Switchably activated heat transfer with magnetic fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9976814-B2
Application number	US-201514606243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2015
Priority date	Jan 27, 2015
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus includes a heat pipe with a fluid path. A first part of the fluid path is thermally coupled to a first region of a higher temperature and a second part of the fluid path thermally is coupled to a second region of a lower temperature. A difference between the higher temperature and the lower temperature induces a flow of a magnetic fluid in the fluid path. A switchable magnetic device is magnetically coupled to the fluid path. Activation of the switchable magnetic device reduces the flow of the magnetic fluid in the fluid path, which reduces heat transfer from the first region to the second region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a heat transfer mechanism comprising a fluid path, a first part of the fluid path thermally coupled to a first region of a higher temperature and a second part of the fluid path thermally coupled to a second region of a lower temperature, the first region comprising a controller of a storage device and the second region comprising a non-volatile, solid-state memory of the storage device, a difference between the higher temperature and the lower temperature inducing a flow of a magnetic fluid through the fluid path; and
a switchable magnetic device magnetically coupled to the fluid path, activation of the switchable magnetic device causing an aggregation of particles of the magnetic fluid to at least partially block the flow of the magnetic fluid through the fluid path, which reduces heat transfer from the first region to the second region, the switchable magnetic device being deactivated to thermally anneal the non-volatile, solid-state memory.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the switchable magnetic device comprises an electrical coil.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a Peltier heat pump coupled between the first region and the heat transfer mechanism, the Peltier heat pump being activated when the switchable magnetic device is deactivated to assist in the heat transfer from the first region to the second region.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer mechanism comprises at least two branches, the switchable magnetic device being magnetically coupled to the fluid path at a first of the branches and a second switchable magnetic device being magnetically coupled to the fluid path at a second of the branches.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first branch is coupled to the second region and the second branch is coupled to a third region of a second lower temperature, independent activation of the switchable magnetic device and the second switchable magnetic device independently altering flows of the magnetic fluid in the first and second branches and thereby altering a second heat transfer from the first region to the third region.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the first branch is coupled to the first region and the second branch is coupled to a third region of a second higher temperature, independent activation of the switchable magnetic device and the second switchable magnetic device independently altering flows of the magnetic fluid in the first and second branches and altering a second heat transfer from the third region to the second region.

7. A method comprising:
detecting a condition of an apparatus that is assisted by changing a heat transfer from a first region of a higher temperature to a second region of a lower temperature, a heat transfer mechanism comprising a fluid path being thermally coupled between the first region and the second region; and
in response to detecting the condition, selectably activating or deactivating a switchable magnetic device magnetically coupled to the fluid path of the heat transfer mechanism, the activation or deactivation of the switchable magnetic device causing particles of a magnetic fluid to respectively block or clear a flow of the magnetic fluid through the fluid path, the blocking or clearing of the flow respectively decreasing or increasing the heat transfer.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first region comprises a controller of a storage device, and the second region comprises a non-volatile, solid-state memory of the storage device, the condition comprising charge trapping of flash memory cells and the magnetic device being deactivated to thermally anneal the flash memory cells.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising activating or deactivating a Peltier heat pump coupled between the first region and the heat transfer mechanism via the blockage or clearance in response to the condition.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the heat transfer mechanism comprises at least two branches, the magnetic device being magnetically coupled to the fluid path at a first of the branches and a second magnetic device being magnetically coupled to the fluid path at a second of the branches, the method further comprising selectably activating or deactivating the second magnetic device.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first branch is coupled to the second region and the second branch is coupled to a third region of a second lower temperature, the method further comprising independently activating the magnetic device and the second magnetic device to independently alter flows of the magnetic fluid in the first and second branches and thereby alter a second heat transfer from the first region to the third region.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first branch is coupled to the first region and the second branch is coupled to a third region of a second higher temperature, the method further comprising independently activating the magnetic device and the second magnetic device to independently alter flows of the magnetic fluid in the first and second branches and thereby alter a second heat transfer from the third region to the second region.

13. A system comprising:
a heat-generating component;
a heat-receiving component;
a heat transfer mechanism thermally coupled to the heat-generating component and the heat-receiving component, the heat transfer mechanism comprising a fluid path, a difference of temperature between the heat-generating component and the heat-receiving component inducing a flow of a magnetic fluid through the fluid path;
a switchable magnetic device magnetically coupled to the fluid path of the heat transfer mechanism;
a Peltier heat pump coupled between the heat transfer mechanism one of the heat-generating component or the heat-receiving component; and
a controller coupled to the switchable magnetic device and configured to, in response to detecting a condition that is assisted by changing a heat transfer from the heat-generating component to the heat-receiving component, selectably activate or deactivate the switchable magnetic device to respectively block or clear the flow of the magnetic fluid through the fluid path, the blocking or clearing of the flow respectively decreasing or increasing the heat transfer, the Peltier heat pump activated via the clearance of the flow in response to the condition.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the heat-generating component comprises a plurality of heat-generating components, the heat transfer mechanism comprising a plurality of heat pipes thermally coupled to the plurality of heat-generating components and the heat-receiving component, and the switchable magnetic device comprising a plurality of electrical coils coupled to the controller, the controller configured to independently alter individual heat flows between the plurality of heat-generating components and the heat-receiving component.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the heat-receiving component comprises a plurality of heat-receiving components, the plurality of heat pipes thermally coupled to the plurality of heat-generating components and the plurality of heat-receiving components, the controller configured to independently alter individual heat flows between the plurality of heat-generating components and the plurality of heat-receiving components.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the plurality of heat pipes comprises two or more branches coupled to two or more of the plurality of heat-receiving components.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the heat-generating component com

Assignees

• Seagate Technology Llc

Inventors

• Gomez Kevin Arthur
• Trantham Jon
• Tetzlaff David
• Ghaly Mai A

Classifications

• Y02B30/66

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F25B21/02

  using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect · CPC title

• F25B2321/0022

  with a rotating or otherwise moving magnet · CPC title

• F25B2321/0212

  of electric power, current or voltage · CPC title

• F28D15/04

  with tubes having a capillary structure · CPC title