Cooling enclosure for maintaining commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment in vehicles

• US 20070236881A1
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Harder, Daniel, Leonard, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,724,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/695
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2009/222 Particular guide plates, baffles or deflectors, e.g. having particular orientation relative to an elongated casing or conduit
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/202 Air circulating in closed loop within enclosure wherein heat is removed through heat-exchangers

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for thermal conditioning equipment. In a preferred embodiment, an equipment enclosure comprises a body, a wall, a fluid port, and a fixture. The body defines an outer plenum and an inner chamber in the latter of which the fixture retains the equipment. The wall, which is between the outer plenum and the inner chamber, isolates the thermally conditioned first fluid from a second fluid in the inner chamber. Since the wall is thermally conductive it allows heat to be transferred between the outer plenum and the inner chamber. The fluid port is in communication with the outer plenum to allow the thermally conditioned first fluid to flow into the outer plenum. Baffle plates are also provided to distribute flow of the second fluid to the equipment.

Claims

1. An equipment enclosure for use in an environment wherein a thermal conditioning system supplies a thermally conditioned first fluid, the equipment enclosure comprising:

a body defining an outer plenum and an inner chamber, the body isolating the equipment from the thermally conditioned first fluid;

a wall between the outer plenum and the inner chamber, the wall isolating the thermally conditioned first fluid in the outer plenum from a second fluid in the inner chamber, the wall being thermally conductive whereby heat can be transferred between the outer plenum and the inner chamber;

a fluid port in communication with the outer plenum whereby the thermally conditioned first fluid can flow through the fluid port into the outer plenum; and

a fixture in the inner chamber and on which the equipment may be mounted whereby heat can be exchanged between the piece of equipment and the second fluid.

2. The equipment enclosure of claim 1, wherein the fluid port is a first fluid port, the equipment enclosure further comprising a second fluid port in communication with the outer plenum whereby the thermally conditioned first fluid can flow from the first fluid port to the second fluid port.

3. The equipment enclosure of claim 1 further comprising a fan to circulate the second fluid in the inner chamber through the piece of equipment.

4. The equipment enclosure of claim 3 further comprising a baffle in the inner chamber and defining a mixing plenum whereby the circulating second fluid is mixed to an isothermal state, the plenum being positioned in the inner chamber to direct the isothermal second fluid to the piece of equipment.

5. The equipment enclosure of claim 1 wherein the thermally conditioned first fluid is air from the thermal conditioning system and wherein the second fluid is air.

6. The equipment enclosure of claim 1 further comprising a door attached to the body and for accessing the inner chamber and defining a front side of the equipment enclosure.

7. The equipment enclosure of claim 6 wherein the door is a first door, the equipment enclosure further comprising a second door place on the opposite side of the body as the first door and defining a back side of the equipment enclosure.

8. The equipment enclosure of claim 6 further comprising a seal between the door and the body whereby the door, the seal, and the body form a hermetic seal about the inner chamber when the door is in a closed position.

9. The equipment enclosure of claim 1 further comprising a temperature controller adapted to sense the temperature of the second fluid in the inner chamber and to adjust the flow of the first fluid through the fluid port responsive to the temperature of the second fluid.

10. The equipment enclosure of claim 9 further comprising a thermoelectric cold plate in the outer plenum, the temperature controller further adapted to operate the thermo-electric cold plate responsive to the temperature of the second fluid whereby the temperature of the first fluid can be adjusted.

11. The equipment enclosure of claim 1 further comprising a pair of valves in communication with the inner chamber and the thermal conditioning system to allow the first fluid to circulate from the thermal conditioning system through the inner chamber and return to the thermal conditioning system.

12. The equipment enclosure of claim 1 further comprising a water vapor source in communication with the inner chamber whereby the humidity in the inner chamber can be adjusted.

13. The equipment enclosure of claim 1 wherein the inner chamber has an overall height, the fixture furthering comprising a plurality of shelves which are removably attachable to the body at a plurality of pre-determined heights in the inner chamber, the fixture further including a plurality of baffle plates, each of the plurality of baffle plates having a height such that when a shelf that the baffle plate is attached to is attached to the body at one of the pre-determined heights the baffle plate extends from the shelf to which it is attached to about the next highest pre-determined height or to the overall height of the inner chamber.

14. A method of thermally conditioning equipment in an environment where a thermal conditioning system supplies a thermally conditioned first fluid, the method comprising:

isolating the equipment from the thermally conditioned first fluid;

exchanging heat between the equipment and a second fluid in an inner chamber of an equipment enclosure;

exchanging the heat again between the second fluid and the thermally conditioned second fluid in an outer plenum of the equipment enclosure;

isolating the thermally conditioned first fluid and the second fluid from each other with a conductive wall between the inner chamber and the outer plenum; and

flowing the thermally conditioned first fluid through the outer plenum.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the second fluid is air, the method further comprising humidifying the air.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising allowing the thermally conditioned first fluid to flow through the inner chamber.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising adjusting the flow of the thermally conditioned first fluid through the outer plenum responsive to a temperature of the second fluid in the inner chamber.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising adjusting the temperature of the thermally conditioned first fluid responsive to a temperature of the second fluid in the inner chamber.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising creating a baffle in the inner chamber by attaching a baffle plate to a shelf and removably attaching the shelf to the equipment enclosure at a first pre-determined height within an overall height of the inner chamber, the baffle plate having a height extending from the first predetermined height to a second predetermined height where another shelf may be removably attached to the equipment or to the overall height of the inner chamber.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising circulating the second fluid in the inner chamber through the equipment.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising mixing the second fluid to an isothermal state before circulating the second fluid through the equipment.

22. The method of claim 14 wherein the thermally conditioned first fluid is air from the thermal conditioning system.

23. The method of claim 14 further comprising using a door of the equipment enclosure to access the inner chamber and forming a hermetic seal about the inner chamber using the door.