Loop Heat Pipe Evaporator Structure for Tilted Cooling Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Miniaturization of electronic devices in transportation machines leads to challenges in maintaining effective thermal management due to position changes, causing uneven cooling and reduced heat transport rates in loop heat pipes that rely on gravity for fluid circulation.
Innovation Solution
An evaporator design with a porous plate dividing the accommodation chamber into upper and lower chambers, featuring a partition that forms liquid retainers and evenly distributes liquid-phase working fluid across the bottom surface, ensuring thermal contact even when tilted.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the evaporator is tilted or positioned in different orientations, then the liquid-phase working fluid may not maintain contact with the entire heat receiver surface, but this causes dry spots and uneven cooling performance
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom of the accommodation chamber is segmented into multiple liquid retainers (first, second, third liquid retainers) that are distributed across different regions. This segmentation ensures that liquid-phase working fluid is retained in multiple locations simultaneously, maintaining contact with the entire heat receiver surface even when the evaporator is tilted or positioned in different orientations, thus preventing dry spots and ensuring uniform cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-location liquid retention approach to a multi-location distribution approach by adding liquid retainers in different spatial dimensions across the bottom of the accommodation chamber. This dimensional expansion of liquid retention locations ensures comprehensive coverage of the heat receiver surface regardless of evaporator orientation.
2Device complexity
If gravity-based circulation is used in loop heat pipes, then the system structure is simple, but position changes reduce the drive force for fluid circulation and decrease heat transport rate
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid retainers are pre-configured at the bottom of the accommodation chamber to automatically retain liquid-phase working fluid before evaporation occurs. This preliminary retention action ensures that liquid is always available at the heat receiver interface regardless of subsequent position changes, maintaining continuous heat transport without requiring complex active circulation control systems.
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
Ensures efficient cooling of the heat generator by maintaining thermal contact across the entire region, preventing localized dry spots and enhancing heat transport despite changes in position.
Implementation Method 1
a porous plate dividing the accommodation chamber into an upper chamber and a lower chamber and including a large number of pores through which the upper and lower chambers communicate with each other
Implementation Method 2
the evaporator receives heat from a heat generator to change at least part of a working fluid from a liquid phase to a gas phase
Implementation Method 3
The gas-liquid two-phase working fluid moves in the vapor conduit under the action of pressure difference and buoyancy and reaches the condenser
Implementation Method 4
The gas-liquid two-phase working fluid moves in the vapor conduit under the action of pressure difference and buoyancy
Implementation Method 5
In the condenser, the working fluid is cooled into the liquid phase
Data Source
AI summary
An evaporator that receives heat from a heat generator to change at least part of a working fluid from a liquid phase to a gas phase includes: a housing including an accommodation chamber that accommodates the working fluid; and a heat receiver located on a bottom surface of the housing and thermally connected to the heat generator. The housing includes: a porous plate dividing the accommodation chamber into an upper chamber and a lower chamber and including a large number of pores through which the upper and lower chambers communicate with each other; at least one working fluid inlet opening into the upper chamber; a partition dividing a bottom of the lower chamber into liquid retainers; and at least one working fluid outlet opening into the lower chamber and located above the partition.