Patent ID: 9599408
Date: 2017-03-21
CPC Classifications: F28D

Claim:
1. A loop heat pipe evaporator comprising: a loop heat pipe having a casing evaporator wall forming an enclosure so that the evaporator wall has inside and outside surfaces, a loop heat pipe evaporator wick attached to the inside surface of the evaporator wall; axially oriented grooves in the loop heat pipe evaporator wick where the loop heat pipe evaporator wick meets the inside surface of the casing evaporator wall; an annular heat pipe formed as a sealed enclosure with a first heat pipe wall and a second heat pipe wall, the annular heat pipe positioned around and extending over the entire grooved length of the loop heat pipe evaporator wick; the first heat pipe wall having a heat pipe evaporator wick attached to an inside surface of the first heat pipe wall and the second heat pipe wall having a heat pipe condenser wick attached to an inside surface of the second heat pipe wall; a vapor space within the seated enclosure; the first heat pipe wall including at least one heat input location; the second heat pipe wall being integral with or in contact with an area on the outside surface of the casing evaporator wall of the loop heat pipe, wherein the area of contact between the second heat pipe wall and the outside surface of the loop heat pipe casing evaporator wall is larger than the area of the heat input on the first heat pipe wall; the annular heat pipe operating to spread input heat from the at least one heat input location to the entire area of the loop heat pipe casing evaporator wall surface in contact with the second heat pipe wall; and the heat pipe evaporator wick and the heat pipe condenser wick are isolated concentric cylinders, the annular heat pipe having bridge wicks spaced periodically along a length of the annular heat pipe, respective bridge wicks are spaced from ends of the annular heat pipe, the bridge wicks extend between the heat pipe evaporator wick and the heat pipe condenser wick, the bridge wicks provided to return condensed liquid from the heat pipe condenser wick to the heat pipe evaporator wick.