Heat pipe made of composite material and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

The heat pipe made of composite material is a sealed hollow tube being a multilayer structure made of a composite material including copper and aluminum, is filled with water and has an inner surface, an evaporator end, a condenser end and a wick. The wick is attached to the inner surface of the tube. The invention provides a cost effective and lightweight heat pipe as it uses aluminum, which is cheap and light in weight. Also, the invention provides a high performance heat pipe system as it uses copper, which is highly thermally conductive. Therefore, the heat pipe is desirable for thermal management applications in a variety of products.

1 . A heat pipe made of composite material being a sealed hollow tube being a multilayer structure made of a composite material including copper and aluminum, evacuated, filled with water and having an inner surface, an evaporator end, a condenser end, and a wick attached to the inner surface of the tube. 
     
     
         2 . The heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the tube has
 an inner layer made of copper; and   an outer layer made of aluminum and clad around the inner layer.   
     
     
         3 . The heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the outer layer is diffusion bonded to the inner layer. 
     
     
         4 . The heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the outer layer is press-fitted to the inner layer. 
     
     
         5 . The heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the tube has
 an inner layer made of copper;   a mid layer made of aluminum and clad around the inner layer; and   an outer layer made of copper and clad around the mid layer.   
     
     
         6 . The heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the mid layer is diffusion bonded to the inner layer and the outer layer is diffusion bonded to the mid layer. 
     
     
         7 . The heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the mid layer is press-fitted to the inner layer and the outer layer is press-fitted to the mid layer. 
     
     
         8 . The heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the wick is a screen mesh wick and has a mesh structure mounted around the inner surface of the tube. 
     
     
         9 . The heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the wick is a groove wick and has multiple axial grooves formed around the inner surface of the tube. 
     
     
         10 . The heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the grooves of the wick are rectangular in cross section. 
     
     
         11 . The heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the grooves of the wick are triangular in cross section. 
     
     
         12 . The heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the wick is both a screen mesh wick and a groove wick and has multiple axial grooves and a mesh structure. 
     
     
         13 . The heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the wick is a fiber wick and has a fiber wick structure mounted around the inner surface of the tube. 
     
     
         14 . A method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material comprising:
 a tube forming step, wherein an outer layer is clad around an inner layer to form a tube with a multilayer structure;   a wick attaching step, wherein a wick is attached to an inner surface of the inner layer and one end of the tube is sealed thereafter; and   water filling step, wherein water is filled into the tube and the other end of the tube is sealed thereafter.   
     
     
         15 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the outer layer is clad around the inner layer by diffusion bonding. 
     
     
         16 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the outer layer is clad around the inner layer by press fitting. 
     
     
         17 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 14  further comprising a step of cutting the tube to a desirable length after the tube forming step. 
     
     
         18 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 14  further comprising a step of cleaning the tube after the tube forming step. 
     
     
         19 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 14  further comprising a step of evacuating the tube after the wick attaching step. 
     
     
         20 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 14  further comprising a subsequent processing of flattening the tube after the water filling step. 
     
     
         21 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 14  further comprising a subsequent processing of bending the tube after the water filling step. 
     
     
         22 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the wick is a screen mesh wick and has a mesh structure mounted around the inner surface of the tube. 
     
     
         23 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the wick is a groove wick and has multiple axial grooves formed around the inner surface of the tube. 
     
     
         24 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein the grooves of the wick are rectangular in cross section. 
     
     
         25 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 23 , wherein the grooves of the wick are triangular in cross section. 
     
     
         26 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the wick is both a screen mesh wick and a groove wick and has multiple axial grooves and a mesh structure. 
     
     
         27 . The method of manufacturing a heat pipe made of composite material as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the wick is a fiber wick and has a fiber wick structure mounted around the inner surface of the tube.