Cryogenic heat pipe

• US 6,173,761 B1
• Filed: 05/15/1997
• Issued: 01/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Masahiko, Yoshino, Tatsuya, Nakagome, Hideki, Ohtani, Yasumi, Chandratilleke, Rohana
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCKINNON, TERRELL L
• Application Number:
  US08/857,002
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 165/104.21, 165/104.26, 625/08, 623/83, 622/592, 62/511
• US Class Current: 165/104.21
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 23/006 boiling cooling systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 25/005 using primary and secondary systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2500/01 Geometry problems, e.g. for reducing size
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 9/14 characterised by the cycle used, e.g. Stirling cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0266 with separate evaporating and condensing chambers connected by at least one conduit; Loop-type heat pipes; with multiple or common evaporating or condensing chambers F28D15/043 takes precedence

Abstract

In a cryogenic loop heat pipe, a working fluid for heat transport is contained in a loop capillary tube, and a portion of the loop capillary tube is used as a heat absorbing portion (A) while a portion other than the heat absorbing portion (A) is used as a heat dissipating portion (B). In this heat pipe, when the heat exchange length of the heat absorbing portion A of the capillary tube is represented by l, and the inner diameter of the capillary tube at the heat absorbing portion A is represented by d, l and d satisfy 15d<l<882d. When a Laplace constant L is given by L=[σ/{(ρ₁−ρ_v)g}]^0.5, the inner diameter d satisfies L<d<3L.

Claims

1. A cryogenic heat pipe, comprising:

a sealed tube having an inner diameter d where L<

d<

3L configured to circulate a cryogenic working fluid having a surface tension σ

, a liquid phase density ρ

₁, a vapor phase density ρ

_v, and a gravitational acceleration g, wherein L is the Laplace constant and L=[σ

/{(ρ

₁−

ρ

_v)g}]^0.5; and

a vacuum container for containing the sealed tube, wherein

said sealed tube comprises,

at least one absorption portion configured to absorb heat and having a heat exchange length l where 15d<

l<

882d, and

at least one dissipation portion configured to dissipate heat;

wherein said working fluid is a fluid selected from the group consisting of helium, hydrogen, and neon and mixtures thereof.

2. The cryogenic heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein said sealed tube comprises as many of said absorption portions as there are objects to be cooled and as many of said dissipation portion as there are objects to be heated, said absorption portions and said dissipation portion alternately arranged along said sealed tube.

3. The cryogenic heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein said at least one absorption portion and said at least one dissipation portion comprise a heat conducting material.

4. The cryogenic heat pipe according to claim 3, wherein said heat conducting material is a metal.

5. The cryogenic heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein said sealed tube comprises one absorption portion and one dissipation portion and said one dissipation portion is positioned at a higher vertical level than said one absorption portion.

6. The cryogenic heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein said sealed tube comprises one absorption portion and one dissipation portion and said one absorption portion has an orientation angle having not less than a predetermined value with respect to a horizontal plane.

7. The cryogenic heat pipe according to claim 6, wherein said one absorption portion extends vertically with respect to said horizontal plane.

8. The cryogenic heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein said sealed tube further comprises a plurality of tubes formed into loops.

9. The cryogenic heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein said sealed tube further comprises a tube wound in a plurality of turns in the form of a coil.

10. The cryogenic heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein said sealed tube further comprises a double tube portion wherein one portion of said sealed tube is located within a second portion of said sealed tube, and an end portion of said one portion is open in said second portion.

11. The cryogenic heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein said cryogenic heat pipe is configured to use a super conductive coil for the heat absorption portion and a refrigerator for the dissipation portion.