Uniform surface temperature heat pipe and method of using the same

Claim 1

Apparatus for collecting and converting solar energy comprising a plurality of separate elongated substantially straight cylindrical tubes arranged in side-by-side relationship with their axes substantially coplanar, spaced apart transversely of their lengths a distance less than the radius of one of said tubes, with the plane of the axes of said tubes disposed generally perpendicular to the rays of the sun and with the axis of each tube horizontal, the length of each tube being a multiplicity of times as great as its diameter, each tube being sealed and having a heat-conductive portion forming an exterior energy-collecting surface for receiving insolation and located sufficiently close to the exterior energy-collecting surface of an adjacent tube that at least a substantial portion of the energy not absorbed by said heat-conductive portion and reflected from each tube impinges on and is absorbed by the heat-conductive portion of an adjacent tube, a body of vaporizable heat transfer fluid liquid within the bottom portion of each tube, a wick within each tube including a first portion in contact with said vaporizable liquid and a second portion connected to said first portion and lining the major part of said energy-collecting heat conductive tube portion in intimate heat-conducting contact therewith, cooling conduit means for each tube extending from outside of such tube into such tube above said liquid body in the bottom of such tube and axially substantially throughout the length of such tube substantially in its horizontal diametral plane for utilizing energy collected by said energy-collecting surface to vaporize liquid from said second portion of said wick to be condensed subsequently by transfer of heat to fluid in said cooling conduit means for return to said liquid body in the bottom of such tube and thereby heat said cooling means fluid, each of said cooling conduit means including a first conduit portion for conveying fluid coolant lengthwise of its tube in one direction through substantially the entire length of the energy-collecting heat-conductive portion of such tube and a second conduit portion for conveying fluid coolant lengthwise of such tube in the opposite direction through substantially the entire length of the energy-collecting heat-conductive portion of such tube for maintaining substantially all portions of the energy-collecting surface of such tube at a substantially uniform temperature, fluid supply means connecting said first conduit portions of said cooling conduit means for said plurality of tubes in parallel for inflow of cooling fluid at substantially the same temperature to all of said first conduit portions, and fluid discharge means connecting said second conduit portions of said cooling conduit means for said plurality of tubes in parallel for receiving heated fluid from all of said second conduit portions to circulate cooling fluid through said cooling conduit means.

Claim 9

The method of collecting and converting energy which comprises supporting substantially horizontally an elongated substantially straight sealed cylindrical tube having a length a multiplicity of times as great as its diameter and having a body of vaporizable liquid in the bottom portion thereof and a heat-conductive portion forming an exterior energy-collecting surface for receiving insolation and having a wick within the tube including a first portion in contact with the vaporizable liquid and a second portion connected to the first portion and lining the major part of the heat-conductive tube portion, exposing the energy-collecting surface portion of the tube to insolation for heating the energy-collecting heat-conductive portion of the tube and thereby evaporating from the second portion of the wick lining liquid transferred through the wick from the liquid in the bottom of the tube, and maintaining substantially all portions of the energy-collecting surface of the tube at a substantially uniform temperature by flowing coolant fluid substantially constantly through conduit means extending from outside of the tube throughout substantially the entire length of the heat-conductive portion of the tube substantially in its horizontal diametral plane lengthwise of such heat-conductive portion in both directions and thereby withdrawing heat from the vapor in the tube for condensing such vapor for return to the liquid body and correspondingly heating simultaneously the coolant fluid flowing through the conduit means.

Claim 10

The method of collecting and converting energy which comprises supporting substantially horizontally an elongated substantially straight sealed cylindrical tube having a length a multiplicity of times as great as its diameter and having a body of vaporizable liquid in the bottom portion thereof and a heat-conductive portion forming an exterior energy-collecting surface for receiving insolation and having a wick within the tube including a first portion in contact with the vaporizable liquid and a second portion connected to the first portion and lining the major part of the heat-conductive tube portion, exposing the energy-collecting surface portion of the tube to insolation for heating the energy-collecting heat-conductive portion of the tube and thereby evaporating from the second portion of the wick lining liquid transferred through the wick from the liquid in the bottom of the tube, and maintaining substantially all portions of the energy-collecting surface of the tube at a substantially uniform temperature by flowing coolant fluid substantially constantly through conduit means extending from outside of the tube throughout substantially the entire length of the heat-conductive portion of the tube substantially in its horizontal diametral plane lengthwise of such heat-conductive portion in both directions and thereby withdrawing heat from the vapor in the tube for condensing such vapor for return to the liquid body and correspondingly heating simultaneously the coolant fluid flowing through the conduit means.

Claim 11

The method of utilizing solar energy which comprises locating elongated photovoltaic cell means for reception of insolation to generate electric energy, removing heat from the photovoltaic cell means substantially uniformly along its length by evaporating volatile heat transfer fluid from wick means within a substantially horizontal elongated heat pipe having a length a multiplicity of times as great as its horizontal width and lining in heat-conducting relationship the side thereof on the exterior of which heat pipe side the elongated photovoltaic cell means are mounted for emergence of voltaile heat transfer fluid vapor from the wick means into an elongated vapor field extending lengthwise within the heat pipe, and circulating coolant fluid separate from the volatile heat transfer fluid lengthwise through the elongated heat transfer fluid vapor field within the heat pipe for removing heat energy from such vapor field substantially uniformly throughout the length of such vapor field and thereby condensing volatile heat transfer fluid for absorption by the wick means and migration therethrough transversely of the length of the heat pipe to the region of the elongated photovoltaic cell means to be again vaporized by heat received from such photovoltaic cell means.

Claim 12

The method of utilizing solar energy which comprises locating elongated photovoltaic cell means for reception of insolation to generate electric energy, removing heat from the photovoltaic cell means substantially uniformly along its length by evaporating volatile heat transfer fluid from wick means within a substantially horizontal elongated heat pipe having a length a multiplicity of times as great as its horizontal width and lining in heat-conducting relationship the side thereof on the exterior of which heat pipe side the elongated photovoltaic cell means are mounted for emergence of voltaile heat transfer fluid vapor from the wick means into an elongated vapor field extending lengthwise within the heat pipe, and circulating coolant fluid separate from the volatile heat transfer fluid lengthwise through the elongated heat transfer fluid vapor field within the heat pipe for removing heat energy from such vapor field substantially uniformly throughout the length of such vapor field and thereby condensing volatile heat transfer fluid for absorption by the wick means and migration therethrough transversely of the length of the heat pipe to the region of the elongated photovoltaic cell means to be again vaporized by heat received from such photovoltaic cell means.