Brazed wick for a heat transfer device

1. capillary structure for a heat transfer device comprising:

a plurality of particles joined together by a brazing compound comprising about sixty-five percent weight copper and thirty-five percent weight gold such that fillets of said brazing compound are formed between adjacent ones of said plurality of particles so as to form a network of capillary passageways between said particles.

2. A capillary structure according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of particles comprise a first melting temperature and said brazing compound comprises a second melting temperature that is lower than said first melting temperature.

3. A capillary structure according to claim 1 wherein said fillets are formed by capillary action of said braze compound when in a molten state.

4. A capillary structure according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of particles are selected from the group consisting of carbon, tungsten, copper, aluminum, magnesium, nickel, gold, silver, aluminum oxide, and beryllium oxide.

5. A capillary structure according to claim 1 wherein said particles plurality of particles comprise a shape selected from the group consisting of spherical, oblate spheroid, prolate spheroid, ellipsoid, polygonal, and filament.

6. A capillary structure according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of particles comprise at least one of copper spheres and oblate copper spheroids having a melting point of about one thousand eighty-three ° C.

7. A capillary structure according to claim 1 wherein said fillets are formed from a brazing compound that comprises six percent by weight of a finely divided copper/gold brazing compound.

8. A capillary structure according to claim 1 wherein said brazing compound is present in said capillary structure in the range from about two percent to about ten percent by weight.

9. A capillary structure according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of particles comprise copper powder sized in a range from about twenty mesh to about two-hundred mesh.

10. A heat pipe comprising:

a hermetically sealed and partially evacuated enclosure, said enclosure comprising internal surfaces;

a wick disposed on at least one of said internal surfaces and comprising a plurality of particles joined together by a brazing compound such that fillets of said brazing compound are formed between adjacent ones of said plurality of particles so as to form a network of capillary passageways between said particles wherein said brazing compound comprises about sixty-five percent weight copper and thirty-five percent weight gold; and

a two-phase fluid at least partially disposed within a portion of said wick.

11. A heat pipe according to claim 10 wherein said plurality of particles comprise a first melting temperature and said brazing compound comprises a second melting temperature that is lower than said first melting temperature.

12. A heat pipe according to claim 10 wherein said fillets are formed by capillary action of said braze compound when in a molten state.

13. A heat pipe according to claim 10 wherein said plurality of particles are selected from the group consisting of carbon, tungsten, copper, aluminum, magnesium, nickel, gold, silver, aluminum oxide, and beryllium oxide.

14. A heat pipe according to claim 10 wherein said plurality of particles comprise a shape selected from the group consisting of spherical, oblate spheroid, prolate spheroid, polygonal, and filament.

15. A heat pipe according to claim 10 wherein said plurality of particles comprise at least one of copper spheres and oblate copper spheroids having a melting point of about 1083° C.

16. A heat pipe comprising:

a hermetically sealed and partially evacuated enclosure, said enclosure comprising internal surfaces;

a wick disposed on at least one of said internal surfaces and comprising a plurality of particles joined together by a brazing compound wherein said plurality of particles comprises a first melting temperature and said brazing compound comprises a second melting temperature that is lower than said first melting temperature and further wherein said brazing compound comprises six percent by weight of a finely divided copper/gold such that fillets of said brazing compound are formed between adjacent ones of said plurality of particles so as to form a network of capillary passageways between said particles wherein said brazing compound comprises about sixty-five percent weight copper and thirty-five percent weight gold; and

a two-phase fluid at least partially disposed within a portion of said wick.

17. A heat pipe according to claim 11 wherein said brazing compound is present in the range from about two percent to about ten percent by weight.

18. A heat pipe according to claim 11 wherein said plurality of particles comprise copper powder comprising particles sized in a range from about twenty mesh to about two-hundred mesh.

19. A heat pipe comprising a sealed and partially evacuated tubular enclosure having an internal surface covered by a brazed wick comprising a plurality of copper particles joined together by a brazing compound comprising about sixty-five percent weight copper and thirty-five percent weight gold such that fillets of said brazing compound are formed between adjacent ones of said plurality of particles so as to form a network of capillary passageways between said particles; and

a working fluid disposed within said tubular enclosure.

20. A heat pipe comprising:

a sealed and partially evacuated enclosure having an internal surface;

a grooved brazed wick disposed upon said internal surface comprising a plurality of individual particles and a brazing compound comprising about sixty-five percent weight copper and thirty-five percent weight gold such that fillets of said brazing compound are formed between adjacent ones of said plurality of particles, and further including at least two lands that are in fluid communication with one another wherein said particles are thermally engaged with one another by a plurality of said fillets; and

a working fluid disposed within said enclosure.