The experimental investigation of a vapor chamber with compound columns under the influence of gravity

•A vapor chamber with compound columns was designed, fabricated and tested.•Copper foam was utilized in this VC and the flow mechanism was explained.•The thermal behavior of the VC was carefully analyzed at the vertical position.•The designed column was proved to reduce the influence of the gravity on the VC. In this work, a new vapor chamber (VC) was fabricated and tested, on which a novel compound columns was proposed by considering the mechanical property and the thermal performance comprehensively. The columns consisted of the solid copper bars and the porous functional structures sintered on the cylinder surface of the pillars. Copper foam was selected to manufacture the wick structures and the cladding layers due to its distinct porous structures. To verify the superiority of the compound columns, a testing system was used to evaluate the thermal behaviors of the VCs under different inclination tilts. In this parametric investigation, the filling ratios included 70% and 100%, the sintering layer porosities were configured as 0%, 50% and 95%, and the heat loads varied from 6 W to 96 W. The experimental results indicated that the cladding layers of the columns enhanced the capillary limit and contributed to recycling the working fluid in the anti-gravity position, which finally broaden the adaptability of the VC.