Abstract: A two-phase liquid cooling system utilizes and evaporator unit for vaporizing a liquid coolant and a condenser unit for condensing the coolant vapor. The unit is capable of operating in at least two orientations: in one orientation, the condenser is located vertically above the evaporator and condensed coolant returns from the condenser to the evaporator under the force of gravity. In another orientation, the evaporator is located vertically above the condenser and the liquid coolant is returned to the evaporator by a stream of bubbles rising in a tube connecting the evaporator and the condenser. The stream of bubbles is produced by a small heater which is operated by a gravity controlled switch. A check valve is provided to insure that the bubble stream moves in the proper direction.

Abstract: An animating device is attached underneath a floating waterfowl decoy that creates rings, ripples, and waves on the water surface emanating from said decoy giving the appearance that said decoy is alive. In accordance with one embodiment of the device, a long, flexible plastic tube is attached or retrofit to the keel of an existing floating decoy. An apparatus, such as a motor driven pump, a pressurized air cylinder, or a hand- or foot-operated bellows air pump supplies air to the tube and a one-way check valve is provided in the end of tube attached to the decoy to prevent water from back-filling the long flexible plastic tube. Air forced through the long flexible plastic tube bubbles out underneath the decoy and the rising bubbles create rings, ripples, and waves on the water surface to give the appearance that the decoy is alive. In another embodiment, the tube is attached to flexible container mounted under the decoy.

Abstract: A heat pipe which is flexible and thus conformable to the space in which it is to be deployed consists of two or three layers, namely, a relatively thin, highly conductive plate as a bottom layer, a plastic sheet as a top layer and wicking as an optional middle layer. The bottom plate has a relatively high modulus of elasticity and it is stiff, yet ductile. It is preferably made of metal, such as aluminum, or a plastic sheet or plate. To manufacture the heat pipe, the bottom and top layers are aligned, with the wicking between them, and sealed together around three edges. Liquid coolant is then added and the fourth edge is sealed. The sealing is preferably performed by heat sealing. The heat pipe may include heat-dissipating fins or ridges on the end of the pipe that operates as a condenser. The opposing end of the pipe, which acts as the evaporator, is positioned proximate to a heat-generating component.

Abstract: A liquid crystal (LC) display monitor has a high luminosity light source to provide good visibility in brightly lit areas. To prevent overheating of the LC screen and other components of the monitor, a two-phase cooler is provided. The cooler consists of two translucent, flexible bag-like containers, each conforming to a different side of the light source. A low-boiling point coolant within the containers absorbs heat from the light source and is partially vaporized. The coolant vapor travels from the containers into a condenser which is external to the monitor cabinet. The condenser draws thermal energy out of the coolant vapor, causing it to condense and return to the containers. The containers provide shock absorption to protect the light source, and the containers or the coolant may have light-scattering properties to provide diffusion of the light.

Abstract: A two-phase liquid cooling system for an electronic component comprised of flexible sealed bag which is partially filled with a liquid coolant. Sufficient residual non-condensing gas is maintained in the bag so that some of the gas dissolves in the liquid coolant when the device is not operating and at ambient temperature. During warmup, the residual gas comes out of solution and creates nucleation sites that assist in initiating boiling. The bag is air and fluid-impermeable, and has sufficient flexibility such that as coolant vaporizes, the bag expands to maintain the internal bag pressure substantially the same as the ambient environmental pressure. The bag may also be provided with a metal heat spreader plate which passes through a wall of the bag an assists with transferring heat from the component to the coolant. The heat spreader plate may be specially treated to allow the flexible bag material to by directly heat sealed to the plate and to provide nucleation sites to enhance coolant boiling.

Abstract: A two-phase liquid cooling system has a container structure that has at least one wall with sufficient flexibility that the wall expands as the coolant vapor expands thereby maintaining the internal container pressure substantially the same as the ambient environmental pressure. Coolant boiling overshoot is reduced by allowing residual gases to remain in the cooling system. More particularly, sufficient residual gas is maintained in the system so that some of the gas dissolves in the liquid coolant when the device is not operating and is at ambient temperature. During warmup, the residual gas comes out of solution and creates nucleation sites that initiate boiling and prevent overshoot. Additional nucleation sites can also be added to reduce overshoot by treating the inside surfaces of the container structure, for example by laser machining, to create nucleation sites.

Abstract: Apparatus and method are provided for controlling at least one physicochemical property of carrier fluids and/or support fluids provided to chromatographic detectors by determining a physicochemical property of the one or both fluids and controlling that property using interactive feedback loops.

Abstract: A system and method are shown for performing cool, on-column sample injection into a chromatographic device having a capillary column which injection is achieved through the use of a syringe having a needle. The column diameter is minimized by the provision of an inlet assembly connected to the inlet end of the column, a sealing member disposed in the inlet assembly, for forming a fluid tight seal in the inlet end when the sample is injected onto the column to prevent the sample from escaping and for reducing the effective length of the needle at the point of insertion of the needle into the column and a guide member for reducing the effective length and for supporting the needle during insertion into the column. A temperature controller for controlling the temperature of the column in the region where the sample is injected is also disclosed. The sealing member is shown to include an elastomeric member and further the system includes a mechanism for continuously cooling the elastomeric member.

Abstract: A microchannel heat sink used to cool a high power electronic device such as an integrated circuit comprising a plurality of channels in close thermal contact to the integrated circuit and through which a liquid is passed to create either a developing laminar flow or a turbulent flow. The turbulent flow may be either developing or fully developed. The heat sink features a compensation heater surrounding the integrated circuit and heated at the same rate as the integrated circuit to thereby provide a more uniform temperature at the perimeter of the integrated circuit.