Patent ID: 7980078

Claim:
An apparatus for heat transfer between a heat source and a heat sink, comprising (1) at least one hermetically sealed casing having a centerline, the casing comprising an evaporating end at one end of the casing and of the centerline, the evaporating end comprising a heating surface thermally communicating with the heat source, and a condensing end at the other end of the casing and of the centerline, the condensing end comprising a condensing surface thermally communicating with the heat sink; (2) a working fluid hermetically contained within the casing and existing in simultaneous vapor and liquid phases; (3) a vortex organizer comprising at least one turbine rotatable about an axis of rotation approximately along the centerline, the vortex organizer disposed within the casing between the evaporating end and the condensing end and spaced apart from the casing so as to define an annular condensate space for flow of condensate from the condensing end to the evaporating end, and further comprising a central vapor space for flow of vapor from the evaporating end to the condensing end; and (4) a centrifugal pumping disk connected to the vortex organizer and rotatable therewith about said axis of rotation, the centrifugal pumping disk centered on the centerline and disposed within the casing at the evaporating end of the casing and spaced apart from the heating surface thereof so as to define an advection space between the casing and the pumping disk, the advection space communicating with the condensate space, and a radial vortex space between the pumping disk and the heating surface, the radial vortex space communicating with the advection space, the centrifugal pumping disk comprising an aperture at its center such that the radial vortex space communicates thermally with the condensing end through the vapor space and through said at least one turbine.