Thin Loop Heat Pipe Structure to Suppress Vapor Backflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thinning of loop heat pipes leads to increased pressure loss and potential backward flow of vapor, reducing heat transfer efficiency and making it difficult to cool heat-generating components in mobile electronic devices.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a porous body in the liquid line and a pillar in the vapor line, formed by stacking metallic layers with optimized pore sizes and shapes, to prevent backward flow by utilizing capillary forces and maintaining a smooth flow path, even when the heat pipe is thinned.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the loop heat pipe is thinned to suit mobile devices, then the device becomes more suitable for mobile electronic devices, but pressure loss increases and vapor backward flow occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a porous body in the liquid line and a pillar structure in the vapor line, both formed by stacking metallic layers with optimized pore sizes and shapes. The porous structure creates capillary forces that prevent vapor backward flow and maintain pressure differential, enabling thin heat pipe design without sacrificing heat transfer performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the pore size and shape parameters of the metallic layers to control capillary pressure and prevent vapor lock. By adjusting these physical parameters, the system maintains effective vapor-liquid separation and pressure differential even in thinned configurations
2Volume of moving object
If the loop heat pipe is thinned, then the device becomes more suitable for mobile electronic devices, but vapor backward flow occurs reducing heat transfer efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The porous body and pillar structure made from stacked metallic layers create capillary pressure that prevents vapor backward flow into the liquid line. This maintains unidirectional flow and preserves heat transfer efficiency despite the reduced thickness of the heat pipe
Solution Approach 2:
The porous metallic structure acts as an intermediary element that mediates between the vapor and liquid phases, using capillary forces to maintain pressure differential and prevent harmful backward flow while allowing the overall structure to be thinned
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 effectively suppresses vapor backward flow, maintaining heat transfer performance and allowing the loop heat pipe to efficiently cool heat-generating components, even in thinner designs suitable for mobile devices.
Implementation Method 1
The implementation of a porous body in the liquid line and a pillar in the vapor line, formed by stacking metallic layers with optimized pore sizes and shapes, to prevent backward flow by utilizing capillary forces
Implementation Method 2
an evaporator configured to vaporize the working fluid with use of the heat from the heat generating components
Implementation Method 3
a condenser configured to cool the thus-vaporized working fluid into a liquid
Data Source
AI summary
A loop heat pipe includes an evaporator configured to vaporize a working fluid, a condenser configured to liquefy the working fluid, a liquid line connecting the evaporator and the condenser, and a vapor line connecting the evaporator and the condenser. The evaporator, the condenser, the liquid line, and the vapor line are formed by stacking a lowermost metallic layer, an uppermost metallic layer, and an intermediate layer set formed of a plurality of metallic layers, which is provided between the uppermost metallic layer and the lowermost metallic layer. The evaporator, the liquid line, the condenser, and the vapor line form a loop-shaped flow path through which the working fluid flows, and a portion of the flow path is formed in the intermediate layer set.