Ultra-Thin Heat Pipe Wick Structure for Capillary Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
The thermal performance of planar heat pipes is compromised due to reduced capillary force and structural integrity issues when flattened, leading to inefficient heat dissipation in compact electronic devices, where the reduced spacing between heat sources exacerbates liquid and vapor pressure drops.
Innovation Solution
The design of an ultra-thin heat pipe with multiple wick structures and vapor flow channels that maintain capillary pressure equal to or greater than liquid and vapor pressure drops, while providing structural support to minimize deformation, using a manufacturing method that includes sintering wick structures within a conductive metal pipe and vacuum sealing to enhance thermal performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If heat pipes are flattened to reduce thickness, then the device becomes more compact, but structural integrity is compromised and thermal performance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flattened heat pipe structure with thickness reduced to 30-60% of original diameter, utilizing thin-walled construction while maintaining structural integrity through optimized geometry and material selection. The flattened configuration accepts the thin-film nature as inherent to the design, achieving compact form factor without requiring traditional thick-walled structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces curved or arched configurations in the flattened heat pipe structure, utilizing curvature to enhance structural strength while maintaining reduced thickness. The curved geometry provides structural reinforcement that compensates for the reduced wall thickness, resolving the contradiction between compactness and structural integrity.
2Volume of moving object
If heat pipes are flattened to reduce thickness, then the device becomes more compact, but thermal performance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the heat pipe structure into segmented sections with optimized thermal pathways, creating multiple heat transfer channels that compensate for the reduced overall thickness. This segmentation allows each section to maintain effective thermal performance while contributing to the compact flattened configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends thermal transfer pathways in longitudinal directions rather than relying solely on thickness, utilizing the length and width dimensions to maintain thermal performance. Heat dissipation is optimized through extended surface areas in the plane of the flattened structure, compensating for reduced thickness in the third dimension.
3Volume of moving object
If vapor chamber thickness is reduced, then the device becomes thinner, but capillary force is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates porous wick materials with optimized pore structures that generate enhanced capillary forces despite reduced chamber thickness. The porous structure provides high surface area and capillary pressure to overcome the limitations of thin vapor chamber geometry, maintaining effective fluid return in the flattened configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies wick material parameters including pore size distribution, porosity, and surface properties to maximize capillary force generation in the thin vapor chamber. By optimizing these material parameters, the system achieves sufficient capillary pressure to overcome liquid pressure drops despite the reduced thickness constraint.
4Volume of moving object
If spacing between heat sources is reduced, then device compactness improves, but liquid and vapor pressure drops increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes optimized vapor flow channel geometries and working fluid properties to manage pressure drops in the compact configuration. The hydraulic design of vapor channels and liquid return pathways compensates for increased pressure gradients, enabling effective heat transfer despite reduced spacing between heat sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite structures combining different materials with complementary properties to manage pressure drops. The composite construction includes materials with optimized thermal conductivity, capillary properties, and mechanical strength that work together to overcome increased pressure gradients in the compact flattened heat pipe.
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 ultra-thin heat pipe effectively dissipates heat with improved thermal performance and structural integrity, capable of withstanding the increased pressure drops in compact electronic devices, ensuring efficient heat transfer and reduced deformation.
Implementation Method 1
A wick structure, such as a sintered powdered wick, is used to facilitate the flow of the condensed fluid by capillary force back to the evaporation surface
Implementation Method 2
planar heat pipes are vacuum containers that carry heat from a heat source by evaporation of a working fluid which is spread by a vapor flow filling the vacuum
Implementation Method 3
carry heat from a heat source by evaporation of a working fluid
Implementation Method 4
The vapor flow eventually condenses over cooler surfaces, and, as a result, the heat is uniformly distributed from an evaporation surface (heat source interface) to a condensation surface
Data Source
AI summary
A heat dissipating device that includes a first plate and a second plate opposite the first plate and connected to the first plate by two opposite sidewalls. The first plate and the second plate are connected to each other at longitudinally opposite ends thereof, longitudinally extending ends of the first plate and the second plate are connected to each other by sidewalls, and the first plate, the second plate and the sidewalls enclosing an internal space of the heat dissipating device. The heat dissipating device also includes a first wick structure disposed in the internal space and contacting inner surfaces of at least one of the first plate and the second plate. The first wick structure extends longitudinally between the longitudinally opposite ends of the first plate and the second plate, and the first wick structure at least partially defines a first vapor flow channel of the heat dissipating device.