Plate type heat pipe with mesh wick structure having opening

Abstract

A plate type heat pipe includes a sealed tube, a chamber defined in the tube, and working medium received in the chamber. A mesh wick structure is attached to an inner wall of the tube. In one version of the plate type heat pipe, the wick structure defines a single opening. The opening communicates the chamber and thereby provides additional space for flow of vaporized working medium inside the tube. In other versions of the plate type heat pipe, the wick structure defines two or more openings.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A plate type heat pipe comprising:
 a sealed tube defining a chamber therein;   a working medium received in the chamber; and   a mesh wick structure attached to an inner wall of the tube in the chamber, the wick structure defining at least one opening, the at least one opening communicating with the chamber and thereby providing additional space for flow of vaporized working medium inside the tube.   
     
     
         2 . The plate type heat pipe of  claim 1 , wherein the tube comprises an evaporator section, a condenser section opposite to the evaporator section, and an adiabatic section disposed between the evaporator section and the condenser section, the at least one opening being located at the adiabatic section of the tube only. 
     
     
         3 . The plate type heat pipe of  claim 2 , wherein the wick structure is a rolled mesh attached on the inner wall of the tube. 
     
     
         4 . The plate type heat pipe of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one opening is two parallel, elongated openings, each of the two openings being spaced from an outer long edge of the mesh when the mesh is unrolled and flat. 
     
     
         5 . The plate type heat pipe of  claim 4 , wherein the tube comprises a flat bottom wall, a flat top wall opposite to the bottom wall, and two side walls connected between the bottom wall and the top wall, the two openings respectively corresponding to the top wall and the bottom wall of the tube at the adiabatic section. 
     
     
         6 . The plate type heat pipe of  claim 4 , wherein a width of each of the openings is approximately one fourth of a width of the mesh when the mesh is unrolled and flat. 
     
     
         7 . The plate type heat pipe of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one opening is defined in a middle of the mesh.