U.S. patent application number 15/252211 was filed with the patent office on 2017-09-07 for direct cooling platform with vapor compression refrigeration cycle and applications thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is Jay Eunjae Kim. Invention is credited to Jay Eunjae Kim.
Application Number | 20170254574 15/252211 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59722819 |
Filed Date | 2017-09-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170254574 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim; Jay Eunjae |
September 7, 2017 |
Direct Cooling Platform With Vapor Compression Refrigeration Cycle
And Applications Thereof
Abstract
A direct refrigeration cooling platform can cool high heat
density sources such as LEDs, IC chip, power amplifiers and laser
diodes. The platform utilizes a combination of technologies from a
water cooled cold plate design and a vapor compression
refrigeration system. The cold plate of the direct refrigeration
cooling platform replaces an evaporator in a conventional vapor
compression refrigeration cycle. High heat density sources are
directly mounted onto the cold plate. Temperature of the cold plate
is regulated based on temperature feedback and is maintained above
ambient temperatures. For LED applications, a number of LEDs are
mounted onto the cold plate of the direct refrigeration cooling
platform. Beams of light are distributed via fiber optic light
guides to remote and inaccessible locations, where light sources
are to be replaced. IC chips are cooled the same way with IC chips
attached to the cold plate of the direct refrigeration cooling
platform.
Inventors: |
Kim; Jay Eunjae; (Bellevue,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Kim; Jay Eunjae |
Bellevue |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
59722819 |
Appl. No.: |
15/252211 |
Filed: |
August 30, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62301971 |
Mar 1, 2016 |
|
|
|
62372306 |
Aug 9, 2016 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25B 2600/2513 20130101;
F25B 2700/171 20130101; F25B 49/02 20130101; F25B 2600/0253
20130101; F25B 1/005 20130101; F25B 41/04 20130101; F25B 2700/2104
20130101; Y02B 30/741 20130101; F25B 13/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F25B 49/02 20060101
F25B049/02; F25B 41/04 20060101 F25B041/04; F25B 13/00 20060101
F25B013/00 |
Claims
1. An apparatus, comprising: a compressor capable of compressing a
refrigerant; a condenser capable of cooling and condensing the
refrigerant; a thermal expansion valve capable of evaporating at
least a portion of the refrigerant; a cold plate capable of
receiving one or more heat sources for the one or more heat sources
to be disposed on the cold plate; and a tubing connecting the
compressor, the condenser, the thermal expansion valve, and the
cold plate such that the refrigerant undergoes a vapor compression
refrigeration cycle as the refrigerant flows through the
compressor, the condenser, the thermal expansion valve and the cold
plate via the tubing, wherein at least a portion of heat from the
one or more heat sources is absorbed by the refrigerant via the
cold plate.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cold plate is made of a
metallic material, and wherein the metallic material comprises
aluminum or copper.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cold plate is made of a
non-metal material.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the non-metal material
comprises silicon, beryllium oxide or aluminum nitride.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when viewed from at least one
angle, the cold plate is round, oval, elliptical or polygonal in
shape.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the cold
plate is plated, anodized or chem-filmed.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cold plate comprises one
or more internal flow channels therein for the refrigerant to flow
through the cold plate in either a serial fashion or a parallel
fashion.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a surface of the one or more
internal flow channels of the cold plate has a plating thereon.
9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a surface of the cold plate
exposed to an ambient is thermally insulated with paint, polymer
coating, hard anodizing, or a thermal-insulation material.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a temperature
sensor disposed on or embedded in the cold plate, the temperature
sensor capable of sensing a temperature of the cold plate and
providing temperature data indicating the sensed temperature; a
first circuit associated with the compressor, the first circuit
capable of detecting a rotational speed of the compressor and
providing a first data indicating the detected rotational speed,
the first circuit also capable of adjusting the rotational speed of
the compressor in response to receiving a first control signal; and
a second circuit associated with the thermal expansion valve, the
second circuit capable of detecting a position of the thermal
expansion valve and providing a second data indicating the detected
position, the second circuit also capable of adjusting the position
of the thermal expansion valve in response to receiving a second
control signal.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising: a central
processing unit (CPU) communicatively coupled to receive the
temperature data, the first data, and the second data from the
temperature sensor, the first circuit, and the second circuit,
respectively, the CPU capable of controlling the temperature of
cold plate by providing either or both of the first control signal
and the second control signal to the first circuit and the second
circuit, respectively.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising: an ambient
temperature sensor capable of sensing a temperature of an ambient
in which the cold plate is situated, wherein the CPU maintains the
temperature of the cold plate above the sensed temperature of the
ambient.
13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the CPU is capable of
receiving a user input that sets a user-preset temperature, and
wherein the CPU maintains the temperature of the cold plate within
a range of .+-.20.degree. C. from the user-preset temperature.
14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the CPU maintains the
temperature of the cold plate within a range of -40.degree. C. to
150.degree. C.
15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the one or more
heat sources.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more heat sources
comprise at least a light emitting diode (LED), an
integrated-circuit (IC) chip, an amplifier, or a laser diode.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a fiber optic
light guides coupled to the LED to guide at least a portion of a
light emitted by the LED to a remote location.
18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more heat sources
are directly mounted onto the cold plate by one or more screws, one
or more brackets, one or more springs, or a combination
thereof.
19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a cover plate
that secures the one or more heat sources onto the cold plate.
20. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the refrigerant,
wherein the refrigerant comprises R-134a, R-410A or R-407C.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present disclosure claims the priority benefit of U.S.
Patent Application Ser. No. 62/301,971, filed on 1 Mar. 2016, and
U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/372,306, filed on 9 Aug. 2016,
which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure is generally related to image
processing in electronic apparatuses and, more particularly, to
thermodynamics and heat transfer and, particularly, to a vapor
compression refrigeration cooling system.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Unless otherwise indicated herein, approaches described in
this section are not prior art to the claims listed below and are
not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
[0004] Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been used widely in
medical to military applications. One challenging problem for the
usage of LEDs is the removal of heat generated by the LEDs, so that
the LEDs can operate within diode operating temperatures to avoid
shortened life due to operation under high temperature for a
prolonged period of time. A common way to cool LEDs is to use a
heatsink with a fan. However, in an environment of high-power LED
operation, the use of a chiller is often necessary. The chiller
circulates cold water and removes heat away from LEDs. In a
conventional chiller a vapor compression refrigeration system is
used to provide cold water. However, the use of a chiller with
water circulation tends to increase the form factor substantially
as well as the operating cost of an overall cooling system.
[0005] A vapor compression refrigeration cycle generally consists
of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator and
a refrigerant, which are elements of a recirculating circuit
connected by tubing. The refrigeration cycle rejects heat at the
condenser and absorbs heat at the evaporator. Thus, the temperature
in an environment at and around the evaporator is typically lower
than the surrounding ambient environment. Moreover, work energy is
required to drive the cycle at the compressor.
SUMMARY
[0006] The following summary is illustrative only and is not
intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary
is provided to introduce concepts, highlights, benefits and
advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described
herein. Select and not all implementations are further described
below in the detailed description. Thus, the following summary is
not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject
matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope of the
claimed subject matter.
[0007] The present disclosure proposes a new cooling apparatus
which is herein referred to as a direct refrigeration cooling
platform, which utilizes a vapor compression refrigeration cycle to
cool heat sources directly via a cold plate. Different from the
vapor compression refrigeration cycle employed in conventional
chillers, in various embodiments of a direct refrigeration cooling
platform in accordance with the present disclosure the cold plate
may be used in lieu of an evaporator in the vapor compression
refrigeration system. Moreover, a refrigerant, instead of water
which is typically used in conventional chillers, may be used as a
cooling medium for the cold plate. In various embodiments of the
direct refrigeration cooling platform in accordance with the
present disclosure, heat sources such as LEDs and
integrated-circuit (IC) chips may be directly mounted onto the cold
plate.
[0008] The direct refrigeration cooling platform may use a
relatively small volume of a refrigerant such as, for example and
without limitation, R-134a, R-410A and/or R-407C. Advantageously,
this relatively small volume is sufficient to dissipate a large
amount of energy while keeping the form factor of the overall
system small. In addition, no external plumbing connections are
required, thereby simplifying the installation and reducing the
cost of ownership of a direct refrigeration cooling platform in
accordance with the present disclosure.
[0009] As heat sources such as LEDs and IC chips may be mounted
onto the cold plate directly, the cold plate may be used as a heat
spreader and may function as or otherwise replace an evaporator.
Heat from the heat sources may thus be directly absorbed by a
refrigerant as the refrigerant undergoes a phase change from liquid
to gas while flowing through the cold plate. Heat may then be
rejected to an environment as the refrigerant flows through a
condenser, where the refrigerant undergoes a phase change from gas
to liquid.
[0010] In various embodiments of the direct refrigeration cooling
platform in accordance with the present disclosure, the compressor
and the thermal expansion valve may be electronically controlled to
regulate the flow rate of the refrigerant, or refrigerant flow
rate. The compressor may increase a pressure of the refrigerant in
a gaseous phase. The refrigerant flow rate may be changed by
changing a rotational speed, in revolutions per minute (RPM), of
the compressor. The thermal expansion valve may decrease the
pressure of the refrigerant in a liquid phase. The refrigerant flow
rate may be changed by throttling up and down the thermal expansion
valve.
[0011] In various embodiments of the direct refrigeration cooling
platform in accordance with the present disclosure, a temperature
feedback control may be performed. Temperature sensors may be
mounted onto the cold plate to sense the temperature(s) of the cold
plate at one or more spots. A central processing unit (CPU) may
detect temperature changes in the cold plate and transmit signals
to control the RPM of the compressor and/or the thermal expansion
valve. Hence, temperature of the cold plate may be kept relatively
constant regardless of the amount of heat transferred from the heat
sources to the cold plate. The temperature of the cold plate may be
kept above an ambient temperature to prevent any dew point
condensation.
[0012] In one aspect, an apparatus may include: a compressor
capable of compressing a refrigerant; a condenser capable of
cooling and condensing the refrigerant; a thermal expansion valve
capable of evaporating at least a portion of the refrigerant; a
cold plate capable of receiving one or more heat sources for the
one or more heat sources to be disposed on the cold plate; and a
tubing connecting the compressor, the condenser, the thermal
expansion valve, and the cold plate such that the refrigerant
undergoes a vapor compression refrigeration cycle as the
refrigerant flows through the compressor, the condenser, the
thermal expansion valve and the cold plate via the tubing. At least
a portion of heat from the one or more heat sources may be absorbed
by the refrigerant via the cold plate.
[0013] In some implementations, the cold plate may be made of a
metallic material, and wherein the metallic material comprises
aluminum or copper.
[0014] In some implementations, the cold plate may be made of a
non-metal material. In some implementations, the non-metal material
may include silicon, beryllium oxide or aluminum nitride.
[0015] In some implementations, when viewed from at least one
angle, the cold plate may be round, oval, elliptical or polygonal
in shape.
[0016] In some implementations, an outer surface of the cold plate
may be plated, anodized or chem-filmed.
[0017] In some implementations, the cold plate may include one or
more internal flow channels therein for the refrigerant to flow
through the cold plate in either a serial fashion or a parallel
fashion.
[0018] In some implementations, a surface of the one or more
internal flow channels of the cold plate may have a plating
thereon.
[0019] In some implementations, a surface of the cold plate exposed
to an ambient may be thermally insulated with paint, polymer
coating, hard anodizing, or a thermal-insulation material.
[0020] In some implementations, the apparatus may also include a
temperature sensor, a first circuit and a second circuit. The
temperature sensor may be disposed on or embedded in the cold
plate, and may be capable of sensing a temperature of the cold
plate and providing temperature data indicating the sensed
temperature. The first circuit may be associated with the
compressor, and may be capable of detecting a rotational speed of
the compressor and providing a first data indicating the detected
rotational speed. The first circuit may be also capable of
adjusting the rotational speed of the compressor in response to
receiving a first control signal. The second circuit may be
associated with the thermal expansion valve, and may be capable of
detecting a position of the thermal expansion valve and providing a
second data indicating the detected position. The second circuit
may be also capable of adjusting the position of the thermal
expansion valve in response to receiving a second control
signal.
[0021] In some implementations, the apparatus may further include a
central processing unit (CPU) communicatively coupled to receive
the temperature data, the first data, and the second data from the
temperature sensor, the first circuit, and the second circuit,
respectively. The CPU may be capable of controlling the temperature
of cold plate by providing either or both of the first control
signal and the second control signal to the first circuit and the
second circuit, respectively.
[0022] In some implementations, the apparatus may further include
an ambient temperature sensor capable of sensing a temperature of
an ambient in which the cold plate is situated. The CPU may
maintain the temperature of the cold plate above the sensed
temperature of the ambient.
[0023] In some implementations, the CPU may be capable of receiving
a user input that sets a user-preset temperature, and the CPU may
maintain the temperature of the cold plate within a range of
.+-.20.degree. C. from the user-preset temperature.
[0024] In some implementations, the CPU may maintain the
temperature of the cold plate within a range of -40.degree. C. to
150.degree. C.
[0025] In some implementations, the apparatus may also include the
one or more heat sources. In some implementations, the one or more
heat sources may include at least a light emitting diode (LED), an
integrated-circuit (IC) chip, an amplifier, or a laser diode. In
some implementations, the apparatus may further include a fiber
optic light guides coupled to the LED to guide at least a portion
of a light emitted by the LED to a remote location. In some
implementations, the one or more heat sources may be directly
mounted onto the cold plate by one or more screws, one or more
brackets, one or more springs, or a combination thereof. In some
implementations, the apparatus may further include a cover plate
that secures the one or more heat sources onto the cold plate.
[0026] In some implementations, the apparatus may also include the
refrigerant, which may be R-134a, R-410A or R-407C.
[0027] Advantageously, various embodiments of the direct
refrigeration cooling platform in accordance with the present
disclosure may be used with any heat source such as LEDs, IC chips,
power amplifiers, laser diodes, and so on. For LED applications, a
number of LEDs may be mounted onto the cold plate of the direct
refrigeration cooling platform, and beams of light may be delivered
to remote illumination areas via fiber optic light guides. Thus,
change-out of the LEDs may be performed at an easily accessible and
centralized location. For IC chip applications, IC chips may be
directly mounted onto the cold plate. Thus, a large amount of heat
generated by the IC chips may be removed with a small heat-sinking
form factor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further
understanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of the present disclosure. The drawings
illustrate implementations of the disclosure and, together with the
description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It
is appreciable that the drawings are not necessarily in scale as
some components may be shown to be out of proportion than the size
in actual implementation in order to clearly illustrate the concept
of the present disclosure.
[0029] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a high-level design of a direct
refrigeration cooling platform, the various embodiments of which
may be implemented in accordance with the present disclosure.
[0030] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example implementation of
a direct refrigeration cooling platform in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0031] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example implementation of
a direct refrigeration cooling platform with fiber optic light
guides in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0032] FIG. 4 is a left perspective view of an example
implementation of a direct refrigeration cooling platform with
fiber optic light guides in accordance with an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0033] FIG. 5 is a detailed perspective view of an example
implementation of a cold plate and fiber optic light guides in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0034] FIG. 6 is a detailed exploded view of an example
implementation of a cold plate and fiber optic light guides in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0035] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an example implementation of
a single-channel cold plate in accordance with an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0036] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an example implementation of
a multiple-channel cold plate with a series flow in accordance with
an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0037] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an example implementation of
a multiple-channel cold plate with a parallel flow in accordance
with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0038] FIG. 10 is a tunnel LED lighting application with a direct
refrigeration cooling platform and fiber optic light guides in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0039] FIG. 11 is an automobile LED headlamp lighting application
with a direct refrigeration cooling platform and fiber optic light
guides in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0040] FIG. 12 is an ultraviolet (UV) LED lighting application for
drying inks on paper during printing operation using a direct
refrigeration cooling platform and fiber optic light guides in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0041] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an IC chip cooling
application with a direct refrigeration cooling platform in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0042] FIG. 14 is a left perspective view of an IC chip cooling
application with a direct refrigeration cooling platform in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0043] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a vehicle refrigeration
system with a direct refrigeration cooling platform in accordance
with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0044] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of on-demand air/water
sterilization system with a direct refrigeration cooling platform
in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Overview
[0045] Various embodiments disclosed herein pertain to a direct
refrigeration cooling platform, which utilizes a vapor compression
refrigeration cycle. Compared to conventional chillers, embodiments
of the direct refrigeration cooling platform in accordance with the
present disclosure does not require a bulky water-based heat
exchange system. Moreover, external plumbing is eliminated in
embodiments of the direct refrigeration cooling platform in
accordance with the present disclosure.
[0046] FIG. 1 depicts a high-level design of a direct refrigeration
cooling platform 100, the various embodiments of which may be
implemented in accordance with the present disclosure. Referring to
FIG. 1, direct refrigeration cooling platform 100 may include a
vapor compression refrigeration cycle including four major
components, namely a cold plate 101, a compressor 102, a condenser
103 and a thermal expansion valve 104. On the one hand, compressor
102, condenser 103 and thermal expansion valve 104 may be
implemented with a compressor, condenser and a thermal expansion
valve similar to those employed in conventional vapor compression
refrigeration cycles. On the other hand, the evaporator in
conventional vapor compression refrigeration cycles is replaced by
cold plate 101 in direct refrigeration cooling platform 100.
[0047] In a thermodynamic cycle of direct refrigeration cooling
platform 100, a circulating refrigerant enters compressor 102 as a
vapor. The vapor is compressed at constant entropy and exits
compressor 102 superheated. The superheated vapor travels through
condenser 103, which first cools and removes the superheat from the
vapor and then condenses the vapor into a liquid by removing
additional heat at constant pressure and temperature. The liquid
refrigerant goes through thermal expansion valve 104 where the
pressure of the refrigerant abruptly decreases, causing flash
evaporation and auto-refrigeration of at least a portion of the
liquid. This results in a mixture of liquid and vapor at a lower
temperature and pressure. The cold liquid-vapor mixture then
travels through cold plate 101 and is completely vaporized by
cooling one or more heat sources disposed on or otherwise in
contact with cold plate 101. The resulting refrigerant vapor
returns to compressor 102 to complete the thermodynamic cycle.
[0048] Cold plate 101 may be made of a metallic material with a
high thermal conductivity such as, for example and without
limitation, aluminum, copper or aluminum nitride for a uniform and
fast heat transfer. Alternatively, cold plate 101 may be made of a
non-metal material with a high thermal conductivity such as, for
example and without limitation, silicon, beryllium oxide, aluminum
nitride or a type of ceramics. Cold plate 101 may be used to
function as a heat spreader and heatsink.
[0049] One or more heat-generating devices, or heat sources, may be
directly mounted on, coupled to, affixed to or otherwise disposed
on cold plate 101 such that at least a portion of the heat in the
one or more heat sources may be transferred to cold plate 101 by
thermal conduction. For example, heat sources such as LEDs may be
directly mounted onto cold plate 101 by means of, for example and
without limitation, soldering, brazing or mechanically secured with
screws or/and brackets or/and springs. Cold plate 101 may thus
provide both electrical insulation and thermal conduction.
[0050] In direct refrigeration cooling platform 100, any suitable
refrigerant may be used to flow through the refrigeration cycle.
Refrigerant such as, for example and without limitation, R-134a,
R-410A and R-407C may be utilized in direct refrigeration cooling
platform 100. Accordingly, cold plate 101 may have one or more
internal flow channels for the refrigerant to flow through cold
plate 101. The one or more internal flow channels of cold plate 101
may be arranged in series or in parallel. That is, the one or more
internal flow channels may be configured or arranged such that the
refrigerant may flow through cold plate 101 in a serial fashion or
in a parallel fashion.
[0051] Cold plate 101 may have two or more holes corresponding to
the one or more internal flow channels. Inlet and outlet ports may
be soldered onto such holes of cold plate 101. Pipe threads may be
tapped onto the holes of cold plate 101. Moreover, cold plate 101
may have through holes and/or tapped screw holes that may be used
for securing diodes, IC chips and any heat source components onto
cold plate 101. The outer surface of cold plate 101 may be plated
with zinc, nickel or chrome to prevent surface oxidization. In
cases in which cold plate 101 is made of aluminum, the outer
surface of cold plate 101 may be chem-filmed or anodized. As for
the internal flow channels of cold plate 101 through which the
refrigerant flows, there may be no finishes or, alternatively, may
have a plating on the surfaces thereof.
[0052] When viewed from at least one angle, cold plate 101 may be
round, oval, elliptical or polygonal in shape. For example, cold
plate 101 may be triangular, square, rectangular, pentagonal,
hexagonal or octagonal. Edges and corners of cold plate 101 may be
rounded off to reduce surface areas. Surfaces of cold plate 101
that are exposed to an ambient may absorb heat from the
surrounding. Such surfaces may be thermally insulated by a paint,
rubber coating, polymer coating, insulation foam, hard anodizing or
any other suitable thermal-insulation technique.
[0053] In direct refrigeration cooling platform 100, a feedback
control system that includes a central processing unit (CPU) 174
may be provided. CPU 174 may be implemented in the form of one or
more integrated-circuit (IC) chips such as, for example and without
limitation, one or more single-core processors, one or more
multi-core processors, or one or more
complex-instruction-set-computing (CISC) processors. Moreover, CPU
174 may be implemented as one or more processors of a computing
apparatus such as, for example and without limitation, a
smartphone, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet
computer, a desktop computer, a server, a wearable computing
device, any combination of two or more thereof, or any variation
thereof.
[0054] As illustrated in FIG. 1, CPU 174 may be coupled to receive
temperature data regarding one or more temperature readings on one
or more spots of cold plate 101. Additionally, CPU 174 may be
coupled to receive compressor data (e.g., RPM) from compressor 101
as well as valve data (e.g., valve positioning being fully closed,
fully open, 1/2 open, 1/3 open, 1/4 open, 3/4 open and so on) from
thermal expansion valve 104. Furthermore, CPU 174 may be coupled to
transmit control signals to control each of compressor 102 and
thermal expansion valve 104 to control a flow rate of the
refrigerant and thereby adjust or maintain a temperature of cold
plate 101. For instance, direct refrigeration cooling platform 100
may include a number of temperature sensors mounted on or otherwise
coupled, affixed or attached to cold plate 101 to sense the
temperature(s) of one or more spots of cold plate 101 and provide
temperature data to CPU 174.
[0055] In operation, CPU 174 may, based on the temperature data,
detect temperature changes in cold plate 101 and, as a result,
transmit control signal(s) to either or both of compressor 102 and
thermal expansion valve 104 to increase or decrease the RPM of
compressor 102 and/or to throttle up or down thermal expansion
valve 104. The control signal(s) from CPU 174 to either or both of
compressor 102 and thermal expansion valve 104 may cause the flow
rate of the refrigerant to increase or decrease to adjust the rate
at which heat, or thermal energy, in cold plate 101 is carried away
by refrigerant, thereby increasing or decreasing the temperature of
cold plate 101. For example, to lower or decrease the temperature
of cold plate 101, CPU 174 may transmit control signal(s) to
decrease the RPM of compressor 102 and/or throttle down thermal
expansion valve 104.
[0056] In some embodiments, CPU 174 may maintain the temperature of
cold plate 101 above an ambient temperature to prevent any dew
point condensation from forming. For example, there may be one or
more temperature sensors arranged to sense the ambient temperature
and provide temperature data, indicating the sensed ambient
temperature, to CPU 174. Thus, CPU 174 may maintain the temperature
of cold plate 101 based on the sensed ambient temperature by
controlling the RPM of compressor 102 and/or valve position
(between being fully open and being fulling closed) of thermal
expansion valve 104.
[0057] In some embodiments, CPU 174 may accept user input from a
user to preset or otherwise predefine a desired temperature of cold
plate 101. Accordingly, CPU 174 may maintain a temperature of cold
plate 101 within a certain range of the desired temperature preset
by the user (e.g., within a range of .+-.10.degree. C. thereof),
with the minimum temperature of cold plate 101 being kept above the
ambient temperature. Thus, an operational temperature range of cold
plate 101 may be in the range of -40.degree. C. to 150.degree.
C.
[0058] For illustrative purposes and without limiting the scope of
the present disclosure, a number of example implementations based
on direct refrigeration cooling platform 100 are described below
with reference to FIGS. 2-16.
Example Implementations
[0059] FIG. 2 depicts an example implementation of a direct
refrigeration cooling platform 5001 in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 depicts an example
implementation of a direct refrigeration cooling platform 5001 with
fiber optic light guides 3001 in accordance with an embodiment of
the present disclosure. FIG. 4 depicts an example implementation of
a direct refrigeration cooling platform 5001 with fiber optic light
guides 3001 in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure. FIG. 5 depicts an example implementation of cold plate
201 and fiber optic light guides 3001 in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 depicts an example
implementation of cold plate 201 and fiber optic light guides 3001
in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7
depicts an example implementation of a single-channel cold plate
201 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 depicts an example implementation of a multiple-channel cold
plate 291 with a series flow in accordance with an embodiment of
the present disclosure. FIG. 9 depicts an example implementation of
a multiple-channel cold plate 311 with a parallel flow in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0060] The following components are shown in FIGS. 2-9: cold plate
201, compressor 202, condenser 203, thermal expansion valve 204,
cover plate 212, holder of fiber optic light guide 213, fiber optic
light guide #1 214, light emitting diode (LED) 215, base plate 216,
thermal interface material 217, fiber optic light guide #2 218,
fiber optic light guide #3 219, beam of light 220, outlet hole #1
of refrigerant flow and tube connection 241, through hole or tapped
screw hole #1 242, through hole or tapped screw hole #n 243, inlet
hole #1 of refrigerant flow and tube connection 244, internal flow
channel #1 of single-channel cold plate 245, tube connection
between cold plate and thermal expansion valve 251, tube connection
between cold plate and compressor 252, tube connection between
condenser and compressor 253, tube connection between condenser and
thermal expansion valve 254, printed circuit board assembly (PCBA)
of CPU, compressor power and RPM control 261, PCBA of thermal
expansion valve control and power 262, temperature sensor #1 265,
temperature sensor #2 266, voltage cable for compressor power 271,
ground cable for compressor power 272, signal cable for compressor
RPM control 273, central processing unit (CPU) 274, temperature
probe cable #1 275, temperature probe cable #2 276, signal cable
for thermal expansion valve control 277, mounting plate for direct
refrigeration cooling platform 281, cold plate with multiple
internal flow channels in a series flow 291, outlet hole #2 of
refrigerant flow and tube connection 292, inlet hole #2 of
refrigerant flow and tube connection 293, internal flow channel #1
of multiple-channel cold plate in a series flow 294, internal flow
channel #2 of multiple-channel cold plate in a series flow 295,
internal flow channel #n of multiple-channel cold plate in a series
flow 296, tube #1 for refrigerant channel connection in
multiple-channel cold plate in a series flow 297, tube #2 for
refrigerant channel connection in multiple-channel cold plate in a
series flow 298, through hole or tapped screw hole #10 299, cold
plate with multiple internal flow channels in a parallel flow 311,
outlet hole #10 of refrigerant flow 312, inlet hole #10 of
refrigerant flow 313, internal flow channel #1 of multiple-channel
cold plate in a parallel flow 314, internal flow channel #2 of
multiple-channel cold plate in a parallel flow 315, internal flow
channel #n of multiple-channel cold plate in a parallel flow 316,
tube #10 for refrigerant channel connection in multiple-channel
cold plate in a parallel flow 317, tube #11 for refrigerant channel
connection in multiple-channel cold plate in a parallel flow 318,
and through hole or tapped screw hole #20 319.
[0061] In direct refrigeration cooling platform 5001, a cold plate
201 replaces an evaporator in a conventional vapor compression
refrigeration system, which typically consists of an evaporator.
Direct refrigeration cooling platform 5001 also includes a
condenser 203, a thermal expansion valve 204 and a compressor 202.
Cold plate 201 may be made of a metallic material or a non-metal
material with a high thermal conductivity such as aluminum, copper,
aluminum nitride or silicon for a uniform and fast heat
transfer.
[0062] In at least one embodiment, LEDs 215 may be directly mounted
onto cold plate 201 by means of soldering, brazing or mechanically
secured with screws or/and brackets or/and springs. Cold plate 201
may function as a heat spreader and heatsink for LEDs 215.
[0063] In at least one embodiment, LEDs 215 may be packaged with
the base plate, 216, made of non-metals with a high thermal
conductivity such as silicon, beryllium oxide or aluminum nitride
are directly mounted onto the cold plate, 201, by means of
soldering, brazing or mechanically secured with screws or/and
brackets or/and springs. The base plate with a high thermal
conductivity provides electrical insulation while providing a high
thermal conduction path.
[0064] In at least one embodiment, cover plate 212 may be made of a
metallic material or a non-metal material with a high thermal
conductivity such as aluminum or copper. Cover plate 212 may be
used to secure diodes 215 (or any other type of heat source(s)) to
the cold plate 201. With the thermal interface material 217, such
as indium for example, inserted between cold plate 201 and diodes
215, material thermal expansion mismatch between cold plate 201 and
diodes 215 may be eliminated. The cover plate 212 may be used as a
heatsink and mounted using screws or/and brackets.
[0065] In at least one embodiment, refrigerants such as R-134a,
R-410A and R-407C may flow through internal flow channel(s) of cold
plate 201 where inlet and outlet ports of the cold plate 201 are
soldered onto cold plate holes 241 and 244. Pipe threads may be
also tapped on cold plate holes 241 and 244. Cold plate 201 may
have through holes or/and tapped screw holes 242 and 243, which can
be used for securing diodes, IC chips and any heat source
components onto cold plate 201. The outer surface of cold plate 201
may be plated with zinc, nickel or chrome to prevent surface
oxidization. In cases in which cold plate 201 is made of aluminum,
the outer surface of cold plate 201 may be chem-filmed or anodized.
Internal flow channels 245, 294, 295, 296, 314, 315 and 316 of cold
plates 201, 291 and 311 may have no finishes or, alternatively, may
have a plating on the surfaces thereof.
[0066] In at least one embodiment, the shape of cold plates 201,
291 and 311 may be rectangular, square, triangular, round,
hexagonal or octagonal. Edges and corners are rounded off to reduce
surface areas. Cold plate surfaces exposed to an ambient will
absorb heat from the surrounding. These surfaces can be thermally
insulated with a paint, rubber coating, polymer coating, insulation
foam, hard anodizing or any suitable thermal-insulation
technique.
[0067] In at least one embodiment, temperature sensors 265 and 266
may be attached to the cold plate 201. Temperature sensors are used
to control the flow rate of refrigerants such as R-134a, R-410A and
R-407C. As the cold plate temperature increases, CPU 274 may detect
temperature changes via temperature sensors 265 and 266, and may
transmit control signals to increase the RPM of compressor 202
or/and to throttle up thermal expansion valve 204. These inputs may
cause the refrigerant flow rate to increase and the cold plate
temperature to decrease. To decrease the cold plate temperature,
the RPM of compressor 202 may be decreased or/and thermal expansion
valve 204 may be throttled down. Hence, a feedback control system
is established.
[0068] In at least one embodiment, cold plate 201 may be kept above
the ambient temperature to prevent any dew point condensation. CPU
274 may detect the ambient temperature and keep cold plate 201
above the ambient temperature by controlling the RPM of compressor
202 or/and position of thermal expansion valve 204. When the cold
plate temperature is preset by a user, direct refrigeration cooling
platform 5001 may be operated at the preset temperature
.+-.10.degree. C., where the minimum temperature may be above the
ambient temperature. An operational temperature range of the cold
plate 201 may be, for example and without limitation, in the range
of -40.degree. C. to 150.degree. C.
[0069] As cold plate 291 and cold plate 311 are variations of cold
plate 201, some or all of the above-described features of cold
plate 201 are also applicable to cold plate 291 and cold plate 311.
Thus, in the interest of brevity, a detailed description of each of
cold plate 291 and cold plate 311 is not provided herewith to avoid
redundancy.
[0070] In at least one embodiment, various LEDs such as ultra
violet (UV), white light and infrared (IR) may be cooled using the
direct refrigeration cooling platform 5001. Beams of light may be
delivered with or without fiber optic light guides 3001. The direct
refrigeration cooling platform 5001 may cool multiple LEDs in a
centralized location and delivers beams of light to remote
illumination areas via fiber optic light guides. Advantages of
using direct refrigeration cooling platform 5001 include, for
example and without limitation: 1) LEDs will operate at user's
preset temperature with no risk of diode overheating; 2) no LED
needs to be replaced at illumination areas, as all LEDs are
replaced at a centralized ground location; and 3) there is no risk
of the LED wavelength shift due to overheating of LEDs because a
relatively constant temperature is maintained in the cold
plate.
[0071] FIG. 10 depicts a tunnel LED lighting application 6001 with
a direct refrigeration cooling platform and fiber optic light
guides in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 11 depicts an automobile LED headlamp lighting application
7001 with a direct refrigeration cooling platform and fiber optic
light guides in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure. FIG. 12 depicts an UV LED lighting application 8001 for
drying inks on paper during printing operation using a direct
refrigeration cooling platform and fiber optic light guides in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13
depicts a perspective view of an IC chip cooling application 9001
with a direct refrigeration cooling platform in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 depicts a left
perspective view of IC chip cooling application 9001. FIG. 15
depicts a perspective view of a vehicle refrigeration system 9500
with a direct refrigeration cooling platform in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 depicts a perspective
view of on-demand air/water sterilization system 9600 with a direct
refrigeration cooling platform in accordance with an embodiment of
the present disclosure.
[0072] The following components are shown in FIGS. 10-16: fiber
optic light guide #1 601, fiber optic light guide #2 602, fiber
optic light guide #3 603, fiber optic light guide #4 604, fiber
optic light guide #5 605, tunnel 609, automobile 610, paved road
611, right fiber optic light guide 710, left fiber optic light
guide 711, left light reflector 712, right light reflector 713,
left LED 721, right LED 722, fiber optic light guide #1 801, fiber
optic light guide #2 802, fiber optic light guide #3 803, fiber
optic light guide #4 804, fiber optic light guide #5 805, fiber
optic light guide #6 806, fiber optic light guide #7 807, fiber
optic light guide holder 811, left printing roller 812, right
printing roller 813, roll of paper 815, direction of right roller
rotation 817, direction of left roller rotation 818, beams of light
820, bottom PCBA with IC chip 901, top PCBA with IC chip 902, IC
chip on top PCBA 905, IC chip on bottom PCBA 906, manifold of
refrigerant flow 92, heat-generating component 921, vehicle
evaporator 922, evaporator fan 923, thermal expansion valve for
vehicle evaporator 925, thermal expansion valve for vehicle LED
headlights 926, thermal expansion valve for heat-generating
components 927, cold plate for heat-generating components 928, cold
pate for vehicle LED headlights 929, temperature sensor at cold
plate of heat-generating components 931, temperature sensor at cold
plate of vehicle LED headlights 932, tube connection between
evaporator and manifold 941, tube connection between cold plate and
manifold 942, optically clear water pipe or air duct 951, holder of
UV-LED fiber optic light guides 952, outlet pipe 953, inlet pipe
954, outlet flow sensor 955, inlet flow sensor 956, direction of
fluid at outlet 957, direction of fluid at inlet 958, fiber optic
light guide #1 961, fiber optic light guide #2 962, fiber optic
light guide #3 963, fiber optic light guide #4 964, LEDs and fiber
optic light guides 3001, vehicle air conditioning system (including
thermal expansion valve) 4001, vehicle LED headlight cooling system
(including thermal expansion valve) 4002, vehicle heat-generating
component cooling system including thermal expansion valve 4003,
direct refrigeration cooling platform 5001, direct refrigeration
cooling platform with a refrigerant distribution manifold 5002,
tunnel LED lighting application 6001, automobile LED headlight
application 7001, UV LED lighting application 8001, IC chip cooling
application 9001, vehicle refrigeration system 9500, and on-demand
air/water sterilization system 9600 with UVC-LEDs.
[0073] In FIGS. 13 and 14, direct refrigeration cooling platform
5001 may be used to cool IC chips 905 and 906 in PCBAs 901 and 902.
The top of IC chips, where heat-sinking is normally performed, may
be directly attached to cold plate 201. Direct refrigeration
cooling platform 5001 may keep the cold plate temperature
relatively constant and above the ambient temperature regardless of
the amount of heat output from IC chips 905 and 906. All of these
are accomplished by the feedback control function of the direct
refrigeration cooling platform 5001.
[0074] FIG. 15 illustrates a vehicle refrigeration system 9500 with
a direct refrigeration cooling platform 5002, which has a
refrigerant distribution manifold 920. The vehicle refrigeration
system 9500 may contain a vehicle air conditioning system 4001, a
vehicle LED headlight cooling system 4002, and a vehicle heat
producing component cooling system 4003. Thermal expansion valves
925, 926 and 927 may control the refrigerant flow rate on each
cooling system. When not used, the cooling system 4002 may be shut
off by thermal expansion valves 925, 926 and 927. Manifold 920 may
distribute a refrigerant to each cooling system.
[0075] FIG. 16 illustrates an UVC-LED on-demand air/water
sterilization system 9600 with direct refrigeration cooling
platform 5001. Delivery of a high sterilization dose is achievable
with the direct refrigeration cooling platform 5001. The system
9600 may be designed to operate on demand as the ultraviolet (UVC)
light turns on when flow sensors 955 and 956 detect flow of a fluid
to be sterilized. The UVC light may turn off when no flow is
detected. The system 9600 may be designed to deliver reduction in
air/water borne pathogens by at least a magnitude of 2 log as fluid
passes through pipe 951.
[0076] In view of the above, some features of the present
disclosure are highlighted below.
[0077] LEDs (or another type of heat sources) may be directly
mounted onto the cold plate of the direct refrigeration cooling
platform to remove heat.
[0078] Heat sources such as an IC chip and laser diode may be
directly mounted onto the cold plate of the direct refrigeration
cooling platform to remove heat.
[0079] LEDs (or another type of heat sources) may be directly
mounted onto the cold plate by means of soldering, brazing or
mechanically secured with screws or/and brackets or/and
springs.
[0080] Heat sources such as an IC chip and laser diode may be
directly mounted onto the cold plate by means of mechanically
secured with screws or/and brackets or/and springs.
[0081] LEDs packaged in the base plate made of non-metals with a
high thermal conductivity, such as silicon, beryllium oxide or
aluminum nitride, may be directly mounted onto the cold plate by
means of soldering, brazing or mechanically secured with screws
or/and brackets or/and springs.
[0082] Cold plates made of a metal or non-metal with a high thermal
conductivity may be attached to the evaporator section of a vapor
compression refrigeration cycle.
[0083] Cold plates may have through holes or/and tapped screw holes
for securing LEDs, IC chips, and any heat sources.
[0084] Cold plates may have internal flow channel(s) built in for a
refrigerant flow. The internal flow channels may be arranged either
in parallel or in series.
[0085] Cold plate surface areas exposed to an ambient may be
thermally insulated with a paint, polymer coating, hard anodizing
or/and any thermal-insulation materials.
[0086] Cover plate made of a metal or non-metal may be used to
secure diodes onto the cold plate to eliminate thermal stresses in
between the cold plate and diodes.
[0087] Temperature sensors may be mounted on or embedded in the
cold plate of the direct refrigeration cooling platform to provide
temperature readings of the cold plate to a CPU of a feedback
control system.
[0088] Execution of feedback control of the direct refrigeration
cooling platform may be accomplished by detecting temperatures from
sensors attached to the cold plate and then transmitting control
signals to control the flow rate of refrigerant by RPM changes in
the compressor or/and throttling up/down of the thermal expansion
valve.
[0089] An operational temperature range of the cold plate may be in
a range of -40.degree. C. to 150.degree. C. in the direct
refrigeration cooling platform.
[0090] The cold plate may be rectangular, square, round,
triangular, hexagonal or octagonal in shape. Edges and corners may
be rounded off to reduce surface areas.
[0091] An outer surface of the cold plate may be plated, anodized
or chem-filmed. Internal flow channels of the cold plate may have
no finishes or/and have a plating on them.
[0092] The CPU in the direct refrigeration cooling platform may
maintain the temperature of cold plate above the ambient
temperature via feedback control. Alternatively or additionally,
the CPU in the direct refrigeration cooling platform may maintain
the temperature of cold plate at a user's preset temperature
.+-.20.degree. C. or less via feedback control.
[0093] The cold plate may be kept above the ambient temperature to
prevent any dew point condensation. A fan may be utilized to blow
air onto the cold plate as an additional condensation
prevention.
[0094] LEDs may be centralized using the direct refrigeration
cooling platform, and beams of light may be delivered to remote
illumination areas via fiber optic light guides.
[0095] LED sources may be centralized with other types of cooling
platforms such as a forced convection, water chiller and air
conditioning cooling, and beams of light are delivered to remote
illumination areas via fiber optic light guides.
[0096] The top of IC chips, where heat-sinking is normally
performed, may be directly attached to the cold plate in the direct
refrigeration cooling platform.
[0097] A direct refrigeration cooling platform with less than 500 W
capacity may be used for a single illumination application, where
it is not centralized, and may also be used for IC chip
cooling.
[0098] The direct refrigeration cooling platform may be part of the
vehicle refrigeration system, cooling vehicle LED headlights and
other heat producing components in a vehicle.
[0099] With the direct refrigeration cooling platform with fiber
optic light guides, change of LEDs in remote and hazardous
locations such as a tunnel, bridge and nuclear power plant is not
needed. The lifetime of LEDs is maximized due to a constant
temperature maintained at the cold plate regardless of the ambient
temperature and the amount of heat produced by LEDs.
[0100] With the direct refrigeration cooling platform with fiber
optic light guides, automobile headlight LED sources may be cooled.
The lifetime of LEDs is maximized due to a constant temperature
maintained at the cold plate regardless of the ambient temperature
and the amount of heat produced by LEDs.
[0101] With the direct refrigeration cooling platform with fiber
optic light guides, the operation of drying inks on a paper
printing may be faster because high power UV LEDs can be used. The
lifetime of UV LEDs is maximized due to a constant temperature
maintained at the cold plate regardless of the ambient temperature
and the amount of heat produced by UV LEDs.
[0102] With the direct refrigeration cooling platform with fiber
optic light guides, on-demand air/water sterilization with UVC-LEDs
may be possible because high power UVC-LEDs can be used. The
lifetime of UVC-LEDs is maximized due to a constant temperature
maintained at the cold plate regardless of the ambient temperature
and the amount of heat produced by UVC-LEDs.
[0103] With the direct refrigeration cooling platform, IC chips may
be directly cooled by attaching the cold plate onto the top of an
IC chip, where a heatsink is normally attached to. A constant
temperature may be maintained at the cold plate regardless of the
ambient temperature and the amount of heat produced by the IC
chip.
[0104] Any heat producing components may be directly cooled by
attaching the cold plate onto the component. A constant temperature
may be maintained at the cold plate regardless of the ambient
temperature and the amount of heat produced by the heat producing
component.
Additional Notes
[0105] From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various
implementations of the present disclosure have been described
herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications
may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the
present disclosure. Accordingly, the various implementations
disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, with the true
scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
* * * * *