Heat Mat With Undulating Passages For Isothermal Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heat pipes used in heat exchanging arrangements face issues with temperature rise of the working fluid, reducing its ability to absorb heat, and leakage of the cooling fluid due to difficulties in sealing the distal portion of the heat pipes to the flow duct.
Innovation Solution
A heat mat with a main body featuring passages with undulating profiles and manifolds that form a sealed chamber, enhancing surface area for heat transfer and preventing leakage, allowing efficient heat absorption and emission by utilizing a working fluid in both liquid and gas phases within a closed pressure system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the distal portion of each heat pipe is separately sealed to the flow duct, then the cooling fluid can be contained, but the sealing difficulty increases and leakage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple heat pipe distal portions into a common sealed chamber within the flow duct, rather than sealing each heat pipe individually. This integration reduces sealing complexity while maintaining reliability, as the cooling fluid is contained in a unified space that serves all heat pipes simultaneously.
2Productivity
If the working fluid temperature rises during use, then heat absorption continues, but the ability to absorb further heat from the panel reduces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action through the phase change cycle of the working fluid. The fluid periodically transitions between liquid and vapor phases, allowing it to absorb latent heat during vaporization and release it during condensation. This cyclic process maintains consistent heat absorption capacity despite temperature variations, as the phase change occurs at relatively constant temperature.
3Productivity
If a planar heat exchanging arrangement is used, then heat transfer occurs, but the heat transfer rate is insufficient compared to the desired efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces curvature by forming undulating or corrugated surfaces within the sealed chamber of the flow duct. These curved surfaces increase the effective heat exchange area between the working fluid and the panel without significantly increasing the overall device footprint, thereby enhancing the heat transfer rate while maintaining a compact design.
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 mat achieves efficient and uniform heat transfer with a significantly higher heat transfer rate compared to prior art, maintaining isothermal conditions and resisting external forces due to its compact and self-contained design.
Implementation Method 1
When one end of the tube is heated the liquid turns to vapour upon absorbing the latent heat of vaporization
Implementation Method 2
The hot vapour subsequently passes to the cooler end of the tube where it condenses and releases the latent heat to the tube
Implementation Method 3
The panel 12 is arranged to absorb heat from the planar surface (not shown) and the heat absorbed is communicated to the proximal portion 11a of the heat pipes
Data Source
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AI summary
Apparatus comprises: a panel (100) having first and second main faces (101, 102); and a sealed system internal within the panel and comprising plural passages (103) each extending from a first manifold cavity (107) at a first end of the panel to a second manifold cavity (107) at a second end of the panel and containing a fluid in both gas and liquid states, wherein each of the passages includes one or more protruding features (122, 123, 124) on a side of the passages that is closer to the first main face.