Hybrid ceramic core cold plate

• US 20070246191A1
• Filed: 12/15/2006
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Tucker, Andrew R., Behrens, William W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,505,616 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/80.400
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/0366 the conduits being formed by spaced plates with inserted elements F28D1/0358 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0029 Heat sinks
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0031 Radiators for recooling a coolant of cooling systems
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 13/003 by using permeable mass, perforated or porous materials F28F13/18 takes precedence

Abstract

An exemplary cold plate housing defines an inlet port and an outlet port. A plurality of foam strip assemblies are disposed in the housing. The foam strip assemblies are arranged within the housing so coolant is flowable through a width of the foam strips. Each foam strip assembly includes at least first and second foam strip members each suitably having pore size of no more than around 50 micrometers and porosity of at least around 80 percent, and a first spacer member is interposed between the first and second foam strip members. Each of the foam strip assemblies may include a second spacer member interposed between the first spacer member and one of the first and second foam strip members. The spacer member may include a high thermal conductivity material, such as a metal like copper or aluminum, or a low thermal conductivity material such as a polymer or plastic.

Claims

1. A cold plate comprising:

a housing defining an inlet port and an outlet port; and

a plurality of foam strip assemblies disposed in the housing, the plurality of foam strip assemblies being arranged within the housing such that coolant is flowable through a width of the foam strip assemblies, each of the foam strip assemblies including;

at least first and second foam strip members each having a pore size of no more than around 50 micrometers and a porosity of at least around 80 percent; and

at least a first spacer member interposed between the first and second foam strip members.

2. The cold plate of claim 1, wherein each of the foam strip assemblies further includes a second spacer member interposed between the first spacer member and one of the first and second foam strip members.

3. The cold plate of claim 1, wherein the spacer member includes a thermally conductive material.

4. The cold plate of claim 3, wherein the thermally conductive material includes a metal.

5. The cold plate of claim 4, wherein the metal includes a metal chosen from copper and aluminum.

6. The cold plate of claim 3, wherein the thermally conductive material includes a material chosen from a polymer and a plastic.

7. The cold plate of claim 1, wherein the pore size is around 35 micrometers.

8. The cold plate of claim 1, wherein the porosity is around ninety percent.

9. The cold plate of claim 1, wherein the foam includes ceramic foam.

10. The cold plate of claim 9, wherein the ceramic foam includes silica, aluminum oxide, and aluminum borosilicate fibers.

11. The cold plate of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of plenums disposed within the housing.

12. The cold plate of claim 11, wherein each of the plenums is defined by:

a pair of adjacent foam strip assemblies;

a first end plate attached to first ends of the pair of adjacent foam strip assemblies; and

a second end plate attached to a second end of one of the pair of adjacent foam strip assemblies.

13. The cold plate of claim 12, wherein the second end plate is further attached to a second end of another of the plurality of foam strip assemblies that is adjacent one of the pair of adjacent foam strip assemblies.

14. The cold plate of claim 1, further comprising thermal sealant which physically connects the housing and the plurality of foam strip assemblies.

15. A method of cooling, the method comprising:

flowing coolant into a housing;

interior the housing, flowing the coolant across widths of a plurality of foam strip assemblies, each of the foam strip assemblies including;

at least first and second foam strip members each having a pore size of no more than around 50 micrometers and a porosity of at least around 80 percent; and

at least a first spacer member interposed between the first and second foam strip members; and

discharging the coolant from the housing.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the foam strip assemblies further includes a second spacer member interposed between the first spacer member and one of the first and second foam strip members.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the spacer member includes a thermally conductive material.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the thermally conductive material includes a metal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the metal includes a metal chosen from copper and aluminum.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the thermally conductive material includes a material chosen from a polymer and a plastic.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing the coolant to the plurality of foam strips via a plurality of plenums.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising attaching a workpiece in physical contact with the housing.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the coolant includes cooling air.

24. A circuit board assembly comprising:

at least one circuit board having first and second sides and a plurality of edges, the circuit board having at least one printed circuit mounted on the first side of the circuit board; and

a cold plate having first and second sides, the first side of the cold plate being attached in thermal communication to one of the second side and one of the plurality of edges of the circuit board, the cold plate including;

a housing defining an inlet port and an outlet port; and

a plurality of foam strip assemblies disposed in the housing, the plurality of foam strip assemblies being arranged within the housing such that coolant is flowable through a width of the foam strip assemblies, each of the foam strip assemblies including;

at least first and second foam strip members each having a pore size of no more than around 50 micrometers and a porosity of at least around 80 percent; and

at least a first spacer member interposed between the first and second foam strip members.

25. The circuit board assembly of claim 24, wherein each of the foam strip assemblies further includes a second spacer member interposed between the first spacer member and one of the first and second foam strip members.

26. The circuit board assembly of claim 24, wherein the spacer member includes a thermally conductive material.

27. The circuit board assembly of claim 26, wherein the thermally conductive material includes a metal.

28. The circuit board assembly of claim 27, wherein the metal includes a metal chosen from copper and aluminum.

29. The circuit board assembly of claim 26, wherein the thermally conductive material includes a material chosen from a polymer and a plastic.

30. The circuit board assembly of claim 24, further comprising a second circuit board having first and second sides, the second circuit board having at least one printed circuit board mounted on the first side of the second circuit board, the second side of the cold plate being attached in thermal communication to the second side of the second circuit board.

31. The circuit board assembly of claim 24, wherein the pore size is around 35 micrometers.

32. The circuit board assembly of claim 24, wherein the porosity is around ninety percent.

33. The circuit board assembly of claim 24, wherein the foam includes ceramic foam.

34. The circuit board assembly of claim 24, further comprising a plurality of plenums disposed within the housing.

35. A cold plate comprising:

a housing defining first and second inlet ports and first and second outlet ports; and

first and second pluralities of foam strip assemblies disposed in the housing, the first and second pluralities of foam strip assemblies being arranged within the housing such that coolant from the first inlet is flowable through widths of the foam strip assemblies in the first plurality of foam strip assemblies and coolant from the second inlet is flowable through widths of the foam strip assemblies in the second plurality of foam strip assemblies, each of the foam strip assemblies including;

at least first and second foam strip members each having a pore size of no more than around 50 micrometers and a porosity of at least around 80 percent; and

at least a first spacer member interposed between the first and second foam strip members.

36. The cold plate of claim 35, wherein each of the foam strip assemblies further includes a second spacer member interposed between the first spacer member and one of the first and second foam strip members.

37. The cold plate of claim 35, wherein the spacer member includes a thermally conductive material.

38. The cold plate of claim 37, wherein the thermally conductive material includes a metal.

39. The cold plate of claim 38, wherein the metal includes a metal chosen from copper and aluminum.

40. The cold plate of claim 37, wherein the thermally conductive material includes a material chosen from a polymer and a plastic.

41. The cold plate of claim 35, wherein the pore size is around 35 micrometers.

42. The cold plate of claim 35, wherein the porosity is around ninety percent.

43. The cold plate of claim 35, wherein the foam includes ceramic foam.

44. The cold plate of claim 35, further comprising a plurality of plenums disposed within the housing.

45. A heat exchanger comprising:

a heat exchanger housing defining at least one heat exchanger inlet port for a first fluid and at least one heat exchanger outlet port for the first fluid; and

at least one cold plate disposed within the heat exchanger housing intermediate the heat exchanger inlet port and the heat exchanger outlet port such that the first fluid is flowable in thermal communication with the cold plate, the cold plate including;

a cold plate housing defining at least a first cold plate inlet port for a second fluid and at least a first cold plate outlet port for the second fluid; and

at least a first plurality of foam strip assemblies disposed in the cold plate housing, the foam strip assemblies being arranged within the cold plate housing such that the second fluid is flowable through a width of the foam strip assemblies, each of the foam strip assemblies including;

at least first and second foam strip members each having a pore size of no more than around 50 micrometers and a porosity of at least around 80 percent; and

at least a first spacer member interposed between the first and second foam strip members.

46. The heat exchanger of claim 45, wherein each of the foam strip assemblies further includes a second spacer member interposed between the first spacer member and one of the first and second foam strip members.

47. The heat exchanger of claim 45, wherein the spacer member includes a thermally conductive material.

48. The heat exchanger of claim 47, wherein the thermally conductive material includes a metal.

49. The heat exchanger of claim 48, wherein the metal includes a metal chosen from copper and aluminum.

50. The heat exchanger of claim 47, wherein the thermally conductive material includes a material chosen from a polymer and a plastic.

51. The heat exchanger of claim 45, wherein:

the cold plate housing further defines a second cold plate inlet port for the second fluid and a second cold plate outlet port for the second fluid; and

the cold plate further includes a second plurality of foam strip assemblies, the first and second pluralities of foam strip assemblies being arranged within the housing such that the second fluid from the first cold plate inlet is flowable through widths of the foam strip assemblies in the first plurality of foam strip assemblies and the second fluid from the second cold plate inlet is flowable through widths of the foam strip assemblies in the second plurality of foam strip assemblies.

52. The heat exchanger of claim 45, wherein the pore size is around 35 micrometers.

53. The heat exchanger of claim 45, wherein the porosity is around ninety percent.

54. The heat exchanger of claim 45, wherein the foam includes ceramic foam.

55. The heat exchanger of claim 45, wherein the cold plate further includes a plurality of plenums disposed within the cold plate housing.