EP3587985A1 - Loop heat pipe, cooling device, and electronic device - Google Patents
Loop heat pipe, cooling device, and electronic device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3587985A1 EP3587985A1 EP19181382.3A EP19181382A EP3587985A1 EP 3587985 A1 EP3587985 A1 EP 3587985A1 EP 19181382 A EP19181382 A EP 19181382A EP 3587985 A1 EP3587985 A1 EP 3587985A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- wick
- evaporator
- wall
- heat pipe
- elastic
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 title claims description 51
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 74
- 239000007791 liquid phase Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 26
- 239000012071 phase Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 22
- 229920001971 elastomer Polymers 0.000 claims description 19
- 239000011148 porous material Substances 0.000 claims description 19
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 15
- 239000013013 elastic material Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 80
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 80
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 30
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 14
- 230000006866 deterioration Effects 0.000 description 13
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 13
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 9
- 230000036316 preload Effects 0.000 description 9
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 6
- 230000002035 prolonged effect Effects 0.000 description 6
- LFQSCWFLJHTTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethanol Chemical compound CCO LFQSCWFLJHTTHZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 5
- 230000007423 decrease Effects 0.000 description 5
- 229920002323 Silicone foam Polymers 0.000 description 4
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000013514 silicone foam Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000010935 stainless steel Substances 0.000 description 4
- 229910001220 stainless steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000007797 corrosion Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000005260 corrosion Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 3
- CSCPPACGZOOCGX-UHFFFAOYSA-N Acetone Chemical compound CC(C)=O CSCPPACGZOOCGX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- QGZKDVFQNNGYKY-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ammonia Chemical compound N QGZKDVFQNNGYKY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000000919 ceramic Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000002542 deteriorative effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000001704 evaporation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000008020 evaporation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000017525 heat dissipation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000000149 penetrating effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000000644 propagated effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910000881 Cu alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- JOYRKODLDBILNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethyl urethane Chemical compound CCOC(N)=O JOYRKODLDBILNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910021529 ammonia Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 150000005827 chlorofluoro hydrocarbons Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 239000006260 foam Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000035515 penetration Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003825 pressing Methods 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
- F28D—HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
- F28D15/00—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies
- F28D15/02—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes
- F28D15/0266—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes with separate evaporating and condensing chambers connected by at least one conduit; Loop-type heat pipes; with multiple or common evaporating or condensing chambers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
- F28D—HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
- F28D15/00—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies
- F28D15/02—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes
- F28D15/04—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes with tubes having a capillary structure
- F28D15/043—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes with tubes having a capillary structure forming loops, e.g. capillary pumped loops
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
- F28D—HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
- F28D15/00—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies
- F28D15/02—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes
- F28D15/04—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes with tubes having a capillary structure
- F28D15/046—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes with tubes having a capillary structure characterised by the material or the construction of the capillary structure
Definitions
- the disclosures discussed herein relate to a loop heat pipe, a cooling device, and an electronic device.
- a typical loop heat pipe known in the art includes an evaporator that absorbs heat from outside by a wall of the evaporator to allow a working fluid to evaporate from a liquid phase to a gas phase; a condenser that condenses the gas phase working fluid introduced from the evaporator into a liquid phase; and an elastic wick that contacts the wall of the evaporator by elastic force from the elastic wick.
- Patent Document 1 discloses a loop heat pipe including a hollow cylindrical evaporator, and an elastic wick having a diameter larger than an inner diameter of a hollow cylindrical evaporator, wherein the elastic wick is pressed into a hollow of the evaporator to allow the elastic wick to contact an inner wall of the evaporator by elastic force from the elastic wick.
- the elastic wick may undergo plastic deformation due to deterioration or creep; as a result, adhesion between the wall of the evaporator and the elastic wick may be degraded over time.
- Patent Document 1 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-190996
- a loop heat pipe includes an evaporator configured to absorb heat from outside by a wall to evaporate a working fluid from a liquid phase to a gas phase; a condenser configured to condense a gas phase working fluid introduced from the evaporator into a liquid phase; an elastic wick configured to contact an inner wall of the evaporator by an elastic force from the elastic wick; and a wick deformation member configured to deform the elastic wick to increase a contact pressure of the elastic wick against the inner wall of the evaporator.
- the following illustrates a loop heat pipe according to one embodiment of the present invention that is applied to a cooling device of an electronic device.
- Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a loop heat pipe according to a first embodiment.
- Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating movement of heat by the loop heat pipe according to the first embodiment.
- the loop heat pipe 1 contains a working fluid.
- the loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment includes an evaporator 2 configured to absorb heat from outside via a wall to allow the working fluid to evaporate from a liquid phase to a gas phase; a condenser 3 configured to condense the gas phase working fluid introduced from the evaporator 2 into a liquid phase; a steam tube 4 configured to pass the gas phase working fluid from the evaporator 2 to the condenser 3; and a liquid tube 5 configured to pass the liquid phase working fluid from the condenser 3 to the evaporator 2.
- a cooling object to be cooled by a cooling device which is provided with the loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment, is disposed such that heat of the cooling object is exchangeable with the evaporator 2.
- the evaporator 2 is a cylindrical member made of metal having good thermal conductivity, such as copper, copper alloy, or stainless steel.
- the evaporator 2 includes a heat receiver 7 containing a wick 6, and a reservoir 8 storing a liquid phase working fluid.
- One end of a steam tube 4 is connected to the heat receiver 7, and one end of a liquid tube 5 is connected to the reservoir 8.
- the other end of each of the steam tube 4 and the liquid tube 5 is connected to the condenser 3.
- the condenser 3 is composed of flat pipes each having numerous aluminum sheet-like fins on its outer circumference surface.
- the condenser 3 is configured to allow a working fluid to pass through inside the flat pipes to discharge heat of the working fluid through walls and fins of the flat pipes.
- the multiple flat pipes are connected to one another at their two opposite ends, where first ends of the flat pipes positioned at one end are connected to the steam tube 4, and second ends of the flat pipes positioned at the other end are connected to the liquid tube 5.
- Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating an evaporator of the loop heat pipe according to the present embodiment when the evaporator is cut along a line indicated by A-A in Fig. 1 .
- the wick 6 is a hollow member made of a porous material, and a first end of the wick 6 near the steam tube 4 is closed and a second end of the wick 6 near the reservoir 8 is open.
- the outer circumferential surface of the wick 6 is also provided with multiple grooves 11 in an area longitudinally extending from the first end near the steam tube 4 to immediately before the second end near the reservoir 8. As illustrated in Fig. 3 , the grooves 11 are disposed at equal intervals over the circumference of the wick 6. Portions of the wick 6 provided with grooves 11 form spaces between the wick 6 and a wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- An outer diameter of a portion of the wick 6 without grooves 11 is slightly larger than an inner diameter of a housing or the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- the wick 6 also serves to separate the liquid and gas phases so as to prevent backflow of the gas phase working fluid into the reservoir 8.
- the wick 6 Since the wick 6 is made of a porous material, a liquid phase working fluid stored in the reservoir 8 penetrates into the wick 6 by capillarity. This capillarity also serves as a pump for delivering a liquid phase working fluid from condenser 3 to evaporator 2.
- the wick 6 preferably has good wettability with the working fluid to facilitate the penetration of the working fluid. Wettability may be measured by a contact angle between the wick 6 and the working fluid. That is, the contact angle needs to be less than 90° because the contact angle being 90° or more does not allow the working fluid to penetrate the wick 6.
- the liquid phase working fluid when heat from the outside is conducted and propagated to the liquid phase working fluid through the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 within the wick 6, the liquid phase working fluid is evaporated by the heat to change to a gas phase working fluid.
- the gas phase-altered working fluid is fed through the grooves 11 to the steam tube 4.
- the gas phase working fluid is then fed through the steam tube 4 to the condenser 3.
- the heat of the working fluid passing through the interiors of the flat pipes is discharged to outside via the fins, which decreases a temperature of the working fluid to condense the working fluid, thereby changing the working fluid from the gas phase to the liquid phase.
- the liquid phase-changed working fluid moves through the liquid tube 5 to the evaporator 2, and penetrates into the wick 6 from the reservoir 8 by capillarity.
- Such circulation of the working fluid allows continuous discharge of external heat and cooling of the cooling object.
- the wick 6 used in the loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment is an elastic wick, and is made of porous rubber in the present embodiment. Through the wick 6 made of porous rubber in this manner, an elastic force greater than an elastic force from porous resin can be obtained.
- the wick 6 having an outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 may enable high adhesion of the wick 6 with respect to the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 due to the elastic force (restoring force) of the wick 6 contained in the evaporator 2. This increases the heat transfer efficiency from the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 to the wick 6, thereby improving the cooling performance of the loop heat pipe 1.
- the wick 6 is made of porous rubber, an elastic area of the wick 6 becomes large; this makes it possible to prevent local pore collapse due to dimensional errors during manufacturing. That is, even if the wick 6 is compressed by inserting the wick 6 inside the wall 2a of the evaporator 2, the compressive deformation of the wick 6 that would be accompanied by pore collapse is dispersed over a wide area; this prevents severe pore collapse in a local area such as in the vicinity of the outer circumference surface of the wick 6. Thus, flow obstruction of the working fluid by local pore collapse is unlikely to occur, which makes it possible to obtain smooth flow of the working fluid to achieve more reliable cooling performance.
- Porous rubber used for the wick 6 may include silicone foam rubber; however, another porous rubber such as urethane foam may also be used for the wick 6. Porous rubber has multiple communicating pores formed therein in order to enable permeation of the working fluid and to generate a good capillary force with respect to the working fluid.
- a wick deformation member is disposed for preloading an outer circumference portion (contact area) of the wick 6 toward the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 such that the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 comes in contact with the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- the wick deformation member according to the present embodiment is a ring member 9 made of a ceramic or the like having an outer diameter larger than an inner diameter of a hollow portion of the wick 6, which is a hollow member.
- An elastic modulus of the wick 6 itself is used to preload the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 in a direction toward the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- a ring member 9 causes the hollow portion of the wick 6 to expand radially outward or toward the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 by the ring member 9.
- the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 expanding radially outward or toward the wall 2a of the evaporator 2
- the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 is pressed against the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- Providing such a ring member 9 makes it possible to continuously press the wick 6 against the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 even when the wick 6 undergoes plastic deformation due to creep or deterioration (deterioration of the silicone foam material, etc.) caused by prolonged use. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain adhesion between the wick 6 and the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 and maintain the cooling performance of the loop heat pipe 1 over time.
- FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an evaporator of the first modification.
- the loop heat pipe 1 of the first modification is provided with multiple ring members 9 each as a wick deformation member, as illustrated in Fig. 4 ; hence, an entirety of the outer circumference portion (contact area) of the wick 6 is pressed against the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- the entirety of the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 is pressed against the wall 2a of the evaporator 2; hence, even if the wick 6 undergoes some plastic deformation due to deterioration or creep of the wick 6 caused by prolonged use of the wick 6, an entirety of the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 may be continuously pressed against the wall 2a of the evaporator 2. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain adhesion between the wick 6 and the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 over the entirety of the outer circumferential portion of the wick 6 and maintain the cooling performance of the loop heat pipe 1 over time.
- FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a evaporator a second modification.
- the multiple ring members 9 are disposed along a hollow axis of the wick 6 shaped to include empty space inside (hereinafter simply called “hollow-shaped wick 6") such that the entirety of the outer circumference portion (contact area) of the wick 6 is pressed against the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- a single wick deformation member such as a cylindrical mesh member 90, is disposed such that the entirety of the outer circumference portion (contact area) of the wick 6 is pressed against the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- the wick deformation member according to the second modification is a cylindrical mesh member 90 made of stainless steel or the like having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the hollow portion of the wick 6, which is a hollow member, and primarily by using an elastic modulus of the wick 6 itself 6 preloads the outer circumference of the wick 6 toward the wall 2a of the evaporator 2. That is, providing such a cylindrical mesh member 90 allows the hollow portion of the wick 6 to expand radially outward or toward the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 by the cylindrical mesh member 90.
- the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 As a result of the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 expanding radially outward or toward the wall 2a of the evaporator 2, the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 is pressed against the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- the entirety of the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 may continuously be pressed against the wall 2a of the evaporator 2, as in the first modification described above. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain adhesion between the wick 6 and the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 over the entirety of the outer circumferential portion of the wick 6 over time, and maintain the cooling performance of the loop heat pipe 1 over time.
- the cylindrical mesh member 90 of the second modification is disposed in a transfer path of the working fluid, and the working fluid passes through openings (passage holes) of the cylindrical mesh member 90.
- An open ratio (a percentage of openings (passage holes) per unit area) of the cylindrical mesh member 90 is set to be greater than porosity of the wick 6.
- an open ratio of the cylindrical mesh member 90 is set to 80%, which is greater than porosity (50%) of the wick 6. Setting of the open ratio of the cylindrical mesh member 90 as above makes the cylindrical mesh member 90 not inhibit flowability of the liquid phase working fluid stored in the reservoir 8 from penetrating into the wick 6 by capillarity.
- the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 is made of stainless steel
- the cylindrical mesh member 90 is made of stainless steel similarly to the wall 2a of the evaporator 2. Since the cylindrical mesh member 90 is made of a material having the same ionization tendency as the wall 2a of the evaporator 2, a potential difference between the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 and the cylindrical mesh member 90 is unlikely to occur, and corrosion is thus prevented. Note that different materials having the same ionization tendency may be used for the cylindrical mesh member 90 and the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a loop heat pipe 1 according to a third modification.
- a single wick deformation member such as a coil spring member 91, is disposed such that the coil spring member 91 preloads the entirety of the outer circumference portion (contact area) of the wick 6 toward the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- the wick deformation member preloads the outer circumferential portion of the wick 6 toward the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 by using primarily an elastic modulus of the wick 6 itself.
- the wick deformation member itself has elasticity, and restoring force of the wick deformation member is also utilized to preload the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 toward the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- the coil spring member 91 which is the wick deformation member of the third modification, is set such that a diameter of the unexpanded or uncontracted coil spring member 91 is larger than an inner diameter of a hollow portion of the wick 6, which is a hollow member. That is, providing such a coil spring member 91 allows the hollow portion of the wick 6 to expand radially outward or toward the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 by restoration force of the coil spring member 91. As a result of the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 expanding radially outward or toward the wall 2a of the evaporator 2, the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 is pressed against the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- the entirety of the outer circumference portion of the wick 6 may continuously be pressed against the wall 2a of the evaporator 2, as in the first or the second modification described above. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain adhesion between the wick 6 and the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 over the entirety of the outer circumferential portion of the wick 6 over time, and to maintain the cooling performance of the loop heat pipe 1 over time.
- the coil spring member 91 of the third modification is disposed in a transfer path of the working fluid as in the aforementioned second modification, and the working fluid passes through gaps (passage holes or passage spaces) between coils of the coil spring member 91.
- An open ratio of the gaps of the coil spring member 91 is set to be greater than the porosity of the wick 6. Setting of the open ratio of the coil spring member 91 as above makes the coil spring member 91 not inhibit flowability of the liquid phase working fluid stored in the reservoir 8 from penetrating into the wick 6 by capillarity.
- the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 is made of copper
- the coil spring member 91 is made of copper similarly to the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- the coil spring member 91 is made of a material having the same ionization tendency as the wall 2a of the evaporator 2
- a potential difference between the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 and the coil spring member 91 is unlikely to occur, and corrosion is thus prevented.
- different materials having the same ionization tendency may be used for the coil spring member 91 and the wall 2a of the evaporator 2.
- Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an electronic device including a loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment.
- the electronic device illustrated in Fig. 7 is an example of a projector 20 having an optical unit 21.
- the electronic device, to which the loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment may be applied is not limited to a projector; the loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment may also be applied to various electronic devices such as an image forming apparatus, including a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine, a personal computer, a server, an electronic whiteboard, a television, a Blu-ray recorder, and a game machine.
- the evaporator 2 (specifically the heat receiver 7) of the loop heat pipe 1 is disposed so as to contact a heat-generating portion of the optical unit 21.
- the evaporator 2 absorbs heat from a heat-generating portion of the optical unit 21 to cool a cooling object (the heat-generating portion of the optical unit 21, the optical unit 21, or the projector 20).
- the condenser 3 is disposed near exhaust fans 22 that are disposed on a lateral side of a casing of a projector 20.
- the exhaust fans 22 discharge air toward outside to generate airflow around the condenser 3 such that the condenser 3 is cooled by the generated airflow, thereby improving a heat dissipation effect in the condenser 3.
- air supply ports 23 are disposed on another lateral side opposite to the lateral side of the casing where the exhaust fans 22 are disposed, and air taken from the air supply ports 23 passes through the inside of the projector 20 and is discharged from the exhaust fans 22.
- a cooling device for cooling the projector 20 is provided with a loop heat pipe 1, and exhaust fans 22 for improving a heat dissipation effect of the loop heat pipe 1; however, blower fans to blow air toward the condenser 3 may be provided in place of the exhaust fans 22.
- the cooling device may only be provided with a loop heat pipe 1 alone without having any fans.
- loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment and the cooling device provided with the loop heat pipe 1 are widely applicable to applications other than electronic devices.
- a loop heat pipe 1 or a cooling device according to the present embodiment may be applied to a cooling device for cooling a chemical plant or the like having a reactor.
- Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an evaporator of a second embodiment.
- the loop heat pipe 1 of the second embodiment illustrated in Fig. 8 encloses a working fluid.
- the loop heat pipe 1 of the second embodiment includes an evaporator 2, a condenser 3, a steam tube 4, and a liquid tube 5.
- the loop heat pipe 1 of the first embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 has the evaporator 2 with a cylindrical shape
- the loop heat pipe 1 of the second embodiment illustrated in Fig. 8 has the evaporator 2 with a plate-like shape.
- loop heat pipe 1 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the loop heat pipe 1 according to the first embodiment except for the shape of the evaporator 2 and the shape of a member disposed inside the evaporator 2, duplicated description will be omitted where appropriate.
- Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating an evaporator 2 of the second embodiment when the evaporator 2 is cut along a line indicated by A-A in Fig. 8 .
- the evaporator 2 of the second embodiment is a plate-like hollow member, and a steam tube 4 is connected to a wall at one end of the evaporator 2 in a working fluid moving direction (a horizontal direction in Fig. 8 , and a depth direction in Fig. 9 ) and a liquid tube 5 is connected to a wall at the other end.
- the evaporator 2 of the second embodiment includes a heat receiving wall 25, which forms a heat receiving surface 2f and corresponds to one of four walls extending in a working fluid moving direction inside the evaporator 2.
- the receiving surface 2f is disposed in a direction such that the heat receiving surface 2f faces a cooling object.
- the other three of the four walls include a heat receiving back wall 27 that faces the heat receiving wall 25, and two sidewalls 26 connecting both ends of the width direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 9 ) of the heat receiving wall 25 and a heat receiving back wall 27.
- the wick 6 of the second embodiment is a plate-like hollow member made of a porous material, and one end of the wick 6 near the steam tube 4 is closed and the other end near the reservoir 8 is open.
- the wick 6 of the second embodiment includes multiple grooves 11 on a surface near the heat receiving wall 25 in an area extending in a working fluid moving direction from one end near the steam tube 4 to immediately before the other end near the reservoir 8. As illustrated in Fig. 9 , the multiple grooves 11 are equally spaced in the width direction of a surface of the wick 6 near the heat receiving surface 2f (i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the extending directions of the grooves 11, and in the horizontal direction of Fig. 9 ).
- the grooves 11 may be disposed not only on the surface that contacts the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25 of the wick 6, but may also be disposed on other surfaces that contact the heat receiving back wall 27 and the sidewalls 26 of the wick 6.
- the external size of the wick 6 in the cross-section illustrated in Fig. 9 is set to be slightly larger than the internal size of the evaporator 2. Note that the external size of the wick 6 includes a vertical length and a horizontal length in Fig. 9 , and the internal size of the evaporator 2 includes a distance from the inner wall of the heat receiving wall 25 to the inner wall of the heat receiving back wall 27, and a distance between the inner walls of the two sidewalls 26.
- the restoring force of the wick 6 causes the wick 6 to be in close contact with the inner wall surfaces of the heat receiving wall 25, the heat receiving back wall 27, and the inner wall surfaces of the two sidewalls 26.
- the wick 6 is in close contact with the walls (25, 26 and 27) of the evaporator 2, the external heat is efficiently transmitted through the walls (25, 26 and 27) of the evaporator 2 to the wick 6.
- the wick 6 also serves to separate the liquid phase and gas phase to prevent backflow of the gas phase working fluid into the reservoir 8. Since the wick 6 is made of a porous material, the liquid phase working fluid stored in the reservoir 8 penetrates into the wick 6 due to a pressure differential or capillarity in the working fluid itself. This pressure differential or capillarity in the working fluid also serves as a pump for delivering a liquid phase working fluid from the condenser 3 to the evaporator 2.
- the wick 6 of the second embodiment is made of porous rubber, and provides a greater elastic-force than a porous resin.
- the wick 6 is formed with the external size slightly larger than the internal size of the walls (25, 26 and 27) of evaporator 2 as described above.
- the wick 6 is made of porous rubber, an elastic area of the wick 6 becomes large; this makes it possible to prevent local pore collapse due to dimensional errors during manufacturing. That is, even if the wick 6 is compressed by inserting the wick 6 within the walls (25, 26 and 27) of the evaporator 2, the compressive deformation of the wick 6 that would be accompanied by pore collapse is dispersed over a wide area. Thus, it is possible to prevent severe pore collapse in a local area such as in the vicinity of the outer surfaces, where pores of the wick 6 are in contact with the walls (25, 26 and 27). As a result, since flow obstruction of the working fluid due to local pore collapse is unlikely to occur, it is possible to obtain smooth flow of the working fluid to achieve more reliable cooling performance.
- the porous rubber used for the wick 6 may be similar to that of the first embodiment.
- the wick 6 disposed inside the evaporator 2 of the loop heat pipe 1 illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 is a plate-like hollow member. More specifically, the wick 6 has a hollow portion acting as a wick deformation member installation space 80 in which the wick deformation member is installed.
- the plate-like evaporator 2 includes a heat receiving surface 2f that is a planar portion disposed on its outer wall surface.
- the evaporator 2 is cylindrical, the evaporator 2 contacts a cooling object with respect to a point on the outer circumference of the circular cross-section, and the entire evaporator 2 has a linear contact portion along a height direction of the cylinder.
- the evaporator 2 of the second embodiment includes a planar heat receiving surface 2f.
- the planar heat receiving surface 2f When the planar heat receiving surface 2f is in contact with the cooling object, the contact portion forms a surface, and a wide contact area may be obtained, thereby improving the cooling efficiency.
- a device such as the optical unit 21 covered by a casing typically has planar outer wall surfaces for the casing.
- a cooling object i.e., a device to be cooled
- the heat receiving surface 2f of the second embodiment is contacted with a planar surface of the outer wall surface of the cooling object; as a result, a large contact area may be obtained, and the cooling efficiency may be improved.
- a wick deformation member is disposed to preload an inner surface of a hollow portion of the wick 6 toward the heat receiving wall 25, where the heat receiving wall 25 forms the heat receiving surface 2f.
- a wick deformation member, which is disposed within a hollow portion 80 of the wick 6, has a vertical length greater than a distance between an upper inner wall of a portion of the wick 6 that contacts the inner surface of the heat receiving wall 25 and a lower inner wall of a portion of the wick 6 that contacts the inner surface of the heat receiving back wall 27 (a distance in a vertical direction in Fig. 9 ).
- Such a wick deformation member enables the wick 6 to deform so as to increase the distance between the upper inner wall of the portion of the wick 6 that contacts the inner surface of the heat receiving wall 25 and the lower inner wall of the portion of the wick 6 that contacts the inner surface of the heat receiving back wall 27.
- the wick deformation member can thus use elasticity of the wick 6 itself to press an outer surface of the wick 6 against the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25 of the evaporator 2.
- the following wick deformation members according to fourth to sixth modifications are configured to have a length in a direction from the heat receiving wall 25 to the heat receiving back wall 27 greater than the distance between the upper and lower inner wall surfaces which form the wick deformation member installation space 80 (a vertical direction in Fig. 9 ).
- This configuration causes the wick 6 to deform so as to increase the distance between these two opposite surfaces of the wick 6 (i.e., upper and lower surfaces of the wick deformation member installation space 80 illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 ), thereby pressing the wick 6 against the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25.
- Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an evaporator 2 of the fourth modification
- Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating the evaporator 2 of the loop heat pipe 1 according to the fourth modification when the evaporator 2 is cut along a line indicated by A-A in Fig. 10 .
- the loop heat pipe 1 of the fourth modification includes, as illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11 , multiple plate members 81 made of ceramic or the like, each acting as a wick deformation member for preloading the heat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 toward the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25 of the evaporator 2.
- the plate members 81 of the fourth modification each have a vertical length from its upper surface to its lower surface (vertical direction in Fig. 11 ) greater than a vertical length from an upper surface to a lower surface of the wick deformation member installation space 80.
- the plate members 81 utilize elasticity of the wick 6 itself to preload the heat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 toward the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25 of the evaporator 2. That is, disposing of such plate members 81 as the above increases the distance between the heat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 (the upper surface of the wick deformation member installation space 80 in Fig. 11 ) and the lower surface of the hollow portion of the wick 6 (the lower surface of the wick deformation member installation space 80 in Fig. 11 ). This expands the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface of the hollow portion of the wick 6. As a result, the heat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 is pressed against the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25.
- Such plate members 81 disposed as above are configured to continuously press the wick 6 against the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25 of the evaporator 2 even in the case of the wick 6 having slight deterioration (deterioration of the silicone foam material, etc.) or the wick 6 undergoing some plastic deformation due to prolonged use or creep. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain adhesion between the wick 6 and the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25 of the evaporator 2 and to maintain the cooling performance of the loop heat pipe 1 over time.
- Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an evaporator 2 of the fifth modification
- Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating the evaporator 2 of the loop heat pipe 1 according to the fifth modification when the evaporator 2 is cut along a line indicated by A-A in Fig. 12 .
- the loop heat pipe 1 of the fifth modification has a wick deformation member having a shape differing from the shape of the wick deformation member in the loop heat pipe 1 of the fourth modification described above.
- the wick deformation member of the fifth modification is a connected plate member 82, which is formed by connecting a plate member perpendicularly to the multiple plate members 81 in the fourth modification.
- the connected plate member 82 of the fifth modification has a vertical length from its upper surface to its lower surface (a length in a vertical direction in Fig. 13 ) greater than a vertical length from an upper surface to a lower surface of the wick deformation member installation space 80.
- the fifth modification it is possible to obtain adhesion between the wick 6 and the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25 of the evaporator 2 and to maintain the cooling performance of the loop heat pipe 1 over time, as in the fourth modification. Further, according to the fifth modification, since the connected plate member 82 is formed by connecting a plate member to the multiple plate members 81 extending vertically in a direction from the heat receiving wall member 25 to the heat receiving back wall member 27, the connected plate member 82 acting as a wick deformation member may be stably and accurately disposed.
- Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the loop heat pipe 1 according to the sixth modification
- Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating an evaporator 2 of the loop heat pipe 1 according to the sixth modification when the evaporator 2 is cut along a line indicated by A-A in Fig. 14 .
- the loop heat pipe 1 of the sixth modification has a wick deformation member having shape and a material differing from the shape and the material of the wick deformation member in the loop heat pipe 1 of the fourth modification described above.
- the wick deformation member of the sixth modification includes column members 83 each made of porous metal or the like.
- the column members 83 of the sixth modification each have a vertical length from its upper surface to its lower surface (vertical direction in Fig. 15 ) greater than a vertical length from an upper surface and a lower surface of the wick deformation member installation space 80, where the wick deformation member installation space 80 corresponds to a hollow portion of the wick 6.
- the column members 83 utilize elasticity of the wick 6 itself to preload the heat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 toward the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25 of the evaporator 2. That is, disposing of such column members 83 as the above increases the distance between the heat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 (the upper surface of the wick deformation member installation space 80 in Fig. 15 ) and a lower surface of the hollow portion of the wick 6 (the lower surface of the wick deformation member installation space 80 in Fig. 15 ). This expands the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface of the hollow portion of the wick 6. As a result, the heat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 is pressed against the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25.
- the working fluid may pass through passage holes of the wick deformation members. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain adhesion between the wick 6 and the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25 of the evaporator 2, to maintain the cooling performance of the loop heat pipe 1, to obtain flowability of the working fluid, and to maintain the stable operation of the loop heat pipe 1 over time.
- the loop heat pipe 1 of the seventh modification has wick deformation members having a material differing from the material of the wick deformation members in the sixth modification described above.
- a rubber member is used as a material for each of the column members 83.
- both elasticity of the wick 6 and an elastic modulus of the wick deformation members are used to preload the heat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 toward the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25 of the evaporator 2.
- column members 83 made of a rubber member expands a distance between the heat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 (the upper surface of the wick deformation member installation space 80 in Fig. 15 ) and the lower surface of the hollow portion of the wick 6 (the lower surface of the wick deformation member installation space 80 in Fig. 15 ). This expands the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface of the hollow portion of the wick 6.
- the heat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 is pressed against the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25.
- the wick deformation members (column members 83) are formed by a material with an elastic modulus lower than elasticity of the wick 6; thus, a deformation amount of the wick deformation members is greater than the deformation amount of the wick 6. Accordingly, even in the case of the wick 6 having slight deterioration (deterioration of the silicone foam material, etc.) or the wick 6 undergoing some plastic deformation due to prolonged use or creep, the deformation amount of the wick 6 may be compensated by the deformation amount of the column members 83 acting as the wick deformation members. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain more stable adhesion between the wick 6 and the inner wall surface of the heat receiving wall 25 of the evaporator 2 and maintain the cooling performance of the loop heat pipe 1 over time.
- each wick deformation member (column member 83) made of a rubber member may be a porous member. With such configuration, it may be possible to obtain flowability of the working fluid and to improve operation stability of the loop heat pipe 1, in addition to the above-described effect.
- a configuration of the wick deformation members (column members 83) of the sixth modification being made of rubber has been described. However, a configuration of a wick deformation member of the first to fifth modifications being made of rubber may also be used.
- the loop heat pipe 1 of the second embodiment is also applicable to electronic devices such as a projector 20 illustrated in Fig. 7 .
- the loop heat pipe 1 according to the second embodiment and the cooling device provided with the loop heat pipe 1 are widely applicable to applications other than electronic devices.
- the loop heat pipe 1 or the cooling device according to the second embodiment may be applied to a cooling device for cooling a chemical plant or the like having a reactor.
- a loop heat pipe 1 comprising:
- the elastic wick 6 is enabled to continuously be pressed against the inner wall of the evaporator 2 by an elastic force from a deformed portion of the elastic wick 6, which is deformed by the wick deformation member.
- This configuration provides adhesion between the elastic wick 6 and the inner wall of the evaporator 2, and maintains a heat transfer efficiency from the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 to the elastic wick 6 even in a case of the elastic wick 6 undergoing plastic deformation.
- a transfer efficiency of heat from outside to the elastic wick 6 through the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 may be maintained, a decrease in an evaporation efficiency of the working fluid may be prevented, and a decrease in cooling performance of the loop heat pipe 1 may be prevented.
- the elastic wick 6 in the aspect A is made of porous rubber.
- the elastic wick 6 is made of porous rubber to obtain high elasticity, it is easy to increase adhesion of the elastic wick 6 with respect to the inner wall of the evaporator 2.
- the wick 6 is made of porous rubber, an elastic area of the wick 6 becomes large, which makes it possible to prevent local pore collapse due to dimensional errors during manufacturing. That is, even if the elastic wick 6 is compressed within the evaporator 2, the compressive deformation of the wick 6 that would be accompanied by pore collapse is dispersed over a wide area to prevent severe pore collapse in a local area.
- the wick deformation member in the aspects A or B is configured to cause the elastic wick 6 to deform so as to increase a contact pressure over a contact area of the elastic wick 6 against the inner wall of the evaporator 2. According to aspect C, even in a case of the wick 6 undergoing plastic deformation, the contact area of the elastic wick 6 may be continuously pressed against the inner wall of the evaporator 2 in entirety.
- the wick deformation member in any of aspects A to C is disposed in a transfer path of the working fluid, and includes passage holes through which the working fluid passes to have an open ratio greater than porosity of the elastic wick 6. That is, the wick deformation member may be a cylindrical mesh member 90 or a coil spring member 91. According to aspect D, flowability of the liquid phase working fluid that penetrates into the elastic wick 6 by capillarity will not readily obstructed by the wick deformation member.
- the wick deformation member in any of aspects A to D is made of a material having same ionization tendency as the wall 2a of the evaporator 2. According to aspect E, a potential difference does not easily occur between the wall 2a of the evaporator 2 and the wick deformation member, and corrosion is thus prevented.
- an outer wall of the evaporator 2 in any of aspects A to E is provided with a planar portion such as a heat receiving surface 2f. According to aspect F, it is possible to obtain a wide contact area of a contact portion of the evaporator 2 with respect to a cooling object, to improve the cooling efficiency.
- a wick deformation member such as a plate member 81, a connected plate member 82 and a column member 83, in the aspect F deforms the elastic wick 6 so as to increase the contact pressure of the elastic wick 6 against the inner wall of the planar portion 2f of the evaporator 2.
- the elastic wick 6 is enabled to continuously be pressed against the inner wall of the planar portion 2f of the evaporator 2 by an elastic force from a deformed portion of the elastic wick 6, which is deformed by the wick deformation member.
- This configuration provides adhesion between the inner wall of the planar portion 2f of the evaporator 2 and the elastic wick 6 over time. As a result, the transfer efficiency of heat from outside to the elastic wick 6 through the wall 2a forming the planar portion 2f may be maintained, a decrease in evaporation efficiency of the working fluid may be prevented, and a decrease in cooling performance of the loop heat pipe 1 may be prevented.
- the evaporator 2 includes an opposite planar portion (e.g., an outer wall surface of the heat receiving back wall 27) at a position opposite to the planar portion 2f, and the wick deformation member causes the elastic wick 6 to deform so as to increase a distance between a first portion of the elastic wick 6, which contacts the inner wall of the planar portion 2f of the evaporator 2, and a second portion of the elastic wick 6, which contacts the inner wall of the opposite planar portion (27) of the evaporator 2.
- the wick deformation member causes the elastic wick 6 to deform so as to increase a distance between a first portion of the elastic wick 6, which contacts the inner wall of the planar portion 2f of the evaporator 2, and a second portion of the elastic wick 6, which contacts the inner wall of the opposite planar portion (27) of the evaporator 2.
- the wick deformation member presses the interposed elastic wick 6 against each of the inner wall of the planar portion 2f and the inner wall of the opposite planar portion 27. Accordingly, by a reaction force of the second portion of the elastic wick 6, which contacts the inner wall of the opposite planar portion (27) of the evaporator 2, the wick deformation member is preloaded toward the first portion of the elastic wick 6, which contacts the inner wall of the planar portion 2f of the evaporator 2. As a result, the outer surface of the elastic wick 6 is pressed against the inner wall of the planar portion 2f of the evaporator 2.
- the evaporator 2 in any of the aspects F to H has a plate-like shape.
- the evaporator 2 has planar portions for the outer walls.
- a ratio of a planar portion to the entire outer walls of the evaporator 2 may be increased, and the cooling performance for a cooling object that contacts the planar portion may thus be improved.
- the wick deformation member in any of aspects A to I is made of a porous material. According to aspect J, since the working fluid may be moved through passage holes of the wick deformation member, flowability of the working fluid may be obtained; as a result, the stable operation of the loop heat pipe 1 may be obtained.
- the wick deformation member in any aspect of A to J is made of an elastic material.
- the elastic wick 6 is continuously pressed against the inner wall of the evaporator 2 by elastic force from the wick deformation member and the elastic wick 6.
- a cooling device includes the loop heat pipe 1 according to any aspect of A to K. According to aspect L, it is possible to prevent cooling performance from deteriorating even in a case of the elastic wick 6 undergoing plastic deformation.
- an electronic device includes the loop heat pipe 1 according to any aspect of A to K. According to aspect M, it is possible to prevent cooling performance from deteriorating even in a case of the elastic wick 6 undergoing plastic deformation.
- the present invention it is possible to provide adhesion between the elastic wick 6 and the inner wall of the evaporator 2 even in a case of the elastic wick 6 undergoing some plastic deformation due to deterioration or creep.
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Abstract
Description
- The disclosures discussed herein relate to a loop heat pipe, a cooling device, and an electronic device.
- A typical loop heat pipe known in the art includes an evaporator that absorbs heat from outside by a wall of the evaporator to allow a working fluid to evaporate from a liquid phase to a gas phase; a condenser that condenses the gas phase working fluid introduced from the evaporator into a liquid phase; and an elastic wick that contacts the wall of the evaporator by elastic force from the elastic wick.
- For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
2011-190996 Patent Document 1") discloses a loop heat pipe including a hollow cylindrical evaporator, and an elastic wick having a diameter larger than an inner diameter of a hollow cylindrical evaporator, wherein the elastic wick is pressed into a hollow of the evaporator to allow the elastic wick to contact an inner wall of the evaporator by elastic force from the elastic wick. - However, in the loop heat pipe having such a configuration where the elastic wick comes into contact with the wall of the evaporator by elastic force from the elastic wick, the elastic wick may undergo plastic deformation due to deterioration or creep; as a result, adhesion between the wall of the evaporator and the elastic wick may be degraded over time.
- Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
2011-190996 - According to an aspect of an embodiment, a loop heat pipe includes an evaporator configured to absorb heat from outside by a wall to evaporate a working fluid from a liquid phase to a gas phase; a condenser configured to condense a gas phase working fluid introduced from the evaporator into a liquid phase; an elastic wick configured to contact an inner wall of the evaporator by an elastic force from the elastic wick; and a wick deformation member configured to deform the elastic wick to increase a contact pressure of the elastic wick against the inner wall of the evaporator.
- Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a loop heat pipe according to an embodiment; -
Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating movement of heat by the same loop heat pipe; -
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating an evaporator of the same loop heat pipe when the evaporator is cut along a line indicated by A-A inFig. 1 ; -
Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a loop heat pipe according to a first modification; -
Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a loop heat pipe according to a second modification; -
Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a loop heat pipe according to a third modification; -
Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an electronic device including a loop heat pipe according to an embodiment; -
Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a loop heat pipe according to a second embodiment; -
Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating an evaporator of the loop heat pipe according to the second embodiment when the evaporator is cut along a line indicated by A-A inFig. 8 ; -
Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a loop heat pipe according to a fourth modification; -
Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating an evaporator of the loop heat pipe according to the fourth modification when the evaporator is cut along a line indicated by A-A inFig. 10 ; -
Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a loop heat pipe according to a fifth modification; -
Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating an evaporator of the loop heat pipe according to the fifth modification when the evaporator is cut along a line indicated by A-A inFig. 12 ; -
Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a loop heat pipe according to a sixth modification; and -
Fig. 15 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating an evaporator of the loop heat pipe according to the sixth modification when the evaporator is cut along a line indicated by A-A inFig. 14 . - The following illustrates a loop heat pipe according to one embodiment of the present invention that is applied to a cooling device of an electronic device.
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Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a loop heat pipe according to a first embodiment.Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating movement of heat by the loop heat pipe according to the first embodiment. - The
loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment contains a working fluid. Theloop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment includes anevaporator 2 configured to absorb heat from outside via a wall to allow the working fluid to evaporate from a liquid phase to a gas phase; acondenser 3 configured to condense the gas phase working fluid introduced from theevaporator 2 into a liquid phase; asteam tube 4 configured to pass the gas phase working fluid from theevaporator 2 to thecondenser 3; and aliquid tube 5 configured to pass the liquid phase working fluid from thecondenser 3 to theevaporator 2. While ethanol is used as the working fluid in this embodiment, other condensing fluids such as ammonia, water, alcohol, acetone, CFC substitutes, and the like may be used. A cooling object to be cooled by a cooling device, which is provided with theloop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment, is disposed such that heat of the cooling object is exchangeable with theevaporator 2. - The
evaporator 2 is a cylindrical member made of metal having good thermal conductivity, such as copper, copper alloy, or stainless steel. Theevaporator 2 includes aheat receiver 7 containing awick 6, and areservoir 8 storing a liquid phase working fluid. One end of asteam tube 4 is connected to theheat receiver 7, and one end of aliquid tube 5 is connected to thereservoir 8. The other end of each of thesteam tube 4 and theliquid tube 5 is connected to thecondenser 3. - The
condenser 3 is composed of flat pipes each having numerous aluminum sheet-like fins on its outer circumference surface. Thecondenser 3 is configured to allow a working fluid to pass through inside the flat pipes to discharge heat of the working fluid through walls and fins of the flat pipes. The multiple flat pipes are connected to one another at their two opposite ends, where first ends of the flat pipes positioned at one end are connected to thesteam tube 4, and second ends of the flat pipes positioned at the other end are connected to theliquid tube 5. -
Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating an evaporator of the loop heat pipe according to the present embodiment when the evaporator is cut along a line indicated by A-A inFig. 1 . Thewick 6 is a hollow member made of a porous material, and a first end of thewick 6 near thesteam tube 4 is closed and a second end of thewick 6 near thereservoir 8 is open. The outer circumferential surface of thewick 6 is also provided withmultiple grooves 11 in an area longitudinally extending from the first end near thesteam tube 4 to immediately before the second end near thereservoir 8. As illustrated inFig. 3 , thegrooves 11 are disposed at equal intervals over the circumference of thewick 6. Portions of thewick 6 provided withgrooves 11 form spaces between thewick 6 and awall 2a of theevaporator 2. - An outer diameter of a portion of the
wick 6 withoutgrooves 11 is slightly larger than an inner diameter of a housing or thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. Hence, when thewick 6 is housed in theevaporator 2, the portion of thewick 6 without thegrooves 11 is in close contact with an inner circumferential surface of thewall 2a (inner wall) of theevaporator 2 by restoring force of thewick 6.
As described above, since thewick 6 is in close contact with thewall 2a of theevaporator 2, external heat is efficiently transmitted to thewick 6 through thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. - The
wick 6 also serves to separate the liquid and gas phases so as to prevent backflow of the gas phase working fluid into thereservoir 8. - Since the
wick 6 is made of a porous material, a liquid phase working fluid stored in thereservoir 8 penetrates into thewick 6 by capillarity.
This capillarity also serves as a pump for delivering a liquid phase working fluid fromcondenser 3 toevaporator 2. In addition, thewick 6 preferably has good wettability with the working fluid to facilitate the penetration of the working fluid. Wettability may be measured by a contact angle between thewick 6 and the working fluid. That is, the contact angle needs to be less than 90° because the contact angle being 90° or more does not allow the working fluid to penetrate thewick 6. - In the
loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment, when heat from the outside is conducted and propagated to the liquid phase working fluid through thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 within thewick 6, the liquid phase working fluid is evaporated by the heat to change to a gas phase working fluid. The gas phase-altered working fluid is fed through thegrooves 11 to thesteam tube 4. The gas phase working fluid is then fed through thesteam tube 4 to thecondenser 3. In thecondenser 3, the heat of the working fluid passing through the interiors of the flat pipes is discharged to outside via the fins, which decreases a temperature of the working fluid to condense the working fluid, thereby changing the working fluid from the gas phase to the liquid phase. The liquid phase-changed working fluid moves through theliquid tube 5 to theevaporator 2, and penetrates into thewick 6 from thereservoir 8 by capillarity. Such circulation of the working fluid allows continuous discharge of external heat and cooling of the cooling object. - Next, the
wick 6 will be described in detail. Thewick 6 used in theloop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment is an elastic wick, and is made of porous rubber in the present embodiment. Through thewick 6 made of porous rubber in this manner, an elastic force greater than an elastic force from porous resin can be obtained. Hence, thewick 6 having an outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 may enable high adhesion of thewick 6 with respect to thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 due to the elastic force (restoring force) of thewick 6 contained in theevaporator 2. This increases the heat transfer efficiency from thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 to thewick 6, thereby improving the cooling performance of theloop heat pipe 1. - In addition, since the
wick 6 is made of porous rubber, an elastic area of thewick 6 becomes large; this makes it possible to prevent local pore collapse due to dimensional errors during manufacturing. That is, even if thewick 6 is compressed by inserting thewick 6 inside thewall 2a of theevaporator 2, the compressive deformation of thewick 6 that would be accompanied by pore collapse is dispersed over a wide area; this prevents severe pore collapse in a local area such as in the vicinity of the outer circumference surface of thewick 6. Thus, flow obstruction of the working fluid by local pore collapse is unlikely to occur, which makes it possible to obtain smooth flow of the working fluid to achieve more reliable cooling performance. - Porous rubber used for the
wick 6 may include silicone foam rubber; however, another porous rubber such as urethane foam may also be used for thewick 6. Porous rubber has multiple communicating pores formed therein in order to enable permeation of the working fluid and to generate a good capillary force with respect to the working fluid. - In this embodiment, a wick deformation member is disposed for preloading an outer circumference portion (contact area) of the
wick 6 toward thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 such that the outer circumference portion of thewick 6 comes in contact with thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. The wick deformation member according to the present embodiment is aring member 9 made of a ceramic or the like having an outer diameter larger than an inner diameter of a hollow portion of thewick 6, which is a hollow member. An elastic modulus of thewick 6 itself is used to preload the outer circumference portion of thewick 6 in a direction toward thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. That is, providing such aring member 9 causes the hollow portion of thewick 6 to expand radially outward or toward thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 by thering member 9. As a result of the outer circumference portion of thewick 6 expanding radially outward or toward thewall 2a of theevaporator 2, the outer circumference portion of thewick 6 is pressed against thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. - Providing such a
ring member 9 makes it possible to continuously press thewick 6 against thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 even when thewick 6 undergoes plastic deformation due to creep or deterioration (deterioration of the silicone foam material, etc.) caused by prolonged use. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain adhesion between thewick 6 and thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 and maintain the cooling performance of theloop heat pipe 1 over time. - Next, one modification of the
loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the "first modification") will be described.Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an evaporator of the first modification. Theloop heat pipe 1 of the first modification is provided withmultiple ring members 9 each as a wick deformation member, as illustrated inFig. 4 ; hence, an entirety of the outer circumference portion (contact area) of thewick 6 is pressed against thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. - As described above, the entirety of the outer circumference portion of the
wick 6 is pressed against thewall 2a of theevaporator 2; hence, even if thewick 6 undergoes some plastic deformation due to deterioration or creep of thewick 6 caused by prolonged use of thewick 6, an entirety of the outer circumference portion of thewick 6 may be continuously pressed against thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain adhesion between thewick 6 and thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 over the entirety of the outer circumferential portion of thewick 6 and maintain the cooling performance of theloop heat pipe 1 over time. - Next, another modification of the
loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the "second modification") will be described.Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a evaporator a second modification. In the first modification described above, themultiple ring members 9 are disposed along a hollow axis of thewick 6 shaped to include empty space inside (hereinafter simply called "hollow-shapedwick 6") such that the entirety of the outer circumference portion (contact area) of thewick 6 is pressed against thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. In the second modification, a single wick deformation member, such as acylindrical mesh member 90, is disposed such that the entirety of the outer circumference portion (contact area) of thewick 6 is pressed against thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. - The wick deformation member according to the second modification is a
cylindrical mesh member 90 made of stainless steel or the like having an outer diameter larger than the inner diameter of the hollow portion of thewick 6, which is a hollow member, and primarily by using an elastic modulus of thewick 6 itself 6 preloads the outer circumference of thewick 6 toward thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. That is, providing such acylindrical mesh member 90 allows the hollow portion of thewick 6 to expand radially outward or toward thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 by thecylindrical mesh member 90. As a result of the outer circumference portion of thewick 6 expanding radially outward or toward thewall 2a of theevaporator 2, the outer circumference portion of thewick 6 is pressed against thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. Thus, even if thewick 6 undergoes some plastic deformation due to the deterioration or creep caused by prolonged use, the entirety of the outer circumference portion of thewick 6 may continuously be pressed against thewall 2a of theevaporator 2, as in the first modification described above. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain adhesion between thewick 6 and thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 over the entirety of the outer circumferential portion of thewick 6 over time, and maintain the cooling performance of theloop heat pipe 1 over time. - The
cylindrical mesh member 90 of the second modification is disposed in a transfer path of the working fluid, and the working fluid passes through openings (passage holes) of thecylindrical mesh member 90. An open ratio (a percentage of openings (passage holes) per unit area) of thecylindrical mesh member 90 is set to be greater than porosity of thewick 6. For example, an open ratio of thecylindrical mesh member 90 is set to 80%, which is greater than porosity (50%) of thewick 6. Setting of the open ratio of thecylindrical mesh member 90 as above makes thecylindrical mesh member 90 not inhibit flowability of the liquid phase working fluid stored in thereservoir 8 from penetrating into thewick 6 by capillarity. - In the second modification, the
wall 2a of theevaporator 2 is made of stainless steel, and thecylindrical mesh member 90 is made of stainless steel similarly to thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. Since thecylindrical mesh member 90 is made of a material having the same ionization tendency as thewall 2a of theevaporator 2, a potential difference between thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 and thecylindrical mesh member 90 is unlikely to occur, and corrosion is thus prevented. Note that different materials having the same ionization tendency may be used for thecylindrical mesh member 90 and thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. - Next, still another modification of the
loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the "third modification") will be described.Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of aloop heat pipe 1 according to a third modification. - In the third modification, similar to the second modification described above, a single wick deformation member, such as a
coil spring member 91, is disposed such that thecoil spring member 91 preloads the entirety of the outer circumference portion (contact area) of thewick 6 toward thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. - Further, in the first and second modifications described above, the wick deformation member preloads the outer circumferential portion of the
wick 6 toward thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 by using primarily an elastic modulus of thewick 6 itself. In the third modification, the wick deformation member itself has elasticity, and restoring force of the wick deformation member is also utilized to preload the outer circumference portion of thewick 6 toward thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. - The
coil spring member 91, which is the wick deformation member of the third modification, is set such that a diameter of the unexpanded or uncontractedcoil spring member 91 is larger than an inner diameter of a hollow portion of thewick 6, which is a hollow member. That is, providing such acoil spring member 91 allows the hollow portion of thewick 6 to expand radially outward or toward thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 by restoration force of thecoil spring member 91. As a result of the outer circumference portion of thewick 6 expanding radially outward or toward thewall 2a of theevaporator 2, the outer circumference portion of thewick 6 is pressed against thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. Thus, even if thewick 6 undergoes some plastic deformation due to deterioration or creep caused by prolonged use, the entirety of the outer circumference portion of thewick 6 may continuously be pressed against thewall 2a of theevaporator 2, as in the first or the second modification described above. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain adhesion between thewick 6 and thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 over the entirety of the outer circumferential portion of thewick 6 over time, and to maintain the cooling performance of theloop heat pipe 1 over time. - In addition, the
coil spring member 91 of the third modification is disposed in a transfer path of the working fluid as in the aforementioned second modification, and the working fluid passes through gaps (passage holes or passage spaces) between coils of thecoil spring member 91. An open ratio of the gaps of thecoil spring member 91 is set to be greater than the porosity of thewick 6. Setting of the open ratio of thecoil spring member 91 as above makes thecoil spring member 91 not inhibit flowability of the liquid phase working fluid stored in thereservoir 8 from penetrating into thewick 6 by capillarity. - In the third modification, the
wall 2a of theevaporator 2 is made of copper, and thecoil spring member 91 is made of copper similarly to thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. Hence, since thecoil spring member 91 is made of a material having the same ionization tendency as thewall 2a of theevaporator 2, a potential difference between thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 and thecoil spring member 91 is unlikely to occur, and corrosion is thus prevented. Note that different materials having the same ionization tendency may be used for thecoil spring member 91 and thewall 2a of theevaporator 2. -
Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an electronic device including aloop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment. The electronic device illustrated inFig. 7 is an example of aprojector 20 having anoptical unit 21. Note that the electronic device, to which theloop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment may be applied, is not limited to a projector; theloop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment may also be applied to various electronic devices such as an image forming apparatus, including a printer, a copier, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine, a personal computer, a server, an electronic whiteboard, a television, a Blu-ray recorder, and a game machine. - The evaporator 2 (specifically the heat receiver 7) of the
loop heat pipe 1 is disposed so as to contact a heat-generating portion of theoptical unit 21. Theevaporator 2 absorbs heat from a heat-generating portion of theoptical unit 21 to cool a cooling object (the heat-generating portion of theoptical unit 21, theoptical unit 21, or the projector 20). Thecondenser 3 is disposed nearexhaust fans 22 that are disposed on a lateral side of a casing of aprojector 20. Theexhaust fans 22 discharge air toward outside to generate airflow around thecondenser 3 such that thecondenser 3 is cooled by the generated airflow, thereby improving a heat dissipation effect in thecondenser 3. Further,air supply ports 23 are disposed on another lateral side opposite to the lateral side of the casing where theexhaust fans 22 are disposed, and air taken from theair supply ports 23 passes through the inside of theprojector 20 and is discharged from theexhaust fans 22. - In this example, a cooling device for cooling the
projector 20 is provided with aloop heat pipe 1, andexhaust fans 22 for improving a heat dissipation effect of theloop heat pipe 1; however, blower fans to blow air toward thecondenser 3 may be provided in place of theexhaust fans 22. Alternatively, the cooling device may only be provided with aloop heat pipe 1 alone without having any fans. - In addition, the
loop heat pipe 1 according to the present embodiment and the cooling device provided with theloop heat pipe 1 are widely applicable to applications other than electronic devices. For example, aloop heat pipe 1 or a cooling device according to the present embodiment may be applied to a cooling device for cooling a chemical plant or the like having a reactor. -
Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an evaporator of a second embodiment. As with theloop heat pipe 1 of the first embodiment described above with reference toFig. 1 , theloop heat pipe 1 of the second embodiment illustrated inFig. 8 encloses a working fluid. Theloop heat pipe 1 of the second embodiment includes anevaporator 2, acondenser 3, asteam tube 4, and aliquid tube 5. Theloop heat pipe 1 of the first embodiment illustrated inFig. 1 has theevaporator 2 with a cylindrical shape, whereas theloop heat pipe 1 of the second embodiment illustrated inFig. 8 has theevaporator 2 with a plate-like shape. Since theloop heat pipe 1 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as theloop heat pipe 1 according to the first embodiment except for the shape of theevaporator 2 and the shape of a member disposed inside theevaporator 2, duplicated description will be omitted where appropriate. -
Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating anevaporator 2 of the second embodiment when theevaporator 2 is cut along a line indicated by A-A inFig. 8 . As illustrated inFigs. 8 and 9 , theevaporator 2 of the second embodiment is a plate-like hollow member, and asteam tube 4 is connected to a wall at one end of theevaporator 2 in a working fluid moving direction (a horizontal direction inFig. 8 , and a depth direction inFig. 9 ) and aliquid tube 5 is connected to a wall at the other end. - The
evaporator 2 of the second embodiment includes aheat receiving wall 25, which forms aheat receiving surface 2f and corresponds to one of four walls extending in a working fluid moving direction inside theevaporator 2. The receivingsurface 2f is disposed in a direction such that theheat receiving surface 2f faces a cooling object. The other three of the four walls include a heat receivingback wall 27 that faces theheat receiving wall 25, and twosidewalls 26 connecting both ends of the width direction (horizontal direction inFig. 9 ) of theheat receiving wall 25 and a heat receivingback wall 27. - The
wick 6 of the second embodiment is a plate-like hollow member made of a porous material, and one end of thewick 6 near thesteam tube 4 is closed and the other end near thereservoir 8 is open. Thewick 6 of the second embodiment includesmultiple grooves 11 on a surface near theheat receiving wall 25 in an area extending in a working fluid moving direction from one end near thesteam tube 4 to immediately before the other end near thereservoir 8. As illustrated inFig. 9 , themultiple grooves 11 are equally spaced in the width direction of a surface of thewick 6 near theheat receiving surface 2f (i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the extending directions of thegrooves 11, and in the horizontal direction ofFig. 9 ). Portions of the surface of thewick 6 excluding thegrooves 11 near theheat receiving surface 2f contact the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25, where theheat receiving wall 25 forms aheat receiving surface 2f; and portions of the surface of thewick 6 provided with thegrooves 11 near theheat receiving surface 2f form space portions with respect to the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 of theevaporator 2. For the arrangement of thegrooves 11, thegrooves 11 may be disposed not only on the surface that contacts the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 of thewick 6, but may also be disposed on other surfaces that contact the heat receivingback wall 27 and thesidewalls 26 of thewick 6. - The external size of the
wick 6 in the cross-section illustrated inFig. 9 is set to be slightly larger than the internal size of theevaporator 2. Note that the external size of thewick 6 includes a vertical length and a horizontal length inFig. 9 , and the internal size of theevaporator 2 includes a distance from the inner wall of theheat receiving wall 25 to the inner wall of the heat receivingback wall 27, and a distance between the inner walls of the twosidewalls 26. - Accordingly, when the
wick 6 is housed in theevaporator 2, the restoring force of thewick 6 causes thewick 6 to be in close contact with the inner wall surfaces of theheat receiving wall 25, the heat receivingback wall 27, and the inner wall surfaces of the twosidewalls 26. As described above, since thewick 6 is in close contact with the walls (25, 26 and 27) of theevaporator 2, the external heat is efficiently transmitted through the walls (25, 26 and 27) of theevaporator 2 to thewick 6. - The
wick 6 also serves to separate the liquid phase and gas phase to prevent backflow of the gas phase working fluid into thereservoir 8. Since thewick 6 is made of a porous material, the liquid phase working fluid stored in thereservoir 8 penetrates into thewick 6 due to a pressure differential or capillarity in the working fluid itself. This pressure differential or capillarity in the working fluid also serves as a pump for delivering a liquid phase working fluid from thecondenser 3 to theevaporator 2. - In the
loop heat pipe 1 according to the second embodiment, heat from outside is conducted and propagated from theheat receiving surface 2f of theevaporator 2 to the liquid phase working fluid within thewick 6 through theheat receiving wall 25, and the working fluid is evaporated to change to a gas phase. The gas phase working fluid is fed through thegrooves 11 to thesteam tube 4. - The
wick 6 of the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, is made of porous rubber, and provides a greater elastic-force than a porous resin. In addition, thewick 6 is formed with the external size slightly larger than the internal size of the walls (25, 26 and 27) ofevaporator 2 as described above. These configurations provide high adhesion of thewick 6 with respect to the walls (25, 26 and 27) of theevaporator 2 due to an elastic modulus (restoring force) of thewick 6 housed within theevaporator 2. This increases the heat transfer efficiency from the walls (25, 26 and 27) of theevaporator 2 to thewick 6, thereby improving the cooling performance of theloop heat pipe 1. - In addition, since the
wick 6 is made of porous rubber, an elastic area of thewick 6 becomes large; this makes it possible to prevent local pore collapse due to dimensional errors during manufacturing. That is, even if thewick 6 is compressed by inserting thewick 6 within the walls (25, 26 and 27) of theevaporator 2, the compressive deformation of thewick 6 that would be accompanied by pore collapse is dispersed over a wide area. Thus, it is possible to prevent severe pore collapse in a local area such as in the vicinity of the outer surfaces, where pores of thewick 6 are in contact with the walls (25, 26 and 27). As a result, since flow obstruction of the working fluid due to local pore collapse is unlikely to occur, it is possible to obtain smooth flow of the working fluid to achieve more reliable cooling performance. The porous rubber used for thewick 6 may be similar to that of the first embodiment. - The
wick 6 disposed inside theevaporator 2 of theloop heat pipe 1 illustrated inFigs. 8 and 9 is a plate-like hollow member. More specifically, thewick 6 has a hollow portion acting as a wick deformationmember installation space 80 in which the wick deformation member is installed. - The plate-
like evaporator 2 includes aheat receiving surface 2f that is a planar portion disposed on its outer wall surface. In the first embodiment described above, theevaporator 2 is cylindrical, theevaporator 2 contacts a cooling object with respect to a point on the outer circumference of the circular cross-section, and theentire evaporator 2 has a linear contact portion along a height direction of the cylinder. As a result, it is difficult to obtain a wide contact area. When the contact area is small, the efficiency of heat transfer from the cooling object to theevaporator 2 is reduced, and the cooling efficiency is degraded. By contrast, theevaporator 2 of the second embodiment includes a planarheat receiving surface 2f. When the planarheat receiving surface 2f is in contact with the cooling object, the contact portion forms a surface, and a wide contact area may be obtained, thereby improving the cooling efficiency. - In addition, a device such as the
optical unit 21 covered by a casing typically has planar outer wall surfaces for the casing. When a cooling object, i.e., a device to be cooled, has planar surfaces as outer wall surfaces, theheat receiving surface 2f of the second embodiment is contacted with a planar surface of the outer wall surface of the cooling object; as a result, a large contact area may be obtained, and the cooling efficiency may be improved. - In a second embodiment, a wick deformation member is disposed to preload an inner surface of a hollow portion of the
wick 6 toward theheat receiving wall 25, where theheat receiving wall 25 forms theheat receiving surface 2f. In a second embodiment, a wick deformation member, which is disposed within ahollow portion 80 of thewick 6, has a vertical length greater than a distance between an upper inner wall of a portion of thewick 6 that contacts the inner surface of theheat receiving wall 25 and a lower inner wall of a portion of thewick 6 that contacts the inner surface of the heat receiving back wall 27 (a distance in a vertical direction inFig. 9 ). Such a wick deformation member enables thewick 6 to deform so as to increase the distance between the upper inner wall of the portion of thewick 6 that contacts the inner surface of theheat receiving wall 25 and the lower inner wall of the portion of thewick 6 that contacts the inner surface of the heat receivingback wall 27. - This causes the
wick 6 to be sandwiched by the wick deformation member and each of the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 and the inner wall surface of the heat receivingback wall 27, such that the wick deformation member presses thewick 6 against both the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 and the inner wall surface of the heat receivingback wall 27. The wick deformation member can thus use elasticity of thewick 6 itself to press an outer surface of thewick 6 against the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 of theevaporator 2. - The following wick deformation members according to fourth to sixth modifications are configured to have a length in a direction from the
heat receiving wall 25 to the heat receivingback wall 27 greater than the distance between the upper and lower inner wall surfaces which form the wick deformation member installation space 80 (a vertical direction inFig. 9 ). This configuration causes thewick 6 to deform so as to increase the distance between these two opposite surfaces of the wick 6 (i.e., upper and lower surfaces of the wick deformationmember installation space 80 illustrated inFigs. 8 and 9 ), thereby pressing thewick 6 against the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25. - Next, one modification (hereinafter referred to as "fourth modification") in which a wick deformation member is disposed in the
loop heat pipe 1 of the second embodiment having a plate-like evaporator 2 will be described.Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of anevaporator 2 of the fourth modification, andFig. 11 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating theevaporator 2 of theloop heat pipe 1 according to the fourth modification when theevaporator 2 is cut along a line indicated by A-A inFig. 10 . - The
loop heat pipe 1 of the fourth modification includes, as illustrated inFigs. 10 and 11 ,multiple plate members 81 made of ceramic or the like, each acting as a wick deformation member for preloading theheat receiving wall 25 facing surface of thewick 6 toward the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 of theevaporator 2. Theplate members 81 of the fourth modification each have a vertical length from its upper surface to its lower surface (vertical direction inFig. 11 ) greater than a vertical length from an upper surface to a lower surface of the wick deformationmember installation space 80. - The
plate members 81 utilize elasticity of thewick 6 itself to preload theheat receiving wall 25 facing surface of thewick 6 toward the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 of theevaporator 2. That is, disposing ofsuch plate members 81 as the above increases the distance between theheat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 (the upper surface of the wick deformationmember installation space 80 inFig. 11 ) and the lower surface of the hollow portion of the wick 6 (the lower surface of the wick deformationmember installation space 80 inFig. 11 ). This expands the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface of the hollow portion of thewick 6. As a result, theheat receiving wall 25 facing surface of thewick 6 is pressed against the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25. -
Such plate members 81 disposed as above are configured to continuously press thewick 6 against the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 of theevaporator 2 even in the case of thewick 6 having slight deterioration (deterioration of the silicone foam material, etc.) or thewick 6 undergoing some plastic deformation due to prolonged use or creep. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain adhesion between thewick 6 and the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 of theevaporator 2 and to maintain the cooling performance of theloop heat pipe 1 over time. - Next, another modification in which a wick deformation member is disposed in the
loop heat pipe 1 of the second embodiment having a plate-like evaporator 2 (hereinafter referred to as the "fifth modification") will be described.Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of anevaporator 2 of the fifth modification, andFig. 13 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating theevaporator 2 of theloop heat pipe 1 according to the fifth modification when theevaporator 2 is cut along a line indicated by A-A inFig. 12 . - The
loop heat pipe 1 of the fifth modification has a wick deformation member having a shape differing from the shape of the wick deformation member in theloop heat pipe 1 of the fourth modification described above. The wick deformation member of the fifth modification is aconnected plate member 82, which is formed by connecting a plate member perpendicularly to themultiple plate members 81 in the fourth modification. Theconnected plate member 82 of the fifth modification has a vertical length from its upper surface to its lower surface (a length in a vertical direction inFig. 13 ) greater than a vertical length from an upper surface to a lower surface of the wick deformationmember installation space 80. According to the fifth modification, it is possible to obtain adhesion between thewick 6 and the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 of theevaporator 2 and to maintain the cooling performance of theloop heat pipe 1 over time, as in the fourth modification. Further, according to the fifth modification, since theconnected plate member 82 is formed by connecting a plate member to themultiple plate members 81 extending vertically in a direction from the heat receivingwall member 25 to the heat receivingback wall member 27, theconnected plate member 82 acting as a wick deformation member may be stably and accurately disposed. - Next, still another modification in which a wick deformation member is disposed in the
loop heat pipe 1 of the second embodiment having a plate-like evaporator 2 (hereinafter referred to as the "sixth modification") will be described.Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of theloop heat pipe 1 according to the sixth modification, andFig. 15 is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating anevaporator 2 of theloop heat pipe 1 according to the sixth modification when theevaporator 2 is cut along a line indicated by A-A inFig. 14 . - The
loop heat pipe 1 of the sixth modification has a wick deformation member having shape and a material differing from the shape and the material of the wick deformation member in theloop heat pipe 1 of the fourth modification described above. The wick deformation member of the sixth modification includescolumn members 83 each made of porous metal or the like. Thecolumn members 83 of the sixth modification each have a vertical length from its upper surface to its lower surface (vertical direction inFig. 15 ) greater than a vertical length from an upper surface and a lower surface of the wick deformationmember installation space 80, where the wick deformationmember installation space 80 corresponds to a hollow portion of thewick 6. - The
column members 83 utilize elasticity of thewick 6 itself to preload theheat receiving wall 25 facing surface of thewick 6 toward the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 of theevaporator 2. That is, disposing ofsuch column members 83 as the above increases the distance between theheat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 (the upper surface of the wick deformationmember installation space 80 inFig. 15 ) and a lower surface of the hollow portion of the wick 6 (the lower surface of the wick deformationmember installation space 80 inFig. 15 ). This expands the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface of the hollow portion of thewick 6. As a result, theheat receiving wall 25 facing surface of thewick 6 is pressed against the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25. - In addition, since the
column members 83 acting as wick deformation members are porous, the working fluid may pass through passage holes of the wick deformation members. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain adhesion between thewick 6 and the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 of theevaporator 2, to maintain the cooling performance of theloop heat pipe 1, to obtain flowability of the working fluid, and to maintain the stable operation of theloop heat pipe 1 over time. - Next, still another modification in which a wick deformation member is disposed in the
loop heat pipe 1 of the second embodiment having a plate-like evaporator 2 (hereinafter referred to as the "seventh modification") will be described. Theloop heat pipe 1 of the seventh modification has wick deformation members having a material differing from the material of the wick deformation members in the sixth modification described above. In theloop heat pipe 1 of the seventh modification, a rubber member is used as a material for each of thecolumn members 83. - In the seventh modification, both elasticity of the
wick 6 and an elastic modulus of the wick deformation members (column members 83) are used to preload theheat receiving wall 25 facing surface of thewick 6 toward the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 of theevaporator 2. Disposing ofsuch column members 83 made of a rubber member expands a distance between theheat receiving wall 25 facing surface of the wick 6 (the upper surface of the wick deformationmember installation space 80 inFig. 15 ) and the lower surface of the hollow portion of the wick 6 (the lower surface of the wick deformationmember installation space 80 inFig. 15 ). This expands the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface of the hollow portion of thewick 6. As a result, theheat receiving wall 25 facing surface of thewick 6 is pressed against the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25. - In the seventh modification, the wick deformation members (column members 83) are formed by a material with an elastic modulus lower than elasticity of the
wick 6; thus, a deformation amount of the wick deformation members is greater than the deformation amount of thewick 6. Accordingly, even in the case of thewick 6 having slight deterioration (deterioration of the silicone foam material, etc.) or thewick 6 undergoing some plastic deformation due to prolonged use or creep, the deformation amount of thewick 6 may be compensated by the deformation amount of thecolumn members 83 acting as the wick deformation members. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain more stable adhesion between thewick 6 and the inner wall surface of theheat receiving wall 25 of theevaporator 2 and maintain the cooling performance of theloop heat pipe 1 over time. - In the seventh modification, each wick deformation member (column member 83) made of a rubber member may be a porous member. With such configuration, it may be possible to obtain flowability of the working fluid and to improve operation stability of the
loop heat pipe 1, in addition to the above-described effect. In the seventh modification, a configuration of the wick deformation members (column members 83) of the sixth modification being made of rubber has been described. However, a configuration of a wick deformation member of the first to fifth modifications being made of rubber may also be used. - The
loop heat pipe 1 of the second embodiment is also applicable to electronic devices such as aprojector 20 illustrated inFig. 7 . In addition, theloop heat pipe 1 according to the second embodiment and the cooling device provided with theloop heat pipe 1 are widely applicable to applications other than electronic devices. For example, theloop heat pipe 1 or the cooling device according to the second embodiment may be applied to a cooling device for cooling a chemical plant or the like having a reactor. - The above illustrations are merely examples, and specific effects may be provided for each of the following aspects.
- A
loop heat pipe 1, comprising: - an
evaporator 2 configured to absorb heat from outside by awall 2a to evaporate a working fluid, such as ethanol, from a liquid phase to a gas phase; - a
condenser 3 configured to condense the gas phase working fluid introduced from theevaporator 2 into a liquid phase; - an elastic wick (wick 6) configured to contact an inner wall of the
evaporator 2 by an elastic force; and - a wick deformation member configured to deform the
elastic wick 6, such as aring member 9, acylindrical mesh member 90, and acoil spring member 91, so as to increase a contact pressure of theelastic wick 6 against the inner wall of theevaporator 2. - According to the aspect A, even in a case of the
elastic wick 6 undergoing some plastic deformation over time due to deterioration or creep, theelastic wick 6 is enabled to continuously be pressed against the inner wall of theevaporator 2 by an elastic force from a deformed portion of theelastic wick 6, which is deformed by the wick deformation member. - This configuration provides adhesion between the
elastic wick 6 and the inner wall of theevaporator 2, and maintains a heat transfer efficiency from thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 to theelastic wick 6 even in a case of theelastic wick 6 undergoing plastic deformation. As a result, a transfer efficiency of heat from outside to theelastic wick 6 through thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 may be maintained, a decrease in an evaporation efficiency of the working fluid may be prevented, and a decrease in cooling performance of theloop heat pipe 1 may be prevented. - According to aspect B, the
elastic wick 6 in the aspect A is made of porous rubber. - According to aspect B, since the
elastic wick 6 is made of porous rubber to obtain high elasticity, it is easy to increase adhesion of theelastic wick 6 with respect to the inner wall of theevaporator 2. In addition, since thewick 6 is made of porous rubber, an elastic area of thewick 6 becomes large, which makes it possible to prevent local pore collapse due to dimensional errors during manufacturing. That is, even if theelastic wick 6 is compressed within theevaporator 2, the compressive deformation of thewick 6 that would be accompanied by pore collapse is dispersed over a wide area to prevent severe pore collapse in a local area. - According to aspect C, the wick deformation member in the aspects A or B is configured to cause the
elastic wick 6 to deform so as to increase a contact pressure over a contact area of theelastic wick 6 against the inner wall of theevaporator 2. According to aspect C, even in a case of thewick 6 undergoing plastic deformation, the contact area of theelastic wick 6 may be continuously pressed against the inner wall of theevaporator 2 in entirety. - According to aspect D, the wick deformation member in any of aspects A to C is disposed in a transfer path of the working fluid, and includes passage holes through which the working fluid passes to have an open ratio greater than porosity of the
elastic wick 6. That is, the wick deformation member may be acylindrical mesh member 90 or acoil spring member 91. According to aspect D, flowability of the liquid phase working fluid that penetrates into theelastic wick 6 by capillarity will not readily obstructed by the wick deformation member. - According to aspect E, the wick deformation member in any of aspects A to D is made of a material having same ionization tendency as the
wall 2a of theevaporator 2. According to aspect E, a potential difference does not easily occur between thewall 2a of theevaporator 2 and the wick deformation member, and corrosion is thus prevented. - According to aspect F, an outer wall of the
evaporator 2 in any of aspects A to E is provided with a planar portion such as aheat receiving surface 2f. According to aspect F, it is possible to obtain a wide contact area of a contact portion of theevaporator 2 with respect to a cooling object, to improve the cooling efficiency. - According to aspect G, a wick deformation member, such as a
plate member 81, aconnected plate member 82 and acolumn member 83, in the aspect F deforms theelastic wick 6 so as to increase the contact pressure of theelastic wick 6 against the inner wall of theplanar portion 2f of theevaporator 2. According to aspect G, even in a case of theelastic wick 6 undergoing some plastic deformation over time due to deterioration or creep, theelastic wick 6 is enabled to continuously be pressed against the inner wall of theplanar portion 2f of theevaporator 2 by an elastic force from a deformed portion of theelastic wick 6, which is deformed by the wick deformation member. This configuration provides adhesion between the inner wall of theplanar portion 2f of theevaporator 2 and theelastic wick 6 over time. As a result, the transfer efficiency of heat from outside to theelastic wick 6 through thewall 2a forming theplanar portion 2f may be maintained, a decrease in evaporation efficiency of the working fluid may be prevented, and a decrease in cooling performance of theloop heat pipe 1 may be prevented. - According to aspect H, the
evaporator 2 includes an opposite planar portion (e.g., an outer wall surface of the heat receiving back wall 27) at a position opposite to theplanar portion 2f, and the wick deformation member causes theelastic wick 6 to deform so as to increase a distance between a first portion of theelastic wick 6, which contacts the inner wall of theplanar portion 2f of theevaporator 2, and a second portion of theelastic wick 6, which contacts the inner wall of the opposite planar portion (27) of theevaporator 2. - According to aspect H, the wick deformation member presses the interposed
elastic wick 6 against each of the inner wall of theplanar portion 2f and the inner wall of the oppositeplanar portion 27. Accordingly, by a reaction force of the second portion of theelastic wick 6, which contacts the inner wall of the opposite planar portion (27) of theevaporator 2, the wick deformation member is preloaded toward the first portion of theelastic wick 6, which contacts the inner wall of theplanar portion 2f of theevaporator 2. As a result, the outer surface of theelastic wick 6 is pressed against the inner wall of theplanar portion 2f of theevaporator 2. - According to aspect I, the
evaporator 2 in any of the aspects F to H has a plate-like shape. According to aspect I, theevaporator 2 has planar portions for the outer walls. In aspect I, compared to anevaporator 2 with a planar portion obtained by cutting away a cylindrical portion, a ratio of a planar portion to the entire outer walls of theevaporator 2 may be increased, and the cooling performance for a cooling object that contacts the planar portion may thus be improved. - According to aspect J, the wick deformation member in any of aspects A to I is made of a porous material. According to aspect J, since the working fluid may be moved through passage holes of the wick deformation member, flowability of the working fluid may be obtained; as a result, the stable operation of the
loop heat pipe 1 may be obtained. - According to aspect K, the wick deformation member in any aspect of A to J is made of an elastic material. According to aspect K, the
elastic wick 6 is continuously pressed against the inner wall of theevaporator 2 by elastic force from the wick deformation member and theelastic wick 6. - According to aspect L, a cooling device includes the
loop heat pipe 1 according to any aspect of A to K. According to aspect L, it is possible to prevent cooling performance from deteriorating even in a case of theelastic wick 6 undergoing plastic deformation. - According to aspect M, an electronic device includes the
loop heat pipe 1 according to any aspect of A to K. According to aspect M, it is possible to prevent cooling performance from deteriorating even in a case of theelastic wick 6 undergoing plastic deformation. - According to the present invention, it is possible to provide adhesion between the
elastic wick 6 and the inner wall of theevaporator 2 even in a case of theelastic wick 6 undergoing some plastic deformation due to deterioration or creep. - The present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiments, and variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Claims (13)
- A loop heat pipe comprising:an evaporator configured to absorb heat from outside by a wall to evaporate a working fluid from a liquid phase to a gas phase;a condenser configured to condense a gas phase working fluid introduced from the evaporator into a liquid phase;an elastic wick configured to contact an inner wall of the evaporator by an elastic force from the elastic wick; anda wick deformation member configured to deform the elastic wick to increase a contact pressure of the elastic wick against the inner wall of the evaporator.
- The loop heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the elastic wick is made of porous rubber.
- The loop heat pipe according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wick deformation member causes the elastic wick to deform so as to increase a contact pressure over a contact area of the elastic wick against the inner wall of the evaporator.
- The loop heat pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
the wick deformation member is disposed in a transfer path of the working fluid, and
the wick deformation member includes passage holes through which the working fluid passes to have an open ratio greater than porosity of the elastic wick. - The loop heat pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the wick deformation member is made of a material having same ionization tendency as the wall of the evaporator.
- The loop heat pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an outer wall of the evaporator includes a planar portion.
- The loop heat pipe according to claim 6, wherein the wick deformation member causes the elastic wick to deform so as to increase a contact pressure of the elastic wick against the inner wall of the planar portion of the evaporator.
- The loop heat pipe according to claim 7, wherein
the evaporator includes an opposite planar portion at a position opposite to the planar portion, and
the wick deformation member causes the elastic wick to deform so as to increase a distance between a first portion and a second portion of the elastic wick, the first portion contacting the inner wall of the planar portion of the evaporator, and the second portion contacting the inner wall of the opposite planar portion of the evaporator. - The loop heat pipe according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the evaporator has a plate-like shape.
- The loop heat pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the wick deformation member is made of a porous material.
- The loop heat pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the wick deformation member is made of an elastic material.
- A cooling device comprising:
the loop heat pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 11. - An electronic device comprising:
the loop heat pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2018117818A JP2019007725A (en) | 2017-06-23 | 2018-06-21 | Loop type heat pipe, cooling device, and electronic device |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP3587985A1 true EP3587985A1 (en) | 2020-01-01 |
EP3587985B1 EP3587985B1 (en) | 2021-03-31 |
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EP19181382.3A Active EP3587985B1 (en) | 2018-06-21 | 2019-06-19 | Loop heat pipe, cooling device, and electronic device |
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Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN117537642A (en) * | 2024-01-10 | 2024-02-09 | 四川力泓电子科技有限公司 | Heat pipe, radiator and electronic equipment |
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JP2011190996A (en) * | 2010-03-15 | 2011-09-29 | Fujitsu Ltd | Loop type heat pipe, wick, and information processing device |
JP2012193912A (en) * | 2011-03-17 | 2012-10-11 | Fujitsu Ltd | Loop heat pipe |
JP2014114963A (en) * | 2012-12-06 | 2014-06-26 | Mitsubishi Electric Corp | Evaporator for loop type heat pipe for space |
WO2015104842A1 (en) * | 2014-01-10 | 2015-07-16 | 富士通株式会社 | Cooling device |
-
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JP2000146471A (en) * | 1998-11-16 | 2000-05-26 | Mitsubishi Electric Corp | Loop type heat pipe |
JP2011190996A (en) * | 2010-03-15 | 2011-09-29 | Fujitsu Ltd | Loop type heat pipe, wick, and information processing device |
JP2012193912A (en) * | 2011-03-17 | 2012-10-11 | Fujitsu Ltd | Loop heat pipe |
JP2014114963A (en) * | 2012-12-06 | 2014-06-26 | Mitsubishi Electric Corp | Evaporator for loop type heat pipe for space |
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Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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CN117537642A (en) * | 2024-01-10 | 2024-02-09 | 四川力泓电子科技有限公司 | Heat pipe, radiator and electronic equipment |
CN117537642B (en) * | 2024-01-10 | 2024-03-19 | 四川力泓电子科技有限公司 | Heat pipe, radiator and electronic equipment |
Also Published As
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EP3587985B1 (en) | 2021-03-31 |
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