GB1315198A - Heat transfer apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1315198 Heat pipes SANDERS ASSOCIATES Inc 14 July 1970 [8 Oct 1969] 34203/70 Heading F4U In a heat pipe the capillary structure 12, Fig. 1, which may be a wick or a plurality of grooves in the pipe wall, does not occur on the condenser surface portion 18 and the pipe is so arranged that the condensate 24 returns to the capillary structure by gravity so that reversal of heat transfer may not occur. In a further embodiment, electronic apparatus 44, Fig. 3, is cooled by heat transfer to two or more adjacent heat pipe systems 30, 32 each comprising an evaporator container 34 having a wick 36 connected by flexible wick sections 38 to heat sink channels 40 disposed longitudinally in but isolated by a vapour space 58 from the surface of a double walled container 42 or aircraft skin, which channels have no wick structure. Vapour condensed in the channels flows by gravity to the flexible sections 38 for gravity and capillary flow to the evaporator container. The outer surface of each channel 40 and the outer surface of the inner wall 50 of the container 42 is covered by a wick 54 and is separated from the outer wall 56 of the container by the vapour space so that the heat from vapour condensed in the channels 40 evaporates liquid from the overlying portions of the wicks 54. This vapour condenses on the inner surface of the wall 56 and flows by gravity to the bottom of the space 58 and is returned by capillary action to the evaporation area. In a modification, the flexible sections 38 may be contiguous with the wick 54 and the evaporator chamber contiguous with the space 58 so that the vapour from the evaporator 34 will pass directly to the space 58 for condensation.