Thermal management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10386127-B2
Application number	US-201514848860-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2015
Priority date	Sep 9, 2015
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A thermal management system including a first vapor housing configured to receive a fluid that absorbs thermal energy from a first heat source, and a phase change material (PCM) housing thermally coupled to the first vapor housing, wherein the PCM housing is configured to receive a PCM that absorbs thermal energy from the first vapor housing, wherein the first vapor housing and the PCM housing are one-piece.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermal management system, comprising:
a first vapor housing comprising a cavity configured to receive a fluid that absorbs thermal energy from a first heat source; and
a phase change material (PCM) housing thermally coupled to the first vapor housing, wherein the PCM housing comprises a PCM;
wherein the first vapor housing further comprises a plurality of fins extending completely through the PCM housing, the plurality of fins configured to receive the fluid after absorption of thermal energy from the heat source and to circulate the heated fluid through the PCM housing, wherein the PCM in the PCM housing is configured to absorb thermal energy from the heated fluid thereby cooling the fluid, and the plurality of fins is further configured to recirculate the cooled fluid from the PCM housing back to the cavity in the first vapor housing.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first vapor housing comprises at least one surface that conforms to a shape of the first heat source.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fins enables convective heat transfer to a cooling fluid.

4. The system of claim 1 , comprising a second vapor housing and a second PCM housing, wherein the second vapor housing and second PCM housing are stackable with the first vapor housing and the first PCM housing.

5. The system of claim 1 , comprising a chassis that supports the first vapor housing and a second vapor housing, wherein the second vapor housing is configured to remove thermal energy from a second heat source.

6. A thermal management system, comprising:
a first vapor housing comprising a cavity configured to receive a fluid that absorbs thermal energy from a first heat source, the first vapor housing comprising a plurality of fins, wherein the at least one fin of the plurality of fins comprises at least one passage and a wicking layer surrounding the at least one passage; and
a first PCM housing comprising a PCM;
wherein the plurality of fins extends completely through the PCM housing, the plurality of fins is configured to receive the fluid after absorption of thermal energy from the heat source, and circulate the heated fluid through the PCM housing, wherein the PCM in the PCM housing is configured to absorb thermal energy from the heated fluid thereby cooling the fluid, and the plurality of fins is further configured to recirculate the cooled fluid from PCM housing back to the cavity in the first vapor housing via the wicking layer of the at least one fin of the plurality of fins.

7. The system of claim 6 , comprising a chassis configured to support the first vapor housing, the first PCM housing, and a second vapor housing.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first vapor housing and the second vapor housing are configured to thermally couple to the first PCM housing.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first vapor housing is configured to thermally couple to the first heat source and the second vapor housing is configured to thermally couple to a second heat source.

10. The system of claim 6 , comprising a second vapor housing and a second PCM housing, wherein the first vapor housing fluidly couples to the first PCM housing and the second vapor housing fluidly couples to the second PCM housing.

11. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the PCM housing and the first vapor housing are additively-manufactured together as a single piece.

12. The thermal management system of claim 1 , wherein the the plurality of fins is configured to circulate a vapor phase of the heated fluid through the PCM housing, and recirculate a liquid phase of the cooled fluid from the PCM housing to the cavity in the vapor housing via one or both of gravity and capillary force.

13. The thermal management system of claim 12 , wherein each fin of the the plurality of fins comprises at least one passage and a wicking layer surrounding the at least one passage, wherein the wicking layer is configured to recirculate the liquid phase of the cooled fluid from the PCM housing to the cavity in the vapor housing.

14. A thermal management system for cooling a plurality of heat sources, comprising:
a plurality of first vapor housings, each first vapor housing of the plurality of first vapor housings comprising a cavity configured to receive a fluid that absorbs thermal energy from a respective heat source;
a phase change material (PCM) housing thermally coupled to the plurality of first vapor housings, the PCM housing comprising a PCM;
wherein each vapor housing of the plurality of first vapor housings further comprises a plurality of fins extending completely through the PCM housing, the plurality of fins configured to receive the fluid after absorption of thermal energy from the heat source, and wherein at least one fin of the plurality of fins is configured to circulate the heated fluid through the PCM housing, the PCM in the PCM housing is configured to absorb thermal energy from the heated fluid thereby cooling the fluid, and the at least one fin of the plurality of fins is further configured to recirculate the cooled fluid from the PCM housing back to the cavity in the respective first vapor housing of the plurality of first vapor housings.

15. The thermal management system of claim 14 , wherein the at least one fin of the plurality of fins comprises at least one passage and a wicking layer surrounding the at least one passage, wherein the wicking layer is configured to recirculate the liquid phase of the cooled fluid from the PCM housing to the cavity in the respective vapor housing of the plurality of first vapor housings.

16. The thermal management system of claim 14 , wherein at least one fin of the plurality of fins is configured to exchange thermal energy directly with the surrounding environment.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Rush Brian Magann
• Thiagarajan Naveenan
• De Bock Hendrik Pieter Jacobus

Classifications

• H10W40/73

  for cooling by change of state · CPC title

• F28D15/0266

  with separate evaporating and condensing chambers connected by at least one conduit; Loop-type heat pipes; with multiple or common evaporating or condensing chambers (F28D15/043 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F2215/06

  Hollow fins; fins with internal circuits · CPC title

• H05K7/20318

  Condensers · CPC title

• H05K7/20309

  Evaporators · CPC title