High efficiency thermal management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10088238-B2
Application number	US-201514709096-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2015
Priority date	Jun 27, 2011
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for cooling a work piece surface using two-phase impingement, such as direct jet impingement. Preferred method include flowing a coolant through a chamber comprising a surface to be cooled by projecting a jet stream of coolant against the surface while maintaining pressure in the chamber to permit at least a portion of coolant contacting the surface to boil. Preferred apparatuses include a chamber comprising the surface and tubular nozzles configured to project a stream of coolant against the surface, a pump for forcing coolant through the tubular nozzles, a pressurizer for maintaining an appropriate pressure in the chamber, and a heat exchanger for cooling the coolant exiting the chamber. The apparatuses may further include a pressure regulator for detecting changes in temperature of the coolant exiting the chamber and communicating with the pressurizer to adjust the maintained pressure accordingly. The methods and apparatuses disclosed herein provide for effective and efficient cooling or work piece surfaces.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for cooling a surface with a coolant, comprising:
an enclosed chamber having an interior in communication with the surface, an inlet and an outlet, the inlet and the outlet being configured for flowing the coolant through the interior of the chamber against the surface and exiting the coolant through the outlet;
a pump having an input in fluid communication with the outlet of the chamber through a first path and an output in fluid communication with inlet of the chamber through a second path, the pump configured to project the coolant through the inlet into the chamber and against the surface so as to cause the coolant to flow across the surface in a common flow direction;
a pressurizer in fluid communication with the first path to adjust the pressure of the coolant flowing in the first path from the outlet of the chamber to the input of the pump; and
a heat exchanger in the first path, the heat exchanger including an input in fluid communication with the outlet of the chamber and an output in fluid communication with the input of the pump, the heat exchanger configured to cool the coolant flowing along the first path;

wherein:
the inlet is defined by an array of nozzles, each nozzle in the array is configured to project a stream of coolant to a corresponding contact point on the surface;
the contact points on the surface being arranged in staggered rows and columns;
coolant emanates from each contact point so as to flow toward contact points in at least one of a neighboring column of contact points and a neighboring row of contact points;
the heat exchanger has an external cooling fluid flowing therethrough;
the external cooling fluid exiting the heat exchanger has a temperature; and
the apparatus further comprises a pressure regulator responsive to the temperature of the external cooling fluid exiting the heat exchanger and operatively connected to the pressurizer, the pressure regulator causing the pressurizer to modulate the pressure of the coolant flowing in the first path in response to the temperature of the external cooling fluid exiting the heat exchanger.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the coolant projected against the surface has a temperature approximately equal to the saturation temperature of the coolant.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pressurizer is configured to vary the saturation temperature of the coolant streamed through the inlet of the chamber to a desired level.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pressurizer is selected from the group consisting of a bladder tank, a piston system, and a reservoir of temperature-controlled, mixed phase fluid.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the array of nozzles includes first and second rows of nozzles;
the first and second rows of nozzles are spaced along corresponding axes which are parallel to each other; and
a first nozzle in the first row of nozzles is bisected by a first column axis which is co-planar with and perpendicular to the axis of the first row of nozzles;
each nozzle of the second row of nozzles is bisected by a corresponding second row column axis which is perpendicular the axis of the second row of nozzles; and
the first column axis is laterally spaced from and parallel to each of the second row column axis.

6. An apparatus for cooling a surface with a coolant, comprising:
a chamber for receiving the surface therein, the surface communicating with an interior of the chamber, an inlet and an outlet, the inlet and the outlet being configured for flowing the coolant through the interior of the chamber against the surface and exiting the coolant through the outlet;
a pump in fluid communication with the inlet of the chamber and being configured to project the coolant through the inlet into the chamber and against the surface so as to cause the coolant to flow across the surface in a common flow direction, the pump having an input in fluid communication with the outlet of the chamber through a first path and an output in fluid communication with the inlet of the chamber through a second path;
a pressurizer configured to vary a saturation temperature of the coolant streamed through the inlet of the chamber to a desired level, the pressurizer in fluid communication with the first path and varying the saturation temperature of the coolant flowing in the first path by adjusting a pressure of the coolant flowing in the first path; and
a heat exchanger in the first path, the heat exchanger including an input in fluid communication with the outlet of the chamber and an output in fluid communication with the input of the pump, the heat exchanger configured to cool the coolant flowing along the first path;

wherein:
the inlet is defined by an array of nozzles, each nozzle in the array is configured to project a stream of the coolant to a corresponding contact point on the surface;
the contact points on the surface being arranged in staggered rows and columns;
coolant emanates from each contact point so as to flow toward contact points in at least one of a neighboring column of contact points and a neighboring row of contact points;
the heat exchanger has an external cooling fluid flowing therethrough;
the external cooling fluid exiting the heat exchanger has a temperature; and
the apparatus further comprises a pressure regulator responsive to the temperature of the external cooling fluid exiting the heat exchanger and operatively connected to the pressurizer, the pressure regulator causing the pressurizer to modulate the pressure of the coolant flowing in the first path in response to the temperature of the external cooling fluid exiting the heat exchanger so as to vary the saturation temperature of the coolant.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein at least a portion of the coolant projected against the surface has a temperature approximately equal to the saturation temperature of the coolant.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:
the array of nozzles includes first and second rows of nozzles;
the first and second rows of nozzles are spaced along corresponding axes which are parallel to each other; and
a first nozzle in the first row of nozzles is bisected by a first column axis which is co-planar with and perpendicular to the axis of the first row of nozzles;
each nozzle of the second row of nozzles is bisected by a corresponding second row column axis which is perpendicular the axis of the second row of nozzles; and
the first column axis is laterally spaced from and parallel to each of the second row column axis.

9. An apparatus for cooling a surface with a coolant, comprising:
a chamber having:
an interior communicating with the surface;
an array of inlets arranged in first and second rows in the chamber and directed at the surface, the first and second rows of inlets being are spaced along corresponding axes which are parallel to each other; and
an outlet;

a pump in fluid communication with the array of inlets and being configured to project coolant through the array of inlets into the chamber and against the surface so as to cause the coolant to flow across the surface in a common flow direction, the pump having an input in fluid communication with the outlet of the chamber through a first path and an output in fluid communication with the array of inlets of the chamber through a second path;
a pressurizer configured to vary a saturation temperature of the coolant streamed through the, array of inlets to a desired level;
a heat exchanger having an external cooling fluid flowing therethrough for cooling the coolant flowing through the first path, the external cooling fluid exiting the heat exchanger having a temperature; and

Assignees

• Wisconsin Alumni Res Found

Inventors

• Shedd Timothy A

Classifications

• H10W40/475

  using jet impingement (H10W40/776 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H10W40/73 Primary

  for cooling by change of state · CPC title

• H01L2924/00

  Electricity · mapped topic

• F28D15/00

  Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls {; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies (F28D17/00, F28D19/00, F28D20/00 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H01L23/4735

  Electricity · mapped topic