System and Method for Separating Components of a Fluid Coolant for Cooling a Structure

• US 20080229780A1
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Weber, Richard M., Wyatt, William G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,651,172 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/502
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 23/006 boiling cooling systems

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention, a cooling system for a heat-generating structure includes a heating device, a cooling loop, and a separation structure. The heating device heats a flow of fluid coolant including a mixture of water and antifreeze. The cooling loop includes a director structure which directs the flow of the fluid coolant substantially in the form of a liquid to the heating device. The heating device vaporizes a substantial portion of the water into vapor while leaving a substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid. The separation structure receives, from the heating device, the flow of fluid coolant with the substantial portion of the water as vapor and the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid. The separation structure separates one of the substantial portion of the water as vapor or the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid from the cooling loop while allowing the other of the substantial portion of the water as vapor or the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid to remain in the cooling loop.

Claims

1. A cooling system for a heat-generating structure disposed in an environment having an ambient pressure, the cooling system comprising:

a heating device operable to heat a flow of fluid coolant comprising a mixture of water and antifreeze;

a cooling loop having a director structure which directs the flow of the fluid coolant substantially in the form of a liquid to the heating device, the heating device vaporizing a substantial portion of the water into vapor while leaving a substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid;

a separation structure that receives, from the heating device, the flow of fluid coolant with the substantial portion of the water as vapor and the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid, the separation structure operable to separate one of the substantial portion of the water as vapor or the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid from the cooling loop while allowing the other of the substantial portion of the water as vapor or the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid to remain in the cooling loop;

a structure which reduces a pressure of the fluid coolant to a subambient pressure at which the fluid coolant has a boiling temperature less than a temperature of the heat-generating structure;

a heat exchanger in thermal communication with the heat-generating structure, the heat exchanger having an inlet port and an outlet port, the inlet port operable to receive fluid coolant substantially in the form of a liquid, and the outlet port operable to dispense of fluid coolant out of the heat exchanger substantially in the form of a vapor, wherein

heat from the heat-generating structure causes the fluid coolant in the form of a liquid to boil and vaporize in the heat exchanger so that the fluid coolant absorbs heat from the heat-generating structure as the fluid coolant changes state,

the director structure directs flow of the fluid coolant to the heating device and the heat exchanger, and

the director structure directs fluid coolant to only the heating device until the fluid coolant in the cooling loop has reached a predetermined level of separation.

2. A cooling system for a heat-generating structure, the cooling system comprising:

a heating device operable to heat a flow of fluid coolant comprising a mixture of water and antifreeze;

a cooling loop having a director structure which directs the flow of the fluid coolant substantially in the form of a liquid to the heating device, the heating device vaporizing a substantial portion of the water into vapor while leaving a substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid; and

a separation structure that receives, from the heating device, the flow of fluid coolant with the substantial portion of the water as vapor and the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid, the separation structure operable to separate one of the substantial portion of the water as vapor or the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid from the cooling loop while allowing the other of the substantial portion of the water as vapor or the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid to remain in the cooling loop.

3. The cooling system of claim 2, further comprising:

a heat exchanger in thermal communication with the heat-generating structure, the heat exchanger having an inlet port and an outlet port, the inlet port operable to receive fluid coolant substantially in the form of a liquid, and the outlet port operable to dispense of fluid coolant out of the heat exchanger substantially in the form of a vapor, wherein

heat from the heat-generating structure causes the fluid coolant in the form of a liquid to boil and vaporize in the heat exchanger so that the fluid coolant absorbs heat from the heat-generating structure as the fluid coolant changes state, and

the director structure directs flow of the fluid coolant to one or both of the heating device and the heat exchanger.

4. The cooling system of claim 3, wherein the separation structure is operable to separate the substantial portion of the water as vapor, the separation structure further comprising:

a condenser heat exchanger operable to receive the substantial portion of the water as vapor and condense the vapor to liquid for storage in an expansion reservoir.

5. The cooling system of claim 4, further comprising:

a storage reservoir operable to hold fluid coolant; and

a storage pump operable to pump fluid coolant to the loop in an amount commensurate with an amount of liquid stored in the expansion reservoir.

6. The cooling system of claim 3, wherein the separation structure is operable to separate the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid into a separated liquid storage structure.

7. The cooling system of claim 6, further comprising:

a controller; and

a transducer operable to measure a pressure of the vapor from the one or both of the heating device and the heat exchanger and to send a signal to the controller, the controller instructing the separation structure to separate the liquid in the flow of fluid coolant into the separated liquid storage structure at a rate commensurate with a rate of the vapor production from the one or both of the heating device and the heat exchanger.

8. The cooling system of claim 3, wherein the director structure is operable to direct fluid coolant to at least the heating device until the fluid coolant in the cooling loop has reached a predetermined level of separation.

9. The cooling system of claim 3, wherein the director structure is operable to direct fluid coolant to only the heating device until the fluid coolant in the cooling loop has reached a predetermined level of separation.

10. The cooling system of claim 8, wherein the predetermined level of separation is an amount of water pulled out of the cooling loop.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined level of separation is an amount less than a defined level of antifreeze left in the cooling loop.

12. The cooling system of claim 11, wherein the defined level of antifreeze left in the cooling loop is five percent.

13. The cooling system of claim 3, wherein the separation structure is further operable to inject liquid from the separated liquid storage structure back into the cooling loop.

14. The cooling system of claim 3, wherein the heat-generating structure is disposed in an environment having an ambient pressure further comprising:

a structure which reduces a pressure of the fluid coolant to a subambient pressure at which the fluid coolant has a boiling temperature less than a temperature of the heat-generating structure.

15. A method for cooling a heat-generating structure, the method comprising:

providing a cooling loop operable to circulate fluid coolant comprising a mixture of water and antifreeze;

heating, with a heating device, the fluid coolant such that a substantial portion of the water is vaporized into a vapor while a substantial portion of the antifreeze is left as a liquid;

separating one of the substantial portion of the water as vapor or the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid from the cooling loop while allowing the other of the substantial portion of the water as vapor or the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid to remain in the loop;

forwarding the other of the substantial portion of the water as vapor or the substantial portion of the antifreeze as liquid that remains in the loop to the heating device; and

repeating heating and separating until a predetermined level of separation is achieved.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined level of separation is an amount of water pulled out of the cooling loop.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transferring fluid coolant containing antifreeze in the loop into a storage container after the amount of water pulled out of the cooling loop has reached a predetermined level; and

transferring the water pulled out of the cooling loop back into the cooling loop such that the cooling loop substantially contains water.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

bringing the fluid coolant into thermal communication with the heat-generating structure so that the fluid coolant absorbs heat from the heat-generating structure.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the heat-generating structure is disposed in an environment having an ambient pressure, further comprising:

reducing a pressure of the fluid coolant to a subambient pressure at which the fluid coolant has a boiling temperature less than a temperature of the heat-generating structure.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

transferring fluid coolant containing antifreeze in the storage container to the cooling loop to prevent freezing of the fluid coolant in the loop.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined level is an amount of antifreeze left in the loop.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

bringing the fluid coolant into thermal communication with the heat-generating structure, so that the fluid coolant absorbs heat from the heat-generating structure.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the heat-generating structure is disposed in an environment having an ambient pressure, further comprising:

reducing a pressure of the fluid coolant to a subambient pressure at which the fluid coolant has a boiling temperature less than a temperature of the heat-generating structure.