Evaporator, a heat absorber, a thermal transport system and a thermal transport method

• US 6,840,304 B1
• Filed: 07/08/1999
• Issued: 01/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsujimori, Atsushi, Kamoya, Yoshihiro, Kobayashi, Takashi, Ogushi, Tetsuro
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanigan, Allen J.
• Application Number:
  US09/348,816
• Time in Patent Office: 2,014 Days
• Field of Search: 165/11.1, 165/104.23, 165/104.25, 165/104.26, 165/104.33, 165/104.21
• US Class Current: 165/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 3/007 Energy recuperation; Heat pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 23/006 boiling cooling systems
• 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

The conventional thermal transport system has disadvantages of the configuration being complex, large, heavyweight and expensive. In the present invention, a plurality of evaporators are connected in series via the liquid flow line, the evaporator of the first position is connected to the condenser via the liquid supply line, the evaporator of the last position is connected to the reservoir tanks for adjusting the amount of the liquid. The liquid amount measuring sensor is installed to measure the amount of the liquid in the liquid reservoir of the evaporator. Based on the measured result of the liquid amount measuring sensor, the control valve operates so as to supply the liquid accommodated in the reservoir tanks to each evaporator.

Claims

1. A heat absorber comprising:

a plurality of evaporators serially connected in different positions for receiving heat generated at heat generation units, wherein each evaporator comprises;

a) a liquid reservoir for accommodating liquid-phase working fluid;

b) a liquid supply port for supplying liquid-phase working fluid to the liquid reservoir;

c) a vapor ejection port for ejecting from the evaporator, working fluid vaporized at the evaporator; and

d) a liquid ejection port for ejecting from the evaporator, liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir;

a condenser in series with the plurality of evaporators; and

a reservoir tank connected to an evaporator of the last position of the plurality of evaporators at the liquid ejection port and adapted to receive excess liquid-phase working fluid from the evaporator of the last position when a liquid-phase working fluid level is above a desired level and to supply liquid-phase working fluid to the evaporator of the last position when a liquid-phase working fluid level is below the desired level.

2. The heat absorber according to claim 1, wherein the liquid ejection port of evaporators of the plurality of evaporators excluding the evaporator of the last position is connected to the liquid supply port of an evaporator of the next position of the plurality of evaporators.

3. The heat absorber according to claim 1, wherein a capacity of the liquid reservoir of the evaporator of the last position is larger than a capacity of the liquid reservoir of evaporators of other positions of the plurality of evaporators.

4. The heat absorber according to claim 1, comprising:

a) a liquid amount measuring sensor for measuring an amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir of an evaporator out of the plurality of evaporators; and

b) a liquid amount controller for controlling by using the reservoir tank, the amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir of each evaporator based on measured data of the liquid amount measuring sensor.

5. The heat absorber according to claim 4, wherein the liquid amount measuring sensor measures the amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir of the evaporator of the last position only, and the liquid amount controller controls by using the reservoir tank, the amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir of each evaporator based on one single measured data of the liquid amount measuring sensor.

6. The heat absorber according to claim 4, wherein the liquid amount measuring sensor measures the amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoirs of the plurality of evaporators, and the liquid amount controller controls by using the reservoir tank, the amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir of each evaporator based on a plurality of measured data of the liquid amount measuring sensor.

7. The heat absorber according to claim 4, wherein the reservoir tank has a plurality of tanks of various size of capacity, and wherein the liquid amount controller controls by using a tank out of the plurality of tanks, the amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir of each evaporator based on measured data of the liquid amount measuring sensor.

8. The heat absorber according to claim 4, wherein the liquid amount measuring sensor is one of a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor.

9. A thermal transport system comprising:

a plurality of evaporators serially connected in different positions for receiving heat generated at heat generation units and a condenser for rejecting heat, wherein each evaporator comprises;

a) a liquid reservoir for accommodating liquid-phase working fluid;

b) a liquid supply port for supplying liquid-phase working fluid to the liquid reservoir;

c) a vapor ejection port for ejecting from the evaporator, working fluid vaporized at the evaporator; and

d) a liquid ejection port for ejecting from the evaporator, liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir;

a condenser in series with the plurality of evaporators; and

a reservoir tank connected to an evaporator of the last position of the plurality of evaporators serially connected in different positions at the liquid ejection port and adapted to receive excess liquid-phase working fluid from the evaporator of the last position when a liquid-phase working fluid level is above a desired level and to supply liquid-phase working fluid to the evaporator of the last position when a liquid-phase working fluid level is below the desired level.

10. The heat absorber according to claim 9, wherein the liquid ejection port of evaporators of the plurality of evaporators excluding the evaporator of the last position is connected to the liquid supply port of an evaporator of the next position of the plurality of evaporators.

11. The thermal transport system according to claim 9, wherein a capacity of the liquid reservoir of the evaporator of the last position is larger than a capacity of the liquid reservoir of the evaporator of other positions.

12. The thermal transport system according to claim 9, comprising

a) a liquid amount measuring sensor for measuring an amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir of an evaporator out of the plurality of evaporators;

and

b) a liquid amount controller for controlling by using the reservoir tank, the amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir of each evaporator based on measured data of the liquid amount measuring sensor.

13. The thermal transport system according to claim 12, wherein the liquid amount measuring sensor measures the amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir of the evaporator of the last position only, and the liquid amount controller controls by using the reservoir tank, the amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir of each evaporator based on one single measured data of the liquid amount measuring sensor.

14. The thermal transport system according to claim 12, wherein the liquid amount measuring sensor measures the amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoirs of the plurality of evaporators, and the liquid amount controller controls by using the reservoir tank, the amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir of each evaporator based on a plurality of measured data of the liquid amount measuring sensor.

15. The thermal transport system according to claim 12, wherein the reservoir tank has a plurality of tanks of various size of capacity, and wherein the liquid amount controller controls by using a tank out of the plurality of tanks, the amount of liquid-phase working fluid accommodated in the liquid reservoir of each evaporator based on measured data of the liquid amount measuring sensor.

16. The thermal transport system according to claim 12, wherein the liquid amount measuring sensor is one of a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor.

17. The thermal transport system according to claim 9, wherein each evaporator further comprises a vapor line for supplying vapor vaporized at each evaporator to the condenser, and one vapor line meets with the other vapor lines at acute angle.

18. The thermal transport system according to claim 9, wherein each evaporator-further comprises a vapor line for supplying vapor vaporized at each evaporator to the condenser, and a bore size of the vapor line is widen as one vapor line meets the other vapor line.

19. A heat absorber, comprising:

a plurality of evaporators serially connected in different positions for receiving heat generated at heat generation units, wherein each evaporator comprises;

a) a liquid reservoir for accommodating liquid-phase working fluid;

b) a liquid supply port for supplying substantially only liquid-phase working fluid to the evaporator;

c) a vapor ejection port for ejecting working fluid vaporized at the evaporator from the evaporator; and

d) a liquid ejection port for ejecting substantially only liquid-phase working fluid from the evaporator,

wherein the liquid ejection port of all but a last one of the plurality of evaporators is directly connected to the liquid supply port of a next one of the plurality of evaporators by a liquid line for transporting substantially only the liquid-phase working fluid so that the plurality of evaporators are connected to one another in series by the liquid line.

20. The heat absorber according to claim 19, further comprising a reservoir tank for adjusting an amount of liquid-phase working fluid in the last one of the plurality of evaporators, wherein the liquid ejection port of the last one of the plurality of evaporators is connected to the reservoir tank by the liquid line.

21. A thermal transport system comprising:

a plurality of evaporators serially connected in different positions for receiving heat generated at heat generation units and a condenser for radiating heat, wherein each evaporator comprises;

a) a liquid reservoir for accommodating liquid-phase working fluid;

b) a liquid supply port for supplying substantially only liquid-phase working fluid to the evaporator;

c) a vapor ejection port for ejecting working fluid vaporized at the evaporator from the evaporator; and

d) a liquid ejection port for ejecting substantially only liquid-phase working fluid from the evaporator,

wherein the liquid ejection port of all but a last one of the plurality of evaporators is directly connected to the liquid supply port of a next one of the plurality of evaporators by a liquid line for transporting substantially only the liquid-phase working fluid so that the plurality of evaporators are connected to one another in series by the liquid line.

22. The thermal transport system according to claim 21, further comprising a reservoir tank for adjusting an amount of liquid-phase working fluid in the last one of the plurality of evaporators, wherein the liquid ejection port of the last one of the plurality of evaporators is connected to the reservoir tank by the liquid line.

23. A thermal transport method using a plurality of evaporators serially connected in different positions for receiving heat generated at a heat generation unit, comprising the steps of:

a) supplying substantially only liquid-phase working fluid to each evaporator of the plurality of evaporators;

b) accommodating, in each evaporator of the plurality of evaporators, liquid-phase working fluid supplied to each evaporator of the plurality of evaporators during the supplying step;

c) ejecting working fluid vaporized at each evaporator of the plurality of evaporators from a vapor ejection port of each evaporator of the plurality of evaporators;

d) ejecting from a liquid ejection port of each evaporator of the plurality of evaporators substantially only liquid-phase working fluid supplied to each evaporator of the plurality of evaporators during the supplying step and accommodated by each evaporator of the plurality of evaporators during the accommodating step;

condensing working fluid vaporized by the plurality of evaporators in a condenser;

receiving excess liquid-phase working fluid from a last evaporator of the plurality of evaporators in a reservoir tank connected to the last evaporator at a liquid ejection port thereof when a liquid-phase working fluid level is above a desired level; and

supplying liquid-phase working fluid to the last evaporator from the reservoir when a liquid-phase working fluid level is below the desired level.