Compressed air cooling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10856448-B1
Application number	US-201816195356-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 19, 2018
Priority date	Nov 19, 2018
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

Compressed air cooling is disclosed. In an embodiment, an assembly includes an input configured to receive compressed air. The assembly also includes an expansion chamber configured to at least in part contain an expansion of the compressed air. The assembly also includes a base configured to be thermally cooled via the expansion of the compressed air and configured to be coupled to an electronic component.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly comprising:
an input configured to receive compressed air;
an expansion chamber configured to at least in part contain an expansion of the compressed air;
an airflow tube coupled between the input and the expansion chamber, wherein the airflow tube has a narrowed neck portion through which the received compressed air passes before entering the expansion chamber;
a heat pipe, wherein at least a portion of the airflow tube is at least partially surrounded by two sections of the heat pipe and the heat pipe is filled with a phase change material; and
a base coupled to and spanning a length of the expansion chamber and the airflow tube, wherein the base is configured to be thermally cooled via the expansion of the compressed air and configured to be coupled to an electronic component to cool the electronic component.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the compressed air is compressed by an air compressor external to a server rack.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electronic component is an integrated circuit chip.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a distribution tank configured to store the compressed air and deliver the compressed air to the input.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a connector configured to automatically stop a flow of the compressed air in response to a tray being removed from a server rack.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a connector configured to automatically initiate a flow of the compressed air in response to a tray being plugged into a server rack.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the input includes a control valve configured to control an amount of the compressed air distributed to the electronic component.

8. The assembly of claim 7 , wherein the control valve is computer-controlled.

9. The assembly of claim 7 , wherein the control valve is controlled based at least in part on at least one of: a load of the electronic component or a temperature of the electronic component.

10. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a vortex tube coupled to the input, wherein the vortex tube is configured to spin a source of the compressed air to provide a colder compressed air to the input of the assembly and exhaust a warmer exhaust air.

11. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the warmer exhaust air is routed via an insulated tube.

12. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the warmer exhaust air is utilized to entrain ambient air into a system chassis that includes the assembly.

13. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the compressed air expanded in the expansion chamber is directed into a system chassis that includes the assembly to cool a different component within the system chassis.

14. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the compressed air expanded in the expansion chamber is directed to entrain ambient air into a system chassis that includes the assembly.

15. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising thermal exchanger fins external to the expansion chamber and thermally connected to the expansion chamber and the base.

16. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising thermal exchanger fins within the expansion chamber.

17. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the base is coupled to the electronic component via a thermal paste.

18. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the input, the airflow tube, and the expansion chamber are coupled in sequence and the expansion chamber is downstream of the airflow tube.

19. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the heat pipe extends through at least a portion of the expansion chamber in a same direction as the airflow tube.

20. A method comprising:
receiving compressed air;
guiding the compressed air through an airflow tube coupled between an input receiving the compressed air and an expansion chamber, wherein at least a portion of the airflow tube is at least partially surrounded by two sections of a heat pipe and the heat pipe is filled with a phase change material;
compressing the compressed air further via a narrowed neck portion inside the airflow tube;
allowing the compressed air to expand within the expansion chamber configured to at least in part contain an expansion of the compressed air; and
cooling via the expansion of the compressed air and a conductive base coupled to and spanning a length of the expansion chamber and the airflow tube, an electronic component coupled to an assembly that includes the expansion chamber.

Assignees

• Facebook Inc

Inventors

• Wiley Scott C
• Gold Andrew
• Byagowi Ahmad

Classifications

• H05K7/20736

  within cabinets for removing heat from server blades · CPC title

• H05K7/20727 Primary

  within server blades for removing heat from heat source · CPC title

• H05K7/20827

  within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. air conditioning devices · CPC title

• H05K7/20154

  Heat dissipaters coupled to components · CPC title

• H05K7/20145

  Means for directing air flow, e.g. ducts, deflectors, plenum or guides · CPC title