FLATTENED HEAT PIPE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20160033206A1
• Filed: 10/09/2015
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: KAMEOKA, Hideaki, OKADA, Hiroshi, YAMAMOTO, Masaaki, SUGIMURA, Masanobu, MIURA, Tatsuro, SASAKI, Yasumi, FURUMOTO, Shinichi
• Granted Patent: US 10,408,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0233 the conduits having a particular shape, e.g. non-circular cross-section, annular F28D15/0241, F28D15/0266 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/04 with tubes having a capillary structure
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/046 characterised by the material or the construction of the capillary structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/427 Cooling by change of state, e.g. use of heat pipes by liquefied gas H01L23/445
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49353 Heat pipe device making

Abstract

The invention provides a flattened heat pipe whose vapor flowing passage is not clogged and which has an excellent capillary force. The flattened heat pipe has a closed container formed by flattening a tubular container, a plurality of wick structures arrayed within the container in a longitudinal direction so as to form an acute-angled portion where a capillary force is large at least partially within the container, a hollow portion formed of an outer peripheral surface of the wick structure and an inner wall surface of the container and a working fluid sealed into the container.

Claims

1. A flattened heat pipe, comprising:

a flat and tubular closed container;

a plurality of wick structures; and

a working fluid sealed into the container, wherein

the wick structures consist of sintered metals formed of sintered globular or deformed powder,

cross-sectional shapes of the wick structures in the container are respectively having curved portions and flat portions,

the flat portions of the wick structures are in contact with an inner wall of the container,

vapor flowing passages are formed at least in curved areas of both sides of the container,

the curved portions of two adjacent wick structures of the plurality of wick structures are in contact with each other, such that the cross-sectional shape of one of the adjacent wick structures has one point contact with the curved portion of the other wick structure of the adjacent wick structures, and

the one point contact is slightly plastically-deformed by the curved portion of the other wick structure.

2. The flattened heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the wick structure is formed of a substantially same thickness as a whole.

3. The flattened heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the wick structure is changed so as to be thicker in a high-temperature portion where an exothermic element is disposed than in a low-temperature portion where none of exothermic elements are disposed.

4. The flattened heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the container is changed so as to be thinner in a high-temperature portion where an exothermic element is disposed than in a low-temperature portion where none of exothermic elements are disposed.

5. The flattened heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein a distance between neighboring curved portions of the wick structures is equal to 1.0 mm or less than 1.0 mm.

6. The flattened heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of wick structures are disposed respectively on parts opposite each other of the inner wall of the container.

7. The flattened heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein a concavo-convex portion is formed on the inner wall in a longitudinal direction of the container.

8. The flattened heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the one point contact is plastically-deformed by at most 0.4 mm.

9. The flattened heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shapes of the wick structures in the container are respectively formed into semi-elliptical shapes.

10. The flattened heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein a capillary force is generated between neighboring curved portions, while a capillary force is also generated in voids formed in the sintered metals.

11. The flattened heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the adjacent wick structures have apexes that contact.