Heat pipe manufacturing method and heat pipe

By performing solid working fluid filling and laser welding in a vacuum environment, the problem of introducing impurities and non-condensable gases in the manufacturing of high-temperature heat pipes has been solved, improving the safety and heat transfer performance of the heat pipes and meeting the compact requirements of reactor design.

CN118912988BActive Publication Date: 2025-11-25TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202410998923.4
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-07-24
Publication Date
2025-11-25
Estimated Expiration
2044-07-24

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing high-temperature heat pipe manufacturing processes suffer from problems such as the introduction of impurities and non-condensable gases, poor safety, poor process stability, and low heat transfer performance. In particular, they are prone to fires or safety accidents during the liquid working fluid filling process and are difficult to meet the compact requirements of reactor design.

Method used

Solid-state working fluid filling and laser welding technology are employed in a vacuum environment to ensure the purity of the working fluid and its heat transfer performance, and to prevent the entry of impurities and non-condensable gases. By accurately measuring the filling volume and using a tailless flat end cap design, the sealing performance and structural stability of the heat pipe are improved.

Benefits of technology

It improves the safety and process stability of heat pipes, reduces manufacturing difficulty, enhances heat transfer performance and space utilization, meets the compact requirements of reactor design, and reduces safety hazards.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The application discloses a heat pipe manufacturing method and a heat pipe. The heat pipe manufacturing method comprises the following steps: manufacturing a pipe shell, an end cover and a wick; cleaning the pipe shell and the wick, and assembling the wick into the pipe shell; obtaining a filling amount of a working medium in the pipe shell, placing the assembled pipe shell and the wick into a vacuum environment, and filling the working medium with a preset filling amount into the pipe shell; cleaning the end cover, and connecting the end cover to the pipe shell in the vacuum environment; circumferentially welding a joint between the pipe shell and the end cover, and completing the assembly of the heat pipe. The solid sodium working medium is filled into the pipe shell in the vacuum environment, which is beneficial to the accurate measurement of the working medium, can avoid the reaction between the solid sodium and oxygen or water, improves the purity of the working medium, and can improve the safety and the stability of the process. The special equipment is not needed for operation, the operation difficulty is greatly reduced, and the operation efficiency is improved.
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Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of heat pipes, and particularly relates to a heat pipe manufacturing method and a heat pipe. BACKGROUND

[0002] In related technologies, in the process of assembling a high-temperature heat pipe, a wick is first placed into a pipe shell to complete pre-assembly of the heat pipe. The high-temperature heat pipe needs to maintain high vacuum in a normal temperature state. Therefore, in related technologies, a liquid filling process is used to fill a working medium. The heat pipe is connected with a tail pipe. The heat pipe needs to be vacuumized through the tail pipe before the working medium is filled, and high vacuum degree in the heat pipe is ensured. After the high-temperature liquid working medium is filled, the tail pipe needs to be mechanically clamped and welded, which will leave a large tail at the end of the heat pipe. Impurities or non-condensable gases are easily introduced into the heat pipe during clamping and welding, which greatly affects the design and performance of the heat pipe reactor core. In addition, the high-temperature liquid working medium (for example, sodium) is active in physical properties. After leakage, it will react violently with water and oxygen, which can easily cause a fire or other safety accidents. SUMMARY

[0003] The present application aims to at least partially solve one of the technical problems in the related art.

[0004] To this end, an embodiment of the present application provides a heat pipe manufacturing method, which can improve the safety of heat pipe assembly, avoid impurities and non-condensable gases in the heat pipe, and improve the performance of the heat pipe.

[0005] An embodiment of the present application also provides a heat pipe.

[0006] The heat pipe manufacturing method of the embodiment of the present application comprises the following steps:

[0007] Manufacturing a pipe shell, an end cover and a wick;

[0008] Cleaning the pipe shell and the wick, and assembling the wick into the pipe shell;

[0009] Obtaining a filling amount of a working medium in the pipe shell, placing the assembled pipe shell and wick in a vacuum environment, and filling the working medium with the preset filling amount into the pipe shell;

[0010] Cleaning the end cover, and connecting the end cover to the pipe shell in the vacuum environment;

[0011] Circumferentially welding the joint between the pipe shell and the end cover to complete the assembly of the heat pipe.

[0012] In some embodiments, before the step of manufacturing the pipe shell, the end cover and the wick, the following step is further included: determining the size parameters and material of the pipe shell, the end cover and the wick according to the assembly space and heat transfer performance requirements of the heat pipe;

[0013] And / or, before the step of placing the assembled pipe shell and the wick into a vacuum environment, further comprising the step of: performing secondary cleaning on the assembled pipe shell and the wick.

[0014] And / or, after the heat pipe is assembled, performing sealing detection and heat transfer performance detection on the heat pipe.

[0015] In some embodiments, the working medium is sodium, and during the working medium filling process, a preset amount of solid sodium working medium is filled into the pipe shell under normal temperature conditions.

[0016] In some embodiments, the vacuum environment is a chamber of a vacuum glove box.

[0017] And / or, the joint between the pipe shell and the end cover is welded by a laser welding device, and the welding device operates in the vacuum chamber.

[0018] The heat pipe of the embodiment of the present application is manufactured by using any one of the heat pipe manufacturing methods described above, and comprises:

[0019] A pipe shell having an inner cavity, at least one end of the pipe shell having an opening and a first connecting portion;

[0020] A wick arranged in the inner cavity, an outer wall surface of the wick abutting against an inner wall surface of the inner cavity, and a working medium filled in the pipe shell;

[0021] An end cover having a second connecting portion, the pipe shell and the end cover being connected through the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion, and a circumferential joint between the pipe shell and the end cover being welded.

[0022] In some embodiments, the end cover has a first chamber, and the first chamber communicates with the inner cavity of the pipe shell.

[0023] In some embodiments, a getter component is arranged in the first chamber.

[0024] And / or, a third connecting portion is arranged on a side wall of the first chamber.

[0025] In some embodiments, an end of the end cover away from the pipe shell is a flat surface or a spherical surface.

[0026] In some embodiments, an end of the end cover close to the pipe shell and / or an end of the pipe shell close to the end cover is provided with a bevel, and a weld seam at the circumferential joint is flush with a circumferential side wall of the end cover and / or the pipe shell, or the weld seam at the circumferential joint is lower than the side wall of the end cover and / or the pipe shell.

[0027] And / or, the end cover has a flat sealing surface near the one end of the pipe shell, the flat sealing surface abuts the end of the pipe shell;

[0028] And / or, the first connecting part is a counterbore provided at the one end of the pipe shell near the end cover, the second connecting part is a boss provided at the one end of the end cover near the pipe shell, and the boss is arranged in the counterbore;

[0029] And / or, the first connecting part is provided with an internal thread section, the second connecting part is provided with an external thread section, the first connecting part and the second connecting part are threadedly connected, and the external thread section and the outer wall surface of the end cover have a shoulder therebetween;

[0030] And / or, the working medium is sodium.

[0031] In some embodiments, a support is further included, the wick has a second cavity, the support is arranged in the second cavity, and the support abuts the inner wall of the second cavity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a heat pipe manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Figure 2 is a flow chart of a heat pipe manufacturing method according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a heat pipe according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of an end cover according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Figure 5 is Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of A-A direction.

[0037] REFERENCE SIGNS:

[0038] 1, pipe shell; 11, first connecting part;

[0039] 2, end cover; 21, second connecting part; 22, first chamber; 221, third connecting part; 23, bevel; 24, flat sealing surface;

[0040] 3, wick;

[0041] 4, getter component. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are exemplary and are intended to be illustrative of the present application and are not to be construed as limiting the present application.

[0043] In the related art, the high-temperature sodium heat pipe needs to keep the inside in a high vacuum state at room temperature, and a method for achieving high vacuum in the pipe is to use a tail welding, that is, to use a tail pipe to perform vacuumizing, and after the vacuum degree requirement is reached, to perform pressing and welding, which will leave a large tail at the end of the heat pipe, and greatly affects the design of the reactor core of the heat pipe.

[0044] In the related art, the working medium is filled by using a liquid filling process, and after the high-temperature liquid working medium is filled, the tail pipe needs to be mechanically clamped and welded, and the technical problems are as follows:

[0045] 1. Safety problem: The liquid sodium filling is performed at high temperature, and due to the active physical properties of sodium working medium, the liquid sodium will react violently with water and oxygen if leaked, which may cause fire or other safety accidents; meanwhile, the liquid sodium filling needs special equipment and technology, and the manufacturing process is complex, and the requirements for the operator are high. Compared with the solid sodium filling process at room temperature of the present application, the existing process has greater safety hazards in the filling process.

[0046] 2. Process stability problem: The liquid sodium filling process uses a liquid filling pipe and hydraulic sealing, and the quality of the filled liquid sodium working medium cannot be accurately controlled. And in the process of "clamping the heat pipe with the sealing clamp, and at this time, the sealing clamp is blown off above the sealing clamp to seal the sealing", impurities or non-condensable gases are easily introduced, and it is difficult to ensure the vacuum degree in the heat pipe and the consistency and high performance of the heat pipe product performance.

[0047] 3. Application range problem: Since the high-temperature heat pipe is usually designed for heat pipe reactors in the nuclear energy field and serves as a key heat transfer component, if the existing liquid filling pipe process is used, it cannot meet the compact design requirements of the reactor.

[0048] 4. Heat pipe heat transfer performance problem: Since the existing liquid filling pipe welding process technology may introduce impurities or non-condensable gases.

[0049] Reference Figures 1-5 Therefore, the embodiment of the present application proposes a heat pipe manufacturing method and heat pipe, which can improve the safety of the heat pipe assembly, avoid impurities and non-condensable gases in the heat pipe, and improve the performance of the heat pipe.

[0050] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the heat pipe manufacturing method of the embodiment of the present application comprises the following steps:

[0051] S101, manufacture the pipe shell 1, the end cover 2 and the liquid absorbing core 3, select the material of each part, process the pipe shell 1, the end cover 2 and the liquid absorbing core 3 according to the structure size of the pipe shell 1, the end cover 2 and the liquid absorbing core 3, the liquid absorbing core 3 can be tightly attached to the inner wall of the pipe shell 1 after being assembled into the pipe shell 1, the heat transfer performance is guaranteed, the structure size of the pipe shell 1 and the end cover 2 after being assembled meets the design requirement, when the pipe shell 1 is applied to the reactor core design of the heat pipe reactor, the rationality and space utilization of the overall design can be improved, and the performance of the reactor core of the heat pipe reactor is guaranteed.

[0052] S102, clean the pipe shell 1 and the liquid absorbing core 3, and assemble the liquid absorbing core 3 into the pipe shell 1.

[0053] In order to avoid the non-condensable gas and impurities in the heat pipe, which affect the heat transfer performance of the heat pipe, in the embodiment of the application, the high-temperature heat pipe has high requirements for the structure material and the purity of the working medium, and the cleanliness of the parts needs to be guaranteed. Since impurities and oil stains will inevitably remain on the pipe shell 1 and the liquid absorbing core 3 during the production of the pipe shell 1 and the liquid absorbing core 3, the pipe shell 1 and the liquid absorbing core 3 will be cleaned before formal assembly to remove the impurities and oil stains.

[0054] S103, obtain the filling amount of the working medium in the pipe shell 1, place the assembled pipe shell 1 and the liquid absorbing core 3 in a vacuum environment, and fill the working medium with the preset filling amount into the pipe shell 1.

[0055] The filling amount of the working medium has a great influence on the performance of the heat pipe, and too little or too much filling amount of the working medium will affect the heat transfer performance. Since the alkali metal working medium can easily react with air and oxidize in air, the heat transfer performance will deteriorate sharply. Therefore, in the embodiment of the application, the working medium filling process and the subsequent connection process of the end cover 2 and the pipe shell 1 are carried out in a vacuum environment. The purity of the working medium is guaranteed by purification, and the accuracy of the filling amount is guaranteed by accurate measurement of the working medium. In addition, the embodiment of the application can fill the solid working medium. Based on the accurate measurement and filling of the high-purity solid working medium, the safety problem and the process stability problem existing in the high-temperature heat pipe manufacturing process in the related art are solved. For example, the high-temperature liquid working medium filling process in the related art has the following problems: 1. If the liquid working medium (liquid sodium) leaks, it will react violently with water and oxygen, etc., which can easily cause fire or other safety accidents; 2. The liquid working medium (liquid sodium) needs special equipment and technology for filling, and the manufacturing process is complex, which requires high requirements for the operator. The embodiment of the application can solve the above problems and realize the solid working medium filling process at room temperature.

[0056] S104, clean the end cover 2, and connect the end cover 2 to the pipe shell 1 in a vacuum environment.

[0057] Since impurities and oil stains will inevitably remain on the end cover 2 during production of the end cover 2, in order to avoid the impurities and oil stains from entering the heat pipe, the end cover 2 needs to be cleaned before assembly of the end cover 2, and in order to avoid oxidation of the working medium and entry of non-condensable gas into the heat pipe, assembly of the end cover 2 and the pipe shell 1 is also performed in a vacuum environment.

[0058] S105, circumferential welding is performed on the joint between the pipe shell 1 and the end cover 2, and assembly of the heat pipe is completed.

[0059] After the end cover 2 and the pipe shell 1 are connected in position, the joint between the pipe shell 1 and the end cover 2 needs to be welded, the welding on the circumferential joint enables the pipe shell 1 and the end cover 2 to be stably connected together, and guarantees the sealing performance of the inner cavity of the heat pipe, avoids leakage of the working medium, and also avoids entry of external gas into the inner cavity, thereby guaranteeing the heat transfer performance of the heat pipe.

[0060] In some embodiments, before the steps of manufacturing the pipe shell 1, the end cover 2 and the wick 3, the following step is further included: according to the assembly space and heat transfer performance requirements of the heat pipe, the size parameters and material of the pipe shell 1, the end cover 2 and the wick 3 are determined.

[0061] It should be understood that the structure size and material of the pipe shell 1 and the end cover 2 are selected according to the assembly space and heat transfer performance requirements, for example, in the design of the reactor core of the heat pipe reactor, according to the arrangement form of the heat pipe and the length space, width space and height space occupied by a single heat pipe, the cross-sectional shape, inner cavity volume and outer size of the heat pipe are determined, and the space utilization is maximized.

[0062] The structure size of the wick 3 matches the inner cavity size of the pipe shell 1, guarantees that the wick 3 and the inner cavity of the pipe shell 1 are tightly fitted together, and guarantees the heat transfer performance.

[0063] Further, before the step of placing the assembled pipe shell 1 and wick 3 in a vacuum environment, the following step is further included: the assembled pipe shell 1 and wick 3 are cleaned again. After the pipe shell 1 and the wick 3 are assembled, they are cleaned again before being placed in the vacuum environment, so as to guarantee that the pipe shell 1 and the wick 3 are free of impurities and oil stains and improve the cleanliness.

[0064] Further, after assembly of the heat pipe is completed, the heat pipe is subjected to sealing performance detection and heat transfer performance detection. The sealing performance test can detect whether the heat pipe has a leak, avoids leakage of the working medium during operation, guarantees the welding quality and sealing effect of the heat pipe, and at the same time, the heat transfer performance is monitored, which can guarantee that the performance of the heat pipe meets the requirements. The embodiment of the present application guarantees the quality of the heat pipe through detection of the stability of the structure and the stability of the working performance of the heat pipe.

[0065] In some embodiments, the working medium is sodium, and a preset amount of solid sodium working medium is filled into the shell 1 at room temperature during the filling process. The embodiment can fill the solid sodium working medium at room temperature into the shell 1 in a vacuum environment, which not only facilitates accurate measurement of the working medium, but also avoids reaction of the solid sodium with oxygen or water, thereby improving the purity of the working medium.

[0066] Compared with the high-temperature liquid sodium filling process, the embodiment can improve safety and stability of the process, does not need to use special equipment for operation, greatly reduces the operation difficulty, and improves the operation efficiency.

[0067] In some embodiments, the vacuum environment is a chamber of a vacuum glove box.

[0068] Further, the joint between the shell 1 and the end cover 2 is welded by a laser welding device, and the welding device operates in the vacuum chamber.

[0069] It should be understood that the filling of the working medium, the assembly of the end cover 2 and the shell 1, and the welding are all performed in the chamber of the vacuum glove box, which is more convenient to operate and can ensure that impurities are not introduced during the filling and welding of the working medium, thereby ensuring the consistency and high performance of the heat pipe.

[0070] The solid-state filling adopted by the embodiment can ensure accurate control of the amount of working medium in the heat pipe, and the filling is performed in a vacuum environment, which ensures that impurities are not introduced during the welding and sealing process, thereby ensuring the consistency and high performance of the heat pipe manufactured by using the process.

[0071] The embodiment adopts the solid-state sodium filling process at room temperature, which is performed in a glove box vacuum environment, and there is no possibility of contact between the solid-state sodium and other impurities, thereby reducing the safety hazard compared with the high-temperature liquid filling process in the related art.

[0072] The present application proposes a new type of high-performance heat pipe manufacturing method, which adopts a solid-state sodium filling technology and a laser welding sealing technology of the end cover 2 and the shell 1 to realize the manufacturing of a high-performance high-temperature heat pipe, solves the problems of high-temperature safety in the process of manufacturing a heat pipe by using a traditional liquid sodium filling method, the problem of easy introduction of impurities during the filling process and the problem of tail reserved at the end of the heat pipe, thereby reducing the manufacturing difficulty of the heat pipe and improving the structural performance and heat transfer capacity of the heat pipe.

[0073] As Figures 3-5As shown, the heat pipe of the embodiment of the present application is made by using any one of the heat pipe manufacturing methods, and comprises a pipe shell 1, a wick 3 and an end cap 2. The pipe shell 1 has an inner cavity, and at least one end of the pipe shell 1 has an opening and a first connecting part 11. The wick 3 is arranged in the inner cavity, and the outer wall surface of the wick 3 is in abutment with the inner wall surface of the inner cavity. A working medium is filled in the pipe shell 1. The end cap 2 has a second connecting part 21. The pipe shell 1 and the end cap 2 are connected through the first connecting part 11 and the second connecting part 21, and the circumferential joint of the pipe shell 1 and the end cap 2 is welded.

[0074] It should be understood that the high-temperature heat pipe is composed of four parts, i.e., the pipe shell 1, the working medium, the end cap 2 and the wick 3. The pipe shell 1 and the end cap 2 form a pressure-bearing and completely sealed container, and the geometric shape thereof has no special requirements and is generally a circular tube. The shell often needs to bear a certain pressure when the heat pipe is working, but a very high vacuum degree needs to be established in advance when the heat pipe is manufactured. Therefore, any weld of the heat pipe shell 1 needs to withstand the strict tests of high-vacuum leak detection and a certain pressure. The heat pipe shell 1 is generally made of a metal alloy material.

[0075] The working medium plays a role of heat carrying and heat transferring when the heat pipe is working, and completes the working cycle of the heat pipe by means of a phase change process. The working medium in the embodiment of the present application is sodium.

[0076] The wick 3 is designed to be close to the inner wall of the pipe shell 1, and is a main distribution structure of the liquid working medium. The wick 3 plays a role of distributing the liquid working medium in the radial direction, stably maintaining a thin liquid film in the wick 3, generating a capillary pumping force and providing a channel for the working medium after condensation to flow back in the axial direction.

[0077] The pipe shell 1 of the embodiment of the present application is open at both ends, the cross section of the pipe shell 1 is a circular column, the first connecting part 11 is arranged on the inner wall at the opening, and is used for connecting the second connecting part 21 of the end cap 2. After the wick 3 is assembled into the inner cavity of the pipe shell 1, the working medium is filled into the inner cavity, and then the end cap 2 is connected to the opening of the pipe shell 1 and is sealed by welding. The heat pipe has better consistency in the external dimensions, and different shapes and specifications of the heat pipe can be made. The heat pipe is made by using any one of the heat pipe manufacturing methods, which can reduce the impurities and non-condensable gases in the inner cavity of the heat pipe, improve the heat transfer performance and structural stability of the heat pipe, has low manufacturing cost, improves the processing efficiency, and reduces the manufacturing difficulty.

[0078] In some embodiments, the end cap 2 has a first chamber 22, and the first chamber 22 is in communication with the inner cavity of the pipe shell 1.

[0079] It should be understood that the first chamber 22 is arranged on the end cover 2, on the one hand, the first chamber 22 can be used to store the gas that may be separated out during long-term operation of the heat pipe, for example, the first chamber 22 can store a part (about 5ml) of the non-condensable gas during the operation of the heat pipe. On the other hand, the weight of the end cover 2 can be reduced, the material can be saved, the cost can be saved, the heat pipe can be lightened, and in addition, the getter material can be arranged in the first chamber 22 to enhance the gettering performance.

[0080] In some embodiments, the first chamber 22 is provided with a getter component 4, and the side wall of the first chamber 22 is provided with a third connecting part 221.

[0081] It should be understood that in order to fix the getter in the first chamber 22, the getter is wrapped by arranging a shell, the shell can have a hollow area to facilitate the contact between the gas and the getter, and the shell can be connected to the side wall of the first chamber 22 to fix the getter material.

[0082] Among them, the third connecting part 221 can be a threaded section arranged on the side wall of the first chamber 22, and the shell can be connected to the side wall of the first chamber 22 by screwing.

[0083] In some embodiments, the end of the end cover 2 away from the pipe shell 1 is a plane or a spherical surface. That is, after the end cover 2 is connected to the pipe shell 1, the end of the heat pipe is a relatively regular plane or a spherical surface, instead of the end tail after mechanical clamping and welding in the related art, the practicability is improved, and the size of the heat pipe is more consistent, the design and manufacture of the heat pipe reactor core are facilitated, the structure is more compact, and the utilization rate of space is improved.

[0084] Further, the end of the end cover 2 close to the pipe shell 1 has a flat sealing surface 24, and the flat sealing surface 24 abuts against the end of the pipe shell 1. After the end cover 2 abuts against the pipe shell 1, the plane abutment can be realized, the stability of the structure and the accuracy of the alignment are improved,

[0085] The present application adopts the "tailless flat mouth end cover" design, which saves the reactor space and is convenient for special shape customization, and improves the practicability. The end cover 2 of the embodiment of the present application adopts the tailless flat mouth end cover design, the end cover 2 is integrally produced by machining a metal material, there is no other assembly part, the structural precision can be effectively controlled, and the later assembly is facilitated.

[0086] In some embodiments, the end of the end cover 2 close to the pipe shell 1 and / or the end of the pipe shell 1 close to the end cover 2 is provided with a bevel 23, and the weld seam at the annular joint is flush with the circumferential side wall of the end cover 2 and / or the pipe shell 1, or the weld seam at the annular joint is lower than the side wall of the end cover 2 and / or the pipe shell 1.

[0087] The flat sealing surface 24 of the bevel 23 of the end cover 2 is a laser welding position, and the chamfer is designed to have a certain size, so as to: 1, facilitate the control of the depth and position of the laser welding seam, and guarantee the welding quality; 2, make the welding seam concave after welding, and the heat pipe reactor can be installed without machining after welding, and the consistency of the heat pipe shape size is guaranteed.

[0088] In order to improve the stability of welding and avoid dislocation or movement between the end cover 2 and the pipe shell 1 during welding, the structure of the first connecting part 11 and the second connecting part 21 is optimized in the embodiment of the present application, specifically, the first connecting part 11 is a counterbore arranged at one end of the pipe shell 1 close to the end cover 2, the second connecting part 21 is a boss arranged at one end of the end cover 2 close to the pipe shell 1, and the boss is arranged in the counterbore. The boss is inserted into the counterbore to realize the positioning of the end cover 2 and the pipe shell 1, thereby guaranteeing the structural stability during welding.

[0089] Further, the first connecting part 11 is provided with an inner thread segment, the second connecting part 21 is provided with an outer thread segment, the first connecting part 11 and the second connecting part 21 are threadedly connected, and the outer thread segment has a shoulder with the outer wall surface of the end cover 2.

[0090] The inner thread segment is arranged on the inner wall surface of the counterbore, and the outer thread segment is arranged on the outer wall surface of the boss. During the assembly of the boss and the counterbore, the end cover 2 and the pipe shell 1 can be threadedly connected to improve the connection strength, and at the same time, the isolation of the inner and outer environments of the pipe shell 1 is guaranteed, and impurities and non-condensable gases are prevented from entering the inner cavity of the heat pipe during welding.

[0091] In some embodiments, the heat pipe further comprises a support, the wick 3 has a second cavity, and the support is arranged in the second cavity and abuts against the inner wall of the second cavity.

[0092] When the wick 3 cannot be fixed in the heat pipe, the wick 3 may be peeled off from the inner wall of the pipe shell 1 in application, and the heat transfer capacity of the corresponding area of the heat pipe will be greatly affected during high-temperature heat transfer. The support for supporting the wick 3 is designed in the heat pipe, so that the wick 3 always abuts against the inner wall of the heat pipe, and a high-temperature heat pipe with high heat transfer performance is manufactured.

[0093] The two ends of the wick of the embodiment of the present application abut against the end cover, the outer wall surface of the wick abuts against the inner wall surface of the pipe shell, and the inner cavity of the wick abuts against the support, so that the position of the wick in the heat pipe is relatively fixed and cannot move, and the heat transfer efficiency and heat transfer performance are improved.

[0094] Optionally, the support is a cylindrical metal mesh which supports the inner wall of the wick 3, can support the wick 3, and guarantees the effective contact between the wick 3 and the inner wall of the pipe shell 1.

[0095] The support member is matched with the liquid absorbing core 3, and the support member and the liquid absorbing core 3 can be connected together. When the liquid absorbing core 3 is assembled, the support member is assembled into the tube shell 1 together with the liquid absorbing core 3.

[0096] In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0097] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited.

[0098] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connecting", "fixing" and the like should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected or in communication with each other; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise explicitly limited. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0099] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the first feature is "on" or "under" the second feature, which can be direct contact between the first and second features, or indirect contact between the first and second features through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature "above", "above" and "above" the second feature can be directly above or obliquely above the first feature, or only indicate that the horizontal height of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. The first feature "below", "below" and "below" the second feature can be directly below or obliquely below the first feature, or only indicate that the horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

[0100] In this disclosure, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "an example", "a specific example", or "some examples" mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. The illustrative appearances of the above-mentioned terms in various places in the specification are not necessarily referred to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, the terminology "comprising" is used in the disclosure as comprising but not limited to, that is, it is open-ended and does not exclude the presence of additional features, structures, materials, or characteristics.

[0101] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above-described embodiments are exemplary, and are not to be interpreted as limiting the present disclosure, and the ordinary skilled person in the art can make changes, modifications, replacements, and variations to the above-described embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A heat pipe, manufactured using a heat pipe manufacturing method, characterized in that, include: A tubular shell having an inner cavity, and at least one end of the tubular shell having an opening and a first connecting portion; A liquid-absorbing core is disposed in the inner cavity, and the outer wall surface of the liquid-absorbing core is in contact with the inner wall surface of the inner cavity. The tube shell is filled with working fluid. An end cap having a second connecting portion, the tube shell and the end cap being connected via the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion, and the circumferential joint between the tube shell and the end cap being welded; The heat pipe manufacturing method includes the following steps: Fabricate the tube shell, end caps, and suction core; Clean the tube shell and the suction core, and assemble the suction core into the tube shell; Obtain the filling amount of the working fluid inside the tube shell, place the assembled tube shell and the liquid suction core in a vacuum environment, and fill the tube shell with the preset filling amount of the working fluid; Clean the end cap and connect the end cap to the tube shell in a vacuum environment; The heat pipe is assembled by circumferential welding at the joint between the shell and the end cap. The working medium is sodium. During the filling process, a preset amount of solid sodium working medium is filled into the tube shell at room temperature. The end cap has a first chamber that communicates with the inner cavity of the tube shell, and a getter component is provided in the first chamber; a third connecting part is provided on the side wall of the first chamber. The end cap near the end of the tube shell and / or the end of the tube shell near the end cap are provided with a bevel, and the weld at the circumferential joint is flush with the circumferential sidewall of the end cap and / or the tube shell, or the weld at the circumferential joint is lower than the sidewall of the end cap and / or the tube shell. The end cap has a flat sealing surface near the tube shell, and the flat sealing surface fits and abuts against the end of the tube shell. The first connecting part is a countersunk hole provided at one end of the tube shell near the end cap, and the second connecting part is a boss provided at one end of the end cap near the tube shell, the boss being provided inside the countersunk hole. The first connecting part is provided with an internal thread section, and the second connecting part is provided with an external thread section. The first connecting part and the second connecting part are threadedly connected, and the external thread section has a shoulder between itself and the outer wall surface of the end cap.

2. The heat pipe according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before the steps of manufacturing the tube shell, end cap, and wick, the following steps are also included: determining the size parameters and materials of the tube shell, end cap, and wick according to the assembly space and heat transfer performance requirements of the heat pipe; And / or, before placing the assembled tubing and the suction core into a vacuum environment, the method further includes the following step: performing a secondary cleaning on the assembled tubing and the suction core; And / or, after the heat pipe assembly is completed, the heat pipe is subjected to sealing and heat transfer performance testing.

3. The heat pipe according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum environment is the chamber of a vacuum glove box; And / or, the joint between the shell and the end cap is welded by a laser welding device, and the laser welding device operates in the vacuum environment.

4. The heat pipe according to claim 1, characterized in that, The end of the end cap that is away from the shell is either flat or spherical.

5. The heat pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, It also includes a support member, the liquid-absorbing core has a second cavity, the support member is disposed in the second cavity, and the support member is in contact with and supports the inner wall of the second cavity.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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