Forced flow cooling temperature control method, system, and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10645845-B2
Application number	US-201815951913-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2018
Priority date	Apr 12, 2018
Publication date	May 5, 2020
Grant date	May 5, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus for providing forced flow cooling in a circuit card environment is provided includes at least one circuit card including first and second longitudinally spaced circuit card subassemblies, connected together into a single circuit card oriented substantially in a lateral-longitudinal plane. The first and second circuit card subassemblies have first and second operating temperatures, which are different from one another. A housing defines a housing internal volume which completely three-dimensionally surrounds the circuit card. A first temperature-control fluid is directed laterally across at least a portion of the first circuit card subassembly within the housing internal volume in a first flow path to induce the first operating temperature concurrently with a second temperature-control fluid being directed laterally across at least a portion of the second circuit card subassembly within the housing internal volume in a second flow path to induce the second operating temperature.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus for providing forced flow cooling in a circuit card environment, the apparatus comprising:
at least one circuit card including first and second longitudinally spaced circuit card subassemblies, connected together into a single circuit card oriented substantially in a lateral-longitudinal plane, the first and second circuit card subassemblies being connected together by a laterally extending card connector oriented in a parallel lateral-longitudinal plane to the first and second circuit card subassemblies, the first and second circuit card subassemblies having first and second operating temperatures, respectively, the first and second operating temperatures being different from one another;
a housing defining a housing internal volume which completely three-dimensionally surrounds the circuit card;
a first temperature inlet coupling for routing a first temperature-control fluid into the housing, the first temperature inlet coupling being laterally aligned with the first circuit card subassembly;
a first temperature outlet coupling for routing the first temperature-control fluid out of the housing, the first temperature outlet coupling being laterally aligned with the first circuit card subassembly and longitudinally spaced upon the housing from the first temperature inlet coupling;
a second temperature inlet coupling for routing a second temperature-control fluid into the housing, the second temperature inlet coupling being laterally aligned with the second circuit card subassembly;
a second temperature outlet coupling for routing the second temperature-control fluid out of the housing, the second temperature outlet coupling being laterally aligned with the second circuit card subassembly and longitudinally spaced upon the housing from the second temperature inlet coupling;
wherein the first temperature-control fluid is directed laterally across at least a portion of the first circuit card subassembly within the housing internal volume in a first flow path to induce the first operating temperature concurrently with the second temperature-control fluid being directed laterally across at least a portion of the second circuit card subassembly within the housing internal volume in a second flow path to induce the second operating temperature.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , including a thermal barrier located within the housing internal volume transversely adjacent at least a portion of the card connector, the thermal barrier at least partially restricting fluid flow longitudinally between the first and second circuit card subassemblies.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , including a plurality of circuit cards located inside the housing internal volume, each of the plurality of circuit cards being oriented substantially in a lateral-longitudinal plane.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a plurality of circuit cards are located in at least one of a laterally stacked row arrangement and a transversely stacked column arrangement.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein transversely adjacent circuit cards are alternately oriented in different transverse directions.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second circuit card subassemblies and card connector are a unitary construct.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the housing internal volume is at least partially under vacuum.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a chosen one of the first and second temperature inlet couplings is located on the housing laterally opposite from a corresponding first or second temperature outlet coupling.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a chosen one of the first and second temperature-control fluids is in a liquid phase and the other one of the first and second temperature-control fluids is in a gaseous phase.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first and second temperature-control fluids are different phases of a single cooling fluid.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second flow paths are substantially separate from one another.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first and second flow paths are substantially parallel.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , including a thermal barrier located within the housing internal volume transversely adjacent at least a portion of the card connector, the thermal barrier substantially longitudinally separating the first and second flow paths.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , including at least one electrical interconnect extending through the housing from a selected one of the first and second circuit card subassemblies to place the selected circuit card subassembly in electrical communication with an electrical device outside the housing.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each circuit card subassembly includes a plurality of IC chips extending transversely from at least one of a circuit board including the card connector and a subassembly substrate, each subassembly substrate, when present, being transversely mounted on the card connector, the card connector having a surface area larger than the combined surface area of the subassembly substrates of the first and second circuit card subassemblies.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , including a cooling booster unit provided in the fluid path between a chosen one of the first and second outlet coupling and a chosen one of the first and second inlet couplings.

17. A system including:
a plurality of apparatuses according to claim 1 ;
a first temperature-control fluid source in fluid communication with at least one first temperature inlet coupling of each apparatus; and
a second temperature-control fluid source in fluid communication with at least one second temperature inlet coupling of each apparatus.

18. A method of providing forced flow cooling in a circuit card environment, the method comprising:
providing an apparatus including:
at least one circuit card including first and second longitudinally spaced circuit card subassemblies, connected together into a single circuit card oriented substantially in a lateral-longitudinal plane, the first and second circuit card subassemblies being connected together by a laterally extending card connector oriented in a parallel lateral-longitudinal plane to the first and second circuit card subassemblies,
a housing defining a housing internal volume,
a first temperature inlet coupling being laterally aligned with the first circuit card subassembly,
a first temperature outlet coupling being laterally aligned with the first circuit card subassembly and longitudinally spaced upon the housing from the first temperature inlet coupling,
a second temperature inlet coupling being laterally aligned with the second circuit card subassembly, and
a second temperature outlet coupling being laterally aligned with the second circuit card subassembly and longitudinally spaced upon the housing from the second temperature inlet coupling;

configuring the first circuit card subassembly for operation at a first operating temperature;
configuring the second circuit card subassembly for operation at a second operating temperature which is different from the first operating temperature;
completely surrounding the circuit card with the housing internal volume;
routing a first temperature-control fluid into the housing through the first temperature inlet coupling;
routing the first temperature-control fluid out of the housing through the first temperature outlet coupling;
routing a second temperature-control fluid into the housing through the second temperature inlet coupling;
routing the second

Assignees

• Christiansen Martin Brokner
• Wakamiya Stanley Katsuyoshi
• Track Elie K
• Van Sciver Steven Ward
• Mccusker Kelsey
• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Christiansen Martin Brokner
• Wakamiya Stanley Katsuyoshi
• Track Elie K
• Van Sciver Steven Ward
• Mccusker Kelsey

Classifications

• H05K7/20372 Primary

  Cryogenic cooling; Nitrogen liquid cooling · CPC title

• F25B9/00

  Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point · CPC title

• H05K7/20518 Primary

  Unevenly distributed heat load, e.g. different sectors at different temperatures, localised cooling, hot spots · CPC title

• H05K7/20327

  Accessories for moving fluid, for connecting fluid conduits, for distributing fluid or for preventing leakage, e.g. pumps, tanks or manifolds · CPC title

• H05K7/203

  by immersion · CPC title