Cooling of high power density devices by electrically conducting fluids

• US 6,658,861 B1
• Filed: 12/06/2002
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zagorin O'Brien Graham, LLP
• Original Assignee: Nanocoolers, Inc.
• Inventors: Ghoshal, Uttam, Miner, Andrew Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Melvin
• Application Number:
  US10/314,018
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 62/32, 62/33, 62/36, 622/592, 624/34, 165/104.19
• US Class Current: 62/3.7
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/00 Pumps characterised by combination with, or adaptation to, specific driving engines or motors
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/02 using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0252 by liquids or two-phase fluids
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 25/00 Machines, plants or systems, using a combination of modes of operation covered by two or more of the groups F25B1/00 - F25B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0266 with separate evaporating and condensing chambers connected by at least one conduit; Loop-type heat pipes; with multiple or common evaporating or condensing chambers F28D15/043 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
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/0141 Shields associated with casings, enclosures or brackets
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 44/04 Conduction pumps
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 10/00 Thermoelectric devices comprising a junction of dissimilar materials, i.e. devices exhibiting Seebeck or Peltier effects integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N19/00

Abstract

A system to extract heat from a high power density device and dissipate heat at a convenient distance. The system circulates liquid metal in a closed conduit using one or more electromagnetic pumps for carrying away the heat from high power density device and rejecting the heat at a heat sink located at a distance. The system may make use of a thermoelectric generator to power the electromagnetic pumps by utilizing the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet pipes of the heat sink. The system also provides networks of primary and secondary closed conduits having series and parallel arrangements of electromagnetic pumps for dissipating heat from multiple devices at a remotely located heat sink.

Claims

1. A system for dissipating heat from a high power density device, the system comprising:

a. a solid-fluid heat exchanger placed adjacent to the high power density device, the solid-fluid heat exchanger containing liquid metal;

b. means for cooling the liquid metal, the cooling means being placed at a predefined distance away from the solid-fluid heat exchanger;

c. at least one conduit passing through the solid-fluid heat exchanger and the cooling means in the form of a closed loop, the conduit circulating the liquid metal between the solid-fluid, heat exchanger and the cooling means;

d. at least one electromagnetic pump for pumping the liquid metal through the conduit,

wherein heat is transferred away from the high power density device to the cooling means through the liquid metal contained in the conduit, the liquid metal being circulated in the conduit by the electromagnetic pump.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the predefined distance for placing the cooling means is determined on the basis of the form factor.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the liquid metal contained in the solid-fluid heat exchanger is an alloy of gallium and indium.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the liquid metal contained in the solid-fluid heat exchanger is selected from a group consisting of indium, gallium, mercury, bismuth tin alloy, bismuth lead alloy and sodium potassium eutectic alloy.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the conduit is constructed using a material selected from a group consisting of polymers and refractory metals.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

a. a thermoelectric cooler placed between the solid-fluid heat exchanger and the high power density device, the thermoelectric cooler providing primary spot cooling of the high power density device.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the system further comprises an electromagnetic interference shield.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a heat spreader positioned adjacent to the high power density device.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the heat spreader further comprises:

I. a plurality of cooling chambers containing liquid metal;

II. a plurality of electromagnetic pumps arranged in a configuration so as to circulate the liquid metal in the cooling chambers.

15. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the system comprises a plurality of electromagnetic pumps in series.

16. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the system comprises a plurality of electromagnetic pumps in parallel.

10. A system for transporting heat away from a high power density device, the system comprising:

a. a solid-fluid heat exchanger placed adjacent to the high power density device, the solid-fluid heat exchanger containing liquid metal;

b. means for cooling the liquid metal, the cooling means placed at a predefined distance away from the solid-fluid heat exchanger;

c. at least one conduit passing through the solid-fluid heat exchanger and the cooling means in the form of a closed loop for circulating the liquid metal between the solid-fluid heat exchanger and the cooling means, the conduit having a hot region carrying hot liquid metal from the solid-fluid heat exchanger to the cooling means and a cold region carrying cold liquid metal from the cooling means to the solid-fluid heat exchanger;

d. at least one electromagnetic pump for pumping the liquid metal through the conduit;

e. a thermoelectric generator for generating power for running the electromagnetic pumps, one end of the thermoelectric generator being placed in contact with the hot region of the conduit while the other end being placed in contact with the cold region of the conduit, the thermoelectric generator utilizing the temperature difference between its ends to generate power;

whereby heat is transferred away from the high power density device to the cooling means through the liquid metal contained in the conduit, the liquid metal being circulated in the conduit by the electromagnetic pump.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 further comprising:

a. A thermoelectric cooler placed between the solid-fluid heat exchanger and the high power density device, the thermoelectric cooler providing primary spot cooling of the high power density device.

12. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein the means for cooling is selected from a group consisting of heat sink, fluid-fluid heat exchanger, thermoelectric cooler and vapor compression cooler.

13. The system as recited in claim 10 wherein the means for cooling is a refrigerator for chilling the liquid metal.

14. A method for dissipating heat away from a high power density device, the high power density device placed adjacent to a solid-fluid heat exchanger containing liquid metal, the method comprising:

a. transferring heat from the high power density device to the liquid metal placed in the solid-fluid heat exchanger;

b. transporting the liquid metal through a conduit passing through the solid-fluid heat exchanger to a heat sink placed at a predefined distance away from the solid-fluid heat exchanger;

c. dissipating heat at the heat sink;

d. transporting cooled liquid metal back to the solid-fluid heat exchanger.