Wickless Heat Pipe With Intersecting Tubes For Avionics Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat pipes used in avionics face challenges such as dry-out due to wick resistance, bubble formation, and gravitational forces, leading to inefficient heat transfer and potential component damage.
Innovation Solution
A wickless heat pipe design featuring intersecting tubes that create multiple paths for vapor flow, allowing for self-sustaining oscillatory motion and fluid flow, reducing the likelihood of dry-out and stagnation regardless of orientation or acceleration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional heat pipe with wick is used, then heat transfer is enabled, but dry-out occurs due to wick resistance, bubble formation, and gravitational forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the wick component from the heat pipe system entirely. By extracting the wick, the invention eliminates the source of wick resistance and wick-related bubble formation that cause dry-out. The heat pipe operates without a wick structure, relying instead on the oscillating vapor-liquid flow dynamics to transport heat, thereby resolving the dry-out problem associated with traditional wicked heat pipes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic oscillating flow behavior into the heat pipe system. The vapor and liquid phases oscillate back and forth within the heat pipe, creating dynamic flow patterns that prevent stagnation and ensure continuous heat transfer. This dynamic operation allows the system to adapt to gravitational and acceleration forces without experiencing dry-out, as the oscillating motion actively redistributes the working fluid throughout the system
2Reliability
If a wickless oscillating heat pipe is used, then dry-out is prevented, but the device complexity increases due to intersecting tubes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the heat pipe into multiple segmented sections with different orientations. The heat pipe comprises first and second sections arranged at angles to each other, creating distinct functional zones. This segmentation allows each section to handle specific flow directions while collectively preventing dry-out through the combined oscillating flow paths, managing complexity through functional division
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-dimensional linear heat pipe to a multi-dimensional configuration with intersecting sections. By arranging heat pipe sections in three-dimensional space at various angles, the invention creates multiple flow paths and oscillation planes. This dimensional change enables the system to maintain reliable operation under various gravitational and acceleration conditions while distributing the complexity across spatial dimensions rather than concentrating it in a single linear path
3Loss of energy
If solid conductive plates are used, then heat is carried away via conduction, but the speed and efficiency is limited by thermal resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of the working fluid (evaporation and condensation) to transport heat. The working fluid evaporates at the hot end, absorbing latent heat, and condenses at the cold end, releasing latent heat. This phase change mechanism enables much higher heat transfer efficiency compared to solid conduction, as the latent heat of vaporization allows large amounts of energy to be transported with minimal temperature difference, overcoming the thermal resistance limitations of solid plates
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 wickless heat pipe design effectively prevents dry-out and maintains efficient heat transfer by providing multiple paths for vapor flow, ensuring continuous operation and reducing the risk of overheating in avionics systems.
Implementation Method 1
The tube is filled with a liquid that evaporates into a vapor at the evaporator region
Implementation Method 2
a liquid that evaporates into a vapor at the evaporator region, which then flows toward the condenser region
Implementation Method 3
The vapor condenses back into a liquid at the condenser region
Implementation Method 4
the heat is carried away via conduction through the plate. However, the speed and efficiency of the heat transport in a solid plate is limited by the thermal resistance of the material
Implementation Method 5
plates made from highly conductive material, such as graphite or metal, have been placed in thermal contact with the heat generating components such that the heat is carried away via conduction through the plate
Data Source
AI summary
A wickless heat pipe including a first tube and a second tube. The first tube may form a first shape extending longitudinally in a first direction. The second tube may form a second shape extending longitudinally in a second direction different from the first direction. The first tube and the second tube intersect at at least one location. The two tubes may intersect at a right angle or an oblique angle. The first and second tube may intersect at a plurality of locations. The tubes may be formed from a metal plate used as a thermal ground plane.