HEAT TRANSFER SYSTEM FOR ELECTRONIC ENCLOSURES
Heat transfer systems and methods are disclosed. A heat transfer system includes an electronic enclosure housing at least one electronic component and including a volume for a first fluid. A sealed cavity is disposed within the electronic enclosure and contains within itself a second fluid that is physically separated from the first fluid. A heat transfer device has a first surface configured to directly interface with the first fluid and a second surface configured to directly interface with the second fluid.
The present application for patent is a Continuation of patent application Ser. No. 16/835,685 entitled “Combination Air-Water Cooling Device” filed Mar. 31, 2020, pending, and assigned to the assignee hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND FieldThe present disclosed embodiments relate generally to heat transfer systems, and more specifically to heat transfer systems to cool electronic components.
BackgroundMany electronic devices, such as high-power transistors and processors, require cooling to maintain normal operation. Typically, this type of cooling is performed by flowing air over the electronic device to remove heat or attaching an electronic device to a plate or bar containing a passage for water which removes heat. For many products, both cooling methods are required, which means water must be flown through a plate or bar, and air must be flown through the product.
To provide cool air and cool water, many products use an air/water heat exchanger to cool air that is continuously flown cyclically through the product. To cool air that is continuously run through a device, an air/water heat exchanger is needed. These types of exchangers can take many forms including: tube/fin heat exchanger, extruded heat sink, skived fin heat sink, zipper fin heat sink, etc.
Tube fin heat exchangers, while efficient, are typically expensive and multiple plumbing connections are required to connect water lines from the heat exchanger to other cooling devices such as a cold plate—decreasing reliability and adding cost.
Heat sinks, of all manufacturing methods, are less expensive and easier to install, but are not as efficient as heat exchangers because they typically require one or more thermal interface materials (e.g. thermal grease) and have more material between the air and water that heat must conduct through.
SUMMARYAn aspect may be characterized as a heat transfer system for electronic enclosures. The system comprises an electronic enclosure housing at least one electronic component and including a volume for a first fluid, a sealed cavity disposed within the electronic enclosure and containing within itself a second fluid that is physically separated from the first fluid, and a heat transfer device having a first surface configured to directly interface with the first fluid and a second surface configured to directly interface with the second fluid.
Another aspect may be characterized as a method for transferring heat within an electronic enclosure. The method comprising providing an electronic enclosure housing at least one electronic component and including a volume for a first fluid and providing a sealed cavity within the electronic enclosure configured to contain a second fluid that is physically separated from the first fluid. Heat is transferred from the first fluid to the second fluid using a heat transfer device, wherein the heat transfer device comprises a first surface configured to directly interface with the first fluid and a second surface configured to directly interface with the second fluid.
Yet another aspect may be characterized as a heat transfer device for cooling a first fluid wherein contained within an enclosure housing at least one electronic component. The heat transfer device comprises first means for directly interfacing with the first fluid; and second means for directly interfacing with a second fluid that is physically separated from the first fluid, and for transferring heat from the first fluid to the second fluid, wherein the heat transfer device is a single integrated piece.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
In some embodiments, Fluid A 108 may circulate within the electronic enclosure 102 and may flow over the first surface of the heat transfer device 106. Similarly, Fluid B 110 may flow through the cold plate 104 and flow over the second surface of the heat transfer device 106. Furthermore, the heat transfer device 106 may be configured to have one or more protrusions extending from one or more of its surfaces, which may be shaped to improve overall heat transfer efficiency. For example, the protrusions may be fin-shaped, stacked fin-shaped, cylindrical, or any of several geometries known in the art to improve the efficiency of heat transfer. Protrusion geometry may be optimized for a variety of operating conditions, such as differing fluids, flow rates, and thermal environments. The combination of flowing Fluid A 108 and Fluid B 110 over the surfaces of the heat transfer device 106 and including protrusions on these surfaces may significantly increase the overall heat transfer efficiency between the two fluids. Furthermore, the heat transfer device 106 may also include aluminum or copper alloys or other thermally conductive materials known in the art, which may further aid in enhancing heat transfer efficiency.
In some embodiments, the heat transfer device 106 may couple to the cold plate 104 to form a sealed cavity that is provides access to Fluid B 110 via the cold plate 104. The walls of the sealed cavity may be formed by a surface of the heat transfer device 106 and a surface of the cold plate 104. Such a sealed cavity may either be contained within the cold plate 104, be contained within the heat transfer device 106, or extend into both the cold plate 104 and the heat transfer device 106.
In some embodiments, the cold plate 104 may contain a recess providing access to Fluid B 110 into which the heat transfer device 106 may be inserted to form a sealed cavity, or channel, between the cold plate 104 and the heat transfer device 106 though which Fluid B 110 may flow. This seal between the cold plate 104 and the heat transfer device 106 could be formed, for example, by adhesive bonding, brazing, welding, friction stir welding, an O-ring or other elastomer seal, or a variety of other methods known in the art.
In some embodiments, heat may be transferred from Fluid A 108 to Fluid B 110 via the heat transfer device 106. Fluid A 108 and Fluid B 110 may each be any of a number of fluids, such as air, water, water glycol, antifreeze, or any other fluid known in the art to be used in heat transfer systems. For example, Fluid A 108 may be air circulated within an electronic enclosure 102, which may be closed from the outside environment, and Fluid B 110 may be water flowed through the cold plate 104. The air 108 may absorb heat within the electronic enclosure 102 and flow over a first surface of the heat transfer device 106 to transfer this heat. The heat transfer device 106 may then transfer this heat to the water 110 flowing through the cold plate 104 directly via a second surface, which may be on the opposite side of a plate to the first surface. Such an arrangement may allow both the air and water interfacing surfaces of the heat transfer device 106 to be combined into a single integrated piece, potentially reducing thermal resistance and production costs by eliminating excess material and excessive thermal interfaces. The water 110 may then flow out of the electronic enclosure 102 to remove the excess heat from the system.
The top surface protrusions 216 are shown extending into the electronic enclosure on a first side and the bottom surface protrusions 226 are shown extending into the recess 211 on a second side. The central plate 212 and top surface protrusions 216 of the heat transfer device 206 may directly interface with a first fluid contained within the electronic enclosure and exterior to the cold plate 204, and the central plate 212 and bottom surface protrusions 226 may directly interface with a second fluid contained within the cold plate 204. The combining of the interfacing surfaces of both fluids into a single integrated piece forming the heat transfer device 206 may potentially reduce thermal resistance and production costs by eliminating excess material and excessive thermal interfaces.
The geometry of these top surface protrusions 416 and bottom surface protrusions 426 is not limited to the geometries depicted in
Additionally, the top surface protrusions 516 may contain heat pipes 536, which may further enhance heat conduction between the top surface protrusions 516 and the central plate 512. The central plate 512 of the heat transfer device 506 may directly interface with a first fluid contained within the electronic enclosure and exterior to the cold plate 504 and a second fluid contained within the cold plate 504. These exemplary stack fin-shape and cylindrical geometries (of the top surface protrusions 516 and bottom surface protrusions 526, respectively) may aid in the optimization of heat transfer efficiency between the first and second fluids in different ways. For example, the stacked fin-shape geometry may enable for a greater surface area for heat transfer and provide space for the introduction of conduction enhancers, such as the heat pipes 536, while cylindrical protrusion geometries may allow for less fluid flow inhibition.
The coupling of the heat transfer device 506 and the cold plate 504 may form a cavity, or channel 610, between the bottom surface of the heat transfer device 506 and a surface of the cold plate 504. The cold plate 504 may provide the channel 610 access to a fluid within the cold plate 504, which may flow through the channel 610. As described with reference to
The channel 746 may be configured connect to the sealed cavity formed between the heat transfer device 706 and the cold plate 704 after the heat transfer device 706 has been inserted into the recess 711. The central plate 712 of the heat transfer device 706 may directly interface with a first fluid contained within the electronic enclosure and exterior to the cold plate 704 and a second fluid contained within the cold plate 704. The channel 746 may enable an improvement in heat transfer efficiency by allowing the fluid contained within the cold plate 704 to more directly thermally interface with the central portions of the top surface protrusions 716, reducing the material the heat must conduct through. Additionally, the single bottom surface protrusion 726 may aid in diverting fluid towards the channel 746 passing through the fin-shaped protrusions 716 in embodiments involving flowing fluid in the cold plate 704, potentially further enhancing the overall heat transfer efficiency.
The coupling of the heat transfer device 806 and the cold plate 804 may form a cavity, or first channel 810, between the bottom surface of the heat transfer device 806 and a surface of the cold plate 804. The cold plate 804 may provide the first channel 810 access to a fluid within the cold plate 804, which may flow through the first channel 810. The heat transfer device 806 may also have a second tube-shaped channel 846 adjacent to the top surface of the central plate 812 that may be configured to connect to the first channel 810 and may have one or more fin-shaped protrusions 816 extending outwardly from it and into the electronic enclosure. Fluid from the cold plate 804 and first channel 810 may also flow through the second channel 846. A single protruding plate 826 may extend from the bottom surface of the central plate 812 of the heat transfer device 806 and into the fluid contained within the first channel 810. The second channel 846 may aid in improving heat transfer efficiency of the heat transfer device 806 by enabling the fluid contained within the cold plate 804 to more directly thermally interface with the central portions of the fin shaped protrusions 816 extending from the second channel 846. The single protruding plate 826 may potentially enhance this increase in heat transfer efficiency by enabling for the diversion of all or a portion of the flow of fluid from the cold plate 804 from the first channel 810 to the second channel 846.
In other embodiments, the fin-shaped protrusions 816 may extend to contact the central plate 812 of the heat transfer device 806 so that they effectively extend from the top surface of the central plate 812 into the electronic enclosure with the second channel 846 passing through.
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A heat transfer system for electronic enclosures, the system comprising:
- an electronic enclosure housing at least one electronic component and including a volume for a first fluid;
- a sealed cavity disposed within the electronic enclosure and containing within itself a second fluid that is physically separated from the first fluid; and
- a heat transfer device having a first surface configured to directly interface with the first fluid and a second surface configured to directly interface with the second fluid.
2. The heat transfer system of claim 1, and further comprising a cold plate, wherein the heat transfer device is configured to couple to the cold plate to form the sealed cavity between itself and the cold plate, and the cold plate is configured to provide the sealed cavity with access to the second fluid so that the second fluid may flow through the sealed cavity.
3. The heat transfer system of claim 2, wherein a recess is formed within the cold plate, and the heat transfer device is inserted into the recess to form the sealed cavity.
4. The heat transfer system of claim 3, wherein the recess has a raised lip running around its perimeter that interfaces with a central plate of the heat transfer device.
5. The heat transfer system of claim 2, wherein the sealed cavity between the heat transfer device and the cold plate is sealed by adhesive bonding, brazing, welding, friction stir welding, an O-ring or other elastomer seal.
6. The heat transfer system of claim 2, wherein the first surface comprises a top surface of the heat transfer device and top surface protrusions extending from the top surface into the electronic enclosure, and the second surface comprises a bottom surface of the heat transfer device and bottom surface protrusions extending from the bottom surface into the sealed cavity.
7. The heat transfer system of claim 6, wherein the top surface protrusions have a geometry that is optimized for gas flow, and the bottom surface protrusions have a geometry that is optimized for liquid flow.
8. The heat transfer system of claim 6, wherein the top surface protrusions have a stacked, fin-shaped geometry, and wherein heat pipes are integrated into the top surface protrusions.
9. The heat transfer system of claim 6, wherein a channel passes through the top surface protrusions and connects to the sealed cavity formed between the heat transfer device and the cold plate such that the second fluid may flow through the sealed cavity and through the channel.
10. A method for transferring heat within an electronic enclosure, the method comprising:
- providing an electronic enclosure housing at least one electronic component and including a volume for a first fluid;
- providing a sealed cavity within the electronic enclosure configured to contain a second fluid that is physically separated from the first fluid; and
- transferring heat from the first fluid to the second fluid using a heat transfer device, wherein the heat transfer device comprises a first surface configured to directly interface with the first fluid and a second surface configured to directly interface with the second fluid.
11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:
- providing a cold plate within the electronic enclosure;
- coupling the heat transfer device to the cold plate to form the sealed cavity between the heat transfer device and the cold plate; and
- configuring the cold plate to provide the sealed cavity with access to the second fluid so that the second fluid may flow through the sealed cavity.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
- forming a recess is formed within the cold plate; and
- inserting the heat transfer device into the recess to form the sealed cavity.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
- forming the sealed cavity between the heat transfer device and the cold plate by adhesive bonding, brazing, welding, friction stir welding, an O-ring or other elastomer seal.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first surface comprises a top surface of the heat transfer device and top surface protrusions extending from the top surface into the electronic enclosure, and the second surface comprises a bottom surface of the heat transfer device and bottom surface protrusions extending from the bottom surface into the sealed cavity.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
- passing a channel through the top surface protrusions;
- connecting the channel to the sealed cavity formed between the heat transfer device and the cold plate; and
- flowing the second fluid through the sealed cavity and through the channel.
16. A heat transfer device for cooling a first fluid contained within an enclosure housing at least one electronic component, the heat transfer device comprising:
- first means for directly interfacing with the first fluid; and
- second means for directly interfacing with a second fluid that is physically separated from the first fluid, and for transferring heat from the first fluid to the second fluid,
- wherein the heat transfer device is a single integrated piece.
17. The heat transfer device of claim 16, wherein:
- the first means comprises a top surface of a central plate; and
- the second means comprises a bottom surface of the central plate that is configured to couple to a cold plate and to form a sealed cavity between the bottom surface and the cold plate, the cold plate being configured to provide the sealed cavity with access to the second fluid so that the second fluid may flow through the sealed cavity.
18. The heat transfer device of claim 17, further comprising top surface protrusions optimized for gas flow that extend from the top surface, and bottom surface protrusions optimized for liquid flow that extend from the bottom surface.
19. The heat transfer device of claim 18, wherein the top surface protrusions have a stacked, fin-shaped geometry, and wherein heat pipes are integrated into the top surface protrusions.
20. The heat transfer device of claim 18, wherein a channel passes through the top surface protrusions and connects to the sealed cavity formed between the heat transfer device and the cold plate such that the second fluid may flow through the sealed cavity and through the channel.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 25, 2021
Publication Date: Feb 10, 2022
Inventor: Jon Danielson (Fort Collins, CO)
Application Number: 17/509,219