Patent ID: 6443225
Filing Date: 2002-09-03
Classification: F17C,F25D,F28D

Abstract:
A thermally controlled active heat switch system comprising:a heat pipe able to contain a heating medium, said heat pipe being disposed between a hot zone, a cold zone, and a heating medium supply; and an exhaust device for supplying and exhausting said heating medium to and from said pipe, said exhaust device including a valve and a vacuum pump, wherein said system transmits heat and interrupts heat transmission between the hot zone and the cold zone through said heat pipe by switching between supplying the heating medium to said pipe and exhausting of said heating medium from said pipe by opening said valve thereby reducing pressure in said pipe and shifting a state of said heating medium from gas-liquid two phase coexisting state to a gas-phase state, and then exhausting said gas-phase state heating medium into the atmosphere using said vacuum pump resulting in the inside of said heat pipe being brought into a vacuum-insulated state.