PLATE TYPE HEAT PIPE WITH MESH WICK STRUCTURE HAVING OPENING

Abstract

A plate type heat pipe includes a sealed tube, a chamber defined in the tube, and working medium received in the chamber. A mesh wick structure is attached to an inner wall of the tube. In one version of the plate type heat pipe, the wick structure defines a single opening. The opening communicates the chamber and thereby provides additional space for flow of vaporized working medium inside the tube. In other versions of the plate type heat pipe, the wick structure defines two or more openings.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to TW Patent Application No. 100148725 filed on Dec. 26, 2011, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The disclosure generally relates to heat transfer apparatuses typically used in electronic devices, and particularly to a plate type heat pipe with high heat transfer performance.

BACKGROUND

Heat pipes have excellent heat transfer performance and are therefore effective means for transfer or dissipation of heat from heat sources. Currently, heat pipes are widely used for removing heat from heat-generating components such as central processing units (CPUs) of computers. A heat pipe is usually a vacuum casing containing therein a working medium, which is employed to carry, under phase transitions between liquid state and vapor state, thermal energy from one section of the heat pipe (typically referring to as the “evaporator section”) to another section thereof (typically referring to as the “condenser section”). Preferably, a wick structure is provided inside the heat pipe, lining an inner wall of the casing, for drawing the working medium back to the evaporator section after it is condensed at the condenser section. A screen mesh inserted into the casing and held against the inner wall thereof is usually used as the wick structure of the heat pipe.

In operation, the evaporator section of the heat pipe is maintained in thermal contact with a heat-generating component. The working medium contained in the evaporator section absorbs heat generated by the heat-generating component and then turns into vapor. Due to the difference in vapor pressure between the two sections of the heat pipe, the generated vapor moves and thus carries the heat towards the condenser section where the vapor is condensed into condensate after releasing the heat into the ambient environment via, for example, fins thermally contacting the condenser section. Due to the difference in capillary pressure which develops in the wick structure between the two sections, the condensate is then brought back by the wick structure to the evaporator section where it is again available for evaporation.

Typically, the screen mesh is attached to the whole inner wall of the casing from the evaporator section to the condenser section. As a result, a space in the heat pipe for the vaporized working medium to flow through may be inadequate. This leads to a high flow resistance for the working medium, and thereby retards the heat transfer capability of the heat pipe.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a heat pipe with improved heat transfer capability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures.

FIG. 1 is an abbreviated, longitudinal cross-sectional view of a plate type heat pipe in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view of an adiabatic section of the heat pipe of the first embodiment, corresponding to line II-II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of both an evaporator section and a condenser section of the heat pipe of the first embodiment, corresponding to lines III-III of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an unfolded mesh of the heat pipe of FIG. 1, showing the mesh spread out flat from a folded (or rolled) state.

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view of an adiabatic section of a plate type heat pipe in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an unfolded mesh of a plate type heat pipe in accordance with a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an unfolded mesh of a plate type heat pipe in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is essentially a plan view of an unfolded mesh of a plate type heat pipe in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of an unfolded mesh of a plate type heat pipe in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of an unfolded mesh of a plate type heat pipe in accordance with a seventh embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of an unfolded mesh of a plate type heat pipe in accordance with an eighth embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts have been exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure. The description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein.

Several definitions that apply throughout this disclosure will now be presented. The term “comprising” means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in a so-described combination, group, series and the like. The term “coupled” is defined as connected, whether directly or indirectly through intervening components, and is not necessarily limited to physical connections. The connection can be such that the objects are permanently connected or releasably connected.

Referring to FIG. 1, a plate type heat pipe 100 in accordance with a first embodiment of the disclosure is shown. The heat pipe 100 includes an elongated flat tube 10, which contains a wick structure 30 and a working medium 20 therein.

Also referring to FIGS. 2-3, the tube 10 is made of a highly thermally conductive material such as copper or aluminum. The tube 10 includes an evaporator section 102, a condenser section 104 opposite to the evaporator section 102, and an adiabatic section 103 disposed between the evaporator section 102 and the condenser section 104. A thickness of the tube 10 from top to bottom is less than 2 mm (millimeters). That is, a total height of the tube 10 is less than 2 mm. The tube 10 includes a flat bottom wall 11, a top wall 13 opposite to the bottom wall 11, and two side walls 15 connected between the bottom wall 11 and the top wall 13. The bottom wall 11, the top wall 13 and the side walls 15 cooperatively define a sealed chamber 50. The chamber 50 is in vacuum except for the working medium 20.

The working medium 20 is saturated in the wick structure 30 and is usually selected from a liquid such as water, methanol, or alcohol, which has a low boiling point and is compatible with the wick structure 30. Thus, the working medium 20 can easily evaporate to vapor when it absorbs heat at the evaporator section 102 of the heat pipe 100.

The wick structure 30 is attached to an inner wall of the tube 10. The wick structure 30 extends along an axial direction of the tube 10 from the evaporator section 102 to the condenser section 104. The wick structure 30 is a porous screen mesh structure, and provides a capillary force to drive condensed working medium 20 at the condenser section 104 to flow towards the evaporator section 102 of the heat pipe 100.

Referring also to FIG. 4, the wick structure 30 is formed by rolling a rectangular mesh 31. The mesh 31 defines two rectangular openings 32 spaced from each other. Each opening 32 is also spaced from an adjacent outer long edge of the mesh 31. The openings 32 are only located at the adiabatic section 103 of the heat pipe 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the openings 32 are identical, and are parallel to each other. A transverse width of each opening 32 (measured from top to bottom in FIG. 4) is approximately one fourth of a corresponding width of the mesh 31. A length of each opening 32 (measured from left to right in FIG. 4) is approximately equal to a length of the adiabatic section 103.

Referring to FIG. 2, a transverse cross-sectional view of the adiabatic section 103 of the heat pipe 100 is shown. The two openings 32 respectively correspond to the side walls 15 at the adiabatic section 103.

Referring to FIG. 3, a transverse cross-sectional view of the evaporator section 102 and the condenser section 104 of the heat pipe 100 is shown. No openings are defined in portions of the wick structure 30 which are respectively attached to the inner walls of the evaporator section 102 and the condenser section 104.

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the adiabatic section 103 of the plate type heat pipe 100 in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment is that in the second embodiment, the two openings 32 respectively corresponding to the top wall 13 and the bottom wall 11 of the tube 10 after the wick structure 30 is attached to the inner wall of the tube 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the opening 32 at the top wall 13 overlaps the opening 32 at the bottom wall 11.

FIG. 6 shows an unfolded mesh 31a for the plate type heat pipe 100 in accordance with a third embodiment of the present disclosure. The differences between the meshes 31, 31a of the first and third embodiments are as follows. In the third embodiment, only one opening 32a is defined in the mesh 31a. The opening 32a corresponds to the adiabatic section 103 of the plate type heat pipe 100. A transverse width of the opening 32a is substantially half of a corresponding width of the mesh 31a.

FIG. 7 shows an unfolded mesh 31b for the plate type heat pipe 100 in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. The differences between the meshes 31, 31b of the first and fourth embodiments are as follows. In the fourth embodiment, the mesh 31b defines three spaced, parallel, rectangular openings 32b corresponding to the adiabatic section 103 of the heat pipe 100. One of the three openings 32b is defined in a middle of the mesh 31b. The other two openings 32b are respectively defined in two opposite long sides of the mesh 31b. Outer extremities of the other two openings 32b are aligned with opposite outer long edges of the mesh 31b, respectively. That is, the other two openings 32b communicate with lateral exteriors of the mesh 31b. A total transverse width of the three openings 32b is substantially half of a corresponding width of the mesh 31b.

FIG. 8 shows an unfolded mesh 31c for the plate type heat pipe 100 in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. The mesh 31c defines three spaced, parallel, rectangular openings 32c corresponding to the adiabatic section 103 of the heat pipe 100. One of the three openings 32c is defined in a middle of the mesh 31c, and the other two openings 32c are respectively defined in two opposite long sides of the mesh 31c. Outer extremities of the other two openings 32c are aligned with opposite outer long edges of the mesh 31c, respectively. That is, the other two openings 32c communicate with lateral exteriors of the mesh 31c. A total transverse width of the three openings 32c is substantially half of a corresponding width of the mesh 31c. The difference between the meshes 31b, 31c of the fourth and fifth embodiments is, in the fifth embodiment, a copper sheet 33 is connected between two opposite long side edges of the middle opening 32c, to reinforce the strength of the mesh 31c.

FIG. 9 shows an unfolded mesh 31d for the plate type heat pipe 100 in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure. The differences between the meshes 31, 31d of the first and sixth embodiments are as follows. In the sixth embodiment, the mesh 31d defines six spaced rectangular openings 32d extending in two rows along the axial direction of the tube 10 from the evaporator section 102 to the condenser section 104. The two rows of openings 32d are parallel to each other. All the openings 32d have a same transverse width. The two openings 32d in a middle of the mesh 31d have the same length, are directly opposite each other, and correspond to the adiabatic section 103 of the heat pipe 100. The two openings 32d in one of opposite ends of the mesh 31d have the same length, are directly opposite each other, and are adjacent to the condenser section 104 of the heat pipe 100. The two openings 32d in the other opposite end of the mesh 31d have the same length, are directly opposite each other, and are adjacent to the evaporator section 102 of the heat pipe 100.

FIG. 10 shows an unfolded mesh 31e for the plate type heat pipe 100 in accordance with a seventh embodiment of the present disclosure. The mesh 31e defines an isosceles trapezoidal opening 32e. The parallel sides of the opening 32e are substantially perpendicular to opposite long sides of the mesh 31e. The opening 32e extends along the axial direction of the tube 10 from the evaporator section 102 to the condenser section 104. In one embodiment, the long parallel side of the opening 32e is adjacent to the evaporator section 102, and the short parallel side of the opening 32e is adjacent to the condenser section 104.

FIG. 11 shows an unfolded mesh 31f for the plate type heat pipe 100 in accordance with an eighth embodiment of the present disclosure. The mesh 31f defines two elongated, isosceles triangular openings 32f. In the illustrated embodiment, the openings 32f are identical, and are arranged side by side. Bases of the openings 32f (i.e. the two non-equal sides of the openings 32f) are aligned with each other, and are substantially perpendicular to opposite long sides of the mesh 31f. Vertexes of the openings 32f point in the same direction. The openings 32f extend along the axial direction of the tube 10 from the evaporator section 102 to the condenser section 104. In one embodiment, the bases of the openings 32f are adjacent to the evaporator section 102, and the vertexes of the openings 32f are adjacent to the condenser section 104.

According to the disclosure, a total area of the wick structure 30 is reduced due to the openings being defined in the wick structure 30, thereby increasing a space in the heat pipe 100 for the vaporized working medium 20 to flow therethrough. Therefore, compared with conventional heat pipes, the heat pipe 100 has not only a low flow resistance, but also a large capillary force. These advantages facilitate improving the heat transfer capability of the heat pipe 100.

Table 1 below shows an average of maximum heat transfer rates (Qmax) and an average of heat resistances (Rth) of a conventional mesh type heat pipe and certain of the heat pipes 100 in accordance with the present disclosure. The conventional mesh type heat pipe and the heat pipes 100 in Table 1 all have a thickness of 1 mm. Qmax represents the maximum heat transfer rate of each heat pipe at an operational temperature of 50° C. Rth is obtained by dividing the difference between an average temperature of the evaporator section of the heat pipe and an average temperature of the condenser section of the heat pipe by Qmax.

The average of Rth of the heat pipes 100 with the mesh 31a defining one opening 32a is substantially equal to that of the conventional mesh type heat pipe, and the average of Qmax of the heat pipe 100 with the mesh 31a defining one opening 32a is significantly more than that of the conventional mesh type heat pipe. The average of Rth of the heat pipe 100 with the mesh 31 defining two openings 32 (i.e., the heat pipe of the first embodiment) is significantly less than that of the conventional mesh type heat pipe, and the average of Qmax of the heat pipe 100 with the mesh 31 defining two openings 32 is slightly more than that of the conventional mesh type heat pipe. The average of Rth of the heat pipe 100 with the mesh 31c defining three openings 32c and the copper sheet 33 is significantly more than that of the conventional mesh type heat pipe, and the average of Qmax of the heat pipe 100 with the mesh 31c defining three openings 32c and the copper sheet 33 is significantly more than that of the conventional mesh type heat pipe.

	TABLE 1
		Average of Qmax	Average of Rth
	Type of heat pipe	(unit: W)	(unit: ° C./W)
	Conventional mesh type	8.1	0.6
	heat pipe
	Heat pipe 100 with the	12.5	0.61
	mesh 31a defining one
	opening 32a
	Heat pipe 100 with the	8.3	0.33
	mesh 31 defining two
	openings 32
	Heat pipe 100 with the	11.9	1.07
	mesh 31c defining three
	openings 32c and the
	copper sheet 33

The embodiments shown and described above are only examples. Many details are often found in the art such as the other features of a plate type heat pipe. Therefore, many such details are neither shown nor described. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present technology have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the present disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes can be made in the detail, including in matters of shape, size and arrangement of the parts within the principles of the present disclosure up to, and including the full extent established by the broad general meaning of the terms used in the claims. It will therefore be appreciated that the embodiments described above can be modified within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A plate type heat pipe comprising: a sealed tube defining a chamber therein;a working medium received in the chamber; anda mesh wick structure attached to an inner wall of the tube in the chamber, the wick structure defining at least one opening, the at least one opening communicating with the chamber and thereby providing additional space for flow of vaporized working medium inside the tube.

2. The plate type heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the tube comprises an evaporator section, a condenser section opposite to the evaporator section, and an adiabatic section disposed between the evaporator section and the condenser section, the at least one opening being located at the adiabatic section of the tube only.

3. The plate type heat pipe of claim 2, wherein the wick structure is a rolled mesh attached on the inner wall of the tube.

4. The plate type heat pipe of claim 3, wherein the at least one opening is two parallel, elongated openings, each of the two openings being spaced from an outer long edge of the mesh when the mesh is unrolled and flat.

5. The plate type heat pipe of claim 4, wherein the tube comprises a flat bottom wall, a flat top wall opposite to the bottom wall, and two side walls connected between the bottom wall and the top wall, the two openings respectively corresponding to the top wall and the bottom wall of the tube at the adiabatic section.

6. The plate type heat pipe of claim 4, wherein a width of each of the openings is approximately one fourth of a width of the mesh when the mesh is unrolled and flat.

7. The plate type heat pipe of claim 3, wherein the at least one opening is defined in a middle of the mesh.