Water-cooled cold plate with integrated pump
Embodiments of the present invention provide a cooling apparatus for cooling an electronic component to which the cooling apparatus is attached. In one embodiment, an apparatus for cooling an electronic component comprises a pump; a cooling member configured to be disposed adjacent the electronic component, the cooling member including a plurality of protrusions over which a cooling fluid circulates to dissipate heat generated by the electronic component; a coolant flow control housing coupled to the cooling member, the coolant flow control housing including a distributed flow path over the plurality of protrusions for the cooling fluid to enter the cooling member in a distributed manner over the plurality of protrusions, and an exit path for the cooling fluid to exit the cooling member; and a serialization housing connected between the coolant flow control housing and the pump, the serialization housing including a pump inlet to direct the cooling fluid from the exit path of the coolant flow control housing to the pump for pumping the cooling fluid out of the apparatus.
The invention relates generally to an apparatus for cooling an electronic component and, more particularly, to a set of housings enabling the construction of a compact water-cooled cold plate with an integrated pump having high performance and reliability.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONWith the recent onslaught of improvements in computer technology, the thermal load generated by personal computers has increased considerably. In order to ensure proper operation of the heat generating devices in the computer including, but not limited to, central processing units, video graphics processing units, and memory modules, liquid cooling systems have become widely used as a means to effectively dissipate the heat generated by these components. As the complexity of the liquid cooling systems increases, there also exists a need to simplify such systems.
One type of cooling system employs a cold plate that is attached to a housing to form a cavity equipped with one or more inlet and outlet ports to circulate a coolant inside the cavity. The cold plate may be machined so that one of its faces forms a plurality of pins or fins. Such a device is also known as a water-block. A recirculation pump provides circulation of the coolant inside of the water-block. Water-blocks and pumps are separate units. Examples of pumps are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,736,616, 6,713,918, and 6,897,596 B2.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONEmbodiments of the present invention provide a cooling apparatus for cooling an electronic component to which the cooling apparatus is attached. The cooling apparatus has a simplified design that is achieved by combining several of its components into one, thus reducing the occupied space and improving flow rate and overall reliability of the cooling apparatus. More specifically, a set of housings enable the construction of a water-cooled cold plate including an integrated or built-in pump used for heat dissipation of electronic devices such as central processing units. The integrated cold plate and pump apparatus may be used in combination with a heat exchanger to form a liquid cooling system to dissipate the heat generated by computer components such as central processing units, video graphics processing units and memory modules.
The present invention enables the construction of a device including a water-cooled cold plate and a recirculation pump described herein so as to combine them in order to form a single device which can be affixed onto a central processing unit for heat dissipation purposes. To this effect, a set of two housings is disclosed hereafter that represents one possible embodiment of the invention. It is possible to envision variations on the design that would physically combine the two housings into a single part.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for cooling an electronic component comprises a pump; a cooling member configured to be disposed adjacent the electronic component, the cooling member including a plurality of protrusions over which a cooling fluid circulates to dissipate heat generated by the electronic component; a coolant flow control housing coupled to the cooling member, the coolant flow control housing including a distributed flow path over the plurality of protrusions for the cooling fluid to enter the cooling member in a distributed manner over the plurality of protrusions, and an exit path for the cooling fluid to exit the cooling member; and a serialization housing connected between the coolant flow control housing and the pump, the serialization housing including a pump inlet to direct the cooling fluid from the exit path of the coolant flow control housing to the pump for pumping the cooling fluid out of the apparatus.
In some embodiments, the plurality of protrusions of the cooling member cover an area having a length and a width. The coolant flow control housing includes a flow outlet port to provide the distributed flow path over the plurality of protrusions, the flow outlet port having a generally rectangular shape with a length that is at least about 50% of the length of the area of the plurality of protrusions. The area of the plurality of protrusions is generally square with the length about equal to the width. The plurality of protrusions of the cooling member cover an area having a length and a width, and the coolant flow control housing includes a flow inlet port to provide the exit path for the cooling fluid to exit the cooling member, the flow inlet port having a generally rectangular shape with a length that is at least about 50% of the length of the area of the plurality of protrusions. The flow outlet port overlaps a first portion of the area of the plurality of protrusions on a first side and the flow inlet port overlaps a second portion of the area of the plurality of protrusions on a second side opposite from the first side. The coolant flow control housing includes a generally triangular flow inlet cavity with a vertex that is fluidly coupled to a cooling fluid inlet, and the flow outlet port is disposed adjacent an edge of the generally triangular flow inlet cavity opposite from the vertex.
In specific embodiments, the coolant flow control housing includes a retention mechanism to attach the apparatus to the electronic component. The serialization housing includes an inlet port to receive a cooling fluid into the apparatus and direct the cooling fluid to the distributed flow path of the coolant flow control housing, and an outlet port for the cooling fluid to exit the apparatus after circulating over the plurality of protrusions of the cooling member. The pump comprises an impeller and an impeller port to receive the cooling fluid. The serialization housing includes a hydraulic cavity to receive the impeller, the hydraulic cavity have a curved wall. The pump inlet is coupled between the exit path of the coolant flow control housing and the impeller port to direct the cooling fluid from the exit path of the coolant flow control housing to the impeller port. The outlet port of the serialization housing is disposed generally tangential to the curved wall of the hydraulic cavity. The cooling member includes a flat surface on a back side of a surface containing the plurality of protrusions, the flat surface being configured to contact the electronic component to be cooled.
Another aspect of the present invention is directed to an apparatus for coupling a pump with a cooling member for cooling an electronic component to form an integrated cooling device. The apparatus comprises a coolant flow control housing configured to be coupled to the cooling member. The coolant flow control housing includes a flow inlet cavity which diverges from a vertex to an opposite edge disposed opposite from the vertex, the vertex being fluidly coupled to a cooling fluid inlet, the opposite edge having a length substantially larger than a size of the cooling fluid inlet. The coolant flow control housing further includes a generally rectangular flow outlet port disposed adjacent the opposite edge of the flow inlet cavity opposite from the vertex to provide a distributed flow path over the cooling member, and an exit path for the cooling fluid to exit the cooling member. A serialization housing is configured to be connected between the coolant flow control housing and the pump. The serialization housing includes a pump inlet to direct the cooling fluid from the exit path of the coolant flow control housing to the pump for pumping the cooling fluid out of the apparatus.
In some embodiments, the flow inlet cavity of the coolant flow control housing is generally triangular with the vertex and the opposite edge disposed opposite from the vertex. The serialization housing includes an inlet port to receive a cooling fluid into the integrated cooling device and direct the cooling fluid to the vertex of the flow inlet cavity of the coolant flow control housing, and an outlet port for the cooling fluid to exit the integrated cooling device after circulating over the cooling member. The serialization housing includes a hydraulic cavity to receive a portion of the pump, the hydraulic cavity has a curved wall, and the outlet port of the serialization housing is disposed generally tangential to the curved wall of the hydraulic cavity.
Another aspect of the invention is directed to an apparatus for coupling a pump with a cooling member for cooling an electronic component to form an integrated cooling device. The cooling member includes a plurality of protrusions over which a cooling fluid circulates to dissipate heat generated by the electronic component. The plurality of protrusions of the cooling member cover an area having a length and a width. The apparatus comprises a coolant flow control housing configured to be coupled to the cooling member. The coolant flow control housing includes a generally rectangular flow outlet port to provide a distributed flow path over the plurality of protrusions for the cooling fluid to enter the cooling member in a distributed manner over the cooling member, and an exit path for the cooling fluid to exit the cooling member. A serialization housing is configured to be connected between the coolant flow control housing and the pump. The serialization housing includes a pump inlet to direct the cooling fluid from the exit path of the coolant flow control housing to the pump for pumping the cooling fluid out of the apparatus.
In some embodiments, the generally rectangular flow outlet port of the coolant flow control housing has a length that is at least about 50% of the length of the area of the plurality of protrusions of the cooling member. The coolant flow control housing includes a flow inlet port to provide the exit path for the cooling fluid to exit the cooling member. The flow inlet port has a generally rectangular shape with a length that is at least about 50% of the length of the area of the plurality of protrusions of the cooling member.
These and other aspects of the invention are described in further detail below and shown in the accompanying drawings.
A pump housing cover 102 includes a hydraulic cavity 108, and a fluid inlet 104 and a fluid outlet 107 to direct the fluid in and out of the pump 100. The pump motor impeller 103 includes an impeller inlet 105 situated at its geometric center, and a plurality of blades 106 situated on its upper body. The outermost diameter of the impeller 103 may be between about 31 mm and about 44 mm. The fluid inlet port 104 is disposed in the hydraulic cavity 108 of the pump housing cover 102, and may have a diameter of between about 6 mm and about 13 mm. The fluid outlet port 107 is disposed adjacent the outer diameter of the hydraulic cavity 108 of the pump housing cover 102, and may have a diameter of between about 6 mm and about 13 mm. The hydraulic cavity 108 of the pump housing cover 102 may have an outermost diameter of between about 35 mm and about 48 mm.
The coolant flow control housing 14 provides a distributed flow path over the plurality of pins 118 of the cold plate body 117 of the cold plate, an exit path to the coolant flow to the serialization housing 15, and a retention mechanism to attach the cooling apparatus 10 onto an electronic component such as a central processing unit. The coolant flow control housing 14 includes a housing body 214, a flow inlet cavity 219, and a flow outlet cavity 220. The primary function of the serialization housing 15 is to serialize the cold plate 17 and the pump 1 by providing a flow path into the impeller inlet 205 of impeller 203, and an ingress flow path from a heat exchanger that may be located upstream of the cooling apparatus 10. An inlet fitting 216 is attached to an inlet port 223 of the serialization housing 15 by mean of a chemical or other bonding method or the like. An outlet fitting 221 (
As seen in
The coolant flow control housing 14 has a generally square shape featuring four or more feet extending at or about the corners or other areas of the housing 14 so as to provide a retention mechanism to attach the cooling apparatus 10 to an electronic component such as a central processing unit. The coolant flow control housing 14 may have a length and a width of between about 50 mm and about 70 mm. The generally rectangular flow outlet port 226 has a length that is at least about 50% of that of the pins or fins matrix 118 of the cold plate 17, and a width that is between about 2 mm and about 8 mm. The generally rectangular flow inlet port 228 has a length that is at least about 50% of that of the pins or fins matrix 118 of cold plate 17, and a width that is between about 2 mm and about 8 mm.
Although preferred embodiments of this invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus for cooling an electronic component, the apparatus comprising:
- a pump;
- a cooling member configured to be disposed adjacent the electronic component, the cooling member including a plurality of protrusions over which a cooling fluid circulates to dissipate heat generated by the electronic component;
- a coolant flow control housing coupled to the cooling member, the coolant flow control housing including a distributed flow path for the cooling fluid to enter the cooling member in a distributed manner over the plurality of protrusions, and an exit path for the cooling fluid to exit the cooling member; and
- a serialization housing connected between the coolant flow control housing and the pump, the serialization housing including a pump inlet to direct the cooling fluid from the exit path of the coolant flow control housing to the pump for pumping the cooling fluid out of the apparatus.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling member includes a flat surface on a back side of a surface containing the plurality of protrusions, the flat surface being configured to contact the electronic component to be cooled.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coolant flow control housing includes a retention mechanism to attach the apparatus to the electronic component.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the serialization housing includes an inlet port to receive a cooling fluid into the apparatus and direct the cooling fluid to the distributed flow path of the coolant flow control housing, and an outlet port for the cooling fluid to exit the apparatus after circulating over the plurality of protrusions of the cooling member.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of protrusions of the cooling member cover an area having a length and a width, said area being generally square with the length about equal to the width
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the coolant flow control housing includes a flow outlet port to provide the distributed flow path over the plurality of protrusions, the flow outlet port having a generally rectangular shape with a length that is at least about 50% of the length of the area of the plurality of protrusions.
7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the coolant flow control housing includes a flow inlet port to provide the exit path for the cooling fluid to exit the cooling member, the flow inlet port having a generally rectangular shape with a length that is at least about 50% of the length of the area of the plurality of protrusions.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the flow outlet port overlaps a first portion of the area of the plurality of protrusions on a first side and the flow inlet port overlaps a second portion of the area of the plurality of protrusions on a second side opposite from the first side.
9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the coolant flow control housing includes a generally triangular flow inlet cavity with a vertex that is fluidly coupled to a cooling fluid inlet, and wherein the flow outlet port is disposed adjacent an edge of the generally triangular flow inlet cavity opposite from the vertex.
10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the serialization housing further includes:
- a hydraulic cavity having a substantially convex shape, wherein the pump inlet is coupled to direct the cooling fluid from the exit path of the coolant flow control housing to the hydraulic cavity; and
- an outlet port disposed generally tangential along the side of the hydraulic cavity.
11. An apparatus for coupling a pump with a cooling member for cooling an electronic component to form an integrated cooling device, the apparatus comprising:
- a coolant flow control housing configured to be coupled to the cooling member, the coolant flow control housing including a distributed flow path for providing cooling fluid to the cooling member and an exit path for the cooling fluid to exit the cooling member; and
- a serialization housing configured to be connected between the coolant flow control housing and the pump, the serialization housing including a pump inlet to direct the cooling fluid from the exit path of the coolant flow control housing to the pump for pumping the cooling fluid out of the apparatus.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the distribution flow path of the coolant flow control housing includes a flow inlet cavity which diverges from a vertex to an opposite edge disposed opposite from the vertex, the vertex being fluidly coupled to a cooling fluid inlet, the opposite edge having a length substantially larger than a size of the cooling fluid inlet
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the flow inlet cavity is generally triangular in shape with the vertex disposed at a first corner and the opposite edge disposed on a side opposite from the vertex.
13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the coolant flow control housing includes a generally rectangular flow inlet port to provide the exit path for the cooling fluid to exit the cooling member.
14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the coolant flow control housing includes a retention mechanism to attach the integrated cooling device to the electronic component.
15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the serialization housing further includes:
- an inlet port to receive a cooling fluid into the integrated cooling device and direct the cooling fluid to the vertex of the flow inlet cavity of the coolant flow control housing, and
- an outlet port for the cooling fluid to exit the integrated cooling device after circulating over the cooling member.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the serialization housing includes a hydraulic cavity having a curved wall, wherein the outlet port of the serialization housing is disposed generally tangential to the curved wall of the hydraulic cavity.
17. An apparatus for coupling a pump with a cooling member for cooling an electronic component to form an integrated cooling device:
- a coolant flow control housing configured to be coupled to the cooling member, the coolant flow control housing including a generally rectangular flow outlet port to provide a distributed flow path for a cooling fluid to enter the cooling member in a distributed manner and an exit path for the cooling fluid to exit the cooling member; and
- a serialization housing configured to be connected between the coolant flow control housing and the pump, the serialization housing including a pump inlet to direct the cooling fluid from the exit path of the coolant flow control housing to the pump for pumping the cooling fluid out of the apparatus.
18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the cooling member is configured to be disposed adjacent the electronic component, the cooling member including a plurality of protrusions over which the cooling fluid circulates to dissipate heat generated by the electronic component.
19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the coolant flow control housing includes a retention mechanism to attach the integrated cooling device to the electronic component.
20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the serialization housing includes an outlet port which directs cooling fluid out from the apparatus towards a heat exchanger.
21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the serialization housing includes a hydraulic cavity having a curved wall, and wherein the outlet port of the serialization housing is disposed generally tangential to the curved wall of the hydraulic cavity.
22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the coolant flow control housing includes a generally triangular flow inlet cavity with a vertex that is fluidly coupled to a cooling fluid inlet, and wherein the generally rectangular flow outlet port is disposed adjacent an edge of the generally triangular flow inlet cavity opposite from the vertex to provide a distributed flow path over the cooling member.
23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the serialization housing includes an inlet port to receive a cooling fluid into the integrated cooling device and direct the cooling fluid to the vertex of the generally triangular flow inlet cavity of the coolant flow control housing, and an outlet port for the cooling fluid to exit the integrated cooling device after circulating over the cooling member.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 19, 2007
Publication Date: Jun 25, 2009
Inventor: Stephen Mounioloux (Signal Hill, CA)
Application Number: 11/893,232
International Classification: F28D 15/00 (20060101);