U.S. patent application number 10/412753 was filed with the patent office on 2003-10-23 for contact cooling device.
This patent application is currently assigned to LYTRON, INC.. Invention is credited to Akselband, Boris, Carswell, Charles, Gerbutavich, Charles, Goldman, Richard.
Application Number | 20030196451 10/412753 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29218891 |
Filed Date | 2003-10-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030196451 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Goldman, Richard ; et
al. |
October 23, 2003 |
Contact cooling device
Abstract
A high performance cooling device including multiple, relatively
thin plates, each having patterns formed thereon that, as arranged
within the device, cause turbulence in a fluid passing within the
cold plate. Adjacent ones of the plates within the cold plate are
arranged such that fluid passing channels within their patterns are
arranged crosswise. The plates may be arranged such that the fluid
passing channels within the adjacent plate patterns are at an
included angle of between 36 and 60 degrees. Manufacturing of the
device includes stacking the plates in an alternating fashion such
that the channels within the pattern of each plate are crosswise
with respect to the channels in the pattern of an adjacent plate. A
pair of end plates, which are stacked at the top and bottom of the
assembly, do not have an etched pattern and allow for fluid input
and output ports. During operation of the disclosed device, the
ports bring fluid, such as a coolant, into and out of the
device.
Inventors: |
Goldman, Richard;
(Stoughton, MA) ; Akselband, Boris; (Brighton,
MA) ; Gerbutavich, Charles; (Salem, MA) ;
Carswell, Charles; (Weston, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WEINGARTEN, SCHURGIN, GAGNEBIN & LEBOVICI LLP
TEN POST OFFICE SQUARE
BOSTON
MA
02109
US
|
Assignee: |
LYTRON, INC.
|
Family ID: |
29218891 |
Appl. No.: |
10/412753 |
Filed: |
April 11, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60371883 |
Apr 11, 2002 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/515 ;
165/166 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28F 13/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/515 ;
165/166 |
International
Class: |
F28F 003/00; F25B
039/02 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A cooling device, comprising: a plurality of patterned plates,
each of said patterned plates having a pattern formed thereon,
wherein said pattern includes a plurality of channels through which
liquid can pass, and wherein said plates are arranged such that
said channels of said pattern in a first one of said patterned
plates are arranged substantially crosswise with respect to said
channels of said pattern in a second, adjacent one of said
plurality of patterned plates.
2. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein said plates are arranged
such that each of said channels of said pattern in said first one
of said patterned plates are arranged at an included angle of
between 36 and 60 degrees with respect to said channels of said
second, adjacent plate.
3. The cooling device of claim 2, further comprising a pair of end
plates coupled to opposite sides of the device, wherein said end
plates include an input port for allowing a fluid to enter said
device and an output port for allowing a fluid to exit said
device.
4. The cooling device of claim 3, wherein said plurality of
patterned plates are formed primarily of copper.
5. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein said patterned plates are
rectangular, and wherein said channels in said pattern extend
angularly from a lengthwise side of said first one of said
patterned plates, wherein said lengthwise side of said first one of
said patterned plates corresponds to a lengthwise side of said
device.
6. The cooling device of claim 5, wherein said channels in said
pattern extend at an angle within the range of 18 to 30 degrees
from said lengthwise side in said first one of said patterned
plates.
7. The cooling device of claim 8, wherein said channels in said
pattern extend at an angle within the range of negative 18 to
negative 30 degrees from said lengthwise side in said second,
adjacent one of said patterned plates.
8. A method of manufacturing a cooling device, comprising: forming
a pattern on a plurality of plates to produce a plurality of
patterned plates, wherein said pattern includes a plurality of
channels through which liquid can pass; arranging said plurality of
patterned plates in a stack such that said channels of said pattern
in a first one of said patterned plates are crosswise with respect
to channels in said pattern of a second, adjacent one of said
plurality of patterned plates in said stack; and affixing a pair of
end plates to said stack, wherein said pair of end plates include
an input fluid port and an output fluid port.
9. The method if claim 8, wherein said forming said pattern on said
plurality of plates to produce said plurality of patterned plates
includes photo-etching said pattern onto said plurality of
plates.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein said forming said pattern on
said plurality of plates to produce said plurality of patterned
plates includes stamping said pattern onto said plurality of
plates.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein said forming said pattern on
said plurality of plates to produce said plurality of patterned
plates includes casting said plurality of plates to obtain said
pattern.
12. The method of claim 8, wherein said forming said pattern on
said plurality of plates to produce said plurality of patterned
plates include forging said plurality of plates to obtain said
pattern.
13. The method of claim 8, further comprising attaching a pair of
end plates to said stack, wherein said end plates include an input
port for allowing liquid into said cooling device, and an output
port for allowing liquid out of said cooling device.
14. The method of claim 8, further comprising placing said stack
into a fixture and soldering said patterned plates together while a
mechanical load is applied to maintain contact pressure between the
patterned plates in the stack.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising soldering at least
one pad on a component contact surface of said cooling device while
soldering said patterned plates together.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(e) to provisional patent application serial No.
60/371,883, entitled "CONTACT COOLING DEVICE", filed Apr. 11,
2002.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] N/A
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates generally to a cooling
apparatus and more specifically to a design for a contact cooling
device operable to introduce turbulence into a cooling fluid for
improved cooling characteristics.
[0004] As it is generally known, overheating of various types of
electronic components may result in their failure or destruction.
The need for effective heat removal techniques in this area is
accordingly a basic problem. Various types of systems have been
designed to cool electronic components in order to increase the
MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) of those components. In some
existing systems, fluid has been passed through cold plates or heat
sinks in order to transfer heat away from devices or components to
be cooled. While such existing systems have sometimes been
effective in certain applications, there is an ongoing need to
provide improved thermal transfer characteristics in such
devices.
[0005] Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a cooling device
that provides improvements in thermal transfer characteristics over
previous systems that have used fluid flows to facilitate cooling
of attached or proximate electronic devices.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] A high performance cooling device is disclosed, wherein the
cooling device includes multiple, relatively thin plates, each
having patterns formed thereon causing turbulence in a fluid
passing within the cold plate. Adjacent ones of the plates within
the device have their patterns shifted so that flow channels within
the adjacent patterns criss-cross each other, for example
intersecting at some included angle within the range of 36 to 60
degrees. The plates therefore may be arranged such that adjacent
plate patterns are effectively mirror images of each other.
[0007] In an illustrative embodiment, the plates within the cooling
device are fabricated using relatively thin (0.040"-0.100") copper
plates that have been photo-etched, stamped, forged, cast, or which
have been processed or produced in some other fashion to produce an
advantageous pattern. Channels within the pattern formed on the
copper plates induce turbulent flow to a fluid passing within the
cooling device to increase the overall thermal transfer performance
of the device. In one embodiment, a two pass design is used, in
which inlet and outlet fluid ports are located on one end of the
device. Alternatively, the disclosed device could be embodied in a
one pass design, in which the inlet and outlet ports are located on
opposite ends of the device.
[0008] In a preferred method of manufacturing the disclosed device,
the plates are assembled by first plating the individual plates
with an 85/15 tin lead solder or other suitable metal or alloy, to
a thickness of 0.0005-0.003 inches. The individual plates are then
stacked in an alternating fashion such that the channels of the
patterns of adjacent plates are mirror images, for example
crisscrossing at an included angle within the range of 36 to 60
degrees, or at some other suitable angle. A pair of end plates may
be stacked at the top and bottom of the assembly, which may not
have an etched pattern, or which may feature some other etched
pattern than that of the interior plates, and which allow for fluid
input and output ports. During operation of the disclosed device,
the ports bring fluid in and out of the device. The fluid passing
channels of the pattern may extend partly or completely across the
width of the patterned plates.
[0009] Further during the disclosed process for making the
disclosed device, the stacked plates are placed in a fixture and
soldered in a vacuum or inert atmosphere. A mechanical load is
applied to maintain contact pressure between the plates during this
process. The fixture used for soldering the plates together can
also be designed to provide for soldering various sized pads or
blocks on the surface interfacing the components requiring cooling.
In this way, a "custom topography" may be introduced to the surface
interfacing with the components requiring cooling. Such an approach
potentially eliminates an expensive machining operation.
[0010] Thus there is disclosed a new cooling device that provides
improvements in thermal transfer characteristics over previous
systems using fluid flows to facilitate cooling of attached or
proximate electronic devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention will be more fully understood by reference to
the following detailed description of the invention in conjunction
with the drawings, of which:
[0012] FIG. 1 shows the geometry of flow channels in a device
including multiple plates adapted to include a pattern consistent
with the disclosed system on one side;
[0013] FIG. 2 shows the structure of the disclosed device in an
alternative embodiment; and
[0014] FIG. 3 shows a cross section of a soldering fixture which
may be used to form a block of plates in accordance with an
illustrative embodiment of the disclosed system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] All disclosures of provisional patent application serial No.
60/371,883, entitled "CONTACT COOLING DEVICE", filed Apr. 11, 2002,
are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
[0016] A high performance cooling device is disclosed, which may,
for example, be fabricated using an assembly of relatively thin
(0.040"-0.100") copper plates that each include a pattern having a
number of fluid flow channels. The pattern may be formed on the
patterned plates using any appropriate technique, for example by
photo-etching, stamping, forging, casting or other processes.
[0017] FIG. 1 shows an example embodiment 10 of the disclosed
cooling device. As shown in FIG. 1, a first set of channels 12 are
defined by a first plate within the device 10, while a second set
of channels 14 are defined by a second plate within the device 10.
In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1, the flow channels 12 and
14 have been formed in corresponding copper plates to form the
patterned plates stacked within the resulting device 10.
[0018] FIG. 1 further shows a fluid inlet port 18 allowing fluid to
pass into the device, an input coolant distribution plenum 16 for
passing fluid to the channels 12, and an output coolant
distribution plenum 17 for collecting fluid from the channels 12
and passing the fluid to a fluid outlet port 19. While, for
purposes of illustration, FIG. 1 shows inlet and outlet ports only
with regard to the plate including the channels 12, the plate
including the channels 14 may also include its own inlet and outlet
ports.
[0019] The illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 1 illustrates how
the fluid flow channels 12 and 14 of adjacent plates are arranged
cross wise to each other when the plates are joined together. Such
an arrangement introduces turbulence into a liquid that is flowed
through the device, thereby improving the thermal performance of
the device 10.
[0020] The illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1 may be implemented as
a two pass design, where a fluid inlet port and a fluid outlet port
are located on the same end of the device 10. Alternatively, a
single pass design may be used, in which inlet and outlet ports are
configured on opposite ends of the device 10.
[0021] For purposes of explanation, the fluid flow channels 12 and
14 may have a depth of between 0.027 to 0.060 inches and a width of
between 0.045 and 0.080 inches. The angle of the channels 12 may,
for example, be between 18 and 30 degrees with respect to a
lengthwise side of the device 10, while the angle of the channels
14 may be between negative 18 and negative 30 degrees with respect
to that side of the device. The specific angles of and numbers of
channels shown in the illustrative embodiments of FIGS. 1-3 are for
purposes of illustration only, and the present invention may be
embodied with numbers of channels and channel angles other than
those shown.
[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates the assembly of an alternative embodiment
of the disclosed system. As shown in FIG. 2, a first end plate 20
includes a fluid inlet port 22 and a fluid outlet port 24. A first
plate 26 includes a patterned portion 28 defined by at least a
first set of angled bars arranged crosswise defining a first set of
fluid flow channels on a first side of the plate 26. The patterned
portion 28 of the plate 26 may itself further include a second set
of angled bars defining a second set of fluid flow channels
arranged crosswise with respect to the first set of fluid flow
channels on an opposite side of said plate 26. The angled bars of
the patterned portion 28 are, for example, substantially
rectangular, and extend in an angular fashion between the
lengthwise sides of the plate 26. In the case where the patterned
portion 28 defines two sets of fluid flow channels arranged
crosswise to each other, then the plate 29 includes a similar
patterned section 31 defining two sets of channels arranged
crosswise with respect to each other. Alternatively, the plate 26
may only define one set of fluid flow channels extending angularly
between its lengthwise sides, in which case the plate 29 would
include a single set of fluid flow channels arranged crosswise with
respect to the fluid flow channels of plate 26.
[0023] The angle of the flow channels may be any appropriate
predetermined angle. For example, the angle of the flow channels in
a first plate with respect to a given side of the device may be
within a range of 18 to 30 degrees, and within a range of between
-18 to -30 degrees in the adjacent plate with respect to the same
side of the device. In this way, the channels of adjacent plates
run criss-cross, or crosswise, at an angle to each other. The
included angle with respect to the intersection of channels in
adjacent plates may, accordingly, be within the range of 36 to 60
degrees.
[0024] Further as shown in FIG. 2, a second end plate 33 is used,
having a patterned portion 35 etched therein defining some number
of fluid flow channels. The first end plate 20, plates 26 and 29,
and second end plate 33 are joined together through any appropriate
means to form the alternative embodiment of the disclosed cooling
device shown in FIG. 2.
[0025] In a method of manufacturing the disclosed cooling device,
the disclosed device is assembled by first plating the individual
patterned plates with an 85/15 tin lead solder or other suitable
metal or alloy, to a thickness of 0.0005-0.003 inches. The
individual patterned plates are then stacked in an alternating
fashion such that the fluid flow channels of the pattern of each
adjacent plate is crosswise with respect to its neighboring plate
or plates. For example, each plate may be arranged in the stack so
that its fluid flow channels are at a predetermined angle with
respect to the fluid flow channels of its neighboring plates. The
last plates put into the stack, which are stacked at the top and
bottom of the assembly, are end plates which may or may not have an
etched pattern, and which allow for input and output fluid ports.
During operation of the disclosed device, the ports bring fluid
into and out of the device.
[0026] Further during the disclosed manufacturing process, as shown
in FIG. 2, the stacked patterned plates 30 and end plates 32 are
placed in a fixture 34, and soldered in a vacuum or inert
atmosphere. A mechanical load is applied to maintain contact
pressure between the plates 30 and 32 during this process. The
fixture 34 used for soldering the plates 30 and 32 together can
also be designed or configured to provide for soldering various
size pads or blocks to allow a method of offering "custom
topography" to the surface interfacing with the components
requiring cooling. This feature would eliminate an expensive
machining operation. FIG. 2 shows a cross section of soldering
fixture which has pockets 36 machined in place to precisely
position the blocks 38 during soldering.
[0027] While the invention is described through the above exemplary
embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in
the art that modification to and variation of the illustrated
embodiments may be made without departing from the inventive
concepts herein disclosed. Accordingly, the invention should not be
viewed as limited except by the scope and spirit of the appended
claims.
* * * * *