Heat transfer device for high heat flux applications and related methods thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10217692-B2
Application number	US-201515328119-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2015
Priority date	Jul 18, 2012
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A device and related method that provides a two-phase heat transfer device with a combination of enhanced evaporation and increase cooling capacity. A recess topology is used to increase suction of working fluid toward a heat source. A non-wetting coating or structure may be used to keep working fluid away from the spaces between elongated members of an evaporator and a wetting coating or structure may be used to form thin films of working fluid around the distal regions of elongated members. The devices and method described herein may be used to cool computer chips, the skin of a hypersonic flying object, a parabolic solar collector, a turbine engine blade, or other heat sources that require high heat flux.

First claim

We claim:

1. A two phase heat transfer device, said device comprising:
a reservoir configured for carrying a working fluid;
a base member, said base member configured to receive thermal energy from a heat source;
elongated members having at least one wall, said elongated members extending distally away from said base member and configured to define respective passages between adjacent elongated members;
said elongated members include a proximal region and a distal region, wherein said distal region is configured to be at least partially inserted into the working fluid;
a recess topography disposed on said at least one wall of said elongated members, wherein said recess topography is configured to accommodate the working fluid;
said elongated members having a proximal end and a distal end substantially opposed from one another, wherein said proximal end to be closer to the heat source and said distal end to be inserted in the working fluid;
wherein said recess topography comprises fractal topology, wherein said fractal topology comprises:
recesses, wherein the number of recesses toward said proximal end of said elongated members is greater than the number of recesses toward said distal end of said elongated members; and

said passages are configured to accommodate vapor produced from the working fluid so as to define a vapor space.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein said base member configured to be in communication with and adjacent to the heat source.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least some of said passages are channels, respectively.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein at least some of said channels are microchannels or nanochannels, or a combination of microchannels and nanochannels.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein said recesses comprise: a groove, slot, pipe, tube, trough, conduit, indentation, or flute, as well as any combination.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein said recess topography is configured to provide a suction of the working fluid in a direction from the working fluid toward the heat source.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises the working fluid wherein vapor is produced from the working fluid to provide two phase heat transfer.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein said passages are configured to confine vapor between said reservoir and said base member.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein an evaporating thin film region is provided on at least some of said elongated members at said distal region configured to be at least partially inserted into the working fluid.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the evaporating thin film region is between the heat source and said reservoir.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the thermal energy travels through said elongated members and beyond the vapor space toward the evaporating thin film region.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein said proximal region of said elongated members has a saturation temperature that is greater than a saturation temperature of the evaporating film region.

13. The device of claim 9 , wherein the evaporating thin film region is between the heat source and the working fluid.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the thermal energy travels through said elongated members and beyond the vapor space toward the evaporating thin film region.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein said proximal region of said elongated members has a saturation temperature that is greater than a saturation temperature of the evaporating film region.

16. The device of claim 1 , wherein said vapor space is located between the heat source and said reservoir.

17. The device of claim 1 , wherein said vapor space is located between the heat source and the working fluid.

18. The device of claim 1 , wherein said heat source is at least one semiconductor device or electronic device.

19. The device of claim 18 , wherein a plurality of said at least one semiconductor device form a system comprising at least one of the following: processor unit or memory unit.

20. The device of claim 1 , wherein said heat source is at least one of the following: integrated circuit, concentrated thermal and optic radiation, chemical reactions, high temperature liquid/vapor flows, high velocity flows, or high velocity shear flows.

21. The device of claim 1 , wherein said heat source is at least one of the following: high performance computing system, RF system, photovoltaic system, concentrated photovoltaic system, hypersonic vehicle or craft, jet blast deflector, or turbine blade.

22. The device of claim 21 , wherein said high performance computing system comprises at least one of the following: 3D Stacking computer chip, computer processor unit (CPU), graphics processor unit (GPU), or memory unit.

23. The device of claim 1 , further comprising the heat source in communication with said device.

24. The device of claim 1 , further comprising the working fluid disposed in said reservoir.

25. A method of making a two phase heat transfer device, said method comprising:
providing a reservoir configured for carrying a working fluid;
providing a base member configured to receive thermal energy from a heat source;
providing elongated members having at least one wall, said elongated members having a proximal end and a distal end substantially opposed from one another, wherein said proximal end to be closer to the heat source and said distal end to be inserted in the working fluid, said elongated members extending distally away from said base member and configured to define respective passages between adjacent elongated members, said elongated members include a proximal region and a distal region;
configuring said distal region of said elongated members to be able to at least partially be inserted into the working fluid;
providing a recess topography disposed on said at least one wall of said elongated members, wherein said recess topography is configured to accommodate the working fluid;
configuring said recess topography to comprise fractal topology, wherein said fractal topology comprises:
recesses, wherein the number of recesses toward said proximal end of said elongated members is greater than the number of recesses toward said distal end of said elongated members.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein said base member is configured to be in communication with and adjacent to the heat source.

27. The method of claim 25 , wherein at least some of said passages are channels, respectively.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein at least some of said channels are microchannels or nanochannels, or a combination of microchannels and nanochannels.

29. The method of claim 25 , wherein said recesses comprise: a groove, slot, pipe, tube, trough, conduit, indentation, or flute, as well as any combination.

30. The method of claim 25 , wherein said heat source is at least one semiconductor device or electronic device.

31. The method of claim 30 , wherein a plurality of said at least one semiconductor device form a system comprising at least one of the following: processor unit or memory unit.

32. The method of claim 25 , wherein said heat source is at least one of the following: integrated circuit, concentrated thermal and optic radiation, chemical reactions, high temperature liquid/vapor flows, high velocity flows, or high veloci

Assignees

• Univ Virginia Patent Foundation

Inventors

• Haj-Hariri Hossein
• Miralipour Seyed Reza Monazami

Classifications

• H10W90/724

  between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL · CPC title

• H10W90/288

  characterised by arrangements for thermal management of the stacked chips · CPC title

• H10W72/60

  Strap connectors, e.g. thick copper clips for grounding of power devices · CPC title

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H10W70/65

  Shapes or dispositions of interconnections · CPC title