Method and apparatus for cooling electronics with a coolant at a subambient pressure

• US 8,490,418 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2011
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Weber, Richard M., Wyatt, William G., Rummel, Kerrin A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad M
• Application Number:
  US13/043,675
• Publication Number:
  US 20110157828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 622/592, 622/283, 623/242, 623/232, 624/74, 165/104.21, 165/104.33, 361/699, 361/729
• US Class Current: 62/115
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 23/006 boiling cooling systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 43/00 Arrangements for separating or purifying gases or liquids in analysers or rectifiers F25B33/00; Arrangements for vaporising the residuum of liquid refrigerant, e.g. by heat F25B40/00 takes precedence
• 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: F28D 2021/0031 Radiators for recooling a coolant of cooling systems
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 23/00 Features relating to the use of intermediate heat-exchange materials, e.g. selection of compositions heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials C09K5/00
• 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: H01Q 1/02 Arrangements for de-icing; Arrangements for drying-out ; Arrangements for cooling; Arrangements for preventing corrosion

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for cooling heat-generating structure disposed in an environment having an ambient pressure. The heat-generating structure includes electronics. The method includes providing a coolant, reducing a pressure of the coolant to a subambient pressure at which the coolant has a boiling temperature less than a temperature of the heat-generating structure, and bringing the heat-generating structure and the coolant at the subambient pressure into contact with one another, so that the coolant boils and vaporizes to thereby absorb heat from the heat-generating structure. In a more particular embodiment the coolant is either pure water or pure methanol with an electrical resistivity level of greater than one million Ohms-cm. Further, in another particular embodiment the method includes filtering the coolant to maintain its purity above a particular level.

Claims

1. A method for cooling electronics disposed in an environment having an ambient pressure, the method comprising:

providing a coolant comprising one of pure water or pure methanol;

bringing the electronics into direct contact with the coolant so that the coolant boils and vaporizes to thereby absorb heat from the electronics; and

purifying the coolant while at a subambient pressure in order to maintain the purity of the coolant at a level so the coolant has an electrical resistivity greater than one million Ohms-cm.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the coolant has an electrical resistivity greater than one million Ohms-cm.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reducing a pressure of the coolant to a subambient pressure at which the coolant has a boiling temperature less than a temperature of the electronics.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein bringing the electronics into direct contact with the coolant comprises submerging the electronics into a bath of the coolant.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

flowing the coolant over the electronics.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the electronics to include a plurality of electronic modules and a porous mesh coupled to each electronic module.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each electronic module is electrically connected to at least one other of the plurality of electronic modules.

8. An apparatus for cooling electronics disposed in an environment having an ambient pressure, the apparatus comprising:

a coolant comprising one of pure water or pure methanol;

an assembly operable to bring the electronics into direct contact with the coolant such that heat from the electronics causes the coolant to boil and vaporize so that the coolant absorbs heat from the electronics as the coolant changes state; and

a purification system operable to maintain the purity of the coolant at a level so the coolant has an electrical resistivity greater than one million Ohms-cm.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the coolant has an electrical resistivity greater than one million Ohms-cm.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a pressure reduction system operable to reduce a pressure of the coolant to a subambient pressure at which the coolant has a boiling temperature less than a temperature of the heat-generating structure.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the assembly is further operable to submerge the coolants in a bath of the coolant.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the assembly is further operable to allow the coolant to flow over the submerged electronics.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the electronics comprise a plurality of electronic modules and a porous mesh coupled to each electronic module.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein each electronic module is electrically connected to at least one other of the plurality of electronic modules.

15. A method for cooling a heat-generating structure disposed in an environment having an ambient pressure, the heat-generating structure comprising electronics, the method comprising:

reducing a pressure of a coolant to a sub ambient pressure at which the coolant has a boiling temperature less than a temperature of the heat-generating structure;

bringing the heat-generating structure and the coolant into contact with each other at a subambient pressure, so that the coolant boils and vaporizes to thereby absorb heat from the heat-generating structure; and

purifying the coolant in order to maintain the purity of the coolant at the level so the coolant has the electrical resistivity greater than one million Ohms-cm.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the coolant is selected from the group consisting of pure water and pure methanol.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the heat-generating structure includes a plurality of electronic modules and a porous mesh coupled to each electronic module.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the heat-generating structure includes:

a frame having a plurality of frame voids;

a plurality of modules each disposed in respective ones of the frame voids, each module comprising an array of circuit substrates separated by void regions through which coolant may flow, each circuit substrate comprising;

a substrate; and

at least one electrical circuit disposed on the substrate.

19. An apparatus for cooling a heat-generating structure disposed in an environment having an ambient pressure, the apparatus comprising:

a pressure reduction system operable to reduce a pressure of a coolant to a subambient pressure at which the coolant has a boiling temperature less than a temperature of the heat-generating structure;

a submerged assembly operable to submerge the heat-generating structure in the coolant at the subambient pressure such that heat from the heat-generating structure causes the coolant to boil and vaporize, so that the coolant absorbs heat from the heat-generating structure as the coolant changes state;

a flow loop configured to circulate the coolant to the submerged assembly; and

a purification system configured to purify the coolant circulated to the submerged assembly in order to maintain the purity of the coolant at the level so the coolant has the electrical resistivity greater than one million Ohms-cm.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the coolant is selected from the group consisting of pure water and pure methanol.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the heat-generating structure includes a plurality of electronic modules and a porous mesh coupled to each electronic module.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the heat-generating structure includes:

a frame having a plurality of frame voids;

a plurality of modules each disposed in respective ones of the frame voids, each module comprising an array of circuit substrates separated by void regions through which coolant may flow, each circuit substrate comprising;

a substrate; and

at least one electrical circuit disposed on the substrate.