Flexible Heat Pipe With Bellows Structure Reducing Force Reaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat pipes are not flexible enough to avoid damage or decoupling from cooler and heater blocks, requiring a force reaction reduction to less than 2.5 N for flexibility, which is challenging for mass production due to complex designs and internal stress issues.
Innovation Solution
A heat pipe design with a flexible bellows structure, including perforated walls, offset wick placement, and additional through holes, which reduces force reaction and stress, allowing for flexibility while maintaining thermal performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a traditional flat heat pipe design is used, then the structure is simple and suitable for mass production, but the force reaction is high (25-50 N) causing damage or decoupling from cooler and heater blocks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a curved or bellows-like structure in the heat pipe design, replacing the traditional flat configuration. This curvature allows the heat pipe to flex and accommodate relative movements between the cooler and heater blocks, reducing the force reaction from 25-50 N to below 2.5 N while maintaining structural integrity and thermal performance.
2Force
If a bellow shape section is attached to the heat pipe to reduce force reaction, then flexibility is improved, but the fabrication complexity increases and mass production becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the bellows structure directly into the heat pipe envelope, creating an integrated design where the flexible section is not a separate attachment but an inherent part of the heat pipe structure. This integration simplifies the fabrication process by eliminating additional assembly steps while maintaining the flexibility needed to reduce force reaction below 2.5 N.
3Ease of manufacture
If the wick is located near the outer wall to simplify structure, then manufacturing is easier, but elongation and stress increase leading to destruction of the heat pipe
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the wick in the central region of the heat pipe rather than near the outer wall. This central positioning places the wick in the neutral plane during bending, minimizing elongation and stress on the wick material. This local optimization of wick placement maintains structural simplicity while significantly improving resistance to elongation and stress, preventing heat pipe destruction.
4Force
If additional springs are added to the heat pipe to reduce force reaction, then flexibility is improved, but internal space is occupied reducing thermal performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the need for additional mechanical components like springs by integrating the flexibility function directly into the heat pipe envelope through the curved/bellows structure. This eliminates the need for separate springs that would occupy internal space and interfere with thermal performance, achieving force reaction reduction below 2.5 N while preserving the internal volume available for heat transfer.
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 heat pipe achieves a force reaction of less than 2.5 N, ensuring flexibility without compromising thermal performance, making it suitable for mass production with a simple design.
Implementation Method 1
transporting a condensed working fluid from a condenser end to an evaporator end
Implementation Method 2
condensation of a gas phase of the internal media on the wick
Implementation Method 3
transfer heat over long distances due to a combination of processes
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B~1C
Figure 1D~1E
AI summary
Provided is a heat pipe (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700) having an envelope (102, 202, 302) with working fluid, an inner layer of wick (108, 206, 504) and a flexible bellows (104). The envelope has a condenser end, an evaporator end, and an adiabatic section in between the condenser and the evaporator ends. The inner layer of wick is arranged on an inner surface of the envelope for transporting condensed working fluid from the condenser end to the evaporator end. The adiabatic section comprises a perforation of walls of the envelope forming a passage for a vapor and a compressed area (106, 204, 502) where walls of the envelope are offset towards a central axis of the envelope. The flexible bellows covers the compressed area and defines a channel (112) for the vapor with ends of the flexible bellows sealed to walls of the envelope outside of the perforation.