US4463798A — Electrostatically pumped heat pipe and method

Claim 1

Independent Claim 160 words

An electrostatically pumped heat pipe, comprising: a heat pipe having a condenser chamber at one end and having an evaporator chamber at the other end; cooling means at said one end and heating means at said other end to respectively condense and evaporate a dielectric refrigerant fluid in said pipe; an ion drag pump in the condenser chamber to receive condensed refrigerant in an inlet thereof; a small diameter tube having one end connected to a pump outlet in the condenser chamber; said pump being adapted to pump said refrigerant into and through said tube; said small tube having its other end terminating adjacent said evaporator chamber to discharge refrigerant condensate therein; individual and joined heat receiving flow paths in said evaporator chamber into which said condensate is adapted to flow and to be vaporized; and individual vapor flow paths from the heat receiving flow paths in the evaporator chamber connected to a large flow path to the condenser chamber.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 160 words

An electrostatically pumped heat pipe, comprising: a heat pipe having a condenser chamber at one end and having an evaporator chamber at the other end; cooling means at said one end and heating means at said other end to respectively condense and evaporate a dielectric refrigerant fluid in said pipe; an ion drag pump in the condenser chamber to receive condensed refrigerant in an inlet thereof; a small diameter tube having one end connected to a pump outlet in the condenser chamber; said pump being adapted to pump said refrigerant into and through said tube; said small tube having its other end terminating adjacent said evaporator chamber to discharge refrigerant condensate therein; individual and joined heat receiving flow paths in said evaporator chamber into which said condensate is adapted to flow and to be vaporized; and individual vapor flow paths from the heat receiving flow paths in the evaporator chamber connected to a large flow path to the condenser chamber.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 29 words

The invention according to claim 1 in which: said condenser chamber has solid, generally smooth wall surfaces along which the refrigerant is condensed and flows into the pump inlet.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 80 words

The invention according to claim 1 in which: said small tube extends between the condenser and evaporator chambers within a large diameter tube having one end connected to the condenser chamber and having the other end connected to the evaporator chamber; an annulus in the large diameter tube extending around the small diameter tube; said annulus forming said large flow path and providing a portion of the vapor flow paths from the heat receiving flow paths to the condenser chamber.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 23 words

The invention according to claim 3 in which: said large and small tubes are flexible and closed between the condenser and evaporator chambers.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 32 words

The invention according to claim 1 in which: said heat receiving flow paths are formed in part by wire screen, generally extending in the evaporator chamber radially outwardly of its central portion.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 29 words

The invention according to claim 1 in which: said heat receiving flow paths are formed in part of porous metal generally extending radially and axially in the evaporator chamber.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 34 words

The invention according to claim 3 in which: said heat receiving flow paths in part extend to and along an internal wall of said heat pipe forming an internal wall of the evaporator chamber.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 73 words

The invention according to claim 7 in which: said other end of said small tube terminates adjacent a central axially extending passage in the evaporator chamber, said passage being open to said heat receiving flow paths; said refrigerant being adapted to flow in said last flow paths toward the internal wall of the evaporator chamber and be evaporated by heat from said heating means; said heating means being externally of said evaporator chamber.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 83 words

The invention according to claim 8 in which: said heat receiving flow paths extend radially outwardly of said axially extending passage; frame members extending radially outwardly from said axially extending passage; said frame members being annularly spaced to have said radial flow paths therebetween; and a wire screen extending around respective frame members, along said passage, along said spaces to form said radial flow paths, and extending on outer peripheral surfaces of said frame members adjacent said internal wall of the evaporator chamber.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 30 words

The invention according to claim 9 in which: said internal wall has annular grooves along its internal surface to form a portion of said flow paths with said peripheral screen.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 33 words

The invention according to claim 9 in which: said outer peripheral surfaces of said frame members are annularly spaced to have shallow axially directed grooves inwardly of and between said peripherally extending screens.

Claim 13

Independent Claim 237 words

A method of electrostatically pumping a dielectric refrigerant in a heat pipe, comprising: cooling a condenser chamber at one end of a heat pipe to liquefy the refrigerant at said one end to form a condensate; flowing said condensate into an inlet of an ion drag pump, said pump being in said one end of said pipe in said condenser chamber; applying a sufficiently high voltage difference across a cathode and an anode of the pump to produce a sufficiently high voltage gradient at the cathode to produce ions in the refrigerant condensate that are accelerated toward the anode so as to create fluid motion and pumping action through the pump outlet; pumping said condensate out of said condenser chamber through a condensate flow path in a small diameter closed tube in the pipe and into an evaporator chamber; said tube having one end extending from the pump outlet and having its other end extending to the evaporator chamber; flowing said refrigerant in said evaporator chamber in individual heat receiving flow paths; applying heat to the other end of the pipe to evaporate said refrigerant in said heat receiving flow paths into a vapor in the evaporator chamber; and flowing said vapor in individual vapor flow paths from the heat receiving flow path in said evaporator chamber at said other end to a large flow path to said condenser chamber at said one end of said pipe.

Claim 14

Independent Claim 237 words

A method of electrostatically pumping a dielectric refrigerant in a heat pipe, comprising: cooling a condenser chamber at one end of a heat pipe to liquefy the refrigerant at said one end to form a condensate; flowing said condensate into an inlet of an ion drag pump, said pump being in said one end of said pipe in said condenser chamber; applying a sufficiently high voltage difference across a cathode and an anode of the pump to produce a sufficiently high voltage gradient at the cathode to produce ions in the refrigerant condensate that are accelerated toward the anode so as to create fluid motion and pumping action through the pump outlet; pumping said condensate out of said condenser chamber through a condensate flow path in a small diameter closed tube in the pipe and into an evaporator chamber; said tube having one end extending from the pump outlet and having its other end extending to the evaporator chamber; flowing said refrigerant in said evaporator chamber in individual heat receiving flow paths; applying heat to the other end of the pipe to evaporate said refrigerant in said heat receiving flow paths into a vapor in the evaporator chamber; and flowing said vapor in individual vapor flow paths from the heat receiving flow path in said evaporator chamber at said other end to a large flow path to said condenser chamber at said one end of said pipe.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 41 words

A method according to claim 12 in which: said small diameter tube is connected to said evaporator chamber to be open to a central flow path in the evaporator; said central flow path being open to said heat receiving flow paths.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 33 words

A method according to claim 13 in which: said heat receiving flow paths are formed in part by wire screen, generally extending in the evaporator chamber radially outwardly of its central flow path.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 29 words

A method according to claim 12 in which: said heat receiving flow paths are formed in part of porous metal generally extending radially and axially in the evaporator chamber.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 34 words

A method according to claim 12 in which: said heat receiving flow paths in part extend to and along an internal wall of said heat pipe forming an internal wall of the evaporator chamber.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 29 words

A method according to claim 12 in which: said condenser chamber has solid, generally smooth wall surfaces along which the refrigerant is condensed and flows into the pump inlet.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 101 words

A method according to claim 12 in which: said condenser chamber has solid, generally smooth wall surfaces along which the refrigerant is condensed and flows into the pump inlet; said small tube extends between the condenser and evaporator chambers within a large diameter tube having one end connected to the condenser chamber and having the other end connected to the evaporator chamber; an annulus in the large diameter tube extending around the small diameter tube; said annulus forming said large flow path and providing a portion of the vapor flow paths from the heat receiving flow paths to the condenser chamber.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 23 words

A method according to claim 18 in which: said large and small tubes are flexible and closed between the condenser and evaporator chambers.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 73 words

A method according to claim 12 in which: said other end of said small tube terminates adjacent a central axially extending passage in the evaporator chamber, said passage being open to said heat receiving flow paths; said refrigerant being adapted to flow in said last flow paths toward the internal wall of the evaporator chamber and be evaporated by heat from said heating means; said heating means being externally of said evaporator chamber.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 85 words

A method according to claim 20 in which: said heat receiving flow paths extend radially outwardly of said axially extending passage; frame members extending radially outwardly from said axially extending passage; said frame members being annularly spaced to have said radially extending flow paths therebetween; and a wire screen extending around respective frame members, along said passage, along said spaces to form said radially extending flow paths, and extending on outer peripheral surfaces of said frame members adjacent said internal wall of the evaporator chamber.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 29 words

A method according to claim 21 in which: said internal wall has annular grooves along its surfaces to form a portion of said flow paths with said peripheral screen.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 33 words

A method according to claim 21 in which: said outer peripheral surfaces of said frame members are annularly spaced to have shallow axially directed grooves inwardly of and between said peripherally extending screens.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1987-08-07	1988-02-06	1988-08-07	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1991-08-07	1992-02-06	1992-08-07	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1995-08-07	1996-02-06	1996-08-07	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Electrostatically pumped heat pipe and method

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