Copper Foam Wicks for Heat Pipes

The maximum heat load capacity of a heat pipe is driven by two parameters: the amount of fluid inside the wick and the speed at which the wick can bring the condensate fluid back to the heat source. In electronic cooling applications where it is desirable to maintain the CPU temperatures below 100°C, copper/water heat pipes are typically used. Typical heat pipe wick structures are made of sintered powder or wire mesh, particularly in the computer industry.

The performance of a heat pipe is mainly conditioned by its wicking structure. Metafoam’s copper foam wicks increase the maximum heat load of heat pipes by more than 65% and simplify the manufacturing process of pipes while also keeping conventional design and production processes of heat sinks intact. Furthermore, Metafoam’s technology offers the potential of increasing the maximum heat flux by more than 200%.