Pitch-based carbon foam heat sink with phase change material
AssigneeUT-Battelle, LLC
InventorsJames W. Klett, Timothy D. Burchell
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Abstract
A process for producing a carbon foam heat sink is disclosed which obviates the need for conventional oxidative stabilization. The process employs mesophase or isotropic pitch and a simplified process using a single mold. The foam has a relatively uniform distribution of pore sizes and a highly aligned graphic structure in the struts. The foam material can be made into a composite which is useful in high temperature sandwich panels for both thermal and structural applications. The foam is encased and filled with a phase change material to provide a very efficient heat sink device.
Claims56
A process comprising:
- (1) heating a liquified pitch under non-oxidizing, superatmospheric conditions below about 500° C. sufficient to produce a carbon foam;
- (2) cooking said carbon foam by heating said carbon foam at a temperature above about 500° C. under non-oxidizing, superatmospheric conditions;
- (3) heating the coked carbon foam under conditions sufficient to produce an essentially graphitic carbon foam;
- and
- (4) at least partially filling porous regions in the essentially graphitic carbon foam with a phase change material.
A process comprising at least partially filling the porous region of a thermally conductive, non-oxidatively stabilized, mesophase pitch-derived carbon foam with a phase change material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.