US20140345832A1

US20140345832A1 - Plate-type heat pipe

Info

Publication number: US20140345832A1
Application number: US13/900,874
Authority: US
Inventors: Jen-Cheng Lin; Chien-Hung Sun; Te-Hsuan Chin
Original assignee: Cooler Master Co Ltd
Current assignee: Cooler Master Co Ltd; Cooler Master Development Corp
Priority date: 2013-05-23
Filing date: 2013-05-23
Publication date: 2014-11-27

Abstract

A plate-type heat pipe includes a first main body, a capillary structure and a support structure. The first main body has a first face and a second face. The capillary structure is disposed on the first face and the support structure is disposed on the side of the capillary structure opposite to the first main body. When pressing the first main body, capillary structure and support structure, the layers are tightly connected.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention
The instant disclosure relates to a plate-type heat pipe; in particular, to a plate-type heat pipe using two-phase flow recirculation for heat transferring.
2. Description of Related Art
The trend of technology development is ever complicating, for example, the integrated circuits or laptop. The shrinking volume of electronic products is accompanied by the issue of heat dissipation. During operation, the heat generated by an electronic device is considerably high. The electronic components are therefore equipped with suitable heat sink or device to increase heat dissipation. Especially to the central processing unit, the air-cooled system is replaced by liquid-cooled system for efficiently maintaining optimal operation temperature.
Additionally, heat pipe is implemented in heat dissipation design. The plate-type heat pipe is a variation of tubular heat pipe. The two structures employ the same heat dissipation mechanism, which transfers heat by two-phase flow recirculation.
However, the conventional plate-type heat pipe includes a plate, capillaries and support structure. After disposing the capillaries and the support structure onto the plate, further brazing or diffusion bonding is required to secure the capillaries and support structure on the plate. The fabrication process consumes considerable time and labor and the manufacturing cost remains high. Thus, the conventional heat pipe lacks competitiveness in the current market.
To address the above issues, the inventor strives via associated experience and research to present the instant disclosure, which can effectively improve the limitation described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The instant disclosure provides a plate-type heat pipe, which simplifies the manufacturing process, saves time and labor and therefore reduces cost for better product compatibility.
According to one embodiment of the instant disclosure, the plate-type heat pipe includes a first main body, a capillary structure and a support structure. The first main body has a first face and a second face. The capillary structure is disposed on the first face of the first main body while the support structure is disposed on one side of the capillary structure opposed to the first main body. The first main body, capillary structure and support structure are tightly connected by pressing.
The first main body, capillary structure and support structure are deposited in succession and stamped to allow tight connection. Therefore brazing or diffusion bonding can be omitted in the manufacturing process. This fabrication method simplifies the overall process, reduces time and labor and decreases cost to enhance product competitiveness.
In order to further understand the instant disclosure, the following embodiments are provided along with illustrations to facilitate the appreciation of the instant disclosure; however, the appended drawings are merely provided for reference and illustration, without any intention to be used for limiting the scope of the instant disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing a plate-type heat pipe in accordance with a first embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram (I) showing a press-fit plate-type heat pipe in accordance with a first embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective diagram (II) showing a press-fit plate-type heat pipe in accordance with a first embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a plate-type heat pipe in accordance with a first embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a plate-type heat pipe in accordance with a first embodiment of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a plate-type heat pipe in accordance with a second embodiment of the instant disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The aforementioned illustrations and following detailed descriptions are exemplary for the purpose of further explaining the scope of the instant disclosure. Other objectives and advantages related to the instant disclosure will be illustrated in the subsequent descriptions and appended drawings.

First Embodiment

Referring to FIG. 1, the instant disclosure provides a plate-type heat pipe. The plate-type heat pipe includes a first main body 1, a capillary structure 2 and a support structure 3. The shape of the first main body 1 is planar and the first main body 1 may be made of copper, aluminum or other metallic materials exhibiting desired heat conductivity. However, the shape of the first main body 1 is not limited by the instant embodiment. The first main body may be configured to a square, disk or the others. It is worth noting that the first main body 1 can be the bottom or the top of the plate-type heat pipe. The first main body 1 has a first face 11 and a second face 12 opposite the first face 11. The first face 11 is the inner face of the planer heat pipe while the second face 12 is the outer face thereof. The first face 11 may be formed with a capillary tissue 13. The capillary tissue 13 can be grooves or formed by powder sintering or both.
The capillary structure 2 may be grid, fiber, or formed by powder sintering or a combination thereof. In the instant embodiment, the capillary structure 2 is a grid (for example, copper grid). The capillary structure 2 is disposed on the first main body 1, i.e., the first face 11 of the first main body 1.
The support structure 3 can be made of copper, aluminum or other metallic materials exhibiting desired heat conductivity. The configuration of the support structure 3 is not limited by the instant embodiment. In the instant embodiment, the support structure 3 has a plurality of support bodies 31. The support bodies 31 may be cylindrical, polygonal, rectangular, or the like and the instant disclosure is not limited thereto. In the instant embodiment, the support bodies 31 are cylindrical pillars each having a uniform diameter. The support bodies may vary in size in another embodiment whereas uniform dimension simplifies the manufacturing process. The support structure 3 is disposed on one side of the capillary structure 2, i.e., opposite the first main body 1.
The first main body 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 are stamped to engage. The pressing (or stamping) allows the first main body 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 for tight engagement to build the main scaffold of the plate-type heat pipe. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a mold 5 is fixed on the stamp machine (not shown) for conducting the pressing process.
Specifically, the support bodies 31 and the first main body 1 are tightly engaged. A plurality of grooves 14 can be formed on the first face 11 of the first main body 1 cooperatively positioned to the support bodies 31. In the instant embodiment, the grooves 14 are configured to be concave for receiving the convex tip of the support bodies 31. The ends of the support bodies 31 that immediately contact the first main body 1 are formed as mating portions 311. Each mating portion 311 has a diameter D larger than the diameter d of the groove 14. When pressing the first main body 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3, the mating portion 311 of the support bodies 31 are tightly engaged with the first main body 1 by mating with the grooves 14. The capillary structure 2 is fixed between the first main body 1 and the support bodies 31 and each layer is closely stacked on one another (as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5).
Additionally, the plate-type heat pipe includes a second main body 4. The second main body 4 may be made of copper, aluminum or other metallic materials exhibiting desired heat conductivity. The second main body 4 is configured to coincide with the first main body 1. It is worth noting that the second main body 4 can be the bottom or the top of the plate-type heat pipe. The engagement of the first main body 1 and second main body 4 results in a complete plate-type heat pipe. The first main body 1 and second main body 4 can be connected by brazing, diffusion bonding or the like to define a chamber 41. The chamber 41 is vacuumed and fluid fills therein (not shown). Different phase conversion of the fluid can rapidly and evenly transfer the heat generated by electronic components.

Second Embodiment

Referring to FIG. 6, a plurality of protrusions 15 can be formed on the first face 11 of the first main body 1 cooperatively positioned to the support bodies 31. The ends of the support bodies 31 that immediately contact the first main body 1, are formed with a depression 312. When the first main body 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 are stamped, the depression 312 of the support bodies 31 are tightly engaged with first main body 1 by mating with the protrusions 15. That is, the configuration for engaging the first main body 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 may vary according to preferable design.
In summary, the first main body, capillary structure and support structure are tightly connected by pressing. Hence, brazing or diffusion bonding among the first main body, capillary structure and support structure is not required in the manufacturing process. As a result, the manufacturing of the plate-type heat pipe reduces time and labor and brings down the cost, thus increasing product competitiveness.
The descriptions illustrated supra set forth simply the preferred embodiments of the instant disclosure; however, the characteristics of the instant disclosure are by no means restricted thereto. All changes, alternations, or modifications conveniently considered by those skilled in the art are deemed to be encompassed within the scope of the instant disclosure delineated by the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A plate-type heat pipe, comprising:

a first main body having a first face and a second face opposite to the first face;

a capillary structure disposed on the first face of the first main body; and

a support structure disposed on one side of the capillary structure opposed to the first main body;

wherein the first main body, the capillary structure and the support structure are tightly connected by pressing.

2. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the support structure includes a plurality of support bodies, and the ends of the support bodies are tightly connected to the first main body.

3. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 2, wherein the first face of the first main body has a plurality of grooves respectively corresponding to the support bodies, one end of each of the support bodies is formed with a mating portion, and the grooves and the mating portions fittingly mate.

4. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 2, wherein the first face of the first main body is formed with a plurality of protrusions, one end of each of the support bodies is formed with a depression, and the protrusions and the depressions fittingly mate.

5. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 2, wherein the support bodies have uniform or non-uniform diameters.

6. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 2, wherein the capillary structure is fixed between the first main body and the support structure.

7. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the first face of the first main body is formed with a capillary tissue.

8. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the capillary structure is formed by grid, fiber, powder sintering or a combination thereof.

9. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 1, further comprising: a second main body correspondingly connected to the first main body to define a chamber, wherein the chamber is vacuumed and filled with fluid.