PLANAR HEAT PIPE
The planar heat pipe includes a metallic tube composed of two flat extensions and a shrinked intermediate structure, a wick structure, a working fluid and a support element. The flat extensions are separately located at two ends of the metallic tube. The intermediate structure connects between the flat extensions. The wick structure is arranged in the metallic tube. The working fluid is injected in the metallic tube and attached in the wick structure. The support element is disposed in the metallic tube for supporting the wick structure.
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1. Technical Field
The invention generally relates to heat dissipation devices, particularly to heat pipes.
2. Related Art
Integrated circuits (ICs) are broadly applied in various industrial equipments, measurement instruments and computers. With the development of electronic industries, ICs work at higher and higher frequencies and then generate more and more heat. ICs tend to damage if overheating. Conventional heat dissipation devices simply employing fins are not enough to satisfy requirement of heat dissipation of modern ICs. Thus heat pipes become popular in heat dissipation devices. Conventional heat pipes are tubular in shape and composed of a metallic tube, a wick structure arranged in the tube and a working fluid injected in the tube. The heat pipes can rapidly transfer a large amount of heat by phase change of the working fluid.
However, modern electronic devices tend toward lighter, thinner, shorter and smaller than ever. Conventional heat pipes become hard to be applied in a limited space. On the other hand, a heat pipe connecting a heat source to a heat sink usually must make a turn to evade other components. This situation has the design of heat dissipation become difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn object of the invention is to provide a planar heat pipe which can only occupy a flat space and easily evade other components for increasing the space utilization.
To accomplish the above object, the planar heat pipe of the invention includes:
a metallic tube composed of two flat extensions located at two ends thereof and a shrinked intermediate structure connecting between the flat extensions;
a wick structure arranged in the metallic tube;
a working fluid in the metallic tube; and
a support element in the metallic tube for supporting the wick structure to attach the metallic tube.
In above structure, the flat extensions can be separately attached to a heat source and a heat sink. The flat extensions can be accommodated in a very flat space. And the intermediate structure can be provided with a turn to evade other components.
The planar heat pipe of the invention includes a metallic tube 10 composed of two flat extensions 11, 12 and an intermediate structure 13, a wick structure 20, a working fluid 30 and a support element 40.
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The intermediate structure 13 is made by a shrink process. The shrink process can be preferably performed by the tube spinning. The intermediate structure 13 is elongated with maintaining a circular cross-section. The intermediate structure 13 still keeps hollow even if it has been elongated. Two tapering portions 111, 121 are formed between the intermediate structure 13 and the extensions 11, 12. The tapering portions 111, 121 taper from the extensions 11, 12 to the intermediate structure 13.
The intermediate structure 13 may be made with a turn to satisfy real requirements. The embodiment shown in the drawings is with a turn. As can be seen in
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The working fluid 30 is injected in the metallic tube 10 through its opening. The working fluid is absorbed by the wick structure 20 due to the capillary force. The total volume of the injected working fluid 30 is equal to the total volume of all pores of the wick structure 20.
The support element 40 is disposed in the metallic tube 10 to prevent the metallic tube from caving. The support element 40 pushes the wick structure 20 to attach the inner side of the metallic tube 10.
The metallic tube 10 must be degassed before its opening is sealed because the gas inherently filled in the metallic tube 10, such as air, does not involve the phase change of the working fluid 30. A heat pipe can not work normally if the gas has not been degassed.
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The flat extensions 11, 12 can be easily accommodated in a limited space such as a laptop computer. On the other hand, the evaporating section may be further extended to attach more heat sources. So the manufacturing costs can be reduced.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the foregoing preferred embodiment, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various equivalent variations and modifications can still occur to those skilled in this art in view of the teachings of the present invention. Thus, all such variations and equivalent modifications are also embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A planar heat pipe comprising:
- a metallic tube composed of two flat extensions located at two ends thereof and a shrinked intermediate structure connecting between the flat extensions;
- a wick structure arranged in the metallic tube;
- a working fluid in the metallic tube; and
- a support element in the metallic tube for supporting the wick structure to attach the metallic tube.
2. The planar heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the metallic tube is made of copper.
3. The planar heat pipe of claim 1, further comprising two tapering portions formed between the intermediate structure and the extensions.
4. The planar heat pipe of claim 1, further comprising a turn formed in the intermediate structure.
5. The planar heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the intermediate structure is flat in shape.
6. The planar heat pipe of claim 1, wherein the wick structure is sintered powder.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 4, 2010
Publication Date: Mar 24, 2011
Applicant:
Inventors: George Anthony Meyer, IV (San Jose, CA), Chien-Hung Sun (Zhongli City), Chieh-Ping Chen (Zhongli City), David Paul Bono (Zhongli City)
Application Number: 12/793,726
International Classification: F28D 15/04 (20060101);