JPH10132477A - Flexible heat pipe device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an efficiency of a thermal control system from being reduced even if an application is made between objects varying geometrical relation by a method wherein a heat pipe at a thermal radiation side and a heat pipe at a heat absorption side are thermally connected by a bellows pipe having thermal conductive liquid enclosed therein and the thermal radiation side and heat absorption side are connected in a geometrical flexibility. SOLUTION: A heat pipe 3 at a heat generating side and a heat pipe 4 at a thermal radiation side are thermally connected to each other through thermal conductive liquid enclosed in a bellows pipe 2. Heat radiated by a heat generating member 7 is absorbed by a heat absorbing section 5 of the heat pipe 3 at the heat generating side and then transported to the bellows pipe 2. At the bellows pipe 2, the transported heat is transmitted from the heat pipe 3 at the heat generating side to the thermal conductive liquid and further transmitted to the heat pipe 4 at the thermal radiation side through the liquid. This heat is transported to the thermal radiation section 6 of the heat pipe 4 at the thermal radiation side and then the heat is radiated to the surrounding atmosphere. With such an arrangement as above, even if the heat pipes are bent around the bellows pipe, it is possible to transfer heat in the same manner as that of their stretched states.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat pipe for transferring heat generated by a highly heat-generating device to a heat radiating portion for controlling the temperature of the device, and particularly to a geometrical relationship between the heat generating portion and the heat radiating portion during operation. The present invention relates to a flexible heat pipe device that can be applied to a device in which the pressure changes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional heat pipe is a system for transporting a liquid for transmitting heat by utilizing a capillary phenomenon. For this reason, in order to maintain the liquid transporting performance of the capillary part which has a dominant effect on the heat transporting performance of the heat pipe, the pitch was cut into the rigid pipe. Further, in order to provide flexibility, a method of inserting a flexible portion such as a bellows into an intermediate portion of the above rigid tube has been employed.

[0003]

A first problem of the prior art is that it cannot be applied to heat exchange between a satellite or the like and a developed object such as an antenna compartment and the satellite body.
Therefore, efficient heat control for the developed product could not be performed. The reason is that, as described above, since the conventional heat pipe is made of a rigid pipe, it is not possible to thermally connect objects whose geometrical relationship such as expansion, extension, and bending changes.

Also, in the case of a heat pipe in which a flexible portion such as a bellows is inserted into an intermediate portion so as to be bent, the heat transfer capability of the heat pipe is greatly changed, and the expected performance cannot be obtained. The reason is that, when a flexible part such as a bellows is inserted in the middle of the heat pipe, the shape of the wick that transports the liquefied heat transfer medium to the heat generating part after heat radiation changes by bending, As a result, the transport characteristics change.

An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible heat pipe which does not reduce the efficiency of the thermal control system even when applied between two objects that change the geometric relationship, for example, between a satellite body and a deployable antenna compartment. It is to provide a device.

[0006]

The flexible heat pipe device of the present invention is constructed by thermally connecting two single-tube heat pipes with a bellows tube filled with a thermally conductive liquid.

In the flexible heat pipe device of the present invention, the heat pipe on the heat generating side of the two single pipe heat pipes absorbs heat radiated from the radiator in the heat absorbing portion and transports the filled liquid to the bellows pipe by moving the sealed liquid. I do. The transported heat is released to the thermally conductive liquid in the bellows tube, and is transmitted to the heat-dissipating heat pipe from here. In the heat radiation side heat pipe, the heat transmitted in the bellows tube is transported to the heat radiation part, where it is radiated outside. In the present invention, since the two single-pipe heat pipes are connected by the bellows pipe, it is possible to bend around the bellows, and in this state, the heat transfer is similar to that in the stretched state. Therefore, the same heat conduction characteristics as in the stretched state can be obtained.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Referring to FIG.
Is absorbed by the heat absorbing portion 5 of the heat generating side heat pipe 3 and transported to the bellows tube 2. In the bellows tube 2, the transported heat is transmitted from the heat-generating heat pipe 3 to the thermally conductive liquid (mercury, sodium, etc.) 1, and then transmitted to the heat-radiating heat pipe 4. This heat is transported to the heat radiating portion 6 of the heat radiating side heat pipe 4 and is radiated to the outside.

In the present invention, the heat-generating heat pipe 3
And the heat radiation side heat pipe 4 are thermally connected via the thermally conductive liquid 1 sealed in the bellows tube 2,
Even when the heat pipe is bent around the bellows pipe as shown in FIG. 2, heat is transmitted as in the stretched state.

[0010]

The effect of the present invention is that heat exchange is possible between two persons whose geometrical relationship changes, so that it is possible to efficiently perform heat control especially for a satellite having a deployable antenna compartment. Weight and power for control can be reduced.

The reason is that the two heat pipes are connected by a bellows tube filled with a thermally conductive liquid, so that they can be bent, and the heat control characteristics do not change even if they are bent. This is because heat exchange between them is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of the present invention, particularly showing a stretched state.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a bent state in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermally conductive liquid 2 Bellows pipe 3 Heat generation side heat pipe 4 Heat radiation side heat pipe 5 Heat absorption part 6 Heat radiation part 7 Heating element

Claims (3)

[Claims] A heat radiation side heat pipe and a heat absorption side heat pipe are thermally connected by a bellows tube filled with a thermally conductive liquid, and the heat radiation side and the heat absorption side are connected with geometric flexibility. Flexible heat pipe device. 2. The flexible heat pipe device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid sealed in the bellows tube is sodium. 3. The flexible heat pipe device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid sealed in the bellows tube is mercury.