US 5,651,414 A · Heat-pipe type cooling apparatus

Abstract

A cooling apparatus having a plurality of heat pipes is improved to reduce the condensation capacity of selected heat pipes when ambient air temperature is low, so as to facilitate start-up of the cooling apparatus from a state in which the working fluid in the heat pipes has been frozen. The cooling apparatus has a block of a high heat conductivity in which one end of each heat pipe serving as an evaporation section of the heat pipe is embedded. Heat radiation fins are attached to portions of the heat pipes exposed from the block, so that the exposed portions of the heat pipes serve as condensation sections of the respective heat pipes. There are two types of heat radiation fins: a first type of fins which are attached to all the heat pipes and a second type of fins which are attached only to selected heat pipes.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A heat-pipe type cooling apparatus comprising:

a plurality of heat pipes;
a block which is made of a material having high heat conductivity and to which an object to be cooled is attached;
each of said heat pipes having one end embedded in said block and containing a working fluid capable of freezing at cold ambient temperature conditions;
and portions of said heat pipes exposed from said block being provided with heat radiation fins as heat dissipators so as to constitute condensation sections of said heat pipes, wherein the improvement comprises said heat pipes with said heat dissipators being grouped into at least two groups such that the heat pipes of the at least two groups have different heat dissipation abilities and heat dissipation in at least one of said groups is sufficiently low to prevent freezing of the working fluid at the cold ambient temperature conditions.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Heat-pipe type cooling apparatus

Life of this patent

Heat-pipe type cooling apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19