Supersonic cooling system

• US 8,353,169 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2010
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Impulse Devices Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pax Scientific Incorporated
• Inventors: Harman, Jayden, Gielda, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Comings, Daniel C
• Application Number:
  US12/961,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20110088878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 62/5, 62/61, 621/16, 625/00, 624/98, 624/99
• US Class Current: 62/6
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/00 Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle F25B3/00, F25B5/00, F25B6/00, F25B7/00, F25B9/00 take precedence

Abstract

A supersonic cooling system operates by pumping liquid. Because the supersonic cooling system pumps liquid, the compression system does not require the use of a condenser. The compression system utilizes a compression wave. An evaporator of the compression system operates in the critical flow regime where the pressure in an evaporator tube will remain almost constant and then ‘jump’ or ‘shock up’ to the ambient pressure.

Claims

1. A supersonic cooling system, comprising:

a flow path having a high pressure region and a low pressure region;

a pump disposed at the high pressure region of the flow path, the pump facilitating the flow of fluid through the flow path; and

an evaporator that facilitates a phase change of a fluid traversing the flow path, wherein the low pressure region of the flow path is located within the evaporator, the pump feeds the fluid without having passed through a heater into the evaporator, and the flow path transports a flow of fluid at a velocity that is greater than the speed of sound in the fluid when the fluid undergoes the phase change as the fluid is transported from the high pressure region of the flow path to the low pressure region of the flow path.

2. The supersonic cooling system of claim 1, wherein the fluid undergoes a drop in temperature during the phase change, whereby the fluid may be used for cooling.

3. The supersonic cooling system of claim 1, wherein the evaporator includes an evaporator tube that maintains a constant pressure across the evaporator tube.

4. The supersonic cooling system of claim 1, wherein the flow path decreases a pressure of the fluid at substantially constant enthalpy.

5. The supersonic cooling system of claim 1, wherein the fluid includes water.

6. The supersonic cooling system of claim 1, further comprising a heat exchanger for transferring heat to the fluid during the phase change.

7. A cooling system, comprising:

a flow path;

a pump that circulates a fluid through the flow path; and

an evaporator that induces a pressure drop and phase change in the fluid as it is circulated through the flow path, wherein the pump feeds the fluid into the evaporator without passing through an intermediate heater and the evaporator operates in the critical flow regime.

8. The cooling system of claim 7, wherein the flow path includes a high pressure region and a low pressure region, the fluid circulating at a velocity greater than the speed of sound in the fluid when transported from the high pressure region to the low pressure region of the flow path, the low pressure region located within the evaporator.

9. The cooling system of claim 7, wherein the phase change of the fluid occurs during a drop in temperature of the fluid, whereby the fluid may be used for cooling.

10. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the evaporator includes an evaporator tube having a constant pressure across the evaporator tube.

18. The cooling system of claim 7, wherein the evaporator generates a compression wave in the fluid.

11. A method for supersonic cooling, comprising:

flowing a fluid through a flow path, the flow path having a high pressure region and a low pressure region, the fluid flowing through the flow path with the aid of a pump;

dropping the pressure of the flowing fluid at an evaporator situated at the low pressure region of the flow path, wherein the flowing fluid is fed into the evaporator by the pump without passing through an intermediate heater; and

inducing a phase change of the flowing fluid at the evaporator, the evaporator operating in the critical flow regime.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the phase change includes the transfer of heat to the fluid.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein transferring heat to the fluid occurs by way of a heat exchanger.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising shocking the fluid up to an elevated pressure upon exiting the evaporator.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the fluid shocks up to the elevated pressure at substantially constant enthalpy.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the fluid flows from a high pressure region to a low pressure region of the flow path at substantially constant enthalpy.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the fluid flows at a velocity greater than the speed of sound in the fluid when the fluid is transported from the high pressure region to the low pressure region of the flow path.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the evaporator generates a compression wave in the fluid.