Capillary pumped heat transfer loop

• US 5,944,092 A
• Filed: 01/28/1998
• Issued: 08/31/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Euro Heat Pipes SA
• Original Assignee: SABCA Company
• Inventors: Van Oost, Stephane
• Primary Examiner(s): ATKINSON, CHRISTOPHER MARK
• Application Number:
  US08/973,981
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 165/104.26, 165/41, 165/104.21, 165/104.19, 165/104.25, 165/104.24, 165/104.23, 165/104.27, 165/104.32
• US Class Current: 165/104.26
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/043 forming loops, e.g. capillary pumped loops

Abstract

A capillary pumped heat transfer loop involved an evaporator, a condenser and a reservoir tank for storing a heat transfer fluid, the evaporator being provided with a porous material for generating capillary pumping pressure within the loop; the tank and the evaporator are mutually thermally insulated and interconnected via a channel that has as a first portion a capillary connection for pumping the heat transfer fluid from the tank to the porous material, and has a second portion for conveying gas bubbles and/or steam from the evaporator to the tank, the tank being arranged to be kept at a lower temperature than the evaporator.

Claims

1. A capillary pumped heat transfer loop comprising at least one evaporator, at least one condenser and a reservoir for storing a heat transfer fluid, said evaporator comprising an output connected by a vapor line to an input of the condenser, an output of the condenser being connected to the reservoir, said evaporator comprising an evaporator body and being provided with a porous material provided for producing a capillary pumping pressure inside the loop and applying that pressure on the heat transfer fluid starting from a surface of a material in contact with the evaporator body, said evaporator being also provided for evaporating the heat transfer fluid by heat absorption, characterized in that the reservoir and the evaporator are thermally isolated from each other and connected to each other by a conduit comprising a first part formed by a capillary link provided for pumping the heat transfer fluid from the reservoir towards the porous material and a second part provided for evacuating gas bubbles and/or vapor formed within the evaporator towards the reservoir, which reservoir is provided to be kept at a temperature inferior to a temperature of the evaporator.

2. A loop as claimed in claim 1 characterized in that within said conduit, which connects the evaporator to the reservoir, the first part comprises at least a first channel having a diameter and the second part comprises at least a second channel having a diameter, the diameter of the first channel being smaller than the diameter of the second channel.

3. A loop as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the conduit, which connects the evaporator to the reservoir, extends along a central axis of the evaporator, said porous material of the evaporator being coaxially applied with respect to the conduit.

4. A loop as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the reservoir is thermally linked to said at least one evaporator by a thermo-electrical cell with Peltier effect, provided for regularizing the temperature of the reservoir.

5. A loop as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the loop comprises an auxiliary evaporator connected to a fluid line issuing from the condenser.

6. A loop as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that said fluid line crosses the auxiliary evaporator.

7. A loop as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that said auxiliary evaporator is connected to the fluid line by a capillary link.

8. A loop as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that an extremity of the capillary link, which is in contact with the fluid line, is thermally linked to the auxiliary evaporator by a thermo-electrical cell with Peltier effect, provided for cooling the fluid line with respect to the auxiliary evaporator.