Patent ID: 8397798

Claim:
A two-phase heat transfer system comprising: an evaporator comprising: a housing having a liquid inlet and a vapor outlet; a cylindrical capillary wick inside the housing separating the liquid inlet and the vapor outlet, the capillary wick comprising a planar face; and a plurality of vapor grooves extending along an exterior portion of the capillary wick and located at an interface between the capillary wick and a wall of the housing, the plurality of vapor grooves each extending lengthwise along a majority of the cylindrical capillary wick in a direction along an axis of the cylindrical capillary wick and perpendicular to the planar face of the capillary wick; and wherein the planar face of the capillary wick is sized to entirely fill a portion of the housing adjacent the liquid inlet to require all of the fluid passing through the capillary wick from the liquid inlet to the plurality of vapor grooves to flow through the planar face; and wherein each portion of the cylindrical capillary wick disposed between two adjacent vapor grooves of the plurality of vapor grooves comprises a plurality of lateral grooves extending circumferentially around the cylindrical capillary wick, each lateral groove of the plurality of lateral grooves being relatively smaller in size than each vapor groove of the plurality of vapor grooves; a condenser having a vapor inlet and a liquid outlet; a vapor line providing fluid communication between the vapor outlet and the vapor inlet; and a liquid return line providing fluid communication between the liquid outlet and the liquid inlet.