where can I buy just heat pipes?

[zephyrprime]

Anyone know where I can buy a bunch of just heat pipes? Preferably small diameter ones. I'm trying to invent something.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Anyone know where I can buy a bunch of just heat pipes? Preferably small diameter ones. I'm trying to invent something.

You know, I looked into that briefly back in 2006-2007, and I can't remember if my efforts were in any way successful. I wanted to do much the same thing. Just keep running exhaustive web-searches, I suppose.

Back in the day, Zalman was proffering an expensive computer case touted as "totally silent." If I remember correctly, they had heatpipe-parts the user could install which mated between the CPU and other components to the case side-panels or chassis, with the idea that the case itself would then dissipate heat and there would be no need for fans and only minimal need for ventilation.

I don't know if they're still selling it . . . I hope you have a good idea, though . . .

 

[gorobei]

if you dont need internal wicking to counter gravity in variable orientations, it might be easier just to make your own out of copper tubing.

 

[ghost03]

Problem is there's not a lot of people wanting to buy just heatpipes and nothing else, so those that stock them tend to sell them in large quantity for industrial applications, e.g., http://www.thermacore.com/.

If what you're inventing is something you intend to mass produce (perhaps with crowd-funding?), you might work with a place like that and obtain some engineering samples.

If you're just messing around, I think you're best off salvaging heatpipes from old and/or broken heatsinks from ebay and/or the FS/T section here.