Vapor chamber with sintered grooved wick
View Patent ↗A heat pipe heat spreader is provided having a substantially L-shaped enclosure with an internal surface and a plurality of post projecting from the surface. A working fluid is disposed within the enclosure, and a grooved wick is formed on at least a portion of the internal surface. The grooved wick includes a plurality of individual particles having an average diameter, and including at least two lands that are in fluid communication with one another through a particle layer disposed between the at least two lands that comprises less than about six average particle diameters. A method for making a grooved heat pipe wick on an inside surface of a heat pipe container a layer of sintered powder between adjacent grooves that comprises no more than about six average particle diameters.
1. A heat pipe heat spreader comprising:
a substantially L-shaped enclosure having an internal surface and a plurality of post projecting from said internal surface;
a working fluid disposed within said enclosure; and
a grooved wick disposed on at least a portion of said internal surface and including a plurality of individual particles having an average diameter, said grooved wick including at least two lands that are in fluid communication with one another through a particle layer disposed between said at least two lands that comprises less than about six average particle diameters.
2. A heat pipe according to claim 1 wherein said particle layer comprises a thickness that is less than about three average particle diameters.
3. A heat pipe according to claim 1 wherein said particles are formed substantially of copper.
4. A heat pipe according to claim 1 wherein six average particle diameters is within a range from about 0.005 millimeters to about 0.5 millimeters.
5. A method for making a heat pipe wick on an inside surface of a heat pipe container, comprising the steps of:
(a) positioning a mandrel having a grooved contour and a plurality of recesses within a portion of said container;
(b) providing a slurry of metal particles having an average particle diameter and that are suspended in a viscous binder;
(c) coating at least part of the inside surface of said container with said slurry so that said slurry conforms to said grooved contour of said mandrel and forms a layer of slurry between adjacent grooves that comprises no more than about six average particle diameters;
(d) drying said slurry to form a green wick; and,
(e) heat treating said green wick to yield a final composition of the heat pipe wick.
6. A heat pipe wick formed according to the method of claim 5 .
7. A heat pipe wick formed according to the method of claim 5 wherein said layer of slurry comprises a thickness that is less than about three average particle diameters.
8. A heat pipe wick formed according to the method of claim 5 wherein said layer of slurry comprises particles that are formed substantially of copper.
9. A heat pipe wick formed according to the method of claim 5 wherein six of said average particle diameters is within a range from about 0.05 millimeters to about 0.25 millimeters.
10. A heat pipe wick formed according to the method of claim 5 formed with in a container having a working fluid so as to form a heat pipe.
11. A heat pipe heat spreader comprising:
a substantially L-shaped enclosure having an internal surface and a plurality of post projecting from said internal surface;
a working fluid disposed within said enclosure; and
a grooved wick disposed on at least a portion of said internal surface and including a plurality of individual particles having an average diameter, said grooved wick including at least two spaced-apart lands that are in fluid communication with one another through a particle layer disposed between said at least two spaced-apart lands that comprises less than about six average particle diameters.
12. A heat pipe heat spreader according to claim 11 wherein said posts are coated with a sintered material.