Planar bridging-droplet thermal diodes
AssigneeVirginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
InventorsJonathan B. Boreyko, Mojtaba Edalatpour, Kevin R. Murphy, Ranit Mukherjee
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Abstract
This disclosure provides a thermal diode including a first plate having a first surface defining a wick structure. The thermal diode can include a second plate having a smooth surface facing the wick structure, the smooth surface and the wick structure defining a chamber for accommodating a phase-change liquid. The thermal diode also can include a separator positioned between the first plate and the second plate to separate the wick structure from the smooth surface by a gap that is less than a capillary length of the phase-change liquid.
Claims15
A thermal diode, comprising:
- a smooth condensing surface;
- a wicked evaporating surface substantially parallel to the condensing surface, wherein the wicked evaporating surface and the condensing surface are separated by a predetermined distance to form a chamber therebetween;
- and
- a phase-change liquid within the chamber,
- wherein the predetermined distance between the wicked evaporating surface and the condensing surface is less than or equal to a critical distance, and
- wherein the critical distance is defined as the largest distance between the wicked evaporating surface and the condensing surface at which, when a droplet of the phase-change liquid condenses on the condensing surface, the droplet can grow to a height to bridge a gap between the wicked evaporating surface and the condensing surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.