Flexible heat pipe

Abstract

A flexible heat pipe ( 10 ) includes a casing ( 12 ), a wick structure ( 20 ) arranged in the casing, and a working medium saturated in the wick structure. The casing includes an evaporation section ( 122 ), a condensation section ( 126 ), and a flexible adiabatic section ( 124 ) connecting the evaporation section with the condensation section. The wick structure includes a first portion ( 21 ), a second portion ( 23 ) and a third portion respectively disposed in the evaporation, the condensation and the adiabatic sections of the casing. The adiabatic section of the casing further accommodates a supporting member ( 30 ) therein for supporting the third portion of the wick structure to have an intimate contact with an inner surface of the adiabatic section.

1 . A flexible heat pipe comprising:
 a casing comprising an evaporation section, a condensation section, and a flexible adiabatic section connecting the evaporation section with the condensation section;   a wick structure arranged in the casing and comprising first, second and third portions respectively disposed in the evaporation, the condensation and the adiabatic sections of the casing, the adiabatic section of the casing further accommodating a supporting member therein configured for supporting the third portion of the wick structure to have an intimate contact with an inner surface of the adiabatic section; and   a working medium contained in the wick structure.   
   
   
       2 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 1 , wherein the supporting member is a coil spring. 
   
   
       3 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 1 , wherein the supporting member is a tube lining an inner surface of the third portion of the wick structure, the supporting member defines a plurality of pores therein allowing flowing of the working medium through the supporting member. 
   
   
       4 . The flexible heat pipe as described in claim I, wherein a diameter of an outer surface of the supporting member is a bit greater than that of an inner surface of the third portion of the wick structure. 
   
   
       5 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 1 , wherein the third portion of the wick structure is a mesh wick woven from a plurality of wires. 
   
   
       6 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 1 , wherein the third portion of the wick structure is a fibrous wick comprising a plurality of wires distributed around the inner surface of the adiabatic section of the casing. 
   
   
       7 . The flexible heat pipe as described in claim I, wherein the first, the second and the third portions of the wick structure are integrally formed as a single piece. 
   
   
       8 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 1 , wherein the first and second portions of the wick structure are formed separately from the third section of the wick structure. 
   
   
       9 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 8 , wherein the first and second portions of the wick structure are sintered wick. 
   
   
       10 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 9 , wherein the first and second portions of the wick structure have different pore sizes. 
   
   
       11 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 10 , wherein an average capillary pore size of the first portion of the wick structure is greater than that of the second portion of the wick structure. 
   
   
       12 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 1 , wherein the adiabatic section of the heat pipe is made of materials selected from plastics, rubber and soft metal. 
   
   
       13 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 1 , wherein the working medium is selected from the group consisting of water, alcohol, kerosene, and paraffin. 
   
   
       14 . A flexible heat pipe comprising:
 a casing comprising rigid evaporation and condensation sections at two end portions of the casing and a flexible adiabatic section interconnecting the evaporation and condensation sections;   a wick structure attached to an inner surface of the casing;   a supporting member received in the flexible adiabatic section of the casing and pushing the wick structure against the inner surface of the casing; and   working fluid received in the casing and saturated in the wick structure.   
   
   
       15 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 14 , wherein the supporting member comprises a coil spring. 
   
   
       16 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 14 , wherein the supporting member comprises a tube with a plurality of pores defined in a wall thereof. 
   
   
       17 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 14 , wherein the wick structure comprises a plurality of axially extended wires. 
   
   
       18 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 14 , wherein the wick structure comprises a mesh. 
   
   
       19 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 14 , wherein the wick structure has a first wick portion at the evaporation section, a second wick portion at the condensation section and a third wick portion at the adiabatic section, the first wick portion and the second wick portions being made of one of sintered wick and groove wick. 
   
   
       20 . The flexible heat pipe as described in  claim 19 , where the first wick portion has a pore size larger than that of the second wick portion.