Heat Pipe Heat Sink

What is Heat Pipe Heat Sink?

A heat pipe heat sink is an advanced cooling solution that merges heat pipes with a finned heat sink to efficiently transfer and dissipate heat from high-performance electronics, power systems, or industrial equipment. Heat pipes are vacuum-sealed tubes (typically copper or aluminum) filled with a small amount of working fluid. When heat enters the evaporator section, the fluid vaporizes, carrying thermal energy to the cooler condenser end, where it releases heat and condenses back into liquid—returning via capillary action or gravity for continuous passive cooling. By integrating these pipes into a finned heat sink, heat spreads across a larger surface, allowing air (natural or fan-forced) to remove it effectively. This design outperforms traditional metal heat sinks, offering five times higher thermal conductivity, silent operation, and compact, lightweight construction. Common applications include cooling CPUs, GPUs, electric car batteries, LED arrays, and telecom equipment, where reliability and efficiency are critical. Heat pipe heat sinks also adapt to tight spaces and extreme orientations, making them ideal for aerospace and medical devices. With no moving parts, they reduce power consumption and maintenance while preventing overheating failures. For custom thermal solutions—whether optimizing size, heat load, or environment—specialized designs ensure peak performance and longevity.

Types of Heat Pipe Heat Sink

Through-Fin Heat Sink

Maximize Cooling Efficiency with Through-Fin Heat Sinks – Engineered for Superior Thermal Performance!

1. Process:
Precision fin processing
Material: 1050/1100 aluminum alloy foil (0.1-0.8mm thick) or pure copper foil (0.2-0.8mm thick)
Mold: Progressive die for stamping fins, aperture tolerance ±0.03mm (IT7 grade)
Copper heat pipe (Ø5-10mm) surface passivated
Fins pressed into heat pipe at high speed

2. Advantages:
Extreme cost control
Low material cost (mass production in the 1,000-level), lower total cost than welding solutions
Ultra-high production efficiency

3. Disadvantages:
Significant thermal performance drawbacks
Microscopic air gaps (average thickness 5-20μm) exist at the interface, accounting for over 60% of the total system thermal resistance
Long-term reliability risk: fin loosening
Voltage >3g@200Hz
Annual thermal resistance degradation >20%
Power density ceiling: Maximum heat flux ≤40W/cm² (welding solutions can reach 150W/cm²)

Press-Fit Tube Heat Sink

High-Efficiency Cooling Made Simple – Press-Fit Tube Heat Sinks for Seamless Thermal Management!

1. Process:
Heat pipe preparation: Copper powder sintering/grooved heat pipe (Φ6-Φ8mm), wall thickness 0.3-0.5mm.
Pre-filled working fluid: Water (operating temperature 30-150°C) or acetone (low-temperature scenarios).
Pressing assembly: A hydraulic press applies vertical pressure (50-100MPa) to cold-press the heat pipe into a D-shape and insert it into the fin holes.
Key control: Heat pipe flattening ratio ≤ 25% (maintaining the integrity of the internal capillary structure).
2. Advantages:
Ultra-high thermal conductivity: Heat pipe equivalent thermal conductivity > 5000W/mK, 10 times higher than solid copper cylinders, achieving temperature equalization in seconds (ΔT < 3°C).
Ultimate lightweight: The aluminum fin + copper heat pipe combination reduces weight by 60% compared to all-copper solutions.
Zero-power passive cooling: No water pumps or fans are required, and reliability MTBF > 100,000 hours (5 times that of semiconductor cooling). Excellent anti-gravity performance: Sintered heat pipes can operate in a direction counter to gravity, allowing for installation at various angles.
3. Disadvantages:
Low thermal load capacity: The upper limit of heat transfer for a single heat pipe is less than 80W (reduced to 50W after flattening). High power requires multiple pipes in parallel (thermal interference effect).
Interface thermal resistance bottleneck: The tube-fin contact thermal resistance is approximately 0.15 cm²K/W (only 0.03 for brazed heat pipes), accounting for over 60% of the total system thermal resistance.
Non-repairable design: After flattening, heat pipes cannot be repaired, and local damage requires the entire pipe to be scrapped.
Working fluid life degradation: Water-based heat pipes operating at 130°C+ generate non-condensable gases, resulting in a thermal performance degradation of >20% after 5 years.

Welded Heat Sink

Precision-welded for relentless thermal management – where strength meets efficiency!

Process:
Heat pipe: Copper tube (wall thickness 0.3-0.5mm) with sintered copper powder and etched micro-grooves on the inner wall, vacuum-filled with working fluid (water/ammonia).
Fins: Aluminum fins (1050/6063) or copper fins (C1100), surface electroless nickel plating or passivation.
Reflow soldering: Low-cost copper-based solution using SAC305 solder paste, peak temperature 250°C.
Advantages: Thermal conductivity performance: Solder layer thermal resistance <0.01 cm²K/W (1/15 of the press-fit process), heat pipe efficiency >95% (150W/tube).
Structural strength doubled: Weld shear strength >100MPa (press-fit process only 20MPa), vibration resistance >15g@2000Hz.
Lifecycle stability: Thermal resistance change <3% after 5000 thermal cycles (-40°C to 125°C), no risk of creep loosening. Extreme space utilization: Supports 3D custom-shaped fin stacking (minimum pitch 0.8mm), reducing weight by 40% compared to press-fit solutions.
Disadvantages:
Risk of heat pipe performance damage: High welding temperatures (>250°C) can cause decomposition of the working fluid (hydrogen dioxide generated in water-based heat pipes), resulting in a 10-20% reduction in heat transfer efficiency.
Limited material combinations: Aluminum fins + copper heat pipes require an explosive composite transition layer (cost increase by 30%); otherwise, the galvanic corrosion rate will exceed 1mm/year.

Riveted Heat Sink

Engineered for durability, efficiency, and hassle-free installation – the smarter way to manage heat!

Processing
Heat pipe: Copper tube (Ø5-10mm), surface passivated
Fin: Aluminum alloy (1050/1100), stamped
Precision assembly:
After the heat pipe is positioned, a hydraulic punch deforms the heat pipe or fin with a pressure of 300-500 MPa, securing the two together.
Advantages:
Excellent material compatibility
Supports a copper heat pipe + aluminum fin combination (nickel-plated riveted areas to prevent galvanic corrosion), reducing weight by 50% compared to an all-copper solution.

FAQ

Check common questiones about our liquid cold plate. If you get more question, welcome to ask us anytime!

1. Can we customize the product based on your drawings?

We can customize it according to your drawings and provide a quote for the quantity you require.

2. What if I don't have a drawing?

You can provide your radiator requirements, and our professional team will provide professional radiator design drawings and production.

3. How can we verify the product's heat dissipation performance?

First, based on our design experience, we know the approximate power consumption of each copper tube and the heat dissipation area of the heat sink, which can provide an estimated power consumption. Second, we analyze the heat dissipation performance through thermal simulation. Third, we can test the final performance by having the customer install the product on a prototype, ensuring a foolproof process before mass production.