Heat pipe with improved wick structures
AssigneeSandia Corporation
InventorsDavid A. Benson, Charles V. Robino, David W. Palmer, Stanley H. Kravitz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved planar heat pipe wick structure having projections formed by micromachining processes. The projections form arrays of interlocking, semi-closed structures with multiple flow paths on the substrate. The projections also include overhanging caps at their tops to increase the capillary pumping action of the wick structure. The capped projections can be formed in stacked layers. Another layer of smaller, more closely spaced projections without caps can also be formed on the substrate in between the capped projections. Inexpensive materials such as Kovar can be used as substrates, and the projections can be formed by electrodepositing nickel through photoresist masks.
Claims9
A wick structure comprising:
- a substrate;
- and
- a first plurality of discontinuous linear projections disposed thereon and extending thereabove wherein the cross section of a projection in a plane normal to the linear axis of the projection takes the shape of a mushroom, with a stalk portion attached to the substrate at its bottom end and crested by an overhanging cap that is attached to the top end of the stalk portion,
- wherein some of the projections are oriented in a non-parallel configuration one to another thereby providing multiple flow channels therebetween across the substrate.
A wick structure comprising:
- a substrate having a first surface;
- and
- a first plurality of discontinuous linear projections disposed thereon and extending thereabove wherein the cross section of a projection in a plane normal to the linear axis of the projection takes the shape of a mushroom, with a stalk portion attached to the substrate at its bottom end and crested by an overhanging cap that is attached to the top end of the stalk portion,
- wherein some of the projections are oriented in a non-parallel configuration one to another thereby providing multiple flow channels therebetween across the substrate, wherein the first plurality of projections is oriented such that no straight fluid communication path can be drawn across the first surface of the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.