Vapor-compression refrigeration apparatus with backup air-cooled heat sink and auxiliary refrigerant heater
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
F25D-023/12
H05K-007/20
F25B-039/02
F25B-049/02
출원번호
US-0134017
(2013-12-19)
등록번호
US-9301433
(2016-03-29)
발명자
/ 주소
Campbell, Levi A.
Chu, Richard C.
Ellsworth, Jr., Michael J.
Iyengar, Madhusudan K.
Simons, Robert E.
출원인 / 주소
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
대리인 / 주소
Chiu, Esq., Steven
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
50
초록▼
Apparatus and method are provided for cooling an electronic component. The apparatus includes a refrigerant evaporator in thermal communication with a component(s) to be cooled, and a refrigerant loop coupled in fluid communication with the evaporator for facilitating flow of refrigerant through the
Apparatus and method are provided for cooling an electronic component. The apparatus includes a refrigerant evaporator in thermal communication with a component(s) to be cooled, and a refrigerant loop coupled in fluid communication with the evaporator for facilitating flow of refrigerant through the evaporator. The apparatus further includes a compressor in fluid communication with a refrigerant loop, an air-cooled heat sink coupled to the refrigerant evaporator, for providing backup cooling to the electronic component in a backup, air cooling mode, and a controllable refrigerant heater coupled to the heat sink. The refrigerant heater is in thermal communication across the heat sink with refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator, and is controlled in a primary, refrigeration cooling mode to apply an auxiliary heat load to refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator to ensure that refrigerant in the refrigerant loop entering the compressor is in a superheated thermodynamic state.
대표청구항▼
1. An apparatus for facilitating cooling of an electronic component, the apparatus comprising: a refrigerant evaporator in thermal communication with the electronic component, the refrigerant evaporator comprising at least one channel therein for accommodating flow of refrigerant through the refrige
1. An apparatus for facilitating cooling of an electronic component, the apparatus comprising: a refrigerant evaporator in thermal communication with the electronic component, the refrigerant evaporator comprising at least one channel therein for accommodating flow of refrigerant through the refrigerant evaporator;a refrigerant loop coupled in fluid communication with the at least one channel of the refrigerant evaporator for facilitating flow of refrigerant through the refrigerant loop;a compressor coupled in fluid communication with the refrigerant loop;an air-cooled heat sink distinct from and physically coupled to the refrigerant evaporator and providing backup cooling to the electronic component in a backup, air cooling mode;a controllable refrigerant heater coupled to the air-cooled heat sink and in thermal communication across the air-cooled heat sink with refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator, wherein the refrigerant evaporator, air-cooled heat sink, and controllable refrigerant heater are physically stacked together, with the air-cooled heat sink disposed, at least in part, between the controllable refrigerant heater and the refrigerant evaporator, the controllable refrigerant heater selectively applying a conductively transferred, auxiliary heat load across the air-cooled heat sink to refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator to ensure in a primary, refrigeration cooling mode, that refrigerant in the refrigerant loop entering the compressor is in a superheated thermodynamic state; andwherein: the refrigerant evaporator comprises a first main surface and a second main surface, the first main surface and the second main surface extending substantially parallel, and wherein the electronic component is in thermal communication with the refrigerant evaporator across the first main surface of the refrigerant evaporator and the air-cooled heat sink is in thermal communication with the refrigerant evaporator across the second main surface of the refrigerant evaporator;the air-cooled heat sink comprises a heat sink base coupled to the second main surface of the refrigerant evaporator and a plurality of thermally conductive heat sink fins extending from the heat sink base;the controllable refrigerant heater couples at least partially to at least one thermally conductive heat sink fin of the plurality of thermally conductive heat sink fins of the air-cooled heat sink and is in thermal communication with refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator across, at least in part the at least one thermally conductive heat sink fin: andthe controllable refrigerant heater comprises a heater block and a plurality of thermally conductive heater fins extending from the heater block and wherein the controllable refrigerant heater is coupled to the air-cooled heat sink with the plurality of thermally conductive heater fins interdigitated with the plurality of thermally conductive heat sink fins. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the refrigerant evaporator further comprises a plurality of heat conduction structures facilitating conducting heat from the electronic component to the air-cooled heat sink in the backup, air cooling mode, the plurality of heat conduction structures further facilitating conduction of the auxiliary heat load to refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator in the primary, refrigeration cooling mode. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a thermal interface material disposed between at least two opposing surfaces of the interdigitated plurality of thermally conductive heater fins and plurality of thermally conductive heat sink fins. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive heat sink fins extend in a first direction and the plurality of thermally conductive heater fins extend in a second direction, the first direction and the second direction being perpendicular directions. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller coupled to the controllable refrigerant heater for automatically controlling the auxiliary heat load, applied by the controllable refrigerant heater to refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator, wherein the controller periodically monitors a current heat load of the electronic component and, responsive thereto, automatically determines whether the current heat load of the electronic component is above a specified heat load, and responsive to the current heat load of the electronic component being above the specified heat load, automatically sets the auxiliary heat load applied by the controllable refrigerant heater to zero, and responsive to the current heat load of the electronic component being below the specified heat load, automatically sets the auxiliary heat load applied by the controllable refrigerant heater to the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator to the specified heat load less the current heat load of the electronic component. 6. A cooled electronic system comprising: an electronic component; andan apparatus for cooling the electronic component, the apparatus comprising; a refrigerant evaporator in thermal communication with the electronic component, the refrigerant evaporator comprising at least one channel therein for accommodating flow of refrigerant through the refrigerant evaporator;a refrigerant loop coupled in fluid communication with the at least one channel of the refrigerant evaporator for facilitating flow of refrigerant through the refrigerant loop;a compressor coupled in fluid communication with the refrigerant loop;an air-cooled heat sink distinct from and physically coupled to the refrigerant evaporator and providing backup cooling to the electronic component in a backup, air cooling mode;a controllable refrigerant heater coupled to the air-cooled heat sink and in thermal communication across the air-cooled heat sink with refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator, wherein the refrigerant evaporator, air-cooled heat sink, and controllable refrigerant heater are physically stacked together, with the air-cooled heat sink disposed, at least in part, between the controllable refrigerant heater and the refrigerant evaporator, the controllable refrigerant heater selectively applying a conductively transferred, auxiliary heat load across the air-cooled heat sink to refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator to ensure in a primary, refrigeration cooling mode, that refrigerant in the refrigerant loop entering the compressor is in a superheated thermodynamic state; andwherein: the refrigerant evaporator comprises a first main surface and a second main surface, the first main surface and the second main surface extending substantially parallel, and wherein the electronic component is in thermal communication with the refrigerant evaporator across the first main surface of the refrigerant evaporator and the air-cooled heat sink is in thermal communication with the refrigerant evaporator across the second main surface of the refrigerant evaporator;the air-cooled heat sink comprises a heat sink base coupled to the second main surface of the refrigerant evaporator and a plurality of thermally conductive heat sink fins extending from the heat sink base, and wherein the controllable refrigerant heater couples at least partially to at least one thermally conductive heat sink fin of the plurality of thermally conductive heat sink fins of the air-cooled heat sink, and is in thermal communication with refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator across at least in part the at least one thermally conductive heat sink fin: andthe controllable refrigerant heater comprises a heater block and a plurality of thermally conductive heater fins extending from the heater block and wherein the controllable refrigerant heater is coupled to the air-cooled heat sink with the plurality of thermally conducive heater fins interdigitated with the plurality of thermally conductive heat sink fins. 7. The cooled electronic system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive heat sink fins extend in a first direction and the plurality of thermally conductive heater fins extend in a second direction, the first direction and the second direction being perpendicular directions. 8. A method of facilitating cooling of an electronic component, the method comprising: coupling in thermal communication a refrigerant evaporator to the electronic component, the refrigerant evaporator comprising at least one channel therein for accommodating flow of refrigerant through the refrigerant evaporator;providing a refrigerant loop in fluid communication with the at least one channel of the refrigerant evaporator for facilitating flow of refrigerant through the refrigerant loop;coupling a compressor in fluid communication with the refrigerant loop;coupling a distinct air-cooled heat sink to the refrigerant evaporator for providing backup cooling to the electronic component in a backup, air cooling mode;coupling a controllable refrigerant heater to the air-cooled heat sink, the controllable refrigerant heater being in thermal communication across the air-cooled heat sink with refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator, wherein the refrigerant evaporator, air-cooled heat sink, and controllable refrigerant heater are physically stacked together, with the air-cooled heat sink disposed, at least in part, between the controllable refrigerant heater and the refrigerant evaporator, and the controllable refrigerant heater selectively applies a conductively transferred, auxiliary heat load across the air-cooled heat sink to refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator to ensure in a primary refrigeration cooling mode, that refrigerant in the refrigerant loop entering the compressor is in a superheated thermodynamic state;wherein: the refrigerant evaporator comprises a first main surface and a second main surface, the first main surface and the second main surface extending substantially parallel, and wherein the electronic component is in thermal communication with the refrigerant evaporator across the first main surface of the refrigerant evaporator and the sir-cooled heat sink is in thermal communication with the refrigerant evaporator across the second main surface of the refrigerant evaporator;the air-cooled heat sink comprises a heat sink base coupled to the second main surface of the refrigerant evaporator and a plurality of thermally conductive heat sink fins extending from the heat sink base;the controllable refrigerant heater couples at least partially to at least one thermally conductive heat sink fin of the plurality of thermally conductive heat sink fins of the air-cooled heat sink, and is in thermal communication with refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator across, at least in part, the at least one thermally conductive heat sink fin; andthe controllable refrigerant heater comprises a heater block and a plurality of thermally conductive heater fins extending from the heater block and wherein the controllable refrigerant heater is coupled to the air-cooled heat sink with the plurality of thermally conductive heater fins interdigitated with the plurality of thermally conductive heat sink fins.
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