Thermosiphons for use with temperature-regulated storage devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10260819-B2
Application number	US-201615219592-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2016
Priority date	Jul 26, 2016
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

In some embodiments, a thermosiphon configured for use within a temperature-regulated storage device includes: a condenser region, including a plurality of evenly spaced condenser channels with horizontally symmetrical bifurcated branches connected to an adiabatic channel, each of the plurality of condenser channels connected at a top position to an upper channel; an evaporator region, including a plurality of evaporator channels, wherein each of the plurality of evaporator channels has a flow channel formed in a serpentine channel pattern and each subunit of the serpentine channel pattern is attached to a vapor return channel at a top of the subunit, and wherein the evaporator region has at least one lowest position connected directly to a vapor return channel; and an adiabatic region including at least one adiabatic channel connecting the evaporator channels and the condenser channels.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermosiphon for use within a temperature-regulated storage device, comprising:
a condenser region, including a plurality of evenly spaced condenser channels with horizontally symmetrical bifurcated branches connected to an adiabatic channel, each of the plurality of evenly spaced condenser channels connected at a top position to an upper channel;
an evaporator region, including a plurality of evaporator channels, wherein each of the plurality of evaporator channels has a flow channel formed in a serpentine channel pattern and each subunit of the serpentine channel pattern is attached to a vapor return channel at a top of the subunit, and wherein the evaporator region has at least one lowest position connected directly to the vapor return channel; and
an adiabatic region including at least one adiabatic channel connecting the plurality of evaporator channels and the plurality of evenly spaced condenser channels.

2. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , wherein the condenser region comprises:
a gas-holding channel attached to the upper channel, the gas-holding channel including an interior space of a specific size to contain a volume of a non-condensable gas.

3. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , wherein the condenser region includes a surface positioned adjacent to an expected water region of a water-ice mixture tank when the temperature-regulated storage device is in use.

4. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , wherein the adiabatic region comprises:
multiple adiabatic channels positioned in parallel between the plurality of evaporator channels and the plurality of evenly spaced condenser channels.

5. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , wherein the at least one adiabatic channel of the adiabatic region comprises:
a two-phase channel.

6. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of evaporator channels of the evaporator region comprises:
a plurality of two-phase channels.

7. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of evaporator channels of the evaporator region each have a minimum angle of flow greater than an expected maximum tilt of the temperature-regulated storage device when in use.

8. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of evaporator channels of the evaporator region are expected to be isothermal during use.

9. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , wherein the thermosiphon is fabricated from a roll-bond material.

10. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , wherein the thermosiphon is configured as at least two planar surfaces with an angle between the surfaces.

11. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , wherein the thermosiphon includes an interior load of refrigerant and non-condensable gas relative to the heat load at use of the temperature-regulated storage device and a saturation pressure of the expected temperature range of use.

12. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , wherein the thermosiphon includes an interior load of refrigerant and non-condensable gas sufficient to position an estimated position of a bulk of the non-condensable gas within the adiabatic region adjacent to the horizontally symmetrical bifurcated branches of the condenser region.

13. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , further comprising:
a refrigerant reservoir;
an inlet channel connected to the refrigerant reservoir; and
an outlet channel connected from the refrigerant reservoir.

14. The thermosiphon of claim 1 , further comprising:
a refrigerant reservoir;
a channel between the refrigerant reservoir and at least one of the plurality of evenly spaced condenser channels in the condenser region;
a thermoelectric device operably attached to the refrigerant reservoir;
a sensor; and
a controller configured to receive data from the sensor and to send control signals to the thermoelectric device in response to the received data.

15. A thermosiphon for use within a temperature-regulated storage device, comprising:
a condenser region, including a plurality of evenly spaced condenser channels with horizontally symmetrical bifurcated branches connected to an adiabatic channel, each of the plurality of evenly spaced condenser channels connected at a top position to an upper channel;
an evaporator region, including a plurality of evaporator channels, wherein each of the plurality of evaporator channels has a flow channel formed in a serpentine channel pattern and each subunit of the serpentine channel pattern is attached to one of a plurality of vapor return channels at a top of the subunit, and wherein the evaporator region has at least one lowest position connected directly to one of the plurality of vapor return channels; and
an adiabatic region including at least one adiabatic channel connecting the plurality of evaporator channels to the plurality of evenly spaced condenser channels,
wherein the thermosiphon is fabricated within a planar structure with a flat face and a rounded face, and wherein the thermosiphon includes a predetermined load of refrigerant and a predetermined load of non-condensable gas.

16. The thermosiphon of claim 15 , wherein the condenser region comprises:
a gas-holding channel attached to the upper channel, the gas-holding channel including an interior space of a specific size to contain a volume of a non-condensable gas.

17. The thermosiphon of claim 15 , wherein the adiabatic region comprises:
multiple adiabatic channels positioned in parallel between the plurality of evaporator channels and the plurality of evenly spaced condenser channels.

18. The thermosiphon of claim 15 , wherein the at least one adiabatic channel of the adiabatic region comprises:
a two-phase channel.

19. The thermosiphon of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of evaporator channels of the evaporator region comprises:
a plurality of two-phase channels.

20. The thermosiphon of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of evaporator channels of the evaporator region each have a minimum angle of flow greater than an expected maximum tilt of the temperature-regulated storage device when in use.

21. The thermosiphon of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of evaporator channels of the evaporator region are expected to be isothermal during use.

22. The thermosiphon of claim 15 , wherein the thermosiphon is fabricated from a roll-bond material.

23. The thermosiphon of claim 15 , wherein the thermosiphon is configured as at least two planar surfaces with an angle between the surfaces.

24. The thermosiphon of claim 15 , wherein the thermosiphon includes an interior load of refrigerant and non-condensable gas relative to the heat load at use of the temperature-regulated storage device and a saturation pressure of an expected temperature range of use.

25. The thermosiphon of claim 15 , wherein the thermosiphon includes an interior load of refrigerant and non-condensable gas sufficient to position an estimated position of a bulk of the non-condensable gas within the adiabatic region adjacent to the horizontally symmetrical bifurcated branches of the condenser region.

26. The thermosiphon of claim 15 , further comprising:
a refrigerant reservoir;
an inlet channel connected to the refrigerant reservoir; and
an outlet channel connected from the refrigerant reservoir.

27. The thermosiphon of claim 15 , further comprising:
a refrigerant reservoir;
a channel between the refrigerant reservoir and at least one of the plurality of evenly spaced condenser channels in the condenser region;
a therm

Assignees

• Tokitae Llc

Inventors

• Chou Fong-Li
• Larusson Fridrik
• Pal Brian L
• Peterson Nels R
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• F28D15/025 Primary

  having non-capillary condensate return means · CPC title

• F28D15/0258

  with means to remove contaminants, e.g. getters · CPC title

• F28D2020/0078

  Heat exchanger arrangements · CPC title

• F28D2015/0216

  having particular orientation, e.g. slanted, or being orientation-independent · CPC title

• F25B2321/021

  Control thereof · CPC title