Integrated heat exchange assembly and an associated method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10667429-B2
Application number	US-201715699713-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2017
Priority date	Dec 13, 2013
Publication date	May 26, 2020
Grant date	May 26, 2020

Abstract

A system, such as a heat exchange assembly includes a support structure having a recess, a first support end, a second support end, and a support portion extending between the first and second support ends. The support structure further includes a plurality of projections protruding from a portion of a surface of the support structure, corresponding to the support portion. The support structure is a primary heat sink. The heat exchange assembly includes a vapor chamber having a casing and a wick disposed within the casing. The vapor chamber is disposed within the recess and coupled to a surface of the support structure such that the plurality of projections surrounds the vapor chamber. The casing includes a mid projected portion disposed at an evaporator portion of the vapor chamber. The first and second support ends, and the mid projected portion include a non-uniform surface configured to contact the circuit card.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a support structure comprising a first support end, a second support end, a recess between the first support end and the second support end, a support portion extending between the first support end and the second support end, and a plurality of projections protruding from a portion of a surface of the support structure corresponding to the support portion, wherein the support structure is a primary heat sink; and
a vapor chamber comprising a casing and a wick disposed within the casing, wherein the vapor chamber is disposed within the recess and coupled to the surface of the support structure between the plurality of projections, wherein the casing comprises a first projected portion, a second projected portion, and a mid projected portion disposed between the first projected portion and the second projected portion at an evaporator portion of the vapor chamber, and wherein the first projected portion, the second projected portion, and the mid projected portion, together, comprise a non-uniform surface configured to contact a circuit card.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first support end and the second support end has a first thickness, and the mid projected portion has a second thickness different from the first thickness to define the non-uniform surface.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein each end from the first support end and the second support end comprises a wedge lock recess.

4. The system of claim 3 , further comprising a secondary heat sink clamped to the support portion of the support structure and the wedge lock recess via a plurality of wedges.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of spring loaded clamping devices, each spring loaded clamping device is coupled, via a corresponding hole in the circuit card, to a corresponding projection among the plurality of projections.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the casing comprises a first half casing portion and a second half casing portion coupled to each other by welding or brazing or bolting.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein each of the first half casing portion and the second half casing portions has a U-shape.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mid projected portion of the non-uniform surface is configured to contact the circuit card via an electrical component mounted on the circuit card.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first projected portion is configured to transfer heat to a housing configured to surround, at least partially, the circuit card, the support structure, and the vapor chamber.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of projections are directly coupled to the surface of the support structure or integrally formed with the support structure.

11. The system of claim 1 , comprising a secondary heat sink coupled to the support portion of the support structure.

12. A system comprising:
a hot component coupled to a circuit card having a plurality of holes, wherein the hot component and the circuit card are disposed within a housing;
a support structure comprising a recess, a first support end, a second support end, a support portion extending between the first support end and the second support end, and a plurality of projections protruding from a portion of a surface of the support structure, corresponding to the support portion, wherein the support structure is a primary heat sink;
a vapor chamber comprising a casing and a wick disposed within the casing, wherein the vapor chamber is disposed within the recess and coupled to the surface of the support structure between the plurality of projections, wherein the casing comprises a mid projected portion disposed at an evaporator portion of the vapor chamber, and wherein the first and second support ends, and the mid projected portion comprise a non-uniform surface, wherein the vapor chamber is coupled to the hot component via a thermal interface material; and
a plurality of spring loaded clamping devices, each spring loaded clamping device is coupled via a corresponding hole from the plurality of holes to a corresponding projection from the plurality of projections so as to clamp the circuit card to the support structure.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first support end and the second support end has a first thickness, and the mid projected portion has a second thickness different from the first thickness to define the non-uniform surface.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein each end from the first support end and the second support end comprises a wedge lock recess.

15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising a secondary heat sink clamped to the support portion of the support structure and the wedge lock recess via a plurality of wedges.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the casing comprises a first half casing portion and a second half casing portion coupled to each other by welding or brazing or bolting.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein each of the first half casing portion and the second half casing portions has a U-shape.

18. A system comprising:
a support structure comprising a first support end, a second support end, a recess between the first support end and the second support end, a support portion extending between the first support end and the second support end, and a plurality of projections protruding from a portion of a surface of the support structure corresponding to the support portion, wherein the support structure is a primary heat sink; and
a vapor chamber comprising a casing and a wick disposed within the casing, wherein the vapor chamber is disposed within the recess and coupled to the surface of the support structure between at least two of the plurality of projections, wherein the casing comprises a first projected portion, a second projected portion, and a mid projected portion disposed between the first projected portion and the second projected portion at an evaporator portion of the vapor chamber, and wherein the first projected portion, the second projected portion, and the mid projected portion, together, comprise a non-uniform surface configured to contact a circuit card, wherein the first projected portion is configured to contact the circuit card via a first electrical component, and wherein the mid projected portion is configured to contact the circuit card via a second electrical component.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the casing comprises a third projected portion and a fourth projected portion configured to directly contact the circuit card.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the third projected portion is disposed at a first end of the casing and the fourth projected portion is disposed at a second end, opposite the first end, of the casing.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Chauhan Shakti Singh
• Jacobus De Bock Hendrik Pieter
• Kirk Graham Charles
• Weaver Jr Stanton Earl
• Slaton David Shannon
• Deng Tao
• Chamarthy Pramod

Classifications

• F28D15/0275 Primary

  Arrangements for coupling heat-pipes together or with other structures, e.g. with base blocks; Heat pipe cores · CPC title

• H05K7/20336 Primary

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

• F28D15/04

  with tubes having a capillary structure · CPC title

• H01L2924/0002

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L23/40

  Electricity · mapped topic