Pump Cooling System Using Heat Pipe for Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pumps face challenges in efficiently dissipating heat generated during high-volume flow, high-pressure, or high-conveying speed operations, which limits their performance and can result in reduced fluid compression capabilities due to elevated temperatures.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a cooling system utilizing at least one heat pipe and one heat sink, where the heat pipe contains a heat transfer fluid and provides heat-conducting contact with both the pump housing and the heat sink, effectively transferring heat from the housing to the heat sink for dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a water-cooling system is used to cool the housing, then heat dissipation performance is improved, but device complexity and control requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the active water-cooling system with a passive heat pipe-based cooling system. The heat pipe utilizes phase change (evaporation and condensation) of working fluid to transfer heat from the housing to the heat sink without requiring pumps, valves, or complex control mechanisms. This substitution of active mechanical cooling with passive thermal conduction through phase change resolves the contradiction by maintaining effective heat dissipation while dramatically reducing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pipe system operates autonomously without external control. The working fluid automatically evaporates at the heated region (housing contact surface) and condenses at the cooler region (heat sink), creating a self-sustaining heat transfer cycle. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for external power sources, control systems, or maintenance-intensive components associated with water-cooling systems.
2Productivity
If high conveying speeds are used to increase productivity, then volume flow rate is improved, but heat generation increases which limits further performance enhancement
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pipe acts as an intermediary heat transfer component between the housing (where frictional heat is generated) and the heat sink. By introducing this intermediate thermal conduction path, the system can dissipate the excessive heat generated during high-speed operation, allowing the pump to maintain high productivity without thermal limitations. The heat pipe mediates the thermal energy transfer, preventing heat buildup that would otherwise constrain operating speed.
3Stress or pressure
If compression pressure is increased to improve performance, then fluid pressure output is improved, but heat generation from compression increases which counteracts further compression
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts heat from the system during the compression process by conducting it through the housing to the heat pipe and ultimately to the heat sink. By removing the thermal energy that would otherwise remain in the compressed fluid, the system can achieve higher compression pressures without the temperature rise that normally counteracts further compression. This extraction of harmful thermal energy enables sustained high-pressure operation.
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
This configuration achieves effective cooling performance, allowing for increased volume flow rates and maintaining temperatures within predetermined limits, thereby enhancing the power density and operational efficiency of the pump.
Implementation Method 1
The cooling system comprises at least one heat pipe (12), containing a heat transfer fluid
Implementation Method 2
the heat transfer fluid is heated and is partially converted from its liquid phase into the gaseous phase... the gaseous heat transfer fluid diffuses within the entire interior space of the heat pipe... condenses out at the cooler heat sink contact region (14) by emitting its heat
Implementation Method 3
The cooling system comprises a cooling fin assembly (10)... by means of which the heat absorbed by the heat sink block (9) is emitted to the surrounding air
Data Source
AI summary
A pump includes a housing which delimits a pressure chamber. The pressure chamber has a pressure chamber feed line and a pressure chamber discharge line. By a displacement device arranged displaceably in the pressure chamber, a fluid flowing into the pressure chamber via the pressure chamber feed line can be exposed to a pressure and can be expelled from the pressure chamber via the pressure chamber discharge line. Furthermore, the pump has a cooling system for cooling the housing of the pump. The cooling system has at least one heat pipe, containing a heat transfer fluid, and at least one heat sink. The at least one heat pipe has a housing contact region for providing heat-conducting contact between the heat pipe and the housing, and, arranged at a distance therefrom, a heat sink contact region for providing heat-conducting contact between the heat pipe and the at least one heat sink.