Flat Outer Surface Heat Pipe for Uniform Heating
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Cylindrical heat pipes in heating devices have a small contact area with heaters, limiting efficient heat transfer and potentially leading to durability issues due to uneven pressure distribution from working fluid expansion.
Innovation Solution
A heat pipe with a flat outer surface and a cross-sectionally-circular interior filled with a working fluid, designed to contact a planar heater surface, ensuring a larger contact area and reducing pressure variations, thereby enhancing heat transfer efficiency and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a cylindrical heat pipe is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the contact area with the heater is small
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipe transitions from a cylindrical shape to a plate-like shape, changing the geometric dimension from three-dimensional circular cross-section to two-dimensional flat surface. This dimensional change allows the heat pipe to conform to the planar heater surface, significantly increasing the contact area from a line or point contact to a broad surface contact across the entire heat pipe area.
2Reliability
If a cylindrical heat pipe is used, then the structure is simple, but the pressure distribution from working fluid expansion becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipe adopts an asymmetric plate-like structure with a flat outer surface that contacts the heater, rather than a symmetric cylindrical structure. This asymmetric geometry allows the working fluid expansion pressure to be distributed uniformly across the flat contact surface, preventing localized stress concentration and improving reliability.
3Productivity
If a cylindrical heat pipe is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but heat transfer efficiency is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipe is transformed from a cylindrical form to a plate-like form with increased surface area in contact with the heater. This dimensional transformation enables more effective heat transfer by maximizing the thermal contact area between the heat pipe and heater, allowing heat to be transferred more efficiently across the entire contact surface rather than through a limited cylindrical interface.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a sufficient contact area with the heater, efficiently transferring heat and reducing temperature variations, while improving the heat pipe's durability against fluid expansion, thus stabilizing the heating process.
Implementation Method 1
The heat pipe has a flat outer surface in contact with the non-contact surface of the heater and an interior having a cross-sectionally-circular space filled with a working fluid, and transfers heat in a belt width direction of the transport belt in accordance with a function of the working fluid
Implementation Method 2
transfers heat in a belt width direction of the transport belt in accordance with a function of the working fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A heating device includes a rotating unit, a transport belt, a heater, and a heat pipe. The rotating unit rotates. The transport belt rotates together with the rotating unit while nipping a heated member together with the rotating unit so as to transport the heated member. The heater has a contact surface in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the transport belt and a flat non-contact surface not in contact with the inner peripheral surface, and generates heat so as to heat the heated member via the transport belt. The heat pipe has a flat outer surface in contact with the non-contact surface of the heater and an interior having a cross-sectionally-circular space filled with a working fluid, and transfers heat in a belt width direction of the transport belt in accordance with a function of the working fluid.