Heat pipe with axial wick
AssigneeLockheed Martin Corporation
InventorsJay H. AMBROSE, Rolland HOLMES
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat pipe has an evaporator portion, a condenser portion, and at least one flexible portion that is sealingly coupled between the evaporator portion and the condenser portion. The flexible portion has a flexible tube and a flexible separator plate held in place within the flexible tube so as to divide the flexible tube into a gas-phase passage and a liquid-phase artery. The separator plate and flexible tube are configured such that the flexible portion is flexible in a plane that is perpendicular to the separator plate.
Claims18
An evaporator portion of a heat pipe, the evaporator portion comprising:
- a tube comprising an interior volume and an inner surface;
- a separator plate disposed within the tube and comprising two lateral edges that are proximate to the inner surface of the tube so as to divide the interior volume into a gas-phase passage and a liquid-phase artery;
- and
- a vent hole formed through the separator plate so as to connect the gas-phase passage to the liquid-phase artery, the vent hole comprising a diameter that is greater than or equal to a diameter of the largest circle that can be inscribed within the liquid-phase artery in a cross-section of the tube taken perpendicular to the centerline.
An evaporator portion of a heat pipe, the evaporator portion comprising:
- a tube comprising an interior volume and an inner surface;
- and
- a separator plate disposed within the tube and comprising two lateral edges that are proximate to the inner surface of the tube so as to divide the interior volume into a gas-phase passage and a liquid-phase artery, wherein the separator plate comprises a plurality of tabs projecting toward the gas-phase passage from both of the lateral edges of the separator plate, each tab comprising a tip that is proximate to the inner surface of the tube, wherein the tabs are configured to urge the separator plate downward so as to maintain the two lateral edges proximate to the inner surface of the tube.
An evaporator portion of a heat pipe, the evaporator portion comprising:
- a tube comprising an interior volume and an inner surface;
- a separator plate disposed within the tube and comprising two lateral edges that are proximate to the inner surface of the tube so as to divide the interior volume into a gas-phase passage and a liquid-phase artery;
- and
- a splitter disposed within the liquid-phase artery in contact with the separator plate and the inner surface of the tube so as to divide the liquid-phase artery into a plurality of liquid-phase subarteries.
A condenser portion of a heat pipe, the condenser portion comprising:
- a tube comprising an interior volume and an inner surface;
- and
- a separator plate disposed within the tube, the separator plate comprising two lateral edges that are proximate to the inner surface of the tube so as to divide the interior volume into a gas-phase passage and a liquid-phase artery, wherein the separator plate further comprises a first portion having a constant size of the gas-phase passage and a second portion that is inclined within the tube and configured such that the gas-phase passage becomes larger toward an outermost end of the tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.