Evaporator with grooved channels
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorWei-Lin Cho
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An evaporator element is provided and includes a body defining channels, each of which includes grooves respectively delimited by first and second interior facing sidewalls of the body which form a base and an apex with an apex angle opposite the base and defined such that, for a fluid flow moving through one of the channels in a microgravity environment a portion of the fluid flow in a liquid phase within a groove of the channel will move in the groove from the base to the apex and a portion of the fluid flow in a vapor phase within a groove of the channel will move in the groove from the apex to the base.
Claims20
An evaporator element, comprising:
- a body defining channels, each of which comprises grooves respectively delimited by first and second interior facing sidewalls of the body which form a base and an apex with an apex angle opposite the base and defined such that, for a fluid flow moving through one of the channels in a microgravity environment:
- a portion of the fluid flow in a liquid phase within a groove of the channel will move in the groove from the base to the apex, and
- a portion of the fluid flow in a vapor phase within a groove of the channel will move in the groove from the apex to the base.
An evaporator element comprising a body defining channels, each of which comprises grooves respectively delimited by first and second interior facing sidewalls of the body which form an apex angle 2β, where β is less than 90° minus a solid-liquid contact angle.
An evaporator, comprising:
- first and second headers;
- and
- a body interposed between the first and second headers and defining channels to permit fluid flow between the first and second headers,
- each channel comprising grooves respectively delimited by first and second interior facing sidewalls of the body which form a base and an apex with an apex angle opposite the base and defined such that, for a fluid flow moving through one of the channels in a microgravity environment:
- a portion of the fluid flow in a liquid phase within a groove of the channel will move in the groove from the base to the apex, and
- a portion of the fluid flow in a vapor phase within a groove of the channel will move in the groove from the apex to the base.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.