Method and apparatus for cooling with coolant at a subambient pressure

• US 7,254,957 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2005
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Wyatt, William Gerald, Weber, Richard Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones; Melvin
• Application Number:
  US11/058,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20060179861A1
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 622/592, 622/591, 624/75, 165/80.3, 165/104.21, 165/201, 165/281
• US Class Current: 62/259.2
• CPC Class Codes: B63J 2/02 Ventilation; Air-conditioning
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 23/006 boiling cooling systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2339/047 Water-cooled condensers
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/02 Arrangements for de-icing; Arrangements for drying-out ; Arrangements for cooling; Arrangements for preventing corrosion
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/34 Adaptation for use in or on ships, submarines, buoys or torpedoes for subaqueous use H01Q1/04

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a fluid coolant and structure which reduces a pressure of the fluid coolant through a subambient pressure at which the coolant has a cooling temperature less than a temperature of the heat-generating structure. The apparatus also includes structure that directs a flow of the fluid coolant in the form of a liquid at a subambient pressure in a manner causing the liquid coolant to be brought into thermal communication with the heat-generating structure. The heat from the heat-generating structure causes the liquid coolant to boil and vaporize so that the coolant absorbs heat from the heat-generating structure as the coolant changes state. The structure is configured to circulate the fluid coolant through a flow loop while maintaining the pressure of the fluid coolant within a range having an upper bound less than ambient pressure. The apparatus also includes a first heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the fluid coolant flowing through the loop and a second coolant in an intermediary loop so as to condense the fluid coolant flowing through the loop to a liquid. The apparatus also includes a second heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the second coolant in the intermediary cooling loop and a body of water on which the ship is disposed.

Claims

1. A system for cooling a plurality of heat-generating structures on a ship, the plurality of heat-generating structures each disposed in respective environments having a respective ambient pressure, the system comprising:

for each heat generating structure;

a respective fluid coolant;

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

structure which directs a flow of said respective coolant in the form of a liquid at said subambient pressure in a manner causing said liquid coolant to be brought into thermal communication with said heat-generating structure, the heat from said heat-generating structure causing said liquid coolant to boil and vaporize so that said respective coolant absorbs heat from said heat-generating structure as said respective coolant changes state, wherein said heat-generating structure includes a plurality of sections which each generate heat, and wherein said structure for directing the flow of said coolant brings respective portions of said coolant into thermal communication with respective said sections of said heat-generating structure;

a heat exchanger for removing heat from said respective coolant flowing through said loop so as to condense said coolant to a liquid; and

at least one intermediary cooling loop operable to thermally couple the respective coolants with a body of water on which the ship floats, the at least one intermediary cooling loop comprising at least one intermediary cooling loop heat exchanger operable to exchange heat between the body of water and an intermediary cooling fluid in the intermediary cooling loop.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediary cooling loop comprises a single intermediary cooling loop thermally coupling each respective coolant to the body of water.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said respective coolant is one of water, methanol, a fluorinert, and a mixture of water and ethylene glycol.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the intermediary cooling fluid is selected from the group consisting of water, methanol, a fluorinert, a mixture of water and ethylene glycol, and a mixture of water and propylene glycol.

5. An apparatus, comprising heat-generating structure disposed in an environment having an ambient pressure, and a cooling system for removing heat from said heat-generating structure, said heat-generating structure disposed on a ship, said cooling system including:

a first fluid coolant;

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

structure which directs a flow of said first coolant in the form of a liquid at said subambient pressure in a manner causing said liquid coolant to be brought into thermal communication with said heat-generating structure, the heat from said heat-generating structure causing said liquid coolant to boil and vaporize so that said first coolant absorbs heat from said heat-generating structure as said coolant changes state, wherein said structure is configured to circulate said first coolant through a flow loop while maintaining the pressure of said first coolant within a range having an upper bound less than said ambient pressure;

a first heat exchanger for exchanging heat between said first coolant flowing through said loop and a second coolant in an intermediary loop so as to condense said first coolant flowing through said loop to a liquid; and

a second heat exchanger for exchanging heat between said second coolant in the intermediary cooling loop and a body of water on which the ship is disposed.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein said heat-generating structure includes a passageway having a surface which extends along a length of said passageway;

and

wherein heat generated by said heat generating structure is supplied to said surface of said passageway along the length of said surface, said portion of said coolant flowing through said passageway and engaging said surface so as to absorb heat from said surface.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said coolant is one of water, methanol, a fluorinert, and a mixture of water and ethylene glycol.

8. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said structure for directing the flow of said fluid includes a plurality of orifices and causes each said portion of said coolant to pass through a respective said orifice before being brought into thermal communication with a respective said section of said heat-generating structure.

9. An apparatus according to claim 5, and further comprising a pump for circulating the second coolant.

10. A method for cooling heat-generating structure on a ship on a body of water, the heat-generating structure disposed in an environment having an ambient pressure, the method comprising:

providing a primary fluid coolant;

reducing a pressure of said primary fluid coolant to a subambient pressure at which said primary coolant has a boiling temperature less than a temperature of said heat-generating structure;

bringing said primary coolant at said subambient pressure into thermal communication with said heat-generating structure, so that said primary coolant boils and vaporizes to thereby absorb heat from said heat-generating structure;

circulating said primary coolant through a flow loop while maintaining the pressure of said primary coolant within a range having an upper bound less than said ambient pressure, said flow loop in thermal communication with a heat exchanger for removing heat from said primary coolant so as to condense said primary coolant to a liquid;

providing an intermediary cooling loop in thermal communication with said heat exchanger;

exchanging, by the heat exchanger, heat from said primary coolant with an intermediary loop coolant in said intermediary cooling loop; and

exchanging heat from said intermediary cooling loop coolant with a sink fluid.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the sink fluid is a portion of the body of water on which the ship is disposed.

12. A method according to claim 10, and further comprising selecting for use as said primary coolant one of water, methanol, a fluorinert, a mixture of water and ethylene glycol, and a mixture of water and propylene glycol.

13. A method according to claim 10, and further comprising:

providing a plurality of orifices; and

causing each said portion of said primary coolant to pass through a respective said orifice before being brought into thermal communication with a respective said section of said heat-generating structure.

14. A method according to claim 10, and further comprising configuring said intermediary cooling loop to include a pump for circulating said intermediary loop coolant through said intermediary cooling loop.

15. A method for cooling a plurality of heat-generating structures on a ship on a body of water, the plurality of heat-generating structures each disposed in respective environments having a respective ambient pressure, the method comprising:

for each heat-generating structure;

providing a respective fluid coolant;

reducing a pressure of said respective fluid coolant to a subambient pressure at which said respective coolant has a boiling temperature less than a temperature of said heat-generating structure;

bringing said respective coolant at said subambient pressure into thermal communication with said heat-generating structure so that said coolant boils and vaporizes to thereby absorb heat from said heat-generating structure; and

circulating said respective coolant through a respective flow loop while maintaining the pressure of said respective coolant within a range having an upper bound less than said respective ambient pressure, said respective flow loop in thermal communication with a respective heat exchanger for removing heat from said respective coolant so as to condense said respective coolant to a liquid;

providing at least one intermediary cooling loop;

exchanging, by each respective heat exchanger, heat from each respective coolant with said at least one intermediary cooling loop so as to condense at least a portion of said respective coolant to a liquid; and

exchanging heat from said at least one intermediary cooling loop with the body of water.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one intermediary cooling loop comprises a single intermediary cooling loop thermally coupling each respective coolant to the body of water.

17. The method of claim 16, and further comprising configuring said single intermediary cooling loop to include an intermediary cooling loop fluid coolant selected from the group consisting of water, methanol, a fluorinert, a mixture of water and ethylene glycol, and a mixture of water and propylene glycol.

18. The method of claim 15, and further comprising for each heat-generating structure,

providing a plurality of orifices;

and

causing each said portion of said coolant to pass through a respective said orifice before being brought into thermal communication with a respective said section of said heat-generating structure.

19. The method of claim 15, and further comprising configuring said at least one intermediary cooling loop to include a pump for circulating said coolant through said intermediary cooling loop.