Abstract: A heat pipe with a capillary structure that consists of heat conductive capillary grooves in the condenser region that meet with a porous wick in the evaporator section. The embodiments include several structures of the interface at the junction of the porous wick and the capillary grooves. One such interface is a simple butt joint. Others have interlocking shapes on the wick and the grooves such as parts of the wick that fit into or around the grooves.

Abstract: An evaporator for a loop heat pipe with high input heat transfer. The heat transfer is attained by constructing a heat pipe on the loop heat pipe evaporator heat input surface. The heat pipe then distributes the heat from limited input areas over the entire surface of the loop heat pipe evaporator, and that entire evaporator surface functions as the loop heat pipe heat input area as opposed to limited smaller areas into which the heat usually enters.

Abstract: The apparatus is a capillary loop evaporator in which the vapor space is the internal volume of a cup shaped evaporator wick with sidewalls in full contact with the outer casing of the evaporator. Liquid is furnished to the wick through thicker wick wall sections, slabs protruding from the liquid-vapor barrier wick, eccentric wick cross sections, or tunnel arteries. The tunnel arteries can also be formed within heat flow reducing ridges protruding into the vapor space. The tunnel arteries can be fed liquid by bayonet tubes or cable arteries, and can be isolated from the heat source with regions of finer wick to impede vapor flow into the liquid. Tunnel arteries also enable separation of the evaporator and the reservoir for thermal isolation and structural flexibility. A wick within the reservoir aids collection of liquid in low gravity applications.

Abstract: A heat transfer device such as a heat sink has one or more heat pipe tubes mounted in a base plate. The heat pipe tubes have a working fluid in a vessel with a wicking material between an evaporator and condenser. The heat pipe traverses a through opening in the base plate and extends along a receptacle in the base plate facing the heat source, this portion preferably defining the heat pipe evaporator. The heat pipe has legs extending perpendicularly from the base plate, and preferably hold spaced heat transfer fins, the legs forming the condenser part of a stacked tower of fins on the base plate. Preferably two or more heat pipes are provided in the form of U-shaped or L-shaped tubes that are flattened along the underside of the base plate to bear against the heat source.

Abstract: The apparatus is a hybrid solar collector which permits heating by both solar energy and fossil fuels. The hollow solar collector structure acts as the vapor space for a heat pipe for which the heat utilization device acts as the condenser. A solar evaporator wick covers the inside surface of the solar collector, and one or more burners are located adjacent to the solar collector. Each burner has a burner evaporator wick mounted directly on the surface of the combustion chamber and the wick is either exposed within the vapor space of the solar heat pipe or made a part of an intermediate heat pipe which cools the combustion chamber surface and heats an auxiliary evaporator wick within the solar heat pipe. Thus, heat produced by either solar radiation or fuel combustion evaporates the working fluid in the solar heat pipe.