Method of and means for regulating thermal energy transfer through a heat pipe

Claim 2

A thermal generator comprising: a heat pipe including a hermetic casing having thermally conductive evaporator and condenser wall sections, interior evaporator and condenser regions adjacent and disposed in heat transfer relation to said evaporator and condenser wall sections, respectively, and a vapor flow path communicating said regions and disposed in heat transfer relation to said wall sections; a heat source disposed in heat transfer relation to the evaporator wall section; said condenser wall section being adapted to being disposed in heat transfer relation to a heat receiver and said heat pipe containing a liquid heat transfer fluid and its vapor for saturating said capillary means, thereby to condition said generator to transfer thermal energy to said heat receiver by a closed thermodynamic heat transfer cycle involving vaporization of said liquid heat transfer fluid within said evaporation region of said heat pipe by absorption of thermal energy from said heat source, flow of the resulting fluid vapor through said vapor flow path of said heat pipe from said evaporator region to said condenser region, condensation of the fluid vapor within said condenser region by rejection of its latent heat of vaporization to said heat receiver, and capillary return flow of the liquid condensate from said condenser region to said evaporator region through said liquid flow path, whereby during operation of said generator said heat pipe contains heat transfer fluid in both a vapor phase and a liquid phase; and control means for exerting a regulated pressure directly on the free surface of said liquid phase within said evaporator region to regulate thermal energy transfer through said heat pipe from said heat source to said heat receiver.

Claim 3

A thermal generator according to claim 1, wherein: said control means comprises a pressure wall member mounted within said casing for movement into and from compressive contact with said capillary means, and force exerting means for urging said wall member into compressive contact with said capillary means with a regulated force.

Claim 4

A thermal generator comprising: a first heat pipe including a hermetic casing having thermally conductive evaporator and condenser wall sections, interior evaporator and condenser regions adjacent and disposed in heat transfer relation to said evaporator and condensEr wall sections, respectively, and a vapor flow path communicating said regions and disposed in heat transfer relation to said wall sections; a heat source disposed in heat transfer relation to the evaporator wall section; said condenser wall section being adapted to being disposed in heat transfer relation to a first heat receiver and said casing being adapted to contain a quantity of liquid heat transfer fluid and its vapor for saturating said capillary means, thereby to condition said generator to transfer thermal energy to said heat receiver by a closed thermodynamic heat transfer cycle involving vaporization of said liquid heat transfer fluid within said evaporator region of said heat pipe by absorption of thermal energy from said heat source, flow of the resulting fluid vapor through said vapor flow path of said heat pipe from said evaporator region to said condenser region, condensation of the fluid vapor within said condenser region by rejection of its latent heat of vaporization to said heat receiver, and capillary return flow of the liquid condensate from said condenser region to said evaporator region through said liquid flow path, whereby during operation of said generator said heat pipe contains heat transfer fluid in both a vapor phase and a liquid phase; control means for exerting a regulated pressure directly on the free surface of said liquid phase within said evaporator region to regulate thermal energy transfer through said heat pipe from said heat source to said heat receiver; a second heat pipe including a hermetic casing having thermally conductive evaporator and condenser wall sections, interior evaporator and condenser regions adjacent and disposed in heat transfer relation to said latter evaporator and condenser wall sections, respectively, an interior vapor flow path communicating said latter regions and capillary means extending between and defining a liquid flow path communicating said latter regions and disposed in heat transfer relation to said latter wall sections; said evaporator wall section of said second heat pipe being disposed in heat transfer relation to said heat source, said condenser wall section of said second heat pipe being adapted to be disposed in heat transfer relation to a second heat receiver, said second heat pipe containing a heat transfer fluid and its vapor for saturating the capillary means in the latter pipe, thereby to condition said generator to transfer thermal energy from said heat source to said second heat receiver by a closed thermodynamic cycle involving vaporization of said liquid heat transfer fluid within the evaporator region of said second heat pipe by absorption of thermal energy from said heat source, flow of the resulting vapor through the vapor flow path of said second heat pipe from its evaporator region to its condenser region, condensation of the fluid vapor within said condenser region of the second heat pipe by rejection of its latent heat of vaporization to said second heat receiver, and capillary return flow of the liquid condensate in said second heat pipe from its condenser region to its evaporator region through its capillary means, whereby during operation of said generator said second heat pipe contains heat transfer fluid in both a liquid phase and a vapor phase; and control means for exerting a regulated pressure directly on the free surface of said liquid phase within said evaporator region of said second heat pipe to regulate thermal energy transfer through said second heat pipe to said second heat receiver.

Claim 5

A thermal generator comprising: a first heat pipe including a hermetic casing having thermally conductive evaporator and condenser wall sections, interior evaporator and condenser regions adjacent and disposed in heat transfer relation to said evaporator and condensEr wall sections, respectively, and a vapor flow path communicating said regions and disposed in heat transfer relation to said wall sections; a heat source disposed in heat transfer relation to the evaporator wall section; said condenser wall section being adapted to being disposed in heat transfer relation to a first heat receiver and said casing being adapted to contain a quantity of liquid heat transfer fluid and its vapor for saturating said capillary means, thereby to condition said generator to transfer thermal energy to said heat receiver by a closed thermodynamic heat transfer cycle involving vaporization of said liquid heat transfer fluid within said evaporator region of said heat pipe by absorption of thermal energy from said heat source, flow of the resulting fluid vapor through said vapor flow path of said heat pipe from said evaporator region to said condenser region, condensation of the fluid vapor within said condenser region by rejection of its latent heat of vaporization to said heat receiver, and capillary return flow of the liquid condensate from said condenser region to said evaporator region through said liquid flow path, whereby during operation of said generator said heat pipe contains heat transfer fluid in both a vapor phase and a liquid phase; control means for exerting a regulated pressure directly on the free surface of said liquid phase within said evaporator region to regulate thermal energy transfer through said heat pipe from said heat source to said heat receiver; a second heat pipe including a hermetic casing having thermally conductive evaporator and condenser wall sections, interior evaporator and condenser regions adjacent and disposed in heat transfer relation to said latter evaporator and condenser wall sections, respectively, an interior vapor flow path communicating said latter regions and capillary means extending between and defining a liquid flow path communicating said latter regions and disposed in heat transfer relation to said latter wall sections; said evaporator wall section of said second heat pipe being disposed in heat transfer relation to said heat source, said condenser wall section of said second heat pipe being adapted to be disposed in heat transfer relation to a second heat receiver, said second heat pipe containing a heat transfer fluid and its vapor for saturating the capillary means in the latter pipe, thereby to condition said generator to transfer thermal energy from said heat source to said second heat receiver by a closed thermodynamic cycle involving vaporization of said liquid heat transfer fluid within the evaporator region of said second heat pipe by absorption of thermal energy from said heat source, flow of the resulting vapor through the vapor flow path of said second heat pipe from its evaporator region to its condenser region, condensation of the fluid vapor within said condenser region of the second heat pipe by rejection of its latent heat of vaporization to said second heat receiver, and capillary return flow of the liquid condensate in said second heat pipe from its condenser region to its evaporator region through its capillary means, whereby during operation of said generator said second heat pipe contains heat transfer fluid in both a liquid phase and a vapor phase; and control means for exerting a regulated pressure directly on the free surface of said liquid phase within said evaporator region of said second heat pipe to regulate thermal energy transfer through said second heat pipe to said second heat receiver.

Claim 6

A thermal generator according to claim 3, wherein: each said control means comprises a pressure wall member mounted within the respective heat pipe for movement into and from compressive contact with the capillary means in the respective heat pipe, and force exerting means for urging said wall member into compressive contact with said latter capillary means with a regulated force, thereby to regulate the pressure active on the face of the liquid in sAid latter capillary means.

Claim 7

A thermal generator comprising: first and second totally independent noncommunicating heat pipes each containing interior evaporator and condenser regions and a heat transfer fluid in its liquid and vapor phases; an uncontrollable nuclear heat source disposed in heat transfer relation to said evaporator regions; control means for regulating the pressure of one fluid phase within one region of each heat pipe completely independently of the pressure in the other heat pipe to regulate thermal energy transfer through the regulated heat pipe from its evaporator region to its condenser region, whereby the condenser region of said first heat pipe may be disposed in heat transfer relation to a thermal load for regulated heating of said load from said heat source, and the condenser region of said second heat pipe may be disposed in heat transfer relation to a heat sink for rejecting to said heat sink excess heat from said heat source and said control means of said second heat pipe comprising means for exerting a substantially constant pressure on the liquid phase in the evaporator region of said second heat pipe.

Claim 8

A thermal generator comprising: first and second totally independent noncommunicating heat pipes each containing interior evaporator and condenser regions and a heat transfer fluid in its liquid and vapor phases; an uncontrollable nuclear heat source disposed in heat transfer relation to said evaporator regions; control means for regulating the pressure of one fluid phase within one region of each heat pipe completely independently of the pressure in the other heat pipe to regulate thermal energy transfer through the regulated heat pipe from its evaporator region to its condenser region, whereby the condenser region of said first heat pipe may be disposed in heat transfer relation to a thermal load for regulated heating of said load from said heat source, and the condenser region of said second heat pipe may be disposed in heat transfer relation to a heat sink for rejecting to said heat sink excess heat from said heat source and said control means of said second heat pipe comprising means for exerting a substantially constant pressure on the liquid phase in the evaporator region of said second heat pipe.

Claim 9

A thermal generator according to claim 5 wherein: said control means of one heat pipe comprises a signal generator for producing a signal which is variable to represent a range of phase pressures, and means controlled by said generator for regulating the phase pressure in said one heat pipe in response to said signal.

Claim 10

A thermal generator according to claim 6 wherein: said one heat pipe is said first heat pipe.