A method of manufacturing a heat pipe, including the steps of: forming in a substrate a cylindrical opening provided with a plurality of ring-shaped recessed radially extending around a central axis of the opening; arranging in the recesses separate ring-shaped strips made of a material catalyzing the growth of carbon nanotubes; and growing carbon nanotubes in the opening from said ring-shaped strips.

A cooling system for a photovoltaic panel including micro flat heat pipes (HP) integrated with thermoelectric generators (TEG) and a cooled water reservoir for cooling the working fluid in heat pipes. The cooled water in the reservoir is pumped from the condensate pan of an air conditioner. Experimental results show that cooling system reduced the average temperature of the panel by as much as 19 C. or 25%. Further, the output power of the photovoltaic panel increased by 44% when the photovoltaic panel was used in a very hot climate (30-40 C.). An additional two watts of power was generated by the TEGs.

A device, and method of operating the device, are disclosed. The device includes: a heat spreader having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the heat spreader including at least one oscillating heat pipe arranged between the first side and the second side, at least one of the at least one oscillating heat pipe including a plurality of interconnected channels including a working fluid; at least one optoelectronic component coupled to the first side of the heat spreader; and at least one thermoelectric cooler, wherein a cold side of the at least one thermoelectric cooler is coupled to the second side of the heat spreader. The heat spreader may include one or more heat exchange features.

A system and method for providing and using wickless capillary driven constrained vapor bubble heat pipes for application in heat sinks are disclosed. An example embodiment includes: a base; and a plurality of fins in thermal coupling with the base, each fin of the plurality of fins having a wickless capillary driven constrained vapor bubble heat pipe embedded in the fin, each wickless capillary driven constrained vapor bubble heat pipe including a body having a capillary therein with generally square corners and a high energy interior surface, and a highly wettable liquid partially filling the capillary to dissipate heat between an evaporator region and a condenser region.

A system and method for providing and using wickless capillary driven constrained vapor bubble heat pipes for application in display devices are disclosed. An example embodiment includes: a display device layer fabricated from a substrate, the display device layer including a plurality of in-built channels integrated therein; and a plurality of wickless capillary driven constrained vapor bubble heat pipes being embedded into the plurality of in-built channels, each wickless capillary driven constrained vapor bubble heat pipe including a body having a capillary therein with generally square corners and a high energy interior surface, and a highly wettable liquid partially filling the capillary to dissipate heat between an evaporator region and a condenser region.

A system and method for providing and using wickless capillary driven constrained vapor bubble heat pipes for application in rack servers are disclosed. An example embodiment includes: a base structure; and a rack column supported by the base structure, the rack column in thermal coupling with a heat-generating device, the rack column containing a constrained vapor bubble (CVB) cell cluster including a plurality of cells in thermal coupling with the heat-generating device at a first end in an evaporator region and in thermal coupling with the base structure at a second end in a condenser region, each cell of the plurality of cells having a wickless capillary driven CVB heat pipe embedded in the cell, each wickless capillary driven CVB heat pipe including a body having a capillary therein with generally square corners and a high energy interior surface, and a highly wettable liquid partially filling the capillary to dissipate heat between the evaporator region and the condenser region.

One or both of a module cover and a heat sink for a circuit card module includes a multi-level cooling structure formed by a body, sidewalls extending from edges of the body and, together with the body, partially enclosing a volume, flanges projecting from ends of the sidewalls opposite the body and away from the volume, and an oscillating heat pipe within the body, the sidewalls, and the flanges. The oscillating heat pipe fluid path repeatedly traverses the body, a length of each of the sidewalls, and a portion of each of the flanges. The oscillating heat pipe provides cooling through both phase change of fluid slugs and vapor bubbles within the oscillating heat pipe and movement of the fluid slugs and the vapor bubbles along the fluid path between an evaporator adjacent a first of the flanges and a condenser adjacent a second of the flanges.

One or both of a module cover and a heat sink for a circuit card module includes a multi-level cooling structure formed by a body, sidewalls extending from edges of the body and, together with the body, partially enclosing a volume, flanges projecting from ends of the sidewalls opposite the body and away from the volume, and an oscillating heat pipe within the body, the sidewalls, and the flanges. The oscillating heat pipe fluid path repeatedly traverses the body, a length of each of the sidewalls, and a portion of each of the flanges. The oscillating heat pipe provides cooling through both phase change of fluid slugs and vapor bubbles within the oscillating heat pipe and movement of the fluid slugs and the vapor bubbles along the fluid path between an evaporator adjacent a first of the flanges and a condenser adjacent a second of the flanges.

A multilayer microchannel heat transfer device comprising a body having a first outer layer comprising at least one micro-sized first elongated recess, a second outer layer comprising at least one micro-sized second elongated recess, and at least one interstitial layer comprising at least one micro-sized elongated interstitial slot. The first outer layer, the second outer layer, and the interstitial layer(s) are stacked and bonded together having the interstitial layer(s) disposed between the first and second outer layer, whereby the first elongated recess(es), the second elongated recess(es) and the elongated interstitial slot(s) are aligned and combine to form at least one deep narrow composite microchannel having a high height to width aspect ratio internally disposed and enclosed within a resulting multilayer body.

In one embodiment, a micro-cooler assembly includes a manifold having at least one inlet for receiving a liquid, a plurality of fins, wherein each fin of the plurality of fins includes a micro-channel, and a plurality of vapor gaps interlaced with the plurality of fins. A width of the micro-channels is graded, and/or a width of the vapor gaps is graded. The micro-cooler assembly further includes a cold plate that includes a surface and a wick region disposed on the surface. The manifold is coupled to the surface of the cold plate. The at least one inlet is operable to provide the liquid proximate the wick region. The liquid is operable to be wicked into the wick region through the micro-channels of the plurality of fins, and heating of the liquid changes phase to a vapor that exits the manifold through the plurality of vapor gaps.