Home-made flexible heat pipes

    We wandered about this idea when we assembled fanless computers… We had to bend heat pipes to obtain close fit of thermal blocks; moreover, more than once, we had to disassemble the construction and waste our time. In addition there was a theme in the forum, where modders discussed utopian possibility of copper ends joining with a rubber hose :) I mention at once that modding given below is not more than an amusing experiment that we conducted just for the love of the game. We worked out and realized a functioning model of flexible heat pipe, to put it more precisely, it was a big pipe with 16 mm diameter :). But not everything went off smoothly…

    So, let’s start step by step. To carry out this experiment, we had to sacrifice a nice pressure relay in good working condition. We cruelly cut out the main component of future flexible heat pipe, a stainless convoluted tube, of the relay. So, cut out the flute with the help of angle grinder.

   Let me make a note that the convoluted tube is a real work of art. There are no joints and irregularity, like a cast one… at the same time the thickness of the tube walls is 0.2-02.3 mm! I have no idea how they produce such tubes… Then, sort out a common copper pipe of appropriate diameter.

   Then, prepare soldering accessory and carefully solder the convoluted tube to the copper pipes. Scrape the stainless covering with an emery-paper and using special flux.