Micro channel heat pipe having wire cloth wick and method of fabrication
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
InventorsRengasamy Ponnappan, John E. Leland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A micro channel heat pipe and method of fabrication are disclosed. The micro channel heat pipe includes a wire cloth wick having micro capillary channels formed by a corrugation extrusion process. The wick is inserted into the heat pipe housing in a shrink fit, enhancing heat transfer. The porous nature of the wire cloth wick permits free passage of the working fluid within both the closed and open micro capillary channels, doubling the number of micro capillary channels available for heat transference.
Claims9
A method of fabricating a micro channel heat pipe, comprising the steps of:
- providing a housing having an inner cavity, said housing having a longitudinal axis;
- forming, by corrugation extrusion, a one piece porous wire cloth wick to have a plurality of adjacent axial rectangular open and closed micro capillary channels formed therein, said micro capillary channels characterized by the relation rc/rh≧1, wherein rc is the capillary radius and rh is the hydraulic radius of said channels;
- inserting said wick within said inner cavity such that said wick contacts at least a portion of the surface of said inner cavity, said wick extending continuously along said longitudinal axis of said housing;
- attaching a pair of end caps to enclose said housing;
- and,
- introducing a sufficient quantity of working fluid into said housing.
A micro channel heat pipe, comprising:
- a housing having an inner cavity;
- a porous wire cloth wick disposed within said housing, said wick having a plurality of adjacent axial rectangular open and closed micro capillary channels formed therein, said micro capillary channels characterized by the relation rc/rh≧1, wherein rc is the capillary radius and rh is the hydraulic radius of said channels, said wick contacting at least a portion of the surface of said inner cavity;
- and,
- a sufficient quantity of working fluid within said housing, said working fluid saturating said wick and permeating across said open and closed micro capillary channels of said wick, whereby both of said open and said closed channels are presented for fluid flow and heat transference.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.