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Eaton has pioneered heat pipe technology development and set the standard for two-phase cooling solutions for over 50 years. Our broad expertise in heat pipe materials, fluids, constructions and other thermal technologies makes Eaton an ideal heat pipe designer and manufacturer for the most demanding and innovative applications.
Heat pipes utilize the high heat capacity of fluid phase change in a robust format, making them one of the most efficient and versatile thermal management technologies to reliably and quickly transport heat.
Heat pipes are made of three main components: a vacuum sealed shell or envelope, a working fluid and a wick structure. The shell keeps the heat pipe working fluid vacuum sealed for decades of consistent heat transport. The working fluid changes phase in the application temperature range and must be compatible with the heat pipe shell and wick materials. The wick passively moves fluid through the heat pipe.
A heat pipe is a closed evaporator-condenser system. The sealed shell is a hollow tube lined with a capillary structure or wick. A working fluid at a specified vapor pressure saturates the wick capillaries in a state of equilibrium between liquid and vapor.
Liquid in the wick evaporates when the heat pipe starts absorbing heat. The vapor fills the hollow area of the heat pipe, called the vapor space and diffuses heat evenly across the heat pipe. Heat distribution across the heat pipe happens quickly and determines the high thermal conductivity of the heat pipe.
When a spot along the heat pipe drops below the evaporation temperature, the vapor contacts the cooler wick and shell and releases its latent heat into the casing. The vapor no longer has enough energy to maintain a gaseous form and condenses back into liquid then seeps into the wick structure. Capillary action within the wick returns the condensate to the evaporator region and completes the operating cycle.
Heat pipes have an extremely effective high thermal conductivity. Solid conductors like aluminum, copper, graphite and diamond have thermal conductivities ranging from 250 W/m•K to 1,500 W/m•K, but heat pipe effective thermal conductivity ranges from 5,000 W/m•K to 200,000 W/m•K. Heat pipes also transfer heat over relatively long distances.
Eaton has developed specialized heat pipes for challenging applications for over half a century. We have an immense thermal management technology portfolio available today to uniquely integrate with heat pipe technology and invent creative thermal solutions that implement the best fit combination of technologies. Our engineering team’s experience coupled with proven manufacturing techniques enables Eaton to produce optimized and reliable heat pipe technologies to enhance your thermal system efficiency at scale.
Heat pipes integrated into other thermal technologies create a more wholistic, higher performing, more efficient thermal management solution. Heat pipes enhance air cooling with higher thermal conductivity and can transport heat, spread heat or improve air-cooled heat sink efficiency to delay the need for liquid-cooled solutions in increasing heat loads.
Heat pipes are designed and manufactured to move heat from a heat source or high heat flux region to a remote area. This functionality is ideal to remove heat from constrained or densely packed areas to regions with cooler air or more volume for air cooled heat sinks. With more design flexibility, product designers and architects can push product performance and layouts to enable some of the most challenging air cooled applications with a reliable, cost-effective solution.
Copper-water heat pipes are a popular component across a wide variety of applications because of the high heat capacity of two-phase water cooling in a versatile copper package. Eaton's tightly controlled manufacturing processes backed by product field experience ensure our copper-water heat pipes can last more than 20 years.
Flexible heat pipes enable engineers to optimize heat-generating component locations to maximize serviceability and reliability and still maintain thermal performance in harsh operating conditions and where space is at a premium. Optimize moving actuator and remote terminal placement without sacrificing thermals. Added mobility also streamlines installation and maintenance in tight spaces.
Variable conductance heat pipes (VCHPs) help engineers precisely control temperatures through controlled heat transport and rejection. They control evaporator temperature by using non-condensable gas (NCG) in the heat pipe, controlling the available condenser area. VCHPs are a cost-effective solution to maintain critical device temperatures without active components or sensors.
Isothermal furnace liners (IFLs) are ring-shaped liquid metal heat pipes that provide a uniform temperature working environment or zone using a single heater and controller for exact processes. They save time and energy while maximizing productivity by achieving isothermal wall temperature. IFLs are simple to install, expand design flexibility and are extremely reliable and cost-effective.
Temperature adjustment is a simple one-step process and frequent profile measurements are unnecessary. Unlike probes, IFLs do not depend on heat transfer paths connecting to surrounding walls or the outside environment. Measured spatial temperature variation in an IFL is less than 10 mK and in many cases may exceed the sensitivity of available measurement techniques.
Axially-grooved constant conductance heat pipes (CCHPs) thermally transfer high heat loads over 3 meters. They use a circle of grooves in the interior heat pipe wall envelope as the wick to efficiently pull condensate back to the evaporator from cooler surfaces where working fluid has condensed. They can cost less to fabricate than conventional wick heat pipes.
Axially grooved heat pipes work best where gravity is not a factor, like horizontal configurations or in space. They are low maintenance and ideal for applications where service is extremely difficult. Long-range heat transfer increases design flexibility, giving engineers thermal design options in challenging locations.
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