Method and apparatus for cooling electronic components

• US 7,757,497 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2009
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CRAY Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: CRAY Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Pautsch, Adam, Pautsch, Gregory W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorman; Darren W
• Application Number:
  US12/356,020
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 62/62, 62/64, 622/592, 623/04, 623/10, 239/1, 239/11, 239/13, 239/463, 239/468, 239/472, 239/486, 239/487, 239/518, 239/536, 239/548, 239/553.3, 239555-558, 239/560, 239/561, 239/589, 239/590, 239/590.3, 239/596, 239/601, 361/688, 361/689, 361/699, 165/104.19, 165/104.33, 257/712, 257/714
• US Class Current: 62/64
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/3415 with swirl imparting inserts upstream of the swirl chamber
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 3/04 Distributing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4735 Jet impingement H01L23/4336 takes 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

Abstract

A spray cooling system includes a spray delivery device and a cooling liquid delivered to the spray delivery device. The spray delivery device includes one or more inlet apertures and one or more corresponding outlet apertures, at least one pair of inlet aperture and corresponding outlet aperture being positioned relative to each so as to form an asymmetric non-uniform density full-cone spray pattern.

Claims

1. A method comprising cooling a heat generating component by delivering two or more overlapping full-cone sprays at a surface of the heat generating component, wherein each of the overlapping full-cone sprays includes a non-uniform density such that the overlapping portion of each of the spray cones has a lower spray density than the non-overlapping portions of each of the spray cones.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes delivering four overlapping full-cone sprays, each having a non-uniform density.

3. The method of claim 1, including providing a plurality of inlet apertures and a plurality of corresponding outlet apertures, each inlet aperture being located over its corresponding outlet aperture such that the inlet aperture is non-centered over the outlet aperture.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivering two or more overlapping spray cones includes providing a spray delivery device having two or more fluid inlet apertures to deliver a cooling fluid towards two or more corresponding outlet apertures.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of the fluid inlet apertures are offset from its corresponding outlet aperture.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the spray delivery device includes at least four fluid inlet apertures having a center point therebetween and wherein each of the four fluid inlet apertures is located closer to the center point relative to that fluid inlet aperture'"'"'s corresponding offset outlet aperture.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the spray delivery device includes a laminated plate structure including a first plate having the two or more fluid inlet apertures and a second plate having the two or more corresponding outlet apertures.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second plate includes a swirler adjacent each outlet aperture and the first plate includes a plurality of swirler inlet apertures to deliver cooling fluid to the swirler.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the full-cone sprays are formed from a dielectric cooling fluid.

10. A method comprising cooling a heat generating component by delivering at least four overlapping full-cone sprays at a surface of the heat generating component, wherein each of the overlapping full-cone sprays includes an asymmetrical non-uniform density such that the overlapping portion of each of the spray cones has a lower spray density than the non-overlapping portions of each of the spray cones, and wherein each of the spray cones are formed by positioning an inlet aperture relative to an outlet aperture on a spray delivery device, wherein at least four of the fluid inlet apertures have a center point therebetween and wherein each of the four fluid inlet apertures is located closer to the center point relative to that fluid inlet aperture'"'"'s corresponding outlet aperture.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each inlet aperture is located over its corresponding outlet aperture such that the inlet aperture is non-centered over the outlet aperture.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the inlet and outlet apertures are formed by a laminated plate structure including a first plate having the fluid inlet apertures and a second plate having the corresponding outlet apertures.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second plate includes a swirler adjacent each outlet aperture and the first plate includes a plurality of swirler inlet apertures to deliver cooling fluid to the swirler.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the full-cone sprays are formed from a dielectric cooling fluid.