Heat Pipe Structure with Segmented Wick for Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat pipes face challenges with heat transfer efficiency due to narrow chambers, pressure resistance in the wick structure, and limited adaptability in shape and size, leading to reduced performance when curved or bent, and vapor chambers are limited in transferring heat to distant positions.
Innovation Solution
A heat pipe structure with a vaporizing section and a condensing section, where the condensing section has a smaller thickness and wick structures located between inner surfaces to define flow channels, connected to radiating fins for enhanced heat dissipation, and a thermal module using this heat pipe structure to improve heat transfer efficiency and anti-gravity capability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the chamber in the thin flat heat pipe is made narrow to reduce size, then the heat pipe can be flattened to a greater extent, but the vapor-phase working fluid is hindered by the liquid-phase working fluid from smoothly and quickly flowing to the condensing section
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipe is divided into a vaporizing section with a first width and a condensing section with a second width smaller than the first width. This segmentation allows the vaporizing section to have sufficient width for vapor generation while the condensing section has reduced width to improve flattening, resolving the contradiction between chamber narrowness and vapor flow speed.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the heat pipe are given different local qualities: the vaporizing section has a larger width to accommodate vigorous vaporization, while the condensing section has a smaller width optimized for heat dissipation and flattening. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing each section to have optimal dimensions for its specific function.
2Reliability
If the wick structure is distributed on the whole inner surface of the heat pipe to ensure liquid return, then the liquid-phase working fluid can flow back to the vaporizing section, but the wick structure in the condensing section forms a pressure resistance that reduces vapor-liquid circulation efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The wick structure is selectively applied only to the vaporizing section rather than the entire heat pipe. This local quality approach ensures reliable liquid return at the vaporization point while eliminating the pressure resistance that would be created by wick structure in the condensing section, thus resolving the contradiction between liquid return reliability and circulation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The wick structure is extracted from the condensing section and retained only in the vaporizing section. This extraction removes the harmful pressure resistance in the condensing section while preserving the necessary liquid return function in the vaporizing section, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the heat pipe is curved or bent to change its shape to adapt to different positions, then the heat pipe can be installed in varied configurations, but the wick structure tends to be compressed or squeezed or even to separate from the inner surface
Solution Approach 1:
The wick structure is localized only to the vaporizing section rather than being distributed throughout the entire heat pipe. This local quality approach reduces the total amount of wick material that could be affected by bending, thereby maintaining wick structure integrity while still allowing the heat pipe to be curved or bent for installation adaptability.
4Ease of manufacture
If the heat pipe has fixed cross sectional dimensions along its length for manufacturing simplicity, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the heat pipe cannot be configured to have different shapes and sizes at different positions according to actual needs
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipe is segmented into distinct sections (vaporizing section and condensing section) with different width characteristics. This segmentation allows each section to have optimized dimensions for its specific function while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that can be manufactured using standard processes, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and shape configurability.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pipe employs asymmetric dimensions along its length, with the vaporizing section having a larger width and the condensing section having a smaller width. This asymmetric design allows the heat pipe to be configured with different shapes at different positions to meet actual needs while still being manufacturable using conventional techniques.
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 enhances heat transfer performance, reduces thermal resistance, improves anti-gravity capability, and increases structural strength, allowing for efficient heat dissipation over longer distances with reduced noise.
Implementation Method 1
the working fluid in a liquid phase located on the vaporizing area is heated and finally vaporized to become a vapor-phase working fluid
Implementation Method 2
the working fluid in the vaporizing section absorbs the heat produced by the heat source and is converted from liquid phase into vapor phase
Implementation Method 3
transferred to the condensing section by the vapor-phase working fluid
Implementation Method 4
the vapor-phase working fluid is gradually cooled to finally become condensed into liquid-phase working fluid
Implementation Method 5
the working fluid is cooled and converted into the liquid-phase working fluid again
Implementation Method 6
With the help of the wick structure, the liquid-phase working fluid flows back to the vaporizing section again
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device has a heat source and a thermal module. The thermal module includes a plurality of radiating fins respectively provided with a through hole, and a heat pipe structure having a pipe body. The pipe body has a vaporizing section in contact with the heat source and a condensing section extended through the radiating fins via the through holes thereon. The vaporizing section has a first pipe thickness and is internally provided with a first wick structure to define a first flow channel. The condensing section has a second pipe thickness smaller than the first pipe thickness, and is internally provided along part of its length with at least one second wick structure to define at least one second flow channel communicating with the first flow channel.