Thermal management device
AssigneeUniversity of Florida
InventorsWei Shyy, Marianne Monique Francois, Jacob Nan-Chu Chung
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A miniature vapor compression cycle thermal management device includes a dropwise condenser and ejector. The device includes a flexible compressor membrane serving as the compressor. The compressor can be stimulated electrostatically and drives refrigerant charge through a closed loop defined by interconnected compressor, condenser, expansion, and evaporator structures. The condenser includes a flexible condensing membrane for dropwise condensation and for propelling condensed droplets of refrigerant from a cooled condensing surface into an expansion chamber. The overall structure and size of the device is similar to microelectronic packages, and it may be combined to operate with similar devices in useful arrays.
Claims23
A heat transfer device, comprising:
- a refrigerant loop including a compressor for providing a superheated vapor state from a vapor stream;
- a condenser comprising a membrane coupled to an actuator, said condenser including a condensing surface for condensing said superheated vapor into a plurality of droplets;
- an evaporator for receiving said plurality of droplets, and
- an expansion structure interposed between said condenser and said evaporator, wherein said actuated membrane ejects said plurality of droplets toward said evaporator during refrigerant cycle intervals when said expansion valve is open.
A method of heat transfer, comprising the steps of:
- providing a heat transfer device, said heat transfer device including a refrigerant loop having a compressor for providing a superheated vapor state from a vapor stream, a condenser comprising a membrane coupled to an actuator, said condenser including a condensing surface for condensing said superheated vapor into a plurality of droplets, an evaporator for receiving said plurality of droplets, and an expansion structure interposed between said condenser and said evaporator;
- forming said plurality of droplets on said condensing surface, and
- spraying said plurality of droplets from said condensing surface toward said evaporator during refrigerant cycle intervals when said expansion valve is open.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.