当前申请(专利权)人地址：
63 The Avenue, LEWES, East Sussex, BN7 1QU , United Kingdom
摘要：
A pin fin heat exchanger where at least one pin fin is a heat pipe with a cavity containing working fluid. The pin fins may be attached to and pass through a separator plate that separates a first fluid from a second fluid. The pin fins may taper towards their ends and may be finned. The cavity may increase in cross sectional area from an end of the pin fin heat pipe towards a middle, and may comprise a wicking layer whose thickness increases from an end to a middle of the pin fin heat pipe. Respective cavities of a plurality of pin fin heat pipes may be interconnected to permit common charging with a working fluid by a charging conduit. An end of at least one pin fin heat pipe may be divided to form a plurality of condenser or evaporator end portions. A method of manufacturing a pin fin heat exchanger by additive manufacturing is also claimed. The method may comprise using powder bed additive manufacturing and selective laser melting.
权利要求：
CLAIMS
1. A pin fin heat exchanger comprising at least one pin fin heat pipe, said at least one pin fin heat pipe having a cavity to contain working fluid.
2. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one pin fin heat pipe has a transverse cross-sectional area including said cavity of one of:
less than 20mm?;
less than 5mm; and
less than 0 8mnm?.
3. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claim 1 and 2, wherein at least one end of said at least one pin fin heat pipe is tapered.
4. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 1, 2 and 3, comprising a separator plate to separate a first fluid from a second fluid.
5. A pin fin heat exchanger as claims in claim 4, wherein one of’
at least one end of said at least one pin fin heat pipe is attached to said separator plate; and
said at least one pin fin heat pipe passes through said separator plate.
6. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one pin fin heat pipe is tapered towards at least one end of said pin fin heat pipe.
7. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one pin fin heat pipe is finned.
8. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least a portion of said cavity increases in transverse cross-sectional area with distance from an end of said pin fin heat pipe toward a middle of said pin fin heat pipe.
9. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said cavity
is bounded with a wicking layer.
10. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in claim 9, wherein a thickness of said wicking layer increases with distance from an end of said pin fin heat pipe toward a middle of said pin fin heat pipe.
11. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising a plurality of pin fin heat pipes with respective cavities interconnected to permit common charging with said working fluid.
12. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in claim 11, wherein said cavities are connected to a charging conduit.
13. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in claim 12, wherein one or more of:
said charging conduit extends within a wall of a core of said pin fin heat exchanger; and
said charging conduit extends through a wall of a core of said pin fin heat exchanger.
14. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in claim 4 and claim 12, wherein said charging conduit is contained within a thickness of said separator plate.
15. Anpin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 12, 13 and 14, comprising a plurality of charging conduits connected together before reaching a shared charging point.
16. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in claim 15, wherein having a single charging point.
17. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising a fin including a respective end portion of a plurality of pin fin heat pipes.
18. A pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at an end of said at least one pin fin heat pipe is divided to form a plurality of end portions to provide one of a plurality of evaporators or a plurality of condensers.
19. A pin fin heat exchanger as claims in claim 18, wherein each end of said at least one pin fin heat pipe is divided to form a plurality of end portions to provide a respective one of a plurality of evaporators or a plurality of condensers.
20. Apin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 18 and 19, wherein said end portions have a fluid connection and a vapour connection with a main body of said at least one pin fin heat pipe where said end portions meet said main body.
21. Apin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising a main tube and at least one branching pin fin heat pipe end portion projecting from said main tube.
22. Apin fin heat exchanger as claimed in claim 21, when a link wicking layer extends between said main tube and said at least one branching pin fin heat pipe, said link wicking layer having a greater thickness proximal to a junction between said main tube and said at least one branching pin fin heat pipe end portion.
23. Apin fin heat exchanger as claimed in claim 22, wherein a transverse cross sectional area of a cavity within said main tube is increased proximal to said junction to accommodate said link wicking layer.
24. Apin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 22 and 23, comprising an inner wall to block liquid flow from said link wicking layer to said cavity proximal to said junction.
25. Anpin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein a transverse cross sectional area of said main tube decreases proximal to at least one end of said main tube.
26. Apin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 21 to 25, wherein a transverse cross sectional area of said at least one branching pin fin heat pipe decreases with increasing distance from main tube.
27. Anpin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 21 to 26, wherein said main tube is divided into a plurality of sub tubes, said at least one branching pin fin heat pipe end portion
projecting from one of said plurality of sub tubes.
28. Apin fin heat exchanger as claimed in claim 27, at least one branching pin fin heat pipe end portion projects from each of said sub tubes.
29. Anpin fin heat exchanger as claimed in claim 21, wherein said main tube and said at least one branching pin fin heat pipe end portion are separated and use different working fluids. 30. Apin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claims 9 and 10, comprising an inner wall to block liquid flow from said wicking layer to said cavity, said inner wall extending along at least an adiabatic portion of said at least one pin fin heat pipe.
31. A method of manufacturing a pin fin heat exchanger as claimed in any one of claim 1 to 30, comprising additive manufacturing.
32. Amethod as claimed in claim 31, comprising using an energy beam to trace a shape of said pin fin heat exchanger.
33. Amethod as claimed in claim 32, comprising using powder bed additive manufacturing. 34. A method as claimed in any one of claims 31, 32 and 33, comprising selective laser melting. 35. Apin fine heat exchanger substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
36. A method of manufacturing a pin fine heat exchanger substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.