at least two tubes of the channeled heat transfer array form a hermetically sealed hollow vessel containing the working fluid.

Claims

1. A heat pipe comprising:

an evaporator portion having a wall internally defining an evaporator chamber and configured to evaporate a liquid phase of a working fluid by absorbing heat;

a condenser portion having a wall internally defining a condenser chamber and configured to condense a vapor phase of the working fluid by releasing heat;

a channeled heat transfer array including at least two tubes, each tube of the at least two tubes having a wall defining (i) a channel open to an external environment and (ii) an exterior surface directly exposed to the working fluid; and

the evaporator chamber, the condenser chamber, and the exterior surfaces of the at least two tubes of the channeled heat transfer array forming a hermetically sealed hollow vessel containing the working fluid.

2. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the evaporator portion is configured to evaporate a liquid phase of the working fluid by absorbing heat from a heat source.

3. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the condenser portion is configured to condense a vapor phase of the working fluid by releasing heat to a heat sink.

4. The heat pipe of claim 1, further comprising:

a transport portion having an internal passageway configured to flow the working fluid between the evaporator chamber and the condenser chamber.

5. The heat pipe of claim 4, wherein the evaporator chamber, the condenser chamber, the internal flow passageway, and the exterior surfaces of the at least two tubes of the channeled heat transfer array form a hermetically sealed hollow vessel containing the working fluid.

6. The heat pipe of claim 4, wherein the transport portion includes a capillary structure configured to facilitate transportation of the working fluid in a liquid phase from the condenser portion to the evaporator portion.

7. The heat pipe of claim 4, wherein the transport portion includes (i) a first transport portion configured to flow a vapor phase of the working fluid from the evaporator chamber to the condenser chamber;

and (ii) a second transport portion configured to flow a liquid phase of the working fluid from the condenser chamber to the evaporator chamber.

8. The heat pipe of claim 7, wherein the first transport portion defines a first internal passageway.

9. The heat pipe of claim 7, wherein the second transport portion defines a second internal passageway.

10. The heat pipe of claim 7, wherein the second transport portion includes a capillary material.

11. The heat pipe of claim 7, wherein the second transport portion includes a wicking material.

12. The heat pipe of claim 7, wherein the second transport portion includes a grooved surface.

13. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein a surface of the hermetically sealed hollow vessel comprises a capillary structure configured to facilitate transportation of the working fluid.

14. The heat pipe of claim 13, wherein the capillary structure comprises a capillary material.

15. The heat pipe of claim 13, wherein the capillary structure comprises a wicking material.

16. The heat pipe of claim 13, wherein the capillary structure comprises a grooved surface.

17. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the working fluid includes a working fluid tuned to a particular cooling situation.

18. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the working fluid includes a working fluid tuned to a cooling situation in which the heat pipe is designed to operate.

19. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the channeled heat transfer array is located at least partially within the evaporator chamber.

20. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the channeled heat transfer array is located at least partially within the condenser chamber.

21. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the channeled heat transfer array includes (i) a first channeled heat transfer array located at least partially within the evaporator chamber, (ii) and a second channeled heat transfer array located at least partially within the condenser chamber.

22. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the channel of a tube of the at least two tubes is directly exposed to an intermediate fluid.

23. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the channel of a tube of the at least two microtubes includes a microchannel configured to facilitate a laminar flow of a fluid through the microchannel.

27. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the intermediate fluid includes air, a liquid, or a gas.

28. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the exterior surface of a wall of a tube of the at least two tubes lying within the hermetically sealed hollow vessel is directly exposed to the working fluid.

32. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein a circumference of the exterior surface of a wall of a tube of the at least two tubes within the hermetically sealed hollow vessel is directly exposed to the working fluid.

35. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the exterior surface of a wall of a tube of the at least two tubes within the hermetically sealed hollow vessel is at least partially covered with a capillary structure that is directly exposed to the working fluid.

38. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein at least one channel of a tube of the at least two tubes has a non-circular cross section.

39. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein at least one channel of a tube of the at least two tubes has an elliptical cross section.

40. The heat pipe of claim 1, wherein at least one channel of a tube of the at least two tubes has a rectangular cross section.

24. (canceled)

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29. (canceled)

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31. (canceled)

33. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

36. (canceled)

37. (canceled)

41. A heat transfer method comprising:

flowing an intermediate fluid carrying heat absorbed from a heat generating device through an array of at least two tubes, each tube of the array of at least two tubes having a wall defining (i) a channel flowing the intermediate fluid and (ii) an exterior surface exposed to a liquid phase of a working fluid present in a first chamber of a hermetically sealed vessel;

absorbing heat from the intermediate fluid by evaporating the liquid phase of the working fluid into a vapor phase;

flowing the vapor-phase working fluid to a second chamber of the hermetically sealed vessel;

releasing heat from the vapor-phase working fluid present in the second chamber to a heat sink by condensing the vapor-phase working fluid into the liquid phase working fluid; and

flowing the liquid phase working fluid back to the first chamber.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the absorbing heat further includes flowing the liquid-phase working fluid proximate to the exterior surface of each wall of the at least two tubes using a capillary action.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the array of at least two tubes includes an array of at least two microtubes, each microtube having a microchannel configured to facilitate a laminar flow of the intermediate fluid through the microchannel.

44. The method of claim 41, wherein the flowing further includes flowing the liquid phase working fluid back to the first chamber using a capillary action.

45. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

assisting the condensing the vapor-phase working fluid by flowing another intermediate fluid thermally coupled with the heat sink through another array of at least two tubes, each tube of the another array at least two tubes having a wall defining (i) a channel flowing the another intermediate fluid and (ii) an exterior surface exposed to the vapor-phase working fluid present in the second chamber.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the assisting the condensing further includes flowing the condensed liquid-phase of the vapor-phase working fluid proximate to the exterior surface of each wall of the at least two tubes of the another array using a capillary action.

47. A heat transfer method comprising:

absorbing heat by evaporating a liquid phase of a working fluid present in a first chamber of a hermetically sealed vessel to a vapor-phase;

flowing the vapor-phase working fluid to a second chamber of the hermetically sealed vessel;

releasing heat from the vapor-phase working fluid present in the second chamber to a heat sink by condensing the vapor-phase working fluid into the liquid-phase working fluid, the condensing vapor-phase working fluid including flowing an intermediate fluid thermally coupled with the heat sink through an array of at least two tubes, each tube of the array at least two tubes having a wall defining (i) a channel flowing the intermediate fluid and (ii) an exterior surface exposed to the vapor-phase working fluid present in the second chamber; and

flowing the liquid phase working fluid back to the first chamber.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the condensing the vapor-phase working fluid further includes flowing the condensed liquid-phase of the vapor-phase working fluid proximate to the exterior surface of each wall of the at least two tubes using a capillary action.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the exterior surface includes an exterior surface having at least a portion covered with a capillary structure further facilitating condensation of the vapor-phase working fluid.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the flowing further includes flowing the liquid-phase working fluid back to the first chamber using a capillary action.