Heat transfer device having 3-dimensional projections and an associated method of fabrication

Abstract

A heat transfer device filled with a working fluid, includes a casing and a wick disposed within the casing. The wick includes a first sintered layer, a second sintered layer, and a third sintered layer. The first sintered layer is disposed proximate to an inner surface of the casing and the second sintered layer is disposed on the first sintered layer. The second sintered layer includes a first set of 3-dimensional sintered projections and a second set of 3-dimensional sintered projections disposed along a portion of the wick. Further, the third sintered layer is disposed on at least a portion of the second sintered layer. The heat transfer device includes at least one first sintered particle of the first sintered layer, which is smaller in size than at least one second pore of the second sintered layer.

1 . A heat transfer device comprising:
 a casing having an inner surface and an outer surface; and   a wick disposed within the casing, wherein the wick comprises:
 a first sintered layer comprising a plurality of first sintered particles, having a first porosity and a plurality of first pores, disposed proximate to the inner surface of the casing; 
 a second sintered layer comprising a plurality of second sintered particles, having a second porosity and a plurality of second pores, disposed on the first sintered layer, and at least one set of a first set of 3-dimensional sintered projections and a second set of 3-dimensional sintered projections disposed along a portion of the wick, wherein at least one first sintered particle is smaller than at least one second pore, the first porosity is smaller than the second porosity; and 
 a third sintered layer including a plurality of third sintered particles, having a plurality of third pores and a third porosity smaller than the second porosity, disposed on at least a portion of the second sintered layer. 
   
     
     
         2 . The heat transfer device of  claim 1 , wherein a size of each third sintered particle is less than or equal to a size of each second sintered particle. 
     
     
         3 . The heat transfer device of  claim 1 , further comprising a coating disposed between the first sintered layer and the inner surface of the casing. 
     
     
         4 . The heat transfer device of  claim 3 , wherein the casing comprises a first material and the first sintered layer, the second sintered layer, the third sintered layer, and the coating comprises a second material different from the first material. 
     
     
         5 . The heat transfer device of  claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer device further comprises an evaporator section, a transport section, and a condenser section within the casing. 
     
     
         6 . The heat transfer device of  claim 5 , wherein the portion of the wick is disposed in at least one of the evaporator section and the condenser section. 
     
     
         7 . The heat transfer device of  claim 1 , wherein the first set of 3-dimensional sintered projections extends from a first side of the wick towards a second side of the wick. 
     
     
         8 . The heat transfer device of  claim 7 , wherein the first set of 3-dimensional sintered projections enhances a surface area of the wick and is configured to convert a working fluid from one phase to another phase. 
     
     
         9 . The heat transfer device of  claim 1 , wherein the second set of 3-dimensional sintered projections extends from a first side of the wick to a second side of the wick. 
     
     
         10 . The heat transfer device of  claim 9 , wherein the second set of 3-dimensional sintered projections provides structural support to the heat transfer device and is configured to transport a working fluid from the second side to the first side of the wick or vice versa. 
     
     
         11 . The heat transfer device of  claim 1 , wherein the first set of 3-dimensional sintered projections has a first width and the second set of 3-dimensional sintered projections has a second width greater than the first width. 
     
     
         12 . A method comprising:
 forming a first wick portion having a first sintered layer portion, a second sintered layer portion, and a third sintered layer portion, within a first half casing portion;   forming a second wick portion having another first sintered layer portion, another second sintered layer portion, and another third sintered layer portion, within a second half casing portion; and   coupling the first half casing portion to the second half casing portion such that the first wick portion is coupled to the second wick portion to form a heat transfer device;   wherein each first sintered layer portion comprises a plurality of first sintered particles, having a first porosity and a plurality of first pores, each second sintered layer portion comprises a plurality of second sintered particles, having a plurality of second pores and a second porosity greater than the first porosity, at least one second sintered layer portion comprises a set of 3-dimensional sintered projections, and each third sintered layer portion comprises a plurality of third sintered particles, having a plurality of third pores and a third porosity, wherein at least one first sintered particle is smaller than at least one second pore.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising leveling a plurality of first particles and a plurality of second particles filled in both the first half casing portion and the second half casing portion. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising vibrating the first half casing portion to segregate the plurality of first particles from the plurality of second particles such that a first layer portion having the plurality of first particles is disposed proximate to an inner surface of the first half casing portion and a second layer portion having the plurality of second particles is disposed on the first layer portion. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising vibrating the second half casing portion to segregate the plurality of first particles from the plurality of second particles such that another first layer portion having the plurality of first particles is disposed proximate to another inner surface of the second half casing portion and another second layer portion having the plurality of second particles is disposed on the other first layer portion. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising providing a coating between the inner surface of each casing portion among the first and second half casing portion and each layer portion among the first layer portion and the other first layer portion; wherein each casing portion comprises a first material and each first layer portion, second layer portion and the coating comprises a second material different from the first material. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising disposing a set of hollow sintering spacers on a portion of at least one second layer portion and filling an additional amount of the plurality of second particles between the set of hollow sintering spacers to form a set of 3-dimensional projections on the portion of the at least one second layer portion. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising disposing the set of hollow sintering spacers on the portion of the corresponding second layer portion in one casing portion among the first and second half casing portions; wherein the set of hollow sintering spacers comprises a first set of hollow sintering spacers and a second set of hollow sintering spacers disposed on another second set of hollow sintering spacers, each first set of hollow sintering spacer has a first width, and each second set of hollow sintering spacer has a second width. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising filling an additional amount of the plurality of second particles between the first and second set of hollow sintering spacers to form a first set of 3-dimensional projections between the first set of hollow sintering spacers and a second set of 3-dimensional projections between the second set of hollow sintering spacers. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising sintering each first layer portion, each second layer portion, and the first and second set of 3-dimensional projections to generate the first sintered layer portion, the other first sintered layer portion, the second sintered layer portion, the other second sintered layer portion, the first set of 3-dimensional sintered projections, and the second set of 3-dimensional sintered projections. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising coupling the first half casing portion to the second half casing portion such that the second set of 3-dimensional projections in one half casing portion among the first and second half casing portion is coupled to the corresponding second layer portion of the other half casing portion among the first and second half casing portion. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising disposing a first set of hollow sintering spacers among the set of hollow sintering spacers, on the portion of the corresponding second layer portion in one casing portion among the first and second half casing portions and a second set of hollow sintering spacers among the set of hollow sintering spacers on the portion of the corresponding second layer portion in another casing portion among the first and second half casing portions; wherein each first set of hollow sintering spacer has a first width and a first height and each second set of hollow sintering spacer has a second width and a second height; wherein second width is greater than the first width and the second height is greater than the first height. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising filling an additional amount of the plurality of second particles between the first and second set of hollow sintering spacers to form a first set of 3-dimensional projections between the first set of hollow sintering spacers and a second set of 3-dimensional projections between the second set of hollow sintering spacers. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising sintering each first layer portion, each second layer portion, and the first and second set of 3-dimensional projections via a sintering device, to generate the first sintered layer portion, the other first sintered layer portion, the second sintered layer portion, the other second sintered layer portion, the first set of 3-dimensional sintered projections, and the second set of 3-dimensional sintered projections. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising coupling the first half casing portion to the second half casing portion such that the second set of 3-dimensional projections on the portion of the corresponding second layer portion in the other casing portion among the first and second half casing portions is coupled to the portion of corresponding second layer portion of the one half casing portion among the first and second half casing portions. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising disposing another set of hollow sintering spacers on at least a portion of the set of 3-dimensional sintered projections, filling a plurality of third particles on at least the portion of each second sintered layer portion and between the other set of hollow sintering spacers to form a third layer portion. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising sintering the third layer portion to generate the third sintered layer portion, wherein the third porosity is smaller than the second porosity.