Interrupted monogroove slot
AssigneeGrumman Aerospace Corporation
InventorsRichard F. Brown, Fred Edelstein, Robert L. Kosson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An interrupted monogroove slot in a heat pipe facilitates priming of the heat pipe under zero gravity conditions by preventing the monogroove slot from completely priming before the liquid channel is primed.
Claims5
A heat pipe, comprising:
- a liquid channel;
- a vapor channel;
- a slot in communication with both said liquid channel and said vapor channel;
- slot interrupter means in said slot for preventing liquid from completely filling said slot during initial priming until liquid advancing into said liquid channel has passed said slot interrupter means.
A method of priming a heat pipe of the type which includes a liquid channel, a vapor channel, and a slot in communication with both the liquid channel and the vapor channel, comprising the step of providing an obstruction in the slot in order to prevent the slot, during initial priming, from filling with liquid before the liquid channel is filled, thereby providing an escape route, located downstream of the obstruction, for the vapor-gas mixture preceding the liquid as the liquid channel is filled during priming.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.