Heat removal assembly for use with a power converter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9894815-B1
Application number	US-201615231136-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 8, 2016
Priority date	Aug 8, 2016
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

A heat removal assembly for use with a power converter that includes a condenser and an evaporator coupled in flow communication with the condenser. The evaporator is configured to channel working fluid therebetween. The evaporator includes a supply housing, a receiving housing, and at least one expansion housing extending between the supply housing and the receiving housing. The at least one expansion housing includes a flow inlet defined at the supply housing and a flow outlet defined at said receiving housing, and the flow inlet is sized smaller in cross-sectional size than the flow outlet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat removal assembly for use with a power converter, said heat removal assembly comprising:
a condenser; and
an evaporator coupled in flow communication with said condenser, said evaporator configured to channel working fluid therebetween, said evaporator comprising:
a supply housing;
a receiving housing; and
at least one expansion housing extending between said supply housing and said receiving housing, wherein said at least one expansion housing comprises a flow inlet defined at said supply housing and a flow outlet defined at said receiving housing, said flow inlet sized smaller in cross-sectional size than said flow outlet;

wherein said at least one expansion housing comprises a plurality of expansion housings arranged in parallel between said supply housing and said receiving housing.

2. The assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said at least one expansion housing comprises an interior that progressively increases in size from said flow inlet towards said flow outlet.

3. The assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said at least one expansion housing has an asymmetric design such that said flow inlet has a smaller cross-sectional area than said flow outlet.

4. The assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional area of said flow inlet relative to a cross-sectional area of said flow outlet is less than or equal to about 0.5.

5. The assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said at least one expansion housing is configured to thermally couple to a heat load such that heat transferred from the heat load at least partially vaporizes the working fluid channeled through said at least one expansion housing.

6. The assembly in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said expansion housing comprises an interior defined by a first flat surface and a second flat surface that each extend between said flow inlet and said flow outlet, wherein said first flat surface and said second flat surface are angled relative to each other.

7. An evaporator for use with a heat removal assembly, said evaporator comprising:
a supply housing;
a receiving housing; and
at least one expansion housing extending between said supply housing and said receiving housing, wherein said at least one expansion housing comprises a flow inlet defined at said supply housing and a flow outlet defined at said receiving housing, said flow inlet sized smaller in cross-sectional size than said flow outlet;
wherein said at least one expansion housing comprises a plurality of expansion housings arranged in parallel between said supply housing and said receiving housing.

8. The evaporator in accordance with claim 7 , wherein said at least one expansion housing comprises an interior that progressively increases in size from said flow inlet towards said flow outlet.

9. The evaporator in accordance with claim 7 , wherein said at least one expansion housing has an asymmetric design such that said flow inlet has a smaller cross-sectional area than said flow outlet.

10. The evaporator in accordance with claim 7 , wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional area of said flow inlet relative to a cross-sectional area of said flow outlet is less than or equal to about 0.5.

11. The evaporator in accordance with claim 7 , wherein said at least one expansion housing is configured to thermally couple to a heat load such that heat transferred from the heat load at least partially vaporizes the working fluid channeled through said at least one expansion housing.

12. The evaporator in accordance with claim 7 , wherein said expansion housing comprises an interior defined by a first flat surface and a second flat surface that each extend between said flow inlet and said flow outlet, wherein said first flat surface and said second flat surface are angled relative to each other.

13. A power converter comprising:
a plurality of electronic components; and
a heat removal assembly comprising:
a condenser; and
an evaporator coupled in flow communication with said condenser, said evaporator configured to channel working fluid therebetween, said evaporator further thermally coupled with said plurality of electronic components, said evaporator comprising:
a supply housing;
a receiving housing; and
at least one expansion housing extending between said supply housing and said receiving housing, wherein said at least one expansion housing comprises a flow inlet defined at said supply housing and a flow outlet defined at said receiving housing, said flow inlet sized smaller in cross-sectional size than said flow outlet

wherein said at least one expansion housing comprises a plurality of expansion housings arranged in parallel between said supply housing and said receiving housing.

14. The power converter in accordance with claim 13 , wherein said at least one expansion housing comprises an interior that progressively increases in size from said flow inlet towards said flow outlet.

15. The power converter in accordance with claim 13 , wherein said at least one expansion housing has an asymmetric design such that said flow inlet has a smaller cross-sectional area than said flow outlet.

16. The power converter in accordance with claim 13 , wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional area of said flow inlet relative to a cross-sectional area of said flow outlet is less than or equal to about 0.5.

17. The power converter in accordance with claim 13 , wherein said at least one expansion housing is thermally coupled to said plurality of electronic components such that heat transferred from the plurality of electronic components at least partially vaporizes the working fluid channeled through said at least one expansion housing.

18. The power converter in accordance with claim 13 , wherein said expansion housing comprises an interior defined by a first flat surface and a second flat surface that each extend between said flow inlet and said flow outlet, wherein said first flat surface and said second flat surface are angled relative to each other.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Waddell Alistair Martin
• Meyer Christian
• Kocur Michael Bernhard
• Chan Mark Aaron Chan
• Schelenz Owen

Classifications

• H05K7/20936 Primary

  Liquid coolant with phase change · CPC title

• H05K7/20318

  Condensers · CPC title

• H05K7/20309

  Evaporators · CPC title

• H10W40/73

  for cooling by change of state · CPC title

• H10W40/47

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