Heat transfer chassis and method for forming the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10383261-B2
Application number	US-201615222478-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2016
Priority date	Oct 20, 2015
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

A system includes a front plate, first and second side plates extending from the front plate, a bridge heat sink coupled to and extending from the front plate between the side plates, and a heat pipe coupled to the front plate. The front plate defines a slot therethrough between the front and back sides. The first side plate includes a fin bank mounted on an outer side thereof. The bridge heat sink defines a fluid channel that is fluidly connected to the slot of the front plate. The fluid channel is configured to receive a first cooling fluid therein to dissipate heat from electronics packages that engage the bridge heat sink. The heat pipe extends to and at least partially through the fin bank. The heat pipe contains a second cooling fluid therein that transfers heat absorbed from the front plate to the fin bank for dissipating heat.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a front plate having a front side and a back side and a first end and second end, the front plate defining a slot extending through the front plate from the front side through to the back side;
a first side plate and a second side plate coupled to and extending rearward from the front plate, the first side plate including a fin bank mounted on an outer side thereof that faces away from the second side plate;
a bridge heat sink coupled to and extending rearward from the back side of the front plate between the first and second side plates, the bridge heat sink including a first conductive plate that defines a left planar side wall and a second conductive plate that defines a right planar side wall, wherein interior surfaces of the first and second conductive plates define a fluid channel that is fluidly connected to the slot of the front plate, the fluid channel configured to receive a first cooling fluid therein to dissipate heat from one or more electronics packages engaging the bridge heat sink, wherein the one or more electronics packages are engaged with one or more of the left planar side wall of the first conductive plate or the right planar side wall of the second conductive plate at one or more positions along a length of the left planar side wall or the right planar side wall; and
a heat pipe coupled to the front plate, the heat pipe containing a second cooling fluid therein, the heat pipe extending to and a distance through the fin bank, the heat pipe providing a closed fluid path for the second cooling fluid to transfer heat absorbed from the front plate to the fin bank for dissipating heat to an external environment.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heat pipe includes a first section that is embedded in the front plate and a second section that extends a distance through the fin bank, the first section being angled relative to the second section.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the front plate defines a groove along the front side, the groove extending laterally across at least a portion of a width of the front plate between the first and second ends, a first section of the heat pipe being held in the groove.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fin bank includes multiple thermally conductive panels extending from the outer side of the first side plate, the panels in the fin bank spaced apart from one another along a length of the first side plate and defining apertures sized to receive the heat pipe, the heat pipe extending through the apertures of multiple panels in the fin bank.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bridge heat sink extends longitudinally between a front end and a rear end, the front end coupled to the front plate, the system further comprising a rear plate coupled to the rear end of the bridge heat sink, the rear plate defining a slot therethrough that is fluidly connected to the fluid channel of the bridge heat sink such that the first cooling fluid is configured to flow through the slot of the rear plate.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the fin bank is a first fin bank, the rear plate having a front side and a back side, the front side coupled to the bridge heat sink, the system further comprising a second fin bank mounted on the back side of the rear plate to dissipate heat from the rear plate to the external environment.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the heat pipe is a first heat pipe and the system further comprises a second heat pipe, the second heat pipe being coupled to the rear plate, the second heat pipe extending a distance through the fin bank, the second heat pipe being spaced apart from the first heat pipe in the fin bank.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first cooling fluid is configured to flow through the fluid channel of the bridge heat sink to dissipate heat from the one or more electronics packages engaging the bridge heat sink without direct contact between the cooling fluid and the one or more electronics packages.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the front plate, the bridge heat sink, and the heat pipe are composed of thermally conductive metal materials and define a conductive heat transfer path from the one or more electronics packages to the fin bank, the conductive heat transfer path extending from the bridge heat sink in engagement with the one or more electronics packages through the front plate to the heat pipe, the conductive heat transfer path further extending along a length of the heat pipe to the fin bank.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second cooling fluid in the heat pipe is water.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a manifold cover secured to the front plate to define a fluid distribution chamber along the front side of the front plate, the manifold cover defining a port opening through which the first cooling fluid at least one of exits or enters the fluid distribution chamber.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bridge heat sink includes a base plate and a fin plate that are joined together, the fluid channel being defined between respective interior surfaces of the base plate and the fin plate, the fin plate including plural fins that protrude from the interior surface of the fin plate into the fluid channel.

13. A system comprising:
a chassis including a front plate, a rear plate, and first and second side plates coupled to and extending between the front plate and the rear plate to define a chamber, the chassis further including a bridge heat sink coupled to and extending between the front and rear plates between the first and second side plates, the bridge heat sink including a first conductive plate that defines a left planar side wall and a second conductive plate that defines a right planar side wall, wherein interior surfaces of the first and second conductive plates define a fluid channel therethrough that is fluidly connected to corresponding slots defined through the front and rear plates, wherein the one or more electronics packages are engaged with one or more of the left planar side wall of the first conductive plate or the right planar side wall of the second conductive plate at one or more positions along a length of the left planar side wall or the right planar side wall, the chassis configured to receive a first cooling fluid through the slots of the front and rear plates and the fluid channel of the bridge heat sink to dissipate heat from one or more electronics packages engaging one or more of the left planar side wall of the first conductive plate or the right planar side wall of the second conductive plate of the bridge heat sink within the chamber;
a fin bank mounted to the first side plate along an outer side thereof that faces away from the second side plate; and
a heat pipe coupled to the front plate, the heat pipe containing a second cooling fluid therein, the heat pipe extending to and a distance through the fin bank, the heat pipe providing a closed fluid path for the second cooling fluid to transfer heat absorbed from the front plate to the fin bank for dissipating heat to an external environment.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the front plate, the bridge heat sink, and the heat pipe are composed of thermally conductive metal materials and define a conductive heat transfer path from the one or more electronics packages to the fin bank, the conductive heat transfer path extending from the bridge heat sink in engagement with the one or more electronics packages through the front plate to the heat pipe, the conductive heat transfer path further extending along a length of the heat pipe to the fin bank.

15. The system of claim 13 , w

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• Ge Global Sourcing Llc

Inventors

• Krivonak Andrew Louis
• Brown Theodore Clark
• Perlaguri Shreenath Shekar
• Rush Brian Magann
• Yammanuru Rajendra
• Thiagarajan Naveenan
• Radhakrishnan Arunpandi

Classifications

• H05K7/20927 Primary

  Liquid coolant without phase change · CPC title

• H05K7/20881

  Liquid coolant with phase change · CPC title

• H05K7/20336

  Heat pipes, e.g. wicks or capillary pumps · CPC title

• H05K7/20263

  Heat dissipaters releasing heat from coolant · CPC title

• H10W40/47

  by flowing liquids, e.g. forced water cooling · CPC title