Multi-level microchannel heat exchangers
First Claim
1. A heat exchanger comprising:
- a. a manifold layer having a first plurality of openings for providing a cooling material to the heat exchanger and a second plurality of openings for removing the cooling material from the heat exchanger;
b. an interface layer coupled to the manifold layer, the interface layer having a plurality of vertically stacked routes, each route extending from one of the first plurality of openings and terminating at a corresponding one of the second plurality of openings, each route for carrying the cooling material, a cross-section of the plurality of routes substantially contained in a plane non-parallel to a heat-exchanging plane; and
c. a heat-generating device coupled to a bottom surface of the interface layer.
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method of circulating a heat-absorbing material within a heat exchanger. The apparatus comprises a manifold layer coupled to an interface layer. The manifold layer comprises an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold. The interface layer comprises a plurality of channels that extend from the inlet manifold, toward a heat-exchanging plane, and turn away from the heat-exchanging plane, terminating at the outlet manifold. The plurality of channels are stacked in a plane non-parallel to the heat-exchanging plane. Each of the channels is adjacent to another, thus allowing heat radiated from a heat-generating device to be conducted to a cooling material circulating within the channels, away from the heat-generating device. Preferably, each of the channels has a U-shape or an elongated U-shape.
-
Citations
79 Claims
-
1. A heat exchanger comprising:
-
a. a manifold layer having a first plurality of openings for providing a cooling material to the heat exchanger and a second plurality of openings for removing the cooling material from the heat exchanger; b. an interface layer coupled to the manifold layer, the interface layer having a plurality of vertically stacked routes, each route extending from one of the first plurality of openings and terminating at a corresponding one of the second plurality of openings, each route for carrying the cooling material, a cross-section of the plurality of routes substantially contained in a plane non-parallel to a heat-exchanging plane; and c. a heat-generating device coupled to a bottom surface of the interface layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
-
-
21. A heat exchanger comprising:
-
a. a manifold layer having a first plurality of openings for providing a cooling material to the heat exchanger and a second plurality of openings for removing the cooling material from the heat exchanger; and b. an interface layer coupled to the manifold layer, the interface layer having a plurality of vertically stacked routes, each route extending from one of the first plurality of openings and terminating at a corresponding one of the second plurality of openings, each route for carrying the cooling material, a cross-section of the plurality of routes substantially contained in a plane non-parallel to a heat-exchanging plane; and c. a heat insulator between the first plurality of openings and the second plurality of openings. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
-
-
34. A method of forming a heat exchanger comprising:
-
a. forming a manifold layer having a first plurality of openings for providing a cooling material to the heat exchanger and a second plurality of openings for removing the cooling material from the heat exchanger; b. forming an interface layer coupled to the manifold layer, the interface layer having a plurality of vertically stacked routes that each extends from one of the first plurality of openings and terminates at a corresponding one of the second plurality of openings, each route for carrying the cooling material, a cross-section of the plurality of routes substantially contained in a plane non-parallel to a heat-exchanging plane; and c. coupling a heat-generating device to a bottom surface of the interface layer. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
-
-
49. A method of forming a heat exchanger comprising:
-
a. forming a manifold layer having a first plurality of openings for providing a cooling material to the heat exchanger and a second plurality of openings for removing the cooling material from the heat exchanger; b. forming an interface layer coupled to the manifold layer, the interface layer having a plurality of vertically stacked routes that each extends from one of the first plurality of openings and terminates at a corresponding one of the second plurality of openings, each route for carrying the cooling material, a cross-section of the plurality of routes substantially contained in a plane non-parallel to a heat-exchanging plane; and c. forming a heat insulator between the first plurality of openings and the second plurality of openings. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52)
-
- 64. A method of cooling a device comprising transmitting a cooling material from an inlet manifold, through a plurality of stacked routes positioned over the device, and to an outlet manifold.
Specification