Flat heat pipe with composite wick material

Abstract

A flat heat pipe with composite wick material includes: a flat pipe; a pipe-wall wick structure disposed on an inner wall of the pipe and extending in an axial direction of the pipe, wherein, from a perspective of its cross section, the pipe has an upper inner wall and left and right arcuate inner walls, an opening facing downward, and a lower inner wall not being completely covered; a fiber bundle disposed at the opening formed at the pipe-wall wick structure; and a working fluid disposed in the pipe. One of two contact surfaces of the fiber bundle is coupled to the lower inner wall of the pipe by sintering. The other contact surface of the fiber bundle is in contact with the pipe-wall wick structure.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A flat heat pipe with composite wick material, comprising:
 a pipe being flat, having two closed ends, being defined from an end thereof to another end thereof with a heating segment, a thermal insulation segment and a condensation segment, and having a cross section with flat upper and lower sides and arcuate left and right sides;   a pipe-wall wick structure disposed on an inner wall of the pipe and extending in an axial direction of the pipe, wherein, from a perspective of its cross section, the pipe has an upper inner wall being covered, an opening facing downward, and a lower inner wall not being completely covered, and, at the very least, the pipe-wall wick structure is disposed at the heating segment of the pipe;   a fiber bundle comprising a plurality of fibers, being flat and slender, having two opposing contact surfaces, being disposed in the pipe and at the opening formed at the pipe-wall wick structure, extending along a long axis of the pipe, and thus being disposed at the heating segment, the thermal insulation segment and the condensation segment, wherein a portion of an internal space of the pipe is occupied by the fiber bundle; and   a working fluid disposed in the pipe,   wherein one of the contact surfaces of the fiber bundle is coupled to the lower inner wall of the pipe by sintering, and the other contact surface of the fiber bundle is in contact with the pipe-wall wick structure.   
     
     
         2 . The flat heat pipe with composite wick material according to  claim 1 , wherein, from the perspective of the cross section, two edges of the pipe-wall wick structure are in contact with the fiber bundle. 
     
     
         3 . The flat heat pipe with composite wick material according to  claim 1 , wherein, from the perspective of the cross section, an edge of the pipe-wall wick structure is in contact with the fiber bundle, but another edge of the pipe-wall wick structure is not in contact with the fiber bundle. 
     
     
         4 . The flat heat pipe with composite wick material according to  claim 1 , wherein, from the perspective of the cross section, two edges of the pipe-wall wick structure are not in contact with the fiber bundle. 
     
     
         5 . The flat heat pipe with composite wick material according to  claim 1 , wherein the pipe-wall wick structure is one of a mesh wick structure and a sintered copper powder wick structure. 
     
     
         6 . The flat heat pipe with composite wick material according to  claim 1 , wherein, from the perspective of the axial direction of the pipe, the pipe-wall wick structure is disposed at the heating segment of the pipe in whole and at the thermal insulation segment of the pipe in part, whereas a portion belonging to the fiber bundle and extending beyond the pipe-wall wick structure has its two contact surfaces coupled to the upper and lower inner walls of the pipe by sintering. 
     
     
         7 . The flat heat pipe with composite wick material according to  claim 1 , wherein, from the perspective of the axial direction of the pipe, the pipe-wall wick structure is disposed at the heating segment of the pipe in whole and at the thermal insulation segment of the pipe in whole, whereas a portion belonging to the fiber bundle and extending beyond the pipe-wall wick structure has its two contact surfaces coupled to the upper and lower inner walls of the pipe by sintering. 
     
     
         8 . The flat heat pipe with composite wick material according to  claim 1 , wherein, from the perspective of the axial direction of the pipe, the pipe-wall wick structure is disposed at the heating segment, the thermal insulation segment and the condensation segment of the pipe in whole. 
     
     
         9 . The flat heat pipe with composite wick material according to  claim 1 , wherein, from the perspective of the cross section, the pipe-wall wick structure not only covers the upper inner wall of the pipe but also covers the left and right arcuate inner walls of the pipe