Heat pipe wick with structural enhancement
AssigneeSandia Corporation
InventorsCharles E. Andraka, Douglas R. Adkins, James B. Moreno, K. Scott Rawlinson, Steven K. Showalter, Timothy A. Moss
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Abstract
Heat pipe wick structure wherein a stout sheet of perforated material overlays a high performance wick material such as stainless steel felt affixed to a substrate. The inventive structure provides a good flow path for working fluid while maintaining durability and structural stability independent of the structure (or lack of structure) associated with the wick material. In one described embodiment, a wick of randomly laid ˜8 micron thickness stainless steel fibers is sintered to a metal substrate and a perforated metal overlay.
Claims9
A heat pipe wick structure comprising:
- a rigid substrate including a surface, porous wick material affixed to the surface of the rigid substrate, a rigid exoskeleton including pores affixed to the porous wick material whereby the porous wick material is disposed between the rigid substrate and the rigid exoskeleton, and at least one rigid element separating the rigid exoskeleton from the rigid substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.