Heat pipe with screen mesh wick structure

Abstract

A heat pipe ( 10 ) includes a pipe body ( 20 ) having an inner wall ( 22 ) and a screen mesh ( 30 ) disposed on the inner wall of the pipe body. The screen mesh is in the form of a multi-layer structure with at least one layer thereof having an average pore size different from that of the other layers. The layer with large-sized pores is capable of reducing the flow resistance to the condensed fluid to flow back, whereas the layer with small-size pores is capable of providing a relatively large capillary pressure for drawing the condensed fluid from the condensing section to the evaporating section.

1 . A heat pipe comprising: 
 a pipe body having an inner wall; and    a screen mesh disposed on the inner wall of the pipe body;    wherein the screen mesh comprises several layers, at least one of the several layers has an average pore size different from that of the other layers.    
   
   
       2 . The heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein each layer of the several layers has an average pore size different from that of a neighboring layer thereof.  
   
   
       3 . The heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein the several layers are stacked together along a radial direction of the pipe body.  
   
   
       4 . The heat pipe of  claim 3 , wherein the several layers are stacked in such a manner that the average pore sizes thereof increase along the radial direction of the pipe body.  
   
   
       5 . The heat pipe of  claim 3 , wherein the several layers comprise three layers, two layers of the three layers disposed at respective opposite sides of the other layer have the same average pore size, the other layer located between the two layers have an average pore size different from that of the two layers.  
   
   
       6 . The heat pipe of  claim 3 , wherein at least one of the several layers comprises several sections along a longitudinal direction of the pipe body.  
   
   
       7 . The heat pipe of  claim 6 , wherein the heat pipe is divided into an evaporating section, a condensing section, and an adiabatic section along a longitudinal direction of the pipe body, the several sections of at least one of the several layers locate corresponding to the three sections of the heat pipe, respectively.  
   
   
       8 . The heat pipe of  claim 7 , wherein each layer comprises three sections corresponding to the three sections of the heat pipe respectively.  
   
   
       9 . The heat pipe of  claim 6 , wherein one of the sections of the at least one layer has an average pore size different from that of a neighboring section of the at least one layer.  
   
   
       10 . The heat pipe of  claim 6 , wherein each section of the at least one layer has an average pore size different from the other sections of the at least one layer.  
   
   
       11 . The heat pipe of  claim 3 , wherein along the radial direction of the heat pipe, at least one of the several layers has a thickness different from that of the other layers.  
   
   
       12 . The heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein the several layers are arranged side by side along a longitudinal direction of the pipe body.  
   
   
       13 . The heat pipe of  claim 12 , wherein the several layers are arranged in such a manner that the average pore sizes thereof increase along the longitudinal direction of the pipe body.  
   
   
       14 . The heat pipe of  claim 13 , wherein the heat pipe is divided into an evaporating section and a condensing section at respective opposite ends thereof, and a heat insulating section located between the evaporating section and the condensing section, the several layers comprises three layers at the three sections of the heat pipe, respectively.  
   
   
       15 . The heat pipe of  claim 14 , wherein the three layers of the screen mesh are arranged in such a manner that the average pore sizes thereof decrease from the evaporating section to the condensing section of the heat pipe.  
   
   
       16 . The heat pipe of  claim 12 , wherein along the longitudinal direction of the heat pipe, at least one of the layers has a thickness different from that of the other layers.  
   
   
       17 . A heat pipe comprising: 
 a pipe body having an inner wall and defining an evaporating section and a condensing section;    working fluid received in the pipe body;    a mesh screen attached on the inner wall of the pipe body for drawing the working fluid in a condensed state from the condensing section to the evaporating section, the mesh screen including different layers arranged along one of longitudinal direction and radial direction of the pipe body, pores in the different layers having different pore sizes.    
   
   
       18 . The heat pipe of  claim 17 , wherein the pore sizes decrease along a direction from a center of the pipe body toward the inner wall of the pipe body.  
   
   
       19 . The heat pipe of  claim 17 , wherein the pore sizes increase along a direction from the evaporating section toward the condensing section.  
   
   
       20 . The heat pipe of  claim 17 , wherein the different layers are arranged side by side when the different layers are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the pipe body.