Heat Pipe Expansion Cavity for Freeze-Induced Deformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heat pipes used in low-temperature environments are prone to icing expansion, which can lead to deformation and loss of contact with heat sinks, reducing heat dissipation performance and potentially causing failure.
Innovation Solution
A heat pipe design with a first additional pipe section containing a cavity to accommodate the heat transfer medium, allowing it to expand without contacting the heat emitting component, ensuring stable contact and reliable heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the heat pipe is used in low-temperature environment, then the heat transfer medium can remain liquid and maintain heat transfer function, but the heat transfer medium freezes and expands causing the heat pipe to deform and lose contact with heat sink
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipe is divided into a main pipe section and a first additional pipe section. The main pipe section contains the heat transfer medium and capillary structure for heat transfer, while the first additional pipe section provides expansion space. This segmentation allows the heat transfer medium to expand into the additional section without deforming the main heat transfer path, resolving the contradiction between maintaining liquid state at low temperatures and preventing deformation from expansion.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the heat pipe structure is rigid to maintain contact stability, then contact with heat sink is maintained, but the heat transfer medium cannot expand when freezing causing internal stress and potential failure
Solution Approach 1:
The first additional pipe section is connected to the main pipe section at an angle (e.g., perpendicular), providing a three-dimensional expansion path. This angular connection allows the heat transfer medium to expand in a different spatial dimension without affecting the linear stability of the main heat pipe structure, resolving the contradiction between maintaining contact stability and enabling expansion.
3Reliability
If the heat pipe is designed with expansion space, then the heat transfer medium can freeze without deforming the main structure, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The first additional pipe section is integrated with the main pipe section forming a compact nested structure. The additional section is positioned adjacent to and connected with the main section, creating a space-efficient design that provides expansion capability without significantly increasing overall device complexity or footprint.
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 design maintains stable contact between the heat pipe and heat sinks, preventing deformation-induced performance loss and ensuring reliable heat dissipation even in low-temperature conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a capillary structure layer that easily absorbs working liquid is disposed on an inner wall of a sealed pipe
Implementation Method 2
implement heat transfer through a cyclic phase change of the working liquid
Implementation Method 3
the capillary structure is located at least in a heat exchange cavity of the main pipe section
Implementation Method 4
the main pipe section is sequentially divided into an evaporation section, a heat insulation section, and a condensation section
Implementation Method 5
the main pipe section is sequentially divided into an evaporation section, a heat insulation section, and a condensation section
Implementation Method 6
a working substance (for example, water) inside the heat pipe may freeze
Implementation Method 7
an increase in volume caused by freezing of the working substance
Data Source
Figure 1~3(e)
Figure 4
Figure 5(a)~6
AI summary
This application provides a heat pipe for preventing icing expansion. The heat pipe includes a pipe body having a sealed cavity, and a heat transfer medium and a capillary structure are disposed in the sealed cavity. The pipe body includes a main pipe section and a first additional pipe section, where the main pipe section includes an evaporation section, a heat insulation section, and a condensation section that are sequentially connected, the first additional pipe section is connected to an end part of the evaporation section, and a first additional cavity is disposed in the first additional pipe section. The first additional cavity is used to accommodate all or a part of the heat transfer medium when the heat pipe is vertically placed and the first additional pipe section is located below a gravity direction, and when the heat pipe is mounted on a heat dissipation device that requires heat dissipation, the first additional pipe section is not in contact with a heat emitting component of the heat dissipation device. Because the first additional pipe section is not in contact with the heat emitting component of the heat dissipation device, even if the first additional pipe section expands and deforms due to freezing of the internal heat transfer medium, stability of contact between the heat pipe and a heat dissipation component is not affected, thereby ensuring reliable heat dissipation performance of the heat dissipation device.