Heat exchanger for cooling multiple layers of electronic modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10928141-B2
Application number	US-201815913004-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2018
Priority date	Mar 6, 2017
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

A stacked-plate heat exchanger for cooling a plurality of heat-generating electronic components arranged in a plurality of layers comprises a stack of flat tubes defining a plurality of parallel fluid flow passages, the tubes being separated by spaces for receiving the electronic components. One or more flow-restricting ribs is arranged within at least some of the fluid flow passages to partially block fluid flow between at least one the manifolds and the heat transfer area by reducing the height of the fluid flow passage outside the heat transfer area, along at least a portion of the width of the fluid flow passage, in order to improve the flow distribution of a heat transfer fluid between and within the fluid flow passages of the heat exchanger, and to minimize bypass flow at the outer edges of the fluid flow passage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger assembly comprising:
a heat exchanger core comprising a plurality of flat tubes, wherein each said flat tube encloses an elongate fluid flow passage having a top wall, a bottom wall, and a pair of outer edges transversely spaced from one another, wherein a width of the fluid flow passage is defined between the outer edges;
wherein the flat tubes are arranged in a stack with the fluid flow passages in spaced parallel relation to one another along a height of the stack, such that a plurality of spaces for receiving heat-generating electronic components are defined between adjacent flat tubes, throughout the height of the stack, with the flat tubes defining heat transfer surfaces along which the flat tubes are adapted for thermal contact with the heat-generating electronic components;
wherein the flat tubes are joined together to form an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold, each of the manifolds extending throughout the height of the stack, with the inlet manifold being in direct flow communication with a first end of each said fluid flow passage and the outlet manifold being in direct flow communication with a second end of each said fluid flow passage;
wherein the fluid flow passage of each said flat tube has a heat transfer area located between the manifolds, wherein turbulence-enhancing inserts are provided inside the heat transfer area, and wherein the heat transfer area in each said fluid flow passage is directly opposite to at least one of said heat transfer surfaces on an outer surface of said flat tube, wherein the fluid flow passage has a maximum height between the top wall and the bottom wall in said heat transfer area, with the turbulence-enhancing inserts being in direct thermal contact with the top wall and the bottom wall;
wherein the heat exchanger assembly further comprises one or more flow-restricting ribs arranged within at least some of the fluid flow passages to partially block fluid flow between one of the manifolds and the heat transfer area by reducing the height of the fluid flow passage outside the heat transfer area, along at least a portion of the width of the fluid flow passage, and each flow-restricting rib positioned distal of one of the turbulence-enhancing inserts; and
wherein each of the flat tubes comprises a pair of mating, elongate core plates having raised, apertured bosses at opposite ends of the elongate core plates, and wherein the raised, apertured bosses of the adjacent flat tubes are joined together so as to define the inlet manifold and the outlet manifold;
wherein the raised, apertured bosses have a height such that, prior to insertion of the heat-generating electronic components into spaces between the flat tubes, the height of each of the spaces is slightly greater than a thickness of one of the heat-generating electronic components, to permit the heat-generating electronic components to be inserted into the spaces between the heat transfer surfaces;
wherein the raised, apertured bosses each have a compressible sidewall region to permit the height of the spaces between the flat tubes to be reduced by application of a force along a compression axis parallel to the height of the manifolds;
wherein each elongate core plate further comprises one or more support protrusions, each of which is located in a substantially flat area proximate to a base of one of the raised, apertured bosses;
wherein each of the support protrusions extends from an underside of the core plate in a direction opposite to a direction in which the raised, apertured bosses extend from a top of the core plates; and
wherein each of the support protrusions has a height defined as a distance between a base and a top surface thereof, the height being such that the top surface of the support protrusion is substantially coplanar with a peripheral flange of the core plate;
such that when the core plates are assembled to form said flat tubes, the support protrusions of one core plate of each said flat tube will be in contact with the support protrusions of another core plate forming the flat tube.

2. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more flow-restricting ribs are arranged perpendicularly to flow passages of the turbulence-enhancing inserts.

3. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more flow-restricting ribs in each said fluid flow passage reduces a height of the fluid flow passage across substantially its entire width, between at least one of the manifolds and the heat transfer area.

4. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the fluid flow passages has a length which is about 1-4 times its width, and wherein narrow bypass channels are present between longitudinal edges of the turbulence-enhancing inserts and the outer edges of the fluid flow passages.

5. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 4 , wherein a first said flow-restricting rib is provided between two of the support protrusions and one of the turbulence-enhancing inserts.

6. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 4 , wherein a first said flow-restricting rib is provided between a first and second of the support protrusions and a first of the turbulence-enhancing inserts, and a second said flow restricting rib is provided between a third and fourth of the support protrusions and the first of the turbulence-enhancing inserts.

7. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 5 , wherein each said flow restricting rib extends transverse to a longitudinal axis of one of the turbulence-enhancing inserts.

8. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 4 , wherein the outer edges of the fluid flow passages are located at peripheral flanges of the core plates, along which the core plates of each of the flat tubes are joined together;
wherein each said flow-restricting rib is a reduced-height rib along its entire length, wherein a top surface of each said rib is lower than the peripheral flange of the core plate in which it is formed;
such that when the core plates are assembled into said flat tubes, the top surfaces of the ribs in the opposed core plates of each said flat tube are spaced from one another so as to provide a fluid flow gap therebetween, wherein a height of the fluid flow gap is less than the maximum height.

9. A heat exchanger assembly, comprising:
a heat exchanger core comprising a plurality of flat tubes, wherein each said flat tube encloses an elongate fluid flow passage having a top wall, a bottom wall, and a pair of outer edges transversely spaced from one another, wherein a width of the fluid flow passage is defined between the outer edges;
wherein the flat tubes are arranged in a stack with the fluid flow passages in spaced parallel relation to one another along a height of the stack, such that a plurality of spaces for receiving heat-generating electronic components are defined between adjacent flat tubes, throughout the height of the stack, with the flat tubes defining heat transfer surfaces along which the flat tubes are adapted for thermal contact with the heat-generating components;
wherein the flat tubes are joined together to form an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold, each of the manifolds extending throughout the height of the stack, with the inlet manifold being in direct flow communication with a first end of each said fluid flow passage and the outlet manifold being in direct flow communication with a second end of each said fluid flow passage;
wherein the fluid flow passage of each said flat tube has a heat transfer area located between the manifolds, wherein turbulence-enhancing inserts are provided inside the heat transfer area, and wherein the heat transfer area in each said fluid flow passage is directly opposite to at least one said heat transfer surfa

Assignees

• Dana Canada Corp

Inventors

• Kenney Benjamin A
• Maehler Meinrad K A
• Abels Kenneth M A
• Yu jiang feng

Classifications

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H10W40/613

  for stacked arrangements of a plurality of semiconductor devices · CPC title

• H10W40/77

  Auxiliary members characterised by their shape · CPC title

• H10W40/47

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

• F28F13/12 Primary

  by creating turbulence, e.g. by stirring, by increasing the force of circulation (F28F13/08 takes precedence) · CPC title