Heat pipe with composite wick structure

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 202022012241.1 filed in China, on Sep. 15, 2020, and on Patent Application No(s). 202010970130.3 filed in China, on Sep. 15, 2020, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to a thermally conductive component, more particularly to a heat pipe.

BACKGROUND

Heat pipe is a hollow pipe made of metal material and effectively transfers heat between two solid interfaces. The heat pipe can be used in various applications, such as the aerospace field, and recently is widely used as a heat exchanger or a cooler for civil use.

The heat pipe has a sealed chamber for working fluid. The heat pipe employs phase change of the working fluid flowing between the vaporization and condensation ends of the heat pipe to transfer thermal energy. At the evaporation end of the heat pipe, the liquid working fluid is vaporized and then travels to the condensation end due to the pressure difference. The working fluid is condensed into liquid and then flows back to the evaporation end via a capillary structure.

In practical use, the heat source in contact with the evaporation portion may be turned off, and thus the temperature difference between the condensation portion and the evaporation portion may be reduced to about 30° C. This will lead to a reduction of the pressure difference between the condensation portion and the evaporation portion, thus causing the working fluid in the condensation portion to rapidly flow back to the evaporation end through the capillary structure before being cooled to the desired temperature. As a result, the heat dissipation efficiency of the heat pipe will be reduced. Thus, it is desired to find a solution to prevent the working fluid in the condensation portion from rapidly flowing back to the evaporation end via the capillary structure before it is cooled to the desired temperature during the down-time of the heat source.

SUMMARY

The disclosure provides a heat pipe that is capable of preventing the working fluid in the condensation portion from rapidly flowing back to the evaporation portion via the capillary structure before it is cooled to the desired temperature.

One embodiment of this disclosure provides a heat pipe including a pipe body, a first capillary structure and a second capillary structure. The pipe body has an evaporation portion and a condensation portion. The condensation portion is connected to the evaporation portion. The first capillary structure is disposed in the evaporation portion. The second capillary structure is disposed in the condensation portion and is connected to an end of the condensation portion that is located away from the evaporation portion. The second capillary structure is not in direct contact with the first capillary structure.

Another embodiment of this disclosure provides a heat pipe including a pipe body and a first capillary structure. The pipe body has an evaporation portion and a condensation portion. The condensation portion is connected to the evaporation portion. An extension direction of the evaporation portion is substantially perpendicular to an extension direction of the condensation portion so that a bent portion is formed between the condensation portion and the evaporation portion. The first capillary structure is disposed in the evaporation portion and spaced apart from the condensation portion.

According to the heat pipe disclosed by the above embodiments, the second capillary structure is thermally coupled to the first capillary structure through the pipe body and is not in direct contact with the first capillary structure. Also, there is no another capillary structure between the second capillary structure and the first capillary structure. Thus, the working fluid in the second capillary structure is prevented from directly flowing to the first capillary structure and the working fluid in the first capillary structure is prevented from directly flowing to the second capillary structure. As a result, when the heat source that is in contact with the evaporation portion is turned off, the working fluid in the condensation portion is prevented from rapidly flowing towards the evaporation portion before it is cooled to the desired temperature due to the space between the second capillary structure and condensation sidewall and the space between the second capillary structure and the first capillary structure.

Additionally, when the heat source that is in contact with the evaporation portion is turned off, the working fluid in the condensation portion is prevented from rapidly flowing towards the evaporation portion before it is cooled to the desired temperature since the first capillary structure is not disposed in the condensation portion and there is no additional capillary structure in the condensation portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become better understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only and thus are not intending to limit the present disclosure and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a heat pipe according to a first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a heat pipe according to a second embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a heat pipe according to a third embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a heat pipe according to a fourth embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a condensation end of a heat pipe according to a fifth embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a condensation end of a heat pipe according to a sixth embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a condensation end of a heat pipe according to a seventh embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a condensation end of a heat pipe according to an eighth embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, where FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a heat pipe 10 according to a first embodiment of the disclosure, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

In this embodiment, the heat pipe 10 includes a pipe body 100, a first capillary structure 200 and a second capillary structure 300. The pipe body 100 is made of, for example, a thermally conductive material, such as gold, silver, copper and aluminum. The pipe body 100 has an evaporation portion 110 and a condensation portion 120. The condensation portion 120 is connected to the evaporation portion 110, and an extension direction E1 of the evaporation portion 110 is parallel to an extension direction E2 of the condensation portion 120. The evaporation portion 110 is configured to be thermally coupled to a heat source (not shown), such as a central processing unit (CPU) or graphics processing unit (GPU), to absorb the heat generated by the heat source. The condensation portion 120 is configured to be thermally coupled to a heat dissipation fin (not shown) configured for dissipating the heat outside.

In this embodiment, the evaporation portion 110 includes an evaporation sidewall 111 and an evaporation end wall 112, and the condensation portion 120 includes a condensation sidewall 121 and a condensation end wall 122. The evaporation sidewall 111 is connected to the condensation sidewall 121. The evaporation end wall 112 is the closed end of the evaporation portion 110, the condensation end wall 122 is the closed end of the evaporation portion 110, and the evaporation sidewall 111 and the condensation sidewall 121 are connected to each other and located between the evaporation end wall 112 and the condensation end wall 122 so that the evaporation portion 110 and the condensation portion 120 together form a sealed chamber.

The first capillary structure 200 is disposed in the evaporation portion 110 and is in a ring shape. In this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200 is stacked on the evaporation sidewall 111 of the evaporation portion 110 and is in the form of having, for example, a mesh structure, sintered powder structure or sintered ceramic structure, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first capillary structure may be formed on the evaporation sidewall and in the form of having a micro-groove structure.

Additionally, in this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200 and the evaporation end wall 112 are spaced apart from each other, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first capillary structure may be connected to the evaporation end wall. In this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200 and the condensation portion 120 are spaced apart from each other, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first capillary structure may be stacked on the evaporation portion and the condensation portion, which is described in later paragraphs.

The second capillary structure 300 is disposed in the condensation portion 120 and is in a cylindrical shape, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the second capillary structure may be in a ring shape or in other suitable shapes, such as a pillar shape or closed shape. In this embodiment, one end of the second capillary structure 300 is fixed to the condensation end wall 122 via, for example, welding, and the second capillary structure 300 is spaced apart from the condensation sidewall 121. The second capillary structure 300 is in direct contact with the condensation end wall 122, which means that the second capillary structure 300 is in contact with the condensation end wall 122 with or without an intermediate component therebetween, where the intermediate component is a material for fixing the second capillary structure 300 to the condensation end wall 122, such as an adhesive or a solder. The second capillary structure 300 is not in direct contact with the condensation sidewall 121, which means that the second capillary structure 300 is spaced apart from the condensation sidewall 121 and has no direct physical contact with the condensation sidewall 121. In this arrangement, the second capillary structure 300 transfers heat to the condensation portion 120 mainly through the condensation end wall 122. In this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300 is in the form of having, for example, a mesh structure, sintered powder structure or sintered ceramic structure.

In addition, the second capillary structure 300 is spaced apart from the first capillary structure 200, which means that the second capillary structure 300 and the first capillary structure 200 have no direct physical contact with each other. In this or other embodiments, the second capillary structure 300 and the first capillary structure 200 may be spaced apart from each other by air, insulation material or thermally conductive material.

As discussed, in this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300 is thermally connected to the first capillary structure 200 via the condensation end wall 122, the condensation sidewall 121 and the evaporation sidewall 111, although the second capillary structure 300 and the first capillary structure 200 are spaced apart from each other. That is, in this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300 is thermally coupled to the first capillary structure 200 through the pipe body 100, and thus there is no capillary structure between the second capillary structure 300 and the first capillary structure 200, preventing the working fluid in the second capillary structure 300 from directly flowing to the first capillary structure 200 and preventing the working fluid in the first capillary structure 200 from directly flowing to the second capillary structure 300.

As a result, when the heat source that is in contact with the evaporation portion 110 is turned off, the working fluid in the condensation portion 120 is prevented from rapidly flowing towards the evaporation portion 110 before it is cooled to the desired temperature due to the space between the second capillary structure 300 and first capillary structure 200.

In this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300 only has a mesh structure, a sintered powder structure or a sintered ceramic structure, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the second capillary structure may be a composite capillary structures. For example, in other embodiments, the second capillary structure may include two parts that are stacked on each other, where the two parts of the second capillary structure are in different forms. In such an embodiment, one part of the second capillary structure may have a mesh structure and the other part of the second capillary structure may have a sintered powder structure.

The dotted arrow in FIG. 1 indicates the flowing direction of the working fluid that is in the form of liquid or vapor. Hereinafter, the operation of the heat pipe is explained by referring to FIG. 1. After the working fluid is vaporized in the evaporation portion 110, the working fluid that is in the form of vapor moves to the condensation portion 120 due to the pressure difference and is then condensed into liquid, where at least part of the liquid working fluid flows back to the evaporation portion 110 via the gap between the second capillary structure 300 and the condensation sidewall 121. It is to be explained that, in this embodiment, part of the liquid working fluid may flow back to the evaporation portion 110 further via the second capillary structure 300.

Please refer to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6, where FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a heat pipe 10a according to a second embodiment of the disclosure, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 4. The heat pipe 10a in FIG. 4 is similar to the heat pipe 10 in FIG. 1, and the main difference therebetween is the configuration of the capillary structures, and thus at least some of the repeated descriptions are omitted hereinafter

In this embodiment, the heat pipe 10a includes a pipe body 100a, a first capillary structure 200a, a second capillary structure 300a and a third capillary structure 400a. The pipe body 100a is made of, for example, a thermally conductive material, such as gold, silver, copper and aluminum. The pipe body 100a has an evaporation portion 110a and a condensation portion 120a. The condensation portion 120a is connected to the evaporation portion 110a, and an extension direction E1 of the evaporation portion 110a is parallel to an extension direction E2 of the condensation portion 120a. The evaporation portion 110a is configured to be thermally coupled to a heat source (not shown), such as a central processing unit (CPU) or graphics processing unit (GPU), to absorb the heat generated by the heat source. The condensation portion 120a is configured to be thermally coupled to a heat dissipation fin (not shown) configured for dissipating the heat outside.

In this embodiment, the evaporation portion 110a includes an evaporation sidewall 111a and an evaporation end wall 112a, and the condensation portion 120a includes a condensation sidewall 121a and a condensation end wall 122a. The evaporation sidewall 111a is connected to the condensation sidewall 121a. The evaporation end wall 112a is the closed end of the evaporation portion 110a, and the condensation end wall 122a is the closed end of the condensation portion 120a, and the evaporation sidewall 111a and the condensation sidewall 121a are connected to each other and located between the evaporation end wall 112a and the condensation end wall 122a so that the evaporation portion 110a and the condensation portion 120a together form a sealed chamber.

The first capillary structure 200a is disposed in the pipe body 100a and is in, for example, a ring shape. In addition, the first capillary structure 200a extends from the evaporation portion 110a into the condensation portion 120a. Further, the first capillary structure 200a is not only stacked on an inner surface of the evaporation portion 110a, but also is stacked on an inner surface of the condensation portion 120a.

In this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200a is a composite structure. In detail, a part of the first capillary structure 200a that is stacked on the condensation portion 120a is in the form of having, for example, a mesh structure whose mesh thickness ranging from 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm, and the other part of the first capillary structure 200a that is stacked on the evaporation portion 110a is in the form of having, for example, a sintered powder structure or a composite structure including a mesh structure and a sintered powder structure. In such a case, the capillary action of the part of the first capillary structure 200a that is stacked on the evaporation portion 110a is stronger than that of the part of the first capillary structure 200a that is stacked on the condensation portion 120a. Therefore, although the first capillary structure 200a is in direct contact with the condensation portion 120a, the working fluid in the condensation portion 120a is prevented from rapidly flowing back to the evaporation portion 110a before it is cooled to the desired temperature.

In this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200a is a composite capillary structure, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first capillary structure may only have a mesh structure, sintered powder structure or sintered ceramic structure. In such an embodiment, a thickness of the part of the first capillary structure 200a being stacked on the evaporation portion 110a may be larger than a thickness of the part of the first capillary structure 200a being stacked on the condensation portion 120a.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200a is spaced apart from the evaporation end wall 112a, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first capillary structure 200a may be arranged to be connected to the evaporation end wall 112a.

The second capillary structure 300a is disposed in the condensation portion 120a and is in a cylindrical shape, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the second capillary structure may be in a ring shape. One end of the second capillary structure 300a is fixed to the condensation end wall 122a via, for example, welding, and the second capillary structure 300a is spaced apart from the condensation sidewall 121a and the first capillary structure 200a stacked on the inner surface of the condensation sidewall 121a. The second capillary structure 300a is in direct contact with the condensation end wall 122a, which means that the second capillary structure 300a is in contact with the condensation end wall 122a with or without an intermediate component therebetween, where the intermediate component is a material for fixing the second capillary structure 300a to the condensation end wall 122a, such as an adhesive or a solder. The second capillary structure 300a is not in direct contact with the condensation sidewall 121a and the first capillary structure 200a, which means that the second capillary structure 300a has no direct physical contact with the condensation sidewall 121a, such as being spaced apart from the condensation sidewall 121a by air. In this arrangement, the second capillary structure 300a transfers heat to the condensation portion 120a mainly through the condensation end wall 122a. In this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300a is in the form of having, for example, a mesh structure, sintered powder structure or sintered ceramic structure.

In addition, the second capillary structure 300a is spaced apart from the first capillary structure 200a, which means that the second capillary structure 300a and the first capillary structure 200a have no direct physical contact with each other. In this or other embodiments, the second capillary structure 300a and the first capillary structure 200a may be spaced apart from each other by air, insulation material or thermally conductive material.

The third capillary structure 400a is stacked on the first capillary structure 200a and is spaced apart from the second capillary structure 300a, which means the second capillary structure 300a and the third capillary structure 400a have no direct physical contact with each other. In this or other embodiments, the second capillary structure 300a and the third capillary structure 400a may be spaced apart from each other by air, insulation material or thermally conductive material. In addition, the third capillary structure 400a is in the form of having, for example, a mesh structure, sintered powder structure or sintered ceramic structure

In this embodiment, the third capillary structure 400a is located in the evaporation portion 110a and is not located in the condensation portion 120a, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the third capillary structure may cover the inner surfaces of the evaporation portion and the condensation portion.

In this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300a is thermally coupled to the first capillary structure 200a via the condensation end wall 122a, the condensation sidewall 121a and the evaporation sidewall 111a, although the second capillary structure 300a and the first capillary structure 200a are spaced apart from each other. That is, in this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300a is thermally coupled to the first capillary structure 200a via the pipe body 100a, and thus there is no capillary structure between the second capillary structure 300a and the first capillary structure 200a, preventing the working fluid in the second capillary structure 300a from directly flowing to the first capillary structure 200a and preventing the working fluid in the first capillary structure 200a from directly flowing to the second capillary structure 300a.

As a result, when the heat source that is in contact with the evaporation portion 110a is turned off, the working fluid in the condensation portion 120a is prevented from rapidly flowing towards the evaporation portion 110a before it is cooled to the desired temperature due to the space between the second capillary structure 300a and condensation sidewall 121a and the spaces between the second capillary structure 300a and the first and third capillary structures 200a and 400a.

In this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300a only has a mesh structure, a sintered powder structure or a sintered ceramic structure, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the second capillary structure may be a composite capillary structures. For example, in other embodiments, the second capillary structure may include two parts that are stacked on each other, where the two parts of the second capillary structure are in different forms. In such an embodiment, one part of the second capillary structure may have a mesh structure and the other part of the second capillary structure may have a sintered powder structure.

Please refer to FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, where FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a heat pipe according to a third embodiment of the disclosure, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 7. The heat pipe in FIG. 7 is similar to the heat pipe 10 in FIG. 1, and the main difference therebetween is the configuration of the pipe body, and thus at least some of the repeated descriptions are omitted hereinafter

In this embodiment, a heat pipe 10b includes a pipe body 100b, a first capillary structure 200b and a second capillary structure 300b. The pipe body 100b is made of, for example, a thermally conductive material, such as gold, silver, copper and aluminum. The pipe body 100b has an evaporation portion 110b and a condensation portion 120b. An extension direction E1 of the evaporation portion 110b is substantially perpendicular to an extension direction E2 of the condensation portion 120b, and the evaporation portion 110b and the condensation portion 120b are connected to each other via a bent portion 130b. More specifically, the extension direction E1 of the evaporation portion 110b and the extension direction E2 of the condensation portion 120b may be perpendicular to each other or nearly perpendicular to each other due to the manufacture tolerance. The evaporation portion 110b is configured to be thermally coupled to a heat source (not shown), such as a central processing unit (CPU) or graphics processing unit (GPU), to absorb the heat generated by the heat source. The condensation portion 120b is configured to be thermally coupled to a heat dissipation fin (not shown) configured for dissipating the heat outside.

In this embodiment, the evaporation portion 110b includes an evaporation sidewall 111b and an evaporation end wall 112b, and the condensation portion 120b includes a condensation sidewall 121b and a condensation end wall 122b. The evaporation sidewall 111b and the condensation sidewall 121b are respectively connected to two opposite ends of the bent portion 130b. The evaporation end wall 112b is the closed end of the evaporation portion 110b, and the condensation end wall 122b is the closed end of the condensation portion 120b, and the evaporation sidewall 111b and the condensation sidewall 121b are connected to each other via the bent portion 130b and located between the evaporation end wall 112b and the condensation end wall 122b so that the evaporation portion 110b, the bent portion 130b and the condensation portion 120b together form a sealed chamber.

The first capillary structure 200b is disposed in the evaporation portion 110b and is in, for example, a ring shape. In addition, the first capillary structure 200b is stacked on an inner surface of the evaporation sidewall 111b of the evaporation portion 110b. In this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200b is in the form of having, a mesh structure, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first capillary structure may be in the form of a micro groove and formed on the evaporation sidewall.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200b is spaced apart from the evaporation end wall 112b, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first capillary structure may be in direct contact with the evaporation end wall 112b. In this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200b is located in the evaporation portion 110b, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first capillary structure may be located in the evaporation portion and the condensation portion.

The second capillary structure 300b is disposed in the condensation portion 120b and is in a cylindrical shape, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the second capillary structure may be in a ring shape. One end of the second capillary structure 300b is fixed to the condensation end wall 122b via, for example, welding, and the second capillary structure 300b is spaced apart from the condensation sidewall 121b. The second capillary structure 300b is in direct contact with the condensation end wall 122b, which means that the second capillary structure 300b is in contact with the condensation end wall 122b with or without an intermediate component therebetween, where the intermediate component is a material for fixing the second capillary structure 300b to the condensation end wall 122b, such as an adhesive or a solder. The second capillary structure 300b is not in direct contact with the condensation sidewall 121b, which means that the second capillary structure 300b has no direct physical contact with the condensation sidewall 121b, such as being spaced apart from the condensation sidewall 121b by air. In this arrangement, the second capillary structure 300b transfers heat to the condensation portion 120b mainly through the condensation end wall 122b. In this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300b is in the form of having, for example, a mesh structure, sintered powder structure or sintered ceramic structure.

In addition, the second capillary structure 300b is spaced apart from the first capillary structure 200b, which means that the second capillary structure 300b and the first capillary structure 200b have no direct physical contact with each other. In this or other embodiments, the second capillary structure 300b and the first capillary structure 200b may be spaced apart from each other by air, insulation material or thermally conductive material.

In this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300b is thermally coupled to the first capillary structure 200b via the condensation end wall 122b, condensation sidewall 121b and the evaporation sidewall 111b, although the second capillary structure 300b and the first capillary structure 200b are spaced apart from each other. That is, in this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300b is thermally coupled to the first capillary structure 200b via the pipe body 100b and thus there is no capillary structure between the second capillary structure 300b and the first capillary structure 200b, preventing the working fluid in the second capillary structure 300b from directly flowing to the first capillary structure 200b and preventing the working fluid in the first capillary structure 200b from directly flowing to the second capillary structure 300b.

As a result, when the heat source that is in contact with the evaporation portion 110b is turned off, the working fluid in the condensation portion 120b is prevented from rapidly flowing towards the evaporation portion 110b before it is cooled to the desired temperature due to the space between the second capillary structure 300b and condensation sidewall 121b and the space between the second capillary structure 300b and the first capillary structure 200b.

In this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300b only has a mesh structure, a sintered powder structure or a sintered ceramic structure, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the second capillary structure may be a composite capillary structures. For example, in other embodiments, the second capillary structure may include two parts that are stacked on each other, where the two parts of the second capillary structure are in different forms. In such an embodiment, one part of the second capillary structure may have a mesh structure and the other part of the second capillary structure may have a sintered powder structure.

The dotted arrow in FIG. 7 indicates the flowing direction of the working fluid that is in the form of liquid or vapor. Hereinafter, the operation of the heat pipe is explained by referring to FIG. 7. After the working fluid is vaporized in the evaporation portion 110b, the working fluid that is in the form of vapor moves to the condensation portion 120b due to the pressure difference and is then condensed into liquid, where at least part of the liquid working fluid flows back to the evaporation portion 110b via the gap between the second capillary structure 300b and the condensation sidewall 121b. It is to be explained that, in this embodiment, part of the liquid working fluid may flow back to the evaporation portion 110b further via the second capillary structure 300b.

Please refer to FIG. 10 to FIG. 12, where FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a heat pipe according to a fourth embodiment of the disclosure, FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 10, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 in FIG. 10. The heat pipe in FIG. 10 is similar to the heat pipe in FIG. 7, and the main difference therebetween is the configuration of the capillary structure, and thus at least some of the repeated descriptions are omitted hereinafter

In this embodiment, a heat pipe 10c includes a pipe body 100c and a first capillary structure 200c. The pipe body 100c is made of, for example, a thermally conductive material, such as gold, silver, copper and aluminum. The pipe body 100c has an evaporation portion 110c and a condensation portion 120c. An extension direction E1 of the evaporation portion 110c is substantially perpendicular to an extension direction E2 of the condensation portion 120c, and the evaporation portion 110c and the condensation portion 120c are connected to each other via a bent portion 130c. More specifically, the extension direction E1 of the evaporation portion 110c and the extension direction E2 of the condensation portion 120c may be perpendicular to each other or nearly perpendicular to each other due to the manufacture tolerance. The evaporation portion 110c is configured to be thermally coupled to a heat source (not shown), such as a central processing unit (CPU) or graphics processing unit (GPU), to absorb the heat generated by the heat source. The condensation portion 120c is configured to be thermally coupled to a heat dissipation fin (not shown) configured for dissipating the heat outside.

In this embodiment, the evaporation portion 110c includes an evaporation sidewall 111c and an evaporation end wall 112c, and the condensation portion 120c includes a condensation sidewall 121c and a condensation end wall 122c. The evaporation end wall 112c is the closed end of the evaporation portion 110c, the condensation end wall 122c is the closed end of the evaporation portion 110c, and the evaporation sidewall 111c and the condensation sidewall 121c are connected to each other and located between the evaporation end wall 112c and the condensation end wall 122c so that the evaporation portion 110c and the condensation portion 120c together form a sealed chamber.

The first capillary structure 200c is disposed in the evaporation portion 110c and is in a ring shape. In this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200c is stacked on the evaporation sidewall 111c of the evaporation portion 110c and is in the form of having, for example, a mesh structure, sintered powder structure or sintered ceramic structure, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first capillary structure may be formed on the evaporation sidewall and in the form of having a micro-groove structure.

Additionally, in this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200c and the evaporation end wall 112c are spaced apart from each other, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first capillary structure may be connected to the evaporation end wall. In this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200c is located in the evaporation portion 110c, and that is, the first capillary structure 200c is spaced apart from the bent portion 130c and the condensation portion 120c, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first capillary structure may be located in the evaporation portion and the bent portion.

In this embodiment, the first capillary structure 200c is not located in the condensation portion 120c, and as shown, there is no additional capillary structure disposed in the condensation portion 120c. Thus, although heat can be transferred between the condensation portion 120c and the first capillary structure 200c, the working fluid in the capillary structure disposed in the condensation portion 120c still is prevented from directly flowing to the first capillary structure 200c and the working fluid in the first capillary structure 200c is prevented from directly flowing to the capillary structure disposed in the condensation portion 120c.

Therefore, when the heat source that is in contact with the evaporation portion 110c is turned off, the working fluid in the condensation portion 120c is prevented from rapidly flowing towards the evaporation portion 110c before it is cooled to the desired temperature since the first capillary structure 200c is not disposed in the condensation portion 120c and there is no additional capillary structure in the condensation portion 120c. In this embodiment, during the operation of the heat pipe 10c, the condensation portion 120c may be placed in a vertical manner so that the gravity can force the working fluid in the condensation portion 120c to flow back to the evaporation portion 110c.

The second capillary structure 300 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is in a cylindrical shape, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Please refer to FIG. 13, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a condensation end of a heat pipe according to a fifth embodiment of the disclosure. The heat pipe in FIG. 13 is similar to the heat pipe 10 in FIG. 1, and the main difference therebetween is the configuration of the second capillary structure, and thus at least some of the repeated descriptions are omitted hereinafter. In this embodiment, a second capillary structure 300d is disposed in the condensation portion 120d and is in a ring shape. In this embodiment, only one end of the second capillary structure 300d is fixed to the condensation portion 120d. The second capillary structure 300d is spaced apart from a circumferential wall of the condensation portion 120d, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the second capillary structure may be in contact with the condensation portion and an area of a contact surface of the second capillary structure where the condensation portion is in contact may be small relative to an overall surface area of the second capillary structure. In this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300d is in the form of having, for example, a mesh structure, sintered powder structure or sintered ceramic structure.

In addition, in this embodiment, similar to the second capillary structure 300 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the second capillary structure 300d is not in direct contact with the first capillary structure 200d, and thus the repeated descriptions thereof are not repeated.

The second capillary structure 300 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is in a cylindrical shape and is single, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Please refer to FIG. 14, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a condensation end of a heat pipe according to a sixth embodiment of the disclosure. The heat pipe in FIG. 14 is similar to the heat pipe 10 in FIG. 1, and the main difference therebetween is the configuration of the second capillary structure, and thus at least some of the repeated descriptions are omitted hereinafter. In this embodiment, there are two second capillary structures 300e. The two second capillary structures 300e are disposed in the condensation portion 120e and are in a cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, only one end of each second capillary structure 300e is fixed to the condensation portion 120e. The two second capillary structures 300e are in partial contact with the circumferential wall of the condensation portion 120e. An area of a contact surface of each second capillary structure 300e where the condensation portion is in contact is small relative to an overall surface area of the second capillary structure 300e. For example, the area of the contact surface of each second capillary structure is smaller than ten percent of the overall surface area of an outer circumferential surface of the second capillary structure 300e. In other embodiments, the second capillary structure may be spaced apart from the circumferential wall of the condensation portion. In this embodiment, each second capillary structure 300e is in the form of having, for example, a mesh structure, sintered powder structure or sintered ceramic structure.

In addition, in this embodiment, the two second capillary structures 300e are spaced apart from each other, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the two second capillary structures may be connected to each other.

Moreover, in this embodiment, like the second capillary structure 300 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the second capillary structure 300e is not in direct contact with the first capillary structure 200e, and thus the detail descriptions thereof are not repeated.

The second capillary structure 300 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is in a cylindrical shape, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Please refer to FIG. 15, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a condensation end of a heat pipe according to a seventh embodiment of the disclosure. The heat pipe in FIG. 15 is similar to the heat pipe 10 in FIG. 2, and the main difference therebetween is the configuration of the second capillary structure, and thus at least some of the repeated descriptions are omitted hereinafter. In this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300f is disposed in the condensation portion 120f and is in a ring shape. In this embodiment, only one end of the second capillary structure 300f is fixed to the condensation portion 120f. The second capillary structure 300f is spaced apart from a circumferential wall of the condensation portion 120f. In this embodiment, the second capillary structure 300f is in the form of having, for example, a mesh structure, sintered powder structure or sintered ceramic structure.

In addition, in this embodiment, similar to the second capillary structure 300 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the second capillary structure 300f is not in direct contact with the first capillary structure 200f, and thus the repeated descriptions thereof are not repeated.

The second capillary structure 300a in the embodiment shown in FIG. is in a cylindrical shape and is single, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Please refer to FIG. 16, there is shown a cross-sectional view of a condensation end of a heat pipe according to an eighth embodiment of the disclosure. The heat pipe in FIG. 16 is similar to the heat pipe 10a in FIGS. 4 to 6, and the main difference therebetween is the configuration of the second capillary structure, and thus at least some of the repeated descriptions are omitted hereinafter. In this embodiment, there are two second capillary structures 300g. The two second capillary structures 300g are disposed in the condensation portion 120g and are in a cylindrical shape. In this embodiment, only one end of each second capillary structure 300g is fixed to condensation portion 120g. The two second capillary structures 300g are not in direct contact with the circumferential wall of the condensation portion 120g and the first capillary structure 200g. In this embodiment, each second capillary structure 300g is in the form of having, for example, a mesh structure, sintered powder structure or sintered ceramic structure.

In addition, in this embodiment, the two second capillary structures 300g are spaced apart from each other, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the two second capillary structures may be connected to each other.

Moreover, in this embodiment, like the second capillary structure 300a in the embodiment shown in FIG., the second capillary structure 300g is not in direct contact with the first capillary structure 200g, and thus the detail descriptions thereof are not repeated.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present disclosure. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary embodiments only, with a scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.

Number	Date	Country	Kind
202010970130.3	Sep 2020	CN	national
202022012241.1	Sep 2020	CN	national

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20070240859	Wang	Oct 2007	A1
20090084526	Chang	Apr 2009	A1
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20130092354	Semenov	Apr 2013	A1
20130174966	He	Jul 2013	A1
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20160014931	Hamakawa	Jan 2016	A1
20200248970	Chen	Aug 2020	A1

Number	Date	Country
201229139	Apr 2009	CN
3173270	Jun 2001	JP
2005114179	Apr 2005	JP
WO-2020018484	Jan 2020	WO

Heat pipe with composite wick structure

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CPC

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