Multichannel cooling system with magnetohydrodynamic pump

• US 20070235180A1
• Filed: 04/06/2006
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Ouyang, Chien, Gross, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 7,870,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/287
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1928 sensing the temperature of one space
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/20 with sensing elements having variation of electric or magnetic properties with change of temperature G05D23/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/473 by flowing liquids H01L23/4332, H01L23/4338 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A cooling device includes a base having cells. A pipe is coupled to the base for each of the cells. The pipes include passages that carry fluid toward the cell and away from the cell. A magnetohydrodynamic pump system coupled to the pipe circulates an electrically conductive cooling fluid within the passages and the cell. An orifice may emits jets of fluid into the cells. A controller coupled to the cooling device may independently control flow rates in two or more cells of the cooling device. The controller may receive information from the temperature sensors on the base of the cooling device for use in controlling the flow rates in the cells.

Claims

1. A cooling device, comprising:

a base configured to couple with an electronic device, the base comprising at least one cell;

at least one pipe coupled to the base, the at least one pipe comprising a first passage in fluid communication with the at least one cell and a second passage in fluid communication with the at least one cell, the first passage being configured to carry fluid toward the at least one cell and the second passage being configured to carry fluid away from the at least one cell;

a magnetohydrodynamic pump system coupled to the at least one pipe configured to circulate fluid within the passages and the at least one cell; and

an orifice configured to emit a jet of fluid from the first passage into the at least one cell when the fluid is circulated by the magnetohydrodynamic pump system.

2. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the base comprises a plurality of cells and at least one pipe coupled to each of the cells, the at least one pipe comprising a passage configured to carry fluid toward the cell and a passage configured to carry fluid away from the cell.

3. The cooling device of claim 2, wherein the magnetohydrodynamic pump system is configured to circulate fluid in at least one of the cells at a different flow rate from at least one of the other cells.

4. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the magnetohydrodynamic pump system comprises at least one pump comprising:

an electrically non-conductive outer tube segment;

an electrically non-conductive inner tube segment at least partially disposed in the outer tube, the inner tube comprising an inner passage, at least a portion of the space between the inner tube and the outer tube forming an outer passage;

a plurality of conductors, each conductor passing through a wall of the outer tube and a wall of the inner tube;

an insulator coupled to each of the plurality of conductors, each insulator configured to electrically insulate the respective conductor from fluid in the outer passage; and

one or more magnets configured to produce a magnetic field in the inner passage.

5. The cooling device of claim 1, further comprising a controller coupled to the magnetohydrodynamic pump system, the controller configured to control a fluid flow rate of at least one of the cells independently of one or more of the other cells.

6. The cooling device of claim 1, further comprising:

a reservoir in fluid communication with the first passage and the second passage; and

fluid configured to flow in a circuit through the first passage, the cell, the second passage, and the reservoir, wherein the reservoir comprises a relief volume, wherein the fluid is allowed to expand into the relief volume as the volume of the fluid expands during heating.

7. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the base comprises a plurality of cells and at least one pipe coupled to each of the cells, the at least one pipe comprising a first passage configured to carry fluid toward the cell and a second passage configured to carry fluid away from the cell, the cooling device further comprising:

a reservoir in fluid communication with the first passage and the second passages; and

fluid configured to flow in a circuit through each of the respective cells, respective first and second passages, and the reservoir, wherein the reservoir comprises a relief volume, wherein the fluid is allowed to expand into the relief volume as the volume of the fluid expands during heating.

8. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the at least one pipe comprises a first pipe comprising an outer tube and an inner tube, wherein the first passage comprises a passage through the inner tube, wherein the second passage comprises an annular region formed between the inner tube and the outer tube.

9. A cooling system, comprising:

a cooling device, comprising;

a base comprising a plurality of cells;

at least one pipe coupled to each of the plurality of cells, each pipe comprising passages in fluid communication with one of the cells, each passage configured to carry fluid to or from the cell; and

a pump system coupled to the at least one pipe configured to circulate fluid independently in each of the cells; and

a controller coupled to the pump system;

wherein the controller is configured to control a flow rate in each of the cells independently one or more of the other cells.

10. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the pump system comprises a plurality of MHD pumps, wherein each of the MHD pumps is configured to provision cooling fluid to one of the cells.

11. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the base is configured to couple with an integrated circuit package, wherein at least two of the cells are configured to cool different regions of the integrated circuit package.

12. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the controller comprises a discrete time, multiple input, multiple output controller.

13. The cooling system of claim 9, further comprising at least one temperature sensor coupled to the base and the controller, wherein the controller is configured to receive information from the at least one temperature sensor for use in controlling the flow rate in one or more of the cells.

14. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of cells are arranged in one or more rows and one or more columns, further comprising a temperature sensor coupled to the base proximate to a corner of at least two adjacent cells and coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to use information from the temperature sensors to adjust a flow rate in one or more of the cells.

15. A method of cooling a heat producing component, comprising:

coupling a cooling device comprising a plurality of cooling channels to the heat producing component, each cooling channel being configured to provision cooling fluid proximate to a region of the heat producing component;

sensing temperature data at or proximate to at least one of the regions of the heat producing component; and

regulating a flow rate of cooling fluid for at least one of the cooling channels based on the temperature data.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising adjusting the flow rate of cooling fluid for at least one of the cooling channels based on a change in the temperature data.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising provisioning a cooling fluid for at least one of the cooling channels at a different rate than at least one of the other cooling channels.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the rate of provisioning for a first cooling channel is determined based on a temperature proximate to first cooling channel, and the rate of provisioning for a second cooling channel is determined based on a temperature proximate to second cooling channel.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the cooling fluid comprises an electrically conductive liquid, wherein provisioning the cooling fluid comprises applying a voltage to the electrically conductive liquid.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the heat producing component is a microprocessor, further comprising provisioning cooling fluid at different rates for at least two different regions of the microprocessor.