University of California

Leland Stanford Junior University

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC

James W Palko

Kenneth E Goodson

Mehdi Asheghi

Ercan Mehmet Dede

Feng Zhou

Ercan Mehment Dede

Sougata Hazra

Ali Hassanzadeh

Sreekant Narumanchi

Chi Zhang

Bidzina Kekelia

Souvik Roy

Neda Seyedhassantehrani

Muhammad Shattique

Roman Giglio

Qianying Wu

A cooler device includes a cold plate and a manifold with fluid wicking structure. The cold plate includes an array of bonding posts and an array of fluid channels. Each bonding post of the array of bonding posts has a first height and is in contact with the manifold with fluid wicking structure. Each fluid channel of the array of fluid channels has a second height that is less than the first height. The array of fluid channels include a MIO secondary wick structure. The array of bonding posts is orthogonal to the array of fluid channels. The manifold with fluid wicking structure includes a plurality of spacer elements and a plurality of mesh layers. Each one of the plurality of spacer elements alternate with each one of the plurality of mesh layers in a stacked arrangement.

Heat flux micro coolers having multi-stepped features and fluid wicking

Apparatuses for removal of solids from water comprising a heater for heating an immiscible liquid (IL), a humidifier having porous sheets allowing direct contact between the IL and water, thereby separating the solids by evaporating the water into cool dry air flowing past the porous sheets, and a dehumidifier comprising porous sheets that allow direct contact between the cool IL and hot moist air flowing past the porous sheets, thereby condensing fresh water from the moist air. Also disclosed are methods for removal of solids from water by heating an IL, distributing the IL to porous sheets in a humidifier, distributing water with dissolved solids to the porous sheets, separating the solids from the water by evaporating the water into dry air flowing past the porous sheets, and condensing fresh water by flowing the moist air past porous sheets in a dehumidifier having cool IL distributed to the porous sheets.

Immiscible liquid mediated humidification / dehumidification systems and methods

Embodiments of an evaporator chamber heat flux rectifier and thermal switch are provided. Some embodiments include an evaporator layer with a first thermally conductive surface, a wicking structure for facilitating evaporation of a fluid in the vapor chamber heat flux rectifier, and a condenser layer that includes a second thermally conductive surface. Some embodiments include a middle layer, where when heat is applied to the first thermally conductive surface, the vapor chamber heat flux rectifier operates as a thermal conductor. Some embodiments that operate as a thermal switch include a non-condensable gas reservoir that is coupled to the condenser layer. The non-condensable gas reservoir may store a non-condensable gas when a threshold heat flux is applied to the evaporator layer. The non-condensable gas provides thermal insulation between the evaporator layer and the condenser layer when the threshold heat flux is not applied to the evaporator layer.

Vapor chamber heat flux rectifier and thermal switch

Growing community of inventors

Redwood City, CA, United States of America

James W Palko