Ceramic heat pipe wick
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
InventorsBenjamin Seidenberg, Theodore D. Swanson
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Abstract
A wick for use in a capillary loop pump heat pipe. The wick material is an essentially uniformly porous, permeable, open-cell, silicon dioxide/aluminum oxide inorganic ceramic foam having a silica fiber to alumina fiber ratio, by weight, of about 78 to 22, respectively, a density of 6 lbs/ft.sup.3, and an average pore size of less than 5 microns. A representative material having these characteristics is Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, Inc. HTP 6-22. This material is fully compatible with the FREONs and anhydrous ammonia and allows for the use of these very efficient working fluids, and others, in capillary loops.
Claims18
A wick for inclusion in a capillary loop or heat pipe including a first surface means for contacting a working fluid in a liquid state in said loop, and a second surface means for evaporation of said liquid in said loop, said wick being comprised of a permeable, open-cell, fibrous ceramic foam material.
A capillary loop, including an evaporator, in the form of a continuous loop, with a wick positioned within less than the entire portion of said capillary pump, which wick is comprised of a permeable, open-cell, fibrous ceramic foam material, said loop further including a working fluid, said working fluid being selected from the group consisting of anhydrous ammonia and the fluorinated hydrocarbons, said wick material being chemically and physically compatible with said working fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.