Liquid-cooled baffle series/parallel heat sink

• US 5,841,634 A
• Filed: 03/12/1997
• Issued: 11/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Delco Electronics Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Visser, Roy Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHERVINSKY, BORIS LEO
• Application Number:
  US08/815,545
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 361/699, 361/689, 361/702, 361/704, 361/698, 257/706, 257/714, 174/15.1, 174/16.3, 165/80.4, 165/80.5
• US Class Current: 361/699
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/12 Elements constructed in the shape of a hollow panel, e.g. with channels F28D1/02, F28D1/03 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20254 Cold plates transferring heat from heat source to coolant
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20927 Liquid coolant without phase change

Abstract

A liquid-cooled heat-sink including a cooling housing defining a cooling chamber where the chamber is positioned adjacent to a semi-conductor device or devices to be cooled. An inlet port introduces a liquid coolant into the chamber and an exit port removes the liquid coolant from the chamber. A single unit plastic baffle is positioned within the chamber. The baffle includes strategically configured plenums, jet ports and transfer ports that direct the liquid coolant in both a series and parallel manner for increased cooling efficiency. The jet ports direct the liquid coolant onto the semiconductor devices in a parallel manner, and liquid coolant is transferred from one set of jets to another set of jets in a series manner.

Claims

1. A liquid-cooled heat sink comprising:

a cooling housing including at least one chamber, said at least one chamber including at least one wall that is to be cooled;

a fluid inlet port in fluid communication with the housing;

a fluid outlet port in fluid communication with the housing; and

at least one baffle positioned within said chamber, said baffle including a horizontal dividing wall separating the chamber into a top chamber portion and a bottom chamber portion, said horizontal wall including at least one set of jet ports, said set of jet ports directing liquid coolant onto the at least one wall that is to be cooled, said baffle including at least one top dividing wall separating the top chamber portion into first and second top plenums, and at least one bottom dividing wall separating the bottom chamber portion into first and second bottom plenums, said horizontal wall further including at least one transfer port, wherein liquid coolant enters the bottom chamber portion through the fluid inlet port into the first bottom plenum and is forced into the first top plenum through the at least one set of jet ports to contact the at least one wall that is to be cooled, and flows from the first top plenum through the at least one transfer port to the second bottom plenum.

2. The heat sink according to claim 1 wherein the at least one set of jet ports is separated into first and second groups of jet ports where the first group is positioned on one side of the at least one transfer port and the second group is positioned on an opposite side of the transfer port.

3. The heat sink according to claim 2 wherein the at least one set of jet ports is a set of eight jet ports such that the first and second groups of jet ports are groups of four jet ports.

4. The heat sink according to claim 1 wherein each jet port in the at least one set of jet ports is a circular jet port having a diameter of about 0.20 inches.

5. The heat sink according to claim 1 wherein the at least one wall that is to be cooled is a substrate plate supporting a series of semiconductor devices, said at least one set of jet ports being a plurality of sets of jet ports where one set of jet ports being positioned directly below each semiconductor device.

6. The heat sink according to claim 1 wherein the baffle includes first, second and third sets of jet ports extending through the horizontal wall, two top dividing walls separating the top chamber portion into first, second and third top plenums, two bottom dividing walls separating the bottom chamber portion into first, second and third bottom plenums, and first, second and third transfer ports extending through the horizontal wall, wherein liquid coolant enters the bottom chamber portion through the fluid inlet port into the first bottom plenum and is forced through the first set of jet ports to contact the at least one wall that is to be cooled in the first top plenum, then flows from the first top plenum through the first transfer port into the second bottom plenum, then flows from the second bottom plenum through the second set of jet ports to contact the at least one wall that is to be cooled in the second top plenum, then flows from the second top plenum through the second transfer port to the third bottom plenum, then flows from the third bottom plenum through the third set of jet ports to contact the at least one wall that is to be cooled in the third top plenum, and then flows from the third top plenum through the third transfer port out of the fluid outlet port.

7. The heat sink according to claim 1 wherein the housing defines first, second and third chambers configured side-by-side and first, second and third baffles being positioned in each of the chambers, each of said baffles including a horizontal dividing wall separating the chamber into a top chamber portion and a bottom chamber portion, said horizontal wall including at least one set of jet ports, said at least one set of jet ports directing liquid coolant onto the at least one wall that is to be cooled, each baffle including at least one top dividing wall separating the top chamber portion into first and second top plenums, and at least one bottom dividing wall separating the bottom chamber portion into first and second bottom plenums, said horizontal wall further including at least one transfer port, wherein liquid coolant enters the bottom chamber portion through the fluid inlet port into the first bottom plenum and is forced through the at least one set of jet ports to contact the at least one wall that is to be cooled in the first top plenum, and flows from the first top plenum through the at least one transfer port to the second bottom plenum.

8. The heat sink according to claim 1 wherein the heat sink is included as part of an inverter module that converts DC voltage signals into AC voltage signals, said inverter module including a plurality of high power transistors that are to be cooled by the heat sink.

9. The heat sink according to claim 1 wherein the baffle is a single piece molded plastic unit.

10. The heat sink according to claim 1 wherein the housing includes a first chamber and a second chamber, said first chamber including the baffle and said second chamber having at least one wall defined by a coldplate.

11. The heat sink according to claim 1 wherein the at least one wall to be cooled is a metallic plate including a series of indentations.

12. An inverter module for converting DC voltage signals to AC voltage signals, said module comprising:

a housing, said housing including at least one cover and at least one cooling chamber portion;

a fluid inlet port in fluid communication with the cooling chamber portion;

a fluid outlet port in fluid communication with the cooling chamber portion;

a substrate plate positioned within the housing, said substrate plate supporting a plurality of semiconductor devices, said substrate plate being a wall of the cooling chamber portion; and

at least one baffle positioned within said cooling chamber portion, said baffle including a horizontal dividing wall separating the cooling chamber portion into a top cooling chamber portion and a bottom cooling chamber portion, said horizontal wall including at least one set of jet ports, said set of jet ports directing liquid coolant onto a backside of the plate opposite to the semiconductor devices, said baffle including at least one top dividing wall separating the top coolant chamber portion into first and second top plenums, and at least one bottom dividing wall separating the bottom coolant chamber into first and second bottom plenums, said horizontal wall further including at least one transfer port, wherein liquid coolant enters the bottom chamber portion through the fluid inlet port into the first bottom plenum and is forced into the first top plenum through the at least one set of jet ports to contact the plate, and flows from the first top plenum through the at least one transfer port to the second bottom plenum.

13. The inverter module according to claim 12 wherein the at least one set of jet ports is separated into first and second groups of jet ports where the first group is positioned on one side of the at least one transfer port and the second group is positioned on an opposite side of the transfer port.

14. The inverter module according to claim 12 wherein the baffle includes first, second and third sets of jet ports extending through the horizontal wall, two top dividing walls separating the top chamber portion into first, second and third top plenums, two bottom dividing walls separating the bottom chamber portion into first, second and third bottom plenums, and first, second and third transfer ports extending through the horizontal wall, wherein liquid coolant enters the bottom chamber portion through the fluid inlet port into the first bottom plenum and is forced through the first set of jet ports to contact the at least one wall that is to be cooled in the first top plenum, then flows from the first top plenum through the first transfer port into the second bottom plenum, then flows from the second bottom plenum through the second set of jet ports to contact the at least one wall that is to be cooled in the second top plenum, then flows from the second top plenum through the second transfer port to the third bottom plenum, then flows from the third bottom plenum through the third set of jet ports to contact the at least one wall that is to be cooled in the third top plenum, and then flows from the third top plenum through the third transfer port out of the fluid outlet port.

15. The inverter module according to claim 12 wherein the inverter module is a ganged inverter module including three submodules, each of said submodules including a plurality of semiconductor devices, said housing including first, second and third cooling chamber portions, said first cooling chamber portion being separated from the secured cooling chamber portion by a first dividing wall and said second cooling chamber portion being separated from the third cooling chamber portion by a second dividing wall, each of said submodules being positioned above one of the first, second or third cooling chamber portions, said first chamber including a first baffle, said second chamber including a second baffle, and said third chamber including a third baffle, wherein liquid coolant is introduced into the first cooling chamber portion through the inlet port, flows through the first baffle, flows from the first cooling chamber portion through a first side port in the first dividing wall into the second cooling chamber portion, flows through the second baffle in the second cooling chamber portion, flows from the second cooling chamber portion to the third cooling chamber portion through a second side port in the second dividing wall, flows through the third baffle in the third cooling chamber portion, and flows from the third cooling chamber portion out of the fluid outlet port.

16. The inverter module according to claim 12 wherein the housing defines first, second and third chambers configured side-by-side and first, second and third baffles being positioned in each of the chambers, each of said baffles including a horizontal dividing wall separating the chamber into a top chamber portion and a bottom chamber portion, said horizontal wall including at least one set of jet ports, said at least one set of jet ports directing liquid coolant onto the at least one wall that is to be cooled, each baffle including at least one top dividing wall separating the top chamber portion into first and second top plenums, and at least one bottom dividing wall separating the bottom chamber portion into first and second bottom plenums, said horizontal wall further including at least one transfer port, wherein liquid coolant enters the bottom chamber portion through the fluid inlet port into the first bottom plenum and is forced through the at least one set of jet ports to contact the at least one wall that is to be cooled in the first top plenum, and flows from the first top plenum through the at least one transfer port to the second bottom plenum.

17. A liquid-cooled heat sink comprising:

a cooling chamber, said cooling chamber including a wall to be cooled;

a fluid inlet port in fluid communication with the cooling chamber;

a fluid outlet port in fluid communication with the chamber; and

a baffle positioned within the chamber, said baffle including a horizontal dividing wall separating the chamber into a top chamber portion and a bottom chamber portion, said horizontal wall including first, second and third sets of eight jet ports, each of said set of jet ports directing liquid coolant onto the wall to be cooled, said baffle further including two top dividing walls separating the top chamber portion into first, second and third top plenums, two bottom dividing walls separating the bottom chamber portion into first, second and third bottom plenums, and first, second and third transfer ports extending through the horizontal wall, wherein liquid coolant enters the bottom chamber portion through the fluid inlet port into the first bottom plenum and is forced through the first set of jet ports to contact the wall to be cooled in the first top plenum, then flows from the first top plenum through the first transfer port into the second bottom plenum, then flows from the second bottom plenum through the second set of jet ports to contact the wall to be cooled in the second top plenum, then flows from the second top plenum through the second transfer port to the third bottom plenum, then flows from the third bottom plenum through the third set of jet ports to contact the wall to be cooled in the third top plenum, and then flows from the third top plenum through the third transfer port out of the fluid outlet port.

18. The heat sink according to claim 17, wherein each jet port is a circular jet port having a diameter of about 0.20 inches.