Enhanced Pool Boiling System and Method

A method of conducting heat exchange, comprising the steps of:

• providing a heat exchanger comprising:
• i) a chamber configured to hold heat exchange fluid including heat exchange vapor and a pool of heat exchange liquid;
• iii) An evaporator tube having a wall with an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the evaporator tube has an input end and an opposite, output end, and a layer of thermally conductive open-cell porous material disposed on the outer surface and comprising a plurality of pores, wherein at least a portion of the evaporator tube can be immersed in the heat exchange liquid held in the chamber, and wherein the evaporator tube is configured to receive, at the input end, a source fluid to be cooled from a first temperature to a second temperature each higher than a boiling temperature of the heat exchange liquid, guide the source fluid from the input end through the evaporator tube to the output end;
• providing a pool of heat exchange liquid in the chamber such that the evaporator tube is immersed in the heat exchange liquid, and heat exchange liquid will enter the pores and the open-cells of the thermally conductive porous material;
• directing the source fluid at the first temperature through the evaporator, the source fluid exiting the evaporator tube at the second temperature, the source fluid exchanging heat with the evaporator tube, the thermally conductive open-cell porous material, and thereby with the heat exchange liquid within the pores of the thermally conductive open-cell porous material, whereby the heat exchange liquid will change state to a heat exchange vapor and the heat exchange vapor will move through the open-cells of the thermally conductive open-cell porous material and will be replaced by heat exchange liquid.

A component heat exchange system, comprising:

• a heat exchanger comprising a chamber and an evaporator tube, the chamber being configured to hold a heat exchange fluid including a heat exchange vapor and a pool of heat exchange liquid;
• the evaporator tube having an outer surface and comprising thermally conductive open-cell porous material disposed on the outer surface and having a plurality of pores;
• at least a portion of the evaporator tube being immersed in the heat exchange liquid held in the chamber such that heat exchange liquid will enter the pores and open-cells of the thermally conductive open-cell porous material;
• wherein the evaporator tube is thermally connected by a thermal connection to the component such that heat is transferred from the component to the evaporator tube;
• the temperature of the evaporator tube being higher than a boiling temperature of the heat exchange liquid, wherein heat from the component will pass through the wall and the thermally conductive open-cell porous material to cause the heat exchange liquid within the thermally conductive open-cells to boil to a heat exchange vapor, and the heat exchange vapor will move through the open cells of the thermally conductive porous material and will be replaced in the open cells by more heat exchange liquid which will then also evaporate.