Heat Pipe Porous Wick Manufacturing via Selective Dealloying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional heat pipes with sintered copper powders or copper mesh screens often fail to meet requirements for long heat pipe lengths, thin profiles, high heat loads, and low thermal resistance, leading to unsatisfactory performance in certain applications.
Innovation Solution
A method of manufacturing heat pipes with a porous wick structure composed of dealloyed metal, achieved through selective etching or dealloying processes such as electrochemical, vacuum, or vapor-phase dealloying, which creates a microporous or nanoporous wick structure extending from the outer surface, enhancing capillary action and thermal conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If traditional sintered copper powders or copper mesh screens are used for wick structures, then manufacturing is simple, but capillary pumping power and thermal conductance are insufficient for long heat pipe lengths and high heat loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a porous wick structure formed by selective etching of a metal alloy substrate, creating a dealloyed metal with microporous or nanoporous characteristics. This porous structure enhances capillary action and thermal conductance, enabling effective liquid transport and heat transfer in long heat pipe lengths and high heat load applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the wick structure by controlling the dealloying process to create specific pore sizes, surface areas, and metal compositions. By adjusting etching conditions, alloy composition, and heat treatment parameters, the wick structure achieves optimized capillary pumping power and thermal conductance while maintaining manufacturability.
2Loss of energy
If traditional wick structures are used, then manufacturing cost is low, but thermal resistance remains high preventing effective heat management in high heat load applications
Solution Approach 1:
The porous wick structure created through selective etching provides enhanced thermal pathways and reduced thermal resistance. The microporous or nanoporous network facilitates efficient heat conduction and phase change heat transfer, effectively managing high heat loads while the dealloyed metal composition optimizes thermal properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by forming a dealloyed metal wick structure with specific metal composition and porous morphology. The resulting material combines enhanced thermal conductivity, optimized capillary action, and controlled porosity to reduce thermal resistance in high heat load applications.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional wick structures are used, then device complexity is low, but heat pipe length and profile thickness are limited reducing adaptability to various applications
Solution Approach 1:
The porous wick structure enables extended heat pipe lengths and reduced profile thickness by providing efficient capillary-driven liquid transport throughout the entire heat pipe. The microporous or nanoporous network maintains effective heat transfer even in long configurations and thin profiles, significantly improving adaptability to diverse applications.
Solution Approach 2:
By controlling the dealloying process parameters, the patent creates wick structures with optimized pore size distribution, surface area, and metal composition that enable long heat pipe lengths and thin profiles. These parameter adjustments maintain structural integrity and functional performance across extended dimensions and reduced thickness.
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 method produces heat pipes with improved capillary pumping power and thermal conductance, enabling efficient liquid flow and thermal management in applications requiring long lengths, thin profiles, and high heat loads, while being scalable and cost-effective compared to conventional methods.
Implementation Method 1
conducting an electroplating process on a metal substrate
Implementation Method 2
conducting a heat treatment to create a thin locally alloyed region on top of the metal substrate
Implementation Method 3
selectively etching the locally alloyed region by chemical etching to form the heat pipe
Implementation Method 4
selectively etching the metal alloy layer by vapor phase dealloying, a.k.a., vacuum dealloying, to form the heat pipe
Implementation Method 5
all traditional heat pipes rely on passive liquid transport by capillary action that is generated by a wick structure
Implementation Method 6
passive two-phase (liquid/vapor) heat transfer devices
Implementation Method 7
two-phase (liquid/vapor) heat transfer devices
Implementation Method 8
two-phase (liquid/vapor) heat transfer devices
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing a heat transfer device includes manipulating the microstructure of a metal alloy to thereby remove one or more chemical components of the alloy to form resultant heat pipe structure having an envelope composed of the precursor metal alloy and a porous wick structure composed of the dealloyed metal. Manipulation of the microstructure may be conducted by selective etching of a substrate composed of a metal or metal alloy using a dealloying process.