Influence of vapor core design on thermal and hydraulic performance of mesh-type ultra-thin vapor chamber

Abstract

The mesh-type ultra-thin vapor chamber(UTVC), with an internal mesh porous structure, is a cost-effective and efficient heat transfer element for compact spaces. The design of the vapor core plays an important part in enhancing the heat transfer performance of the mesh-type UTVC within the confined space requirements. The present study proposes to design cavities in the supporting coarse mesh inside the vapor core to form a multi-scale combination of vapor channels with the mesh channels. Utilizing a numerical model that considers microporous evaporation as well as the Marangoni effect, the effects of different flow channel designs and designed channel widths on the performance of the UTVC were analyzed. The study determined the flow and heat transfer characteristics of the working medium within the mesh-type UTVC, and found that the most significant performance enhancement was achieved when the designed flow channel passed through part of the UTVC evaporation and condensation sections, reducing the thermal resistance by 17.45%. Whereas the design flow channel width has less influence on the performance of mesh-type UTVC, it satisfies the changing trend of vapor flow pressure drop and thermal resistance decreasing firstly and subsequently increasing with the expansion of the designed channel width.