Claims
- 1. A capillary evaporator comprising:
a first plate, a primary wick, and a second plate, said primary wick being sandwiched between said first and second plates and being bonded to said first and second plates.
- 2. The capillary evaporator of claim 1, wherein the capillary evaporator has a substantially flat geometry.
- 3. The capillary evaporator of claim 1, wherein at least one of said first plate and said second plate is substantially flat.
- 4. The capillary evaporator of claim 1, wherein said primary wick is bonded to said first and second plates.
- 5. The capillary evaporator of claim 4, wherein said primary wick is bonded to said first and second plates by sintering.
- 6. The capillary evaporator of claim 4, wherein said primary wick is bonded to said first and second plates by diffusion bonding.
- 7. The capillary evaporator of claim 4, wherein said primary metal wick is bonded to said first and second plates by brazing.
- 8. The capillary evaporator of claim 1, wherein said primary metal wick is a metal wick.
- 9. The capillary evaporator of claim 1, said primary wick being free of supports connecting said first plate directly to said second plate.
- 10. The capillary evaporator of claim 1, said primary wick having tensile strength sufficient to prevent deformation of said first and second plates in the presence of vapor from a working fluid.
- 11. The capillary evaporator of claim 1, said primary wick having tensile strength sufficient to prevent deformation of said first and second plates when the internal pressure of the evaporator is above 10 psia.
- 12. The capillary evaporator of claim 1, said primary wick having tensile strength of at least about 2.5 times the vapor pressure of a working fluid that is to be used with the capillary evaporator.
- 13. The capillary evaporator of claim 1, wherein at least one vapor groove is formed in at least one of said first and second plates, adjacent said primary wick.
- 14. The capillary evaporator of claim 13, wherein at least one vapor groove is formed in said primary wick.
- 15. The capillary evaporator of claim 1, wherein at least one vapor groove is formed in said primary wick.
- 16. The capillary evaporator of claim 1, further comprising:
a liquid manifold adjacent a first end of said primary wick, and a vapor manifold adjacent a second end of said primary wick, said second end being opposed to said first end, wherein said liquid manifold provides for flow of a working fluid into said first end of said primary wick, and said vapor manifold provides for collection of vapor at said second end of said primary wick.
- 17. The capillary evaporator of claim 16, further comprising a secondary wick disposed in said liquid manifold.
- 18. The capillary evaporator of claim 17, said secondary wick being selected from the group consisting of: a mesh wick and a capillary wick.
- 19. The capillary evaporator of claim 16, further comprising a liquid return line disposed in said liquid manifold.
- 20. The capillary evaporator of claim 19, said liquid return line being surrounded by a secondary wick.
- 21. The capillary evaporator of claim 19, said liquid return line being a bayonet liquid return line.
- 22. A capillary evaporator comprising:
a first plate; a second plate; a metal wick, said metal wick being sandwiched between said first and second plates; and means for preventing substantial deformation of said first and second plates in the presence of vapor of a working fluid.
- 23. The capillary evaporator of claim 22, wherein the capillary evaporator has a substantially flat geometry.
- 24. The capillary evaporator of claim 22, wherein at least one of said first plate and said second plate has a substantially planar surface.
- 25. The capillary evaporator of claim 22, wherein said means for preventing substantial deformation includes a sintered bond between said metal wick and each of said first and second plates.
- 26. The capillary evaporator of claim 22, wherein said means for preventing substantial deformation includes a brazed bond between said metal wick and each of said first and second plates.
- 27. The capillary evaporator of claim 22, wherein said means for preventing substantial deformation includes a diffusion bond between said metal wick and each of said first and second plates.
- 28. The capillary evaporator of claim 22, said metal wick being free of supports connecting said first plate directly to said second plate.
- 29. The capillary evaporator of claim 22, said metal wick having tensile strength sufficient to prevent deformation of said first and second plates when the internal pressure of the evaporator is above 10 psia.
- 30. The capillary evaporator of claim 22, said metal wick having tensile strength of at least about 2.5 times the vapor pressure of a working fluid that is to be used with the capillary evaporator.
- 31. A method of assembling a flat capillary evaporator comprising:
bonding a first plate to a first side of a metal wick; bonding a second plate to a second side, opposite said first side, of said metal wick; connecting together edges of said first and second plates so as to form a housing for the evaporator.
- 32. The method of assembling a flat capillary evaporator of claim 31, the bonding of said first and second plates to said metal wick being effected by sintering.
- 33. The method of assembling a flat capillary evaporator of claim 31, the bonding of said first and second plates to said metal wick being effected by brazing.
- 34. The method of assembling a flat capillary evaporator of claim 31, the bonding of said first and second plates to said metal wick being effected by diffusion bonding.
- 35. The method of assembling a flat capillary evaporator of claim 31, further comprising:
etching microgrooves into the first plate and the second plate to form vapor grooves.
- 36. The method of assembling a flat capillary evaporator of claim 31, further comprising:
selecting a wick with a homogeneous configuration as the metal wick.
- 37. A capillary evaporator comprising:
a first plate; a second plate; and a wick sandwiched between and bonded to said first and second plates; wherein said first and second plates are prevented from substantially deforming in the presence of vapor of a working fluid, and wherein the wick is resistant to back-conduction of heat.
- 38. The capillary evaporator of claim 37, wherein the evaporator has a substantially flat exterior geometry.
- 39. The capillary evaporator of claim 37, wherein microchannels are formed in the faces of said first and second plates that are bonded to said wick.
- 40. The capillary evaporator of claim 37, wherein the capillary evaporator operates reliably in a terrestrial gravitational field.
- 41. A capillary evaporator having substantially flat geometry comprising:
a first plate, a metal wick that is resistant to back-conduction of heat, a second plate, said homogeneous metal wick being sandwiched between said first and second plates and being sintered to said first and second plates; a liquid manifold adjacent a first end of said homogeneous metal wick; a secondary mesh wick disposed in said liquid manifold; a bayonet liquid return line disposed in said liquid manifold and surrounded by said secondary mesh wick; and a vapor manifold adjacent a second end of said homogeneous metal wick, said second end being opposed to said first end; wherein microchannel vapor grooves are formed in at said first and second plates, adjacent said homogeneous metal wick; and wherein said liquid manifold provides for flow of a working fluid into said first end of said homogeneous metal wick, and said vapor manifold provides for collection of vapor emerging from said vapor grooves and from said second end of said homogeneous metal wick.
- 42. A capillary evaporator comprising:
a liquid return; plural vapor grooves in fluid communication with a vapor outlet; a wick having a first surface adjacent the liquid return and a second surface adjacent the vapor grooves, wherein pore size within the wick prevents nucleation of a working fluid between the first surface and the second surface.
- 43. The capillary evaporator of claim 42, wherein pore size is substantially uniform between the first surface and the second surface.
- 44. The capillary evaporator of claim 42, wherein pore size is graded between the first surface and the second surface.
- 45. The capillary evaporator of claim 42, wherein the wick is free of any internal liquid flow channel.
- 46. The capillary evaporator of claim 42, wherein the wick has substantially cylindrical geometry.
- 47. The capillary evaporator of claim 42, wherein the wick has substantially flat geometry.
- 48. The capillary evaporator of claim 42, wherein the wick is substantially free of back-conduction of energy from the second surface to the first surface.
- 49. The capillary evaporator of claim 42, wherein the capillary evaporator operates reliably in a terrestrial gravitational field.
- 50. The capillary evaporator of claim 42, wherein the wick is formed of a polymer resin.
- 51. The capillary evaporator of claim 50, wherein the wick is formed of polytetrafluoroethylene.
- 52. The capillary evaporator of claim 42, wherein the wick is formed of metal.
- 53. A terrestrial loop heat pipe comprising:
an evaporator having a liquid inlet, a vapor outlet, and a liquid superheat tolerant capillary wick; a condenser having a vapor inlet and a liquid outlet; a vapor line providing fluid communication between the vapor outlet and the vapor inlet; and a liquid return line providing fluid communication between the liquid outlet and the liquid inlet; wherein the loop heat pipe operates reliably in a terrestrial gravitational field.
- 54. The terrestrial loop heat pipe of claim 53, wherein the evaporator has plural vapor grooves in fluid communication with the vapor outlet;
wherein the wick having a first surface adjacent the liquid return and a second surface adjacent the vapor grooves, wherein pore size within the wick suppresses nucleation of a working fluid between the first surface and the second surface.
- 55. The terrestrial loop heat pipe of claim 54, wherein pore size is substantially uniform between the first surface and the second surface.
- 56. The terrestrial loop heat pipe of claim 54, wherein pore size is graded between the first surface and the second surface.
- 57. The terrestrial loop heat pipe of claim 54, wherein the wick is free of any internal liquid flow channel.
- 58. The terrestrial loop heat pipe of claim 54, wherein the wick has substantially cylindrical geometry.
- 59. The terrestrial loop heat pipe of claim 54, wherein the wick has substantially flat geometry.
- 60. The terrestrial loop heat pipe of claim 54, wherein the wick is substantially free of back-conduction of energy from the second surface to the first surface.
- 61. The terrestrial loop heat pipe of claim 54, wherein the wick is formed of a polymer resin.
- 62. The terrestrial loop heat pipe of claim 61, wherein the wick is formed of polytetrafluoroethylene.
- 63. The terrestrial loop heat pipe of claim 53, wherein the wick is formed of metal.
- 64. A cooling device for cooling heat generating components, the cooling device comprising:
a heat sink having a heat receiving face; and a loop heat pipe embedded in the face of the heat sink.
- 65. The cooling device of claim 64, wherein the loop heat pipe comprises:
a component mounting face sheet an evaporator disposed directly on the component mounting face sheet and comprising:
a capillary wick, and vapor grooves formed in the component mounting face sheet; a fluid reservoir disposed between the evaporator and the heat sink; a condenser comprising plural condenser flow channels disposed in the component mounting face sheet; one or more vapor flow channels providing fluid connection between the vapor grooves and the condenser flow channels; and one or more liquid return channels providing fluid connection between the condenser flow channels and the fluid reservoir; wherein heat generating components to be cooled may be mounted on the component mounting face sheet.
- 66. The cooling device of claim 65, wherein each one of the plural condenser flow channels is connected to one of the one or more liquid return channels via a respective capillary flow regulator.
- 67. The cooling device of claim 66, wherein each respective capillary flow regulator is micromachined into the component mounting face sheet.
- 68. The cooling device of claim 65, wherein the vapor flow channels, liquid return channels, and condenser flow channels are substantially co-planar with one another.
- 69. The cooling device of claim 65, wherein the capillary wick is configured to prevent nucleation of a working fluid inside the wick body.
- 70. The cooling device of claim 64, wherein the loop heat pipe operates reliably in a terrestrial gravitational field.
- 71. A liquid superheat tolerant wick.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] 1. This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/571,779, filed May 16, 2000, now pending. The Ser. No. 09/571,779 application is incorporated by reference herein, in its entirety, for all purposes.
Divisions (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09933589 |
Aug 2001 |
US |
Child |
10388955 |
Mar 2003 |
US |
Parent |
09571779 |
May 2000 |
US |
Child |
09933589 |
Aug 2001 |
US |