U.S. patent application number 16/015841 was filed with the patent office on 2019-10-31 for loop heat pipe with different pipe diameters.
The applicant listed for this patent is TAI-SOL ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Yueh-Lung CHUANG, Chuan-Chi TSENG, Xiao-Long WU.
Application Number | 20190331431 16/015841 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 68291984 |
Filed Date | 2019-10-31 |
![](/patent/app/20190331431/US20190331431A1-20191031-D00000.png)
![](/patent/app/20190331431/US20190331431A1-20191031-D00001.png)
![](/patent/app/20190331431/US20190331431A1-20191031-D00002.png)
![](/patent/app/20190331431/US20190331431A1-20191031-D00003.png)
![](/patent/app/20190331431/US20190331431A1-20191031-D00004.png)
![](/patent/app/20190331431/US20190331431A1-20191031-D00005.png)
![](/patent/app/20190331431/US20190331431A1-20191031-D00006.png)
![](/patent/app/20190331431/US20190331431A1-20191031-D00007.png)
![](/patent/app/20190331431/US20190331431A1-20191031-D00008.png)
United States Patent
Application |
20190331431 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TSENG; Chuan-Chi ; et
al. |
October 31, 2019 |
LOOP HEAT PIPE WITH DIFFERENT PIPE DIAMETERS
Abstract
A loop heat pipe with different pipe-diameters includes: an
evaporation chamber having a casing and a wick disposed therein,
the wick not occupying the casing fully such that an evaporation
space is formed therebetween; a condensation element externally
provided with a heat-dissipating unit and internally having a
circulation channel, the circulation channel having a vapor
connection-end and a liquid connection-end having a smaller inner
diameter than the vapor connection-end; a vapor delivery-pipe
having an end connecting to the casing and communicating with the
evaporation space and another end connecting to the vapor
connection-end of the condensation element and communicating with
the circulation channel; and a liquid delivery-pipe having an end
connecting to the casing and communicating with the casing and
another end connecting to the liquid connection-end of the
condensation element and communicating with the circulation
channel, the liquid delivery-pipe having a smaller inner diameter
than the vapor delivery-pipe.
Inventors: |
TSENG; Chuan-Chi; (TAIPEI
CITY, TW) ; CHUANG; Yueh-Lung; (TAIPEI CITY, TW)
; WU; Xiao-Long; (WUJIANG CITY, JIANGSU PROVINCE,
CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TAI-SOL ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. |
Taipei |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
68291984 |
Appl. No.: |
16/015841 |
Filed: |
June 22, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28D 15/043 20130101;
F28F 13/08 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F28D 15/04 20060101
F28D015/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 26, 2018 |
TW |
107114329 |
Claims
1. A loop heat pipe with different pipe diameters, comprising: an
evaporation chamber having a casing and a wick disposed in the
casing, the wick not occupying the casing fully so as for an
evaporation space to be formed between the wick and the casing; a
condensation element externally provided with a heat-dissipating
unit and internally having a circulation channel, the circulation
channel having an end configured to be a vapor connection end and
another end configured to be a liquid connection end, wherein the
vapor connection end has a greater inner diameter than the liquid
connection end; a vapor delivery pipe having an end connecting to
the casing and being in communication with the evaporation space
and another end connecting to the vapor connection end of the
condensation element and being in communication with the
circulation channel; and a liquid delivery pipe having an end
connecting to the casing and being in communication with the inside
of the casing and another end connecting to the liquid connection
end of the condensation element and being in communication with the
circulation channel, wherein the liquid delivery pipe has a smaller
inner pipe diameter than the vapor delivery pipe.
2. The loop heat pipe with different pipe diameters according to
claim 1, wherein the casing comprises a lid and a receiving box,
with the wick disposed in the receiving box, the lid covering the
receiving box, the receiving box being defined by sidewalls each
having a first hole and a second hole, wherein the first hole, the
second hole and the evaporation space are positioned on a same side
of the receiving box, the first hole having a greater diameter than
the second hole, the first hole being in communication with the
vapor space and penetrated by an end of the vapor delivery pipe so
as to connect to the casing, and the second hole being penetrated
by an end of the liquid delivery pipe so as to connect to the
casing.
3. The loop heat pipe with different pipe diameters according to
claim 2, wherein the condensation element is a hollow-cored,
U-shaped pipe, with the circulation channel disposed in the
U-shaped pipe and penetrating to reach two ends of the U-shaped
pipe, the two ends being configured to be the vapor connection end
and the liquid connection end, respectively, the vapor connection
end having a greater inner diameter than the liquid connection
end.
4. The loop heat pipe with different pipe diameters according to
claim 1, wherein the casing comprises a lid and a receiving box,
with the wick disposed in the receiving box, the lid covering the
receiving box, the receiving box being defined by sidewalls each
having a first hole and a second hole, wherein the first hole and
the evaporation space are positioned on a same side of the
receiving box, whereas the first hole and the second hole are
positioned on different sides of the receiving box, respectively,
the first hole having a greater diameter than the second hole, the
first hole being in communication with the vapor space and
penetrated by an end of the vapor delivery pipe so as to connect to
the casing, and the second hole being penetrated by an end of the
liquid delivery pipe so as to connect to the casing.
5. The loop heat pipe with different pipe diameters according to
claim 4, wherein the condensation element is a hollow-cored tube,
with the circulation channel disposed in the hollow-cored tube and
penetrating to reach two ends of the hollow-cored tube, the two
ends being configured to be the vapor connection end and the liquid
connection end, respectively, the vapor connection end having a
greater inner diameter than the liquid connection end.
6. The loop heat pipe with different pipe diameters according to
claim 2, wherein the condensation element is a rectangular block
having therein a pipeline for forming the circulation channel such
that two ends of the pipeline form the vapor connection end and the
liquid connection end, respectively, allowing the vapor connection
end and the liquid connection end to protrude from the block, the
vapor connection end having a greater inner diameter than the
liquid connection end.
7. The loop heat pipe with different pipe diameters according to
claim 1, wherein the wick is made of sintered copper powder and has
a plurality of channels each having a channel opening in
communication with the vapor space.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to heat-dissipating devices
and, more particularly, to a loop heat pipe with different pipe
diameters.
Related Art
[0002] CN106052448A discloses a loop heat pipe which has a
hollow-cored pipe. The hollow-cored pipe bends backward and divides
into two pipeline channels, namely an evaporation segment and a
condensation segment. The two tube ends and opposing pipe walls are
flat wall surfaces. A closed end lid has a closed end and an
inserted end. The inserted end has an opening which the two tube
ends are inserted into, and thereby the two tube ends fit together.
CN106052449A discloses a loop heat pipe which has an evaporation
segment and a condensation segment and divides into two
hollow-cored pipes. The two tube ends are inserted into a closed
end lid. The closed end lid has a closed end and an inserted end.
The inserted end is configured to be an opening which the two tube
ends are inserted into. Then, the gap between the opening and the
two tube ends is filled with a filler. CN106091761A discloses a
loop heat pipe which has an evaporation segment and a condensation
segment and divides into two pipeline hollow-cored pipes. The two
tube ends are inserted into a closed end lid. The closed end lid
has a closed end and an inserted end. The inserted end is
configured to have two openings which the two tube ends are
inserted into, respectively. Each of the aforesaid three citations
discloses an evaporation route and a condensation route, and both
of which are configured to be pipes of the same diameter and are
not specially designed to facilitate ease of flow of liquid. As a
result, a liquid working fluid circulating is unlikely to return to
the evaporation route smoothly, thereby slowing down its
circulation and reducing its efficiency of heat dissipation.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide a
loop heat pipe comprising a vapor delivery pipe and a liquid
delivery pipe with a smaller diameter than the vapor delivery pipe
so as to form fluid slugs such that the liquid working fluid can
return to an evaporation chamber smoothly and thereby enhance
efficiency of heat dissipation.
[0004] In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the
present disclosure provides a loop heat pipe with different pipe
diameters, comprising: an evaporation chamber having a casing and a
wick disposed in the casing, the wick not occupying the casing
fully so as for an evaporation space to be formed between the wick
and the casing; a condensation element externally provided with a
heat-dissipating unit and internally having a circulation channel,
the circulation channel having an end configured to be a vapor
connection end and another end configured to be a liquid connection
end, wherein the vapor connection end has a greater inner diameter
than the liquid connection end; a vapor delivery pipe having an end
connecting to the casing and being in communication with the
evaporation space and another end connecting to the vapor
connection end of the condensation element and being in
communication with the circulation channel; and a liquid delivery
pipe having an end connecting to the casing and being in
communication with the inside of the casing and another end
connecting to the liquid connection end of the condensation element
and being in communication with the circulation channel, wherein
the liquid delivery pipe has a smaller inner pipe diameter than the
vapor delivery pipe.
[0005] According to the present disclosure, the liquid delivery
pipe has a smaller diameter than the vapor delivery pipe such that
a liquid working fluid forms fluid slugs which are then moved under
a pressure difference and even in the absence of a capillary force,
so as to allow the liquid working fluid to return to an evaporation
chamber smoothly and thereby enhance efficiency of heat
dissipation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a loop heat pipe with
different pipe diameters according to the first preferred
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of the loop heat pipe
with different pipe diameters shown in FIG. 1;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 plus a
cross-sectional view of a heat-dissipating unit;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a loop heat pipe with
different pipe diameters according to the second preferred
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0010] FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 plus a
cross-sectional view of a heat-dissipating unit;
[0011] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a loop heat pipe with
different pipe diameters according to the third preferred
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 7 is a perspective exploded view of FIG. 6; and
[0013] FIG. 8 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Technical features of the present disclosure are illustrated
by preferred embodiments, depicted by drawings, and described
below.
[0015] Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 3, a loop heat pipe 10 with
different pipe diameters according to the first preferred
embodiment of the present disclosure essentially comprises an
evaporation chamber 11, a condensation element 21, a vapor delivery
pipe 31, a liquid delivery pipe 41 and a working fluid 51.
[0016] The evaporation chamber 11 has a casing 12 and a wick 13
disposed in the casing 12. The wick 13 does not occupy the inside
of the casing 12 fully and thereby an evaporation space 125 is
formed between the wick 13 and the casing 12. The casing 12
comprises a lid 121 and a receiving box 122. The wick 13 is
disposed in the receiving box 122. The lid 121 covers the receiving
box 122. Each side of the receiving box 122 is defined as a
sidewall. Each sidewall has a first hole 123 and a second hole 124.
The first hole 123, the second hole 124 and the evaporation space
125 are positioned on the same side of the receiving box 122. The
first hole 123 has a larger diameter than the second hole 124. The
first hole 123 is in communication with the evaporation space 125
and penetrated by one end of the vapor delivery pipe 31 so as to
connect to the casing 12. The second hole 124 is penetrated by one
end of the liquid delivery pipe 41 and thus connects to the casing
12. The wick 13 has a plurality of channels 131. The channels 131
each have a channel opening 132 which is in communication with the
evaporation space 125. In this embodiment, the wick 13 is made of
sintered copper powder.
[0017] In this embodiment, the condensation element 21 is
configured to be a hollow-cored, U-shaped pipe externally provided
with a heat-dissipating unit 100 and internally having a
circulation channel 211 penetrating until it reaches the two ends
of the hollow-cored, U-shaped pipe. The circulation channel 211 has
one end defined as a vapor connection end 212 and the other end
defined as a liquid connection end 213. The inner diameter of the
vapor connection end 212 corresponds to the diameter of the first
hole 123 of the casing 12 and is greater than the inner diameter of
the liquid connection end 213. The inner diameter of the liquid
connection end 213 corresponds to the diameter of the second hole
124 of the casing 12. In practice, the heat-dissipating unit 100 is
a plurality of fins surrounding the U-shaped pipe.
[0018] The vapor delivery pipe 31 is a hollow-cored tube which
curves. The vapor delivery pipe 31 has a predetermined length. The
diameter of the vapor delivery pipe 31 corresponds to the inner
diameter of the first hole 123 of the casing 12 and the inner
diameter of the vapor connection end 212 of the condensation
element 21. One end of the vapor delivery pipe 31 penetrates the
first hole 123 of the casing 12 and thus is in communication with
the evaporation space 125. The other end of the vapor delivery pipe
31 connects to the vapor connection end 212 of the condensation
element 21 and is in communication with the circulation channel
211.
[0019] Like the vapor delivery pipe 31, the liquid delivery pipe 41
is a hollow-cored tube which curves. The liquid delivery pipe 41
has a predetermined length. The diameter of the liquid delivery
pipe 41 corresponds to the inner diameter of the second hole 124 of
the casing 12 and the inner diameter of the liquid connection end
213 of the condensation element 21. The liquid delivery pipe 41 has
a smaller inner diameter than the vapor delivery pipe 31. One end
of the liquid delivery pipe 41 penetrates the second hole 124 of
the casing 12 and thus is in communication with the inside of the
casing 12. The other end of the liquid delivery pipe 41 connects to
the liquid connection end 213 of the condensation element 21 and is
in communication with the circulation channel 211 (as shown in FIG.
3.)
[0020] The working fluid 51 in this embodiment is exemplified by
pure water that fills the evaporation chamber 11, is adsorbed to
the wick 13, and exists at a portion of the loop heat pipe 10.
[0021] Structural features of the first preferred embodiment are
described above. Operation-related features of the first preferred
embodiment are described below.
[0022] Given the aforesaid structures, before using the loop heat
pipe 10, a user places a heat source, such as an electronic device,
on the evaporation chamber 11. After operating for a time period,
the heat source (not shown) begins to generate heat. The heat thus
generated is transferred, by conduction, from the heat source to
the evaporation chamber 11 and then to the wick 13. The working
fluid 51 is stored in the wick 13 mostly in liquid form. As soon as
heat is taken up by the wick 13, the temperature of the wick 13
rises such that a liquid working fluid stored in the wick 13 takes
up sufficient heat and thus gradually evaporates into a gaseous
working fluid. The gaseous working fluid moves out of the channel
openings 132 of the channels 131 of the wick 13 so as to reach and
accumulate in the evaporation space 125; afterward, the gaseous
working fluid enters the vapor delivery pipe 31, moves toward the
condensation element 21, and finally enters the condensation
element 21 through the vapor connection end 212. With the
condensation element 21 being externally provided with the
heat-dissipating unit 100, the gaseous working fluid passing the
condensation element 21 dissipates heat to the surrounding air. As
a result, the gaseous working fluid cools and condenses into
droplets of the liquid working fluid. Then, the droplets of the
liquid working fluid attach to the wall of the condensation element
21. As time passed, the resultant liquid working fluid in droplets
becomes massive enough to occupy the liquid connection end 213
quickly and enter the liquid delivery pipe 41 to form fluid slugs
511 defined by the cross sections of the liquid delivery pipe 41,
because the diameter of the liquid connection end 213 of the
condensation element 21 is so small that the liquid working fluid
in droplets can quickly fill it and enter it. Since the liquid
delivery pipe 41 has a small diameter, the fluid slugs 511 are
moved under a pressure difference in the vapor delivery pipe 31 and
the liquid delivery pipe 41 even in the absence of a capillary
force such that the fluid slugs 511 move within the liquid delivery
pipe 41 easily and quickly. Furthermore, the gaseous working fluid
moves continuously from the vapor delivery pipe 31 to the
condensation element 21 to produce a force for driving the fluid
slugs 511 forward. Finally, the fluid slugs 511 return to the
evaporation chamber 11 where the fluid slugs 511 are adsorbed to
the wick 13. The aforesaid process recurs and thus guides heat out
of the heat source continuously, thereby performing heat
dissipation well.
[0023] Therefore, according to the present disclosure, the liquid
delivery pipe 41 has a smaller diameter than the vapor delivery
pipe 31, and the condensation element 21 which connects to the
vapor delivery pipe 31 and the liquid delivery pipe 41 has an
advantageous feature: the liquid connection end 213 has a smaller
diameter than the vapor connection end 212; hence, the fluid slugs
511 (shown in FIG. 3) can be formed in the liquid delivery pipe 41
despite its small cross-sectional area. Furthermore, since the
liquid delivery pipe 41 has a small diameter, the fluid slugs 511
are moved under a pressure difference in the vapor delivery pipe 31
and the liquid delivery pipe 41 even in the absence of a capillary
force such that the liquid working fluid can return to the
evaporation chamber 11 easily and quickly.
[0024] Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a loop heat pipe 10' with
different pipe diameters according to the second preferred
embodiment of the present disclosure is substantially identical to
its counterpart in the first preferred embodiment except for the
distinguishing technical features described below.
[0025] The first hole 123' and the evaporation space 125' are
positioned on the same side of the receiving box 122'. The first
hole 123' and the second hole 124' are positioned on different
sides of the receiving box 122', respectively. The first hole 123'
has a greater diameter than the second hole 124'. The first hole
123' is in communication with the vapor space 125', is penetrated
by one end of the vapor delivery pipe 31', and thus connects to the
casing 12'. The second hole 124' is penetrated by one end of the
liquid delivery pipe 41' and thus connects to the casing 12'. The
condensation element 21' is a hollow-cored tube. The circulation
channel 211' is disposed in the hollow-cored tube and penetrates
the hollow-cored tube to reach two ends thereof, so as to form the
vapor connection end 212' and the liquid connection end 213'. The
vapor connection end 212' has a greater inner diameter than the
liquid connection end 213'. The heat-dissipating unit 100' has a
plurality of fins surrounding the hollow-cored tube.
[0026] The other structures and achievable advantages in the second
preferred embodiment are substantially identical to their
counterparts in the first preferred embodiment and thus are not
described again.
[0027] With the liquid delivery pipe 41' being of a smaller
diameter than the vapor delivery pipe 31', the liquid working fluid
forms fluid slugs 511' which are then moved under a pressure
difference in the vapor delivery pipe 31' and the liquid delivery
pipe 41' even in the absence of a capillary force such that the
fluid slugs 511' move within the liquid delivery pipe 41' smoothly
(as shown in FIG. 5), so as to allow the liquid working fluid to
return to the evaporation chamber 11' smoothly and quickly.
[0028] Referring to FIG. 6 through FIG. 8, the loop heat pipe 10''
with different pipe diameters according to the third preferred
embodiment of the present disclosure is substantially identical to
its counterpart in the first preferred embodiment except for the
distinguishing technical features described below.
[0029] The condensation element 21'' in this embodiment is a
rectangular block which has therein a pipeline for forming the
circulation channel 211''. The two ends of the pipeline are
configured to be the vapor connection end 212'' and the liquid
connection end 213'', respectively. Both the vapor connection end
212'' and the liquid connection end 213'' protrude from the block.
The inner diameters of the vapor connection end 212'' and the
liquid connection end 213'' correspond to the diameters of the
vapor delivery pipe 31'' and the liquid delivery pipe 41'',
respectively. The vapor connection end 212'' has a greater inner
diameter than the liquid connection end 213'' and is penetrated by
one end of the vapor delivery pipe 31'' so as to be in
communication with the circulation channel 211''. The liquid
connection end 213'' is penetrated by one end of the liquid
delivery pipe 41'' and thus is in communication with the
circulation channel 211''. The heat-dissipating unit (not shown)
has a plurality of fins directly mounted on the block.
[0030] The other structures and achievable advantages in the third
preferred embodiment are substantially identical to their
counterparts in the first preferred embodiment and thus are not
described again.
[0031] The liquid delivery pipe 41'' has a smaller diameter than
the vapor delivery pipe 31''. The condensation element 21'' which
connects to the vapor delivery pipe 31'' and the liquid delivery
pipe 41'' has an advantageous technical feature: the circulation
channel 211'' has a smaller diameter than the liquid connection end
213''. With the vapor connection end 212'' having a larger
diameter, not only can the liquid working fluid forms fluid slugs
511'', but the fluid slugs 511'' can also be moved under a pressure
difference in the vapor delivery pipe 31'' and the liquid delivery
pipe 41'' even in the absence of a capillary force such that the
fluid slugs 511'' move within the liquid delivery pipe 41''
smoothly (as shown in FIG. 8), so as to allow the liquid working
fluid to return to the evaporation chamber 11'' smoothly and
quickly, thereby enhancing the heat dissipation efficiency of the
loop heat pipe of the present disclosure.
[0032] In the third preferred embodiment, the first hole 123'' and
the second hole 124'' are positioned on the same side of the
receiving box 122'', whereas the vapor delivery pipe 31'' and the
liquid delivery pipe 41'' are positioned on the same side of the
receiving box 122''. The vapor connection end 212'' and the liquid
connection end 213'' of the condensation element 21'' operate in
conjunction with each other and thus can be penetrated by the vapor
delivery pipe 31'' and the liquid delivery pipe 41'', so as to be
in communication with the circulation channel 211''. In a variant
embodiment (not shown) of the present disclosure, the loop heat
pipe with different pipe diameters has technical features as
follows: the first hole 123'' and the second hole 124'' are
positioned on different sides of the receiving box 122'',
respectively; the vapor delivery pipe 31'' and the liquid delivery
pipe 41'' are positioned on different sides of the receiving box
122'', respectively; the circulation channel 211'' of the
condensation element 21'' penetrates the rectangular block so much
that the two ends of the circulation channel 211'' of the
condensation element 21'' reaches the two sides of the rectangular
block; the vapor connection end 212'' and the liquid connection end
213'' at the two ends of the circulation channel 211'' are
penetrated by the vapor delivery pipe 31'' and the liquid delivery
pipe 41'', respectively. Therefore, like the second preferred
embodiment, the variant embodiment enhances the heat dissipation
efficiency of the loop heat pipe of the present disclosure.
* * * * *