A flexible extrusion type solid-liquid phase change temperature control system and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of thermal control technology of electronic components, and in particular to a flexible extrusion type solid-liquid phase change temperature control system and method. When the electronic components to be temperature controlled are thermally controlled, the block phase change material is heated and melted to become a liquid phase change material, and the liquid phase change material enters the second cavity under the extrusion of the granular phase change material. After the block phase change material is completely melted, the liquid phase change material can infiltrate the gap between the granular phase change material near the first cavity. In this way, the solid-liquid phase change temperature control system can be made to have good flexibility and bending ability by using the flexible temperature control component, so that the installation flexibility in the narrow and irregular space is substantially improved and it is conducive to the expansion of the temperature control structure and the extension of the temperature control time. The liquid phase change material can be squeezed into the second cavity by extrusion of the granular phase change material to reduce the thickness of the liquid phase region, so as to reduce the heat transfer resistance between the heat source and the solid phase phase change material, thereby improving the temperature control effect of the temperature control structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of thermal control of electronic components, and in particular to a flexible extrusion type solid-liquid phase change temperature control system and method. Background Art

[0002] Solid-liquid phase change temperature control technology has great application potential in the temperature control of electronic components in aerospace and military equipment due to its advantages of small size, simple structure, good temperature control effect, and high stability under extreme conditions. Its temperature control principle is to use the phase change material to store a large amount of heat in the form of phase change latent heat during the solid-liquid phase change process, and use the characteristic of the body temperature fluctuating near the melting point to achieve temperature control of electronic components.

[0003] The solid-liquid phase change temperature control system's ability to accommodate the heat released by electronic components is proportional to the total amount of phase change material encapsulated inside it. Traditional solid-liquid phase change temperature control systems are usually encapsulated in a hard shell. In order to meet long-term temperature control requirements, the amount of phase change material can only be continuously increased, which also leads to the continuous increase in the volume of the solid-liquid phase change temperature control system, limiting the application of the solid-liquid phase change temperature control system in a small space.

[0004] In addition, the traditional solid-liquid phase change temperature control system has another defect. As the melting process progresses, the completely closed shell cannot discharge the melted liquid phase change material, causing it to accumulate between the heat source and the solid phase change material, forming an ever-increasing liquid phase area, like an ever-increasing thermal resistance, hindering the solid phase change material from absorbing the heat from the heat source, which seriously weakens the temperature control effect of the temperature control system.

[0005] Therefore, the development of a solid-liquid phase change temperature control system with a flexible shell and liquid phase change material extrusion function has positive significance for further improving the thermal control effect and application flexibility of the solid-liquid phase change temperature control system. Summary of the invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present invention provide a flexible extrusion type solid-liquid phase change temperature control system and method, which can improve the thermal control effect and application flexibility of the solid-liquid phase change temperature control system.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a flexible extrusion solid-liquid phase change temperature control system, comprising:

[0008] A rigid temperature control component, having a first cavity and a second cavity interconnected with each other, wherein the first cavity is used to accommodate a bulk phase change material, and the bulk phase change material is used to exchange heat with a heating surface of an electronic component to be temperature controlled;

[0009] A flexible temperature control component, having a third cavity in communication with the first cavity, wherein the third cavity is used to contain a granular phase change material;

[0010] When the electronic component to be temperature-controlled is thermally controlled, the block phase change material is melted by heat to become a liquid phase change material. The liquid phase change material enters the second cavity under the extrusion of the granular phase change material. After the block phase change material is completely melted, the liquid phase change material can infiltrate the gaps between the granular phase change materials close to the first cavity.

[0011] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a flexible extrusion solid-liquid phase change temperature control method, which is applied to the system described in the above embodiment, including:

[0012] Utilizing the block phase change material to exchange heat with the heating surface of the electronic component to be temperature controlled;

[0013] When the electronic component to be temperature-controlled is thermally controlled, the block phase change material is melted by heat to become a liquid phase change material, and the granular phase change material is used to generate a thrust on the block phase change material so that the liquid phase change material is squeezed into the second cavity.

[0014] The embodiment of the present invention provides a flexible extrusion type solid-liquid phase change temperature control system and method. When the temperature-controlled electronic components are thermally controlled, the block phase change material is melted by heat to become a liquid phase change material. The liquid phase change material enters the second cavity under the extrusion of the granular phase change material. After the block phase change material is completely melted, the liquid phase change material can infiltrate the gap between the granular phase change material close to the first cavity. In this way, the flexible temperature control component can be used to realize that the solid-liquid phase change temperature control system has good flexible bending ability, so that the installation flexibility in narrow and irregular spaces is essentially improved and it is beneficial to expand the capacity of the temperature control structure and extend the temperature control time. The granular phase change material can be extruded to squeeze the liquid phase change material into the second cavity to reduce the thickness of the liquid phase region, so as to reduce the heat transfer thermal resistance between the heat source and the solid phase phase change material, thereby improving the temperature control effect of the temperature control structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0016] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a flexible extrusion type solid-liquid phase change temperature control system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the flexible extrusion solid-liquid phase change temperature control system shown.

[0018] Reference numerals:

[0019] 1- Rigid temperature control component;

[0020] 11- first cavity;

[0021] 12- second cavity;

[0022] 13- Bulk phase change material;

[0023] 14- base;

[0024] 141- boss;

[0025] 15-housing;

[0026] 16-ribs;

[0027] 17- Communication channel;

[0028] 18-Foam copper;

[0029] 2-Flexible temperature control component;

[0030] 21- third cavity;

[0031] 22-granular phase change material;

[0032] 23-Flexible pipeline;

[0033] 24-spring;

[0034] 25-Steel ball. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a flexible extrusion solid-liquid phase change temperature control system, including a rigid temperature control component 1 and a flexible temperature control component 2, wherein:

[0037] The rigid temperature control component 1 has a first cavity 11 and a second cavity 12 which are interconnected. The first cavity 11 is used to accommodate a bulk phase change material 13. The bulk phase change material 13 is used to exchange heat with the heating surface of the electronic component to be temperature controlled.

[0038] The flexible temperature control component 2 has a third cavity 21 in communication with the first cavity 11, and the third cavity 21 is used to accommodate a granular phase change material 22;

[0039] When thermal control is performed on the temperature-controlled electronic components, the block phase change material 13 is heated and melted to become a liquid phase change material. The liquid phase change material enters the second cavity 12 under the extrusion of the granular phase change material 22. After the block phase change material 13 is completely melted, the liquid phase change material can infiltrate the gaps between the granular phase change materials 22 near the first cavity 11.

[0040] In this embodiment, when the temperature-controlled electronic components are thermally controlled, the block phase change material 13 is heated and melted to become a liquid phase change material. The liquid phase change material enters the second cavity 12 under the extrusion of the granular phase change material 22. After the block phase change material 13 is completely melted, the liquid phase change material can infiltrate the gap between the granular phase change material 22 close to the first cavity 11. In this way, the flexible temperature control component 2 can be used to realize that the solid-liquid phase change temperature control system has good flexibility and bending ability, so as to substantially improve the installation flexibility in narrow and irregular spaces and facilitate the expansion of the temperature control structure and extend the temperature control time. The granular phase change material 22 can be extruded to squeeze the liquid phase change material into the second cavity 12 to reduce the thickness of the liquid phase region, so as to reduce the heat transfer thermal resistance between the heat source and the solid phase phase change material, thereby improving the temperature control effect of the temperature control structure.

[0041] In some embodiments, the phase change material may be a low melting point alloy or metal, which is not specifically limited herein.

[0042] In one embodiment of the present invention, the rigid temperature control assembly 1 includes a base 14 and a shell 15 , and the base 14 and the shell 15 are fixed to form a first cavity 11 and a second cavity 12 .

[0043] In this embodiment, by providing the base 14 and the shell 15 , the first cavity 11 and the second cavity 12 can be conveniently formed.

[0044] In some embodiments, the base 14 and the shell 15 may be fixed by welding or other fixing methods, which will not be described in detail here.

[0045] In one embodiment of the present invention, the base 14 is made of copper, and a boss 141 is provided on the outer surface of the base 14 corresponding to the first cavity 11 . The boss 141 is used to contact the electronic components to be temperature-controlled.

[0046] In this embodiment, the base 14 is made of red copper, which is conducive to ensuring the thermal conductivity of the base 14, that is, transferring the heat from the heat source to the first cavity 12 storing the liquid phase change material to avoid solidification of the liquid phase change material; a boss 141 is provided on the outer surface of the base 14 corresponding to the first cavity 11, which is conducive to quickly transferring the heat of the electronic components to be temperature-controlled.

[0047] In one embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of fins 16 are disposed in the second cavity 12 , and each fin 16 is connected to the base 14 and the shell 15 respectively.

[0048] In this embodiment, a plurality of fins 16 are provided in the second cavity 12 to enhance heat transfer and prevent solidification of the liquid phase change material.

[0049] In one embodiment of the present invention, a communication channel 17 is connected between the first cavity 11 and the second cavity 12 , and the communication channel 17 is used to accommodate the foam copper 18 .

[0050] In this embodiment, by accommodating the foam copper 18 in the connecting channel 17 , the liquid phase change material can be heated to prevent it from solidifying, and it can also play a filtering role, that is, it can prevent the granular phase change material that has not been completely melted from leaking from the first cavity 11 to the second cavity 12 .

[0051] In one embodiment of the present invention, the flexible temperature control component 2 includes a flexible pipeline 23 connected to the housing 15 , and a third cavity 21 is formed in the flexible pipeline 23 .

[0052] In this embodiment, by providing the flexible pipeline 23, the solid-liquid phase change temperature control system can have good flexibility and bending ability.

[0053] In one embodiment of the present invention, a spring 24 is disposed at the end of the flexible pipe 23 away from the housing 15 , and the spring 24 is used to provide a thrust for the granular phase change material 22 .

[0054] In this embodiment, during the temperature control process, the solid phase change material continuously absorbs the heat released by the heat source and begins to melt into a liquid state. By setting a spring 24 at the end of the flexible pipe 23 away from the shell 15, the granular phase change material 22 stored in the flexible pipe 23 can be continuously replenished to the first cavity 11 under the continuous thrust provided by the thrust spring 24.

[0055] In one embodiment of the present invention, a steel ball 25 is disposed in the flexible pipe 23 , one side of the steel ball 25 abuts against the spring 24 , and the other side of the steel ball 25 abuts against the granular phase change material 22 .

[0056] In this embodiment, by arranging the steel ball 25 in the flexible pipe 23, it is convenient to generate thrust on the granular phase change material 22 without causing jamming.

[0057] In one embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of the granular phase change material 22 is not greater than 0.125 times the diameter of the flexible pipe 23, which can ensure that the granular phase change material 22 is smoothly pushed out from the curved flexible pipe 23 to the first cavity 11 without getting stuck.

[0058] In one embodiment of the present invention, the outer diameter of the spring 24 is not greater than 0.95 times the diameter of the flexible pipe 23, so that the internal thrust spring 24 can still provide a stable thrust when the flexible pipe 23 is in a bent state.

[0059] In summary, the above technical solution has the following advantages:

[0060] 1) Extrusion phase change thermal control

[0061] Conventional temperature control structures use a fully enclosed structure. As the temperature of the temperature control structure base rises, the phase change process begins, the phase change material begins to melt, and a thickening liquid phase area is formed between the heat source and the solid phase heat storage material, resulting in an increasing thermal resistance to heat transfer from the heat source to the solid phase heat storage material. By adopting a non-fully enclosed temperature control structure, the melted liquid phase change material is squeezed out through thrust, the thickness of the liquid phase area is reduced, the thermal resistance is reduced, and the temperature control ability of the temperature control structure is improved.

[0062] 2) Reduce contact thermal resistance: block phase change material + granular phase change material

[0063] The drawback of using granular phase change materials as heat storage media is that the contact between the granular material and the plane is point contact, the thermal resistance is large, and in the early stage of temperature control, when there is no liquid phase change material infiltrating the empty pores, local hot spots are likely to appear, affecting the temperature control effect. Therefore, a combination of block phase change materials and granular phase change materials is used, with the block phase change material as the bottom layer and the granular phase change material supplemented from the top. When the block phase change material is completely melted, there is enough liquid phase change material in the cavity to infiltrate the pores of the granular phase change material, thereby avoiding point contact and reducing thermal resistance.

[0064] In addition, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a flexible extrusion solid-liquid phase change temperature control method, which is applied to the system mentioned in any of the above embodiments, including:

[0065] Utilize the block phase change material 13 to exchange heat with the heating surface of the electronic component to be temperature controlled;

[0066] When the temperature-controlled electronic components are thermally controlled, the block phase change material 13 is heated and melted to become liquid phase change material. The granular phase change material 22 generates thrust on the block phase change material 13 so that the liquid phase change material is squeezed into the second cavity 12 .

[0067] It can be understood that the method embodiment and system embodiment provided by the present invention are based on the same inventive concept and have the same beneficial effects, and the beneficial effects of the method embodiment will not be elaborated herein.

[0068] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the statement "comprise a ..." do not exclude the presence of other identical factors in the process, method, article or device including the elements.

[0069] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible extrusion solid-liquid phase change temperature control system, characterized in that: include: A rigid temperature control component (1), having a first cavity (11) and a second cavity (12) interconnected therein, wherein the first cavity (11) is used to accommodate a block phase change material (13), and the block phase change material (13) is used to exchange heat with a heat-generating surface of an electronic component to be temperature-controlled; A flexible temperature control component (2), having a third cavity (21) therein that is in communication with the first cavity (11), the third cavity (21) being used to accommodate a granular phase change material (22); When the electronic component to be temperature-controlled is thermally controlled, the block phase change material (13) is heated and melted to become a liquid phase change material, and the liquid phase change material enters the second cavity (12) under the pressure of the granular phase change material (22), and after the block phase change material (13) is completely melted, the liquid phase change material can infiltrate the gap between the granular phase change materials (22) close to the first cavity (11); The rigid temperature control component (1) comprises a base (14) and a shell (15), wherein the base (14) and the shell (15) are fixed to form the first cavity (11) and the second cavity (12); A communication channel (17) is connected between the first cavity (11) and the second cavity (12), and the communication channel (17) is used to accommodate foam copper (18); The flexible temperature control component (2) comprises a flexible pipeline (23) connected to the housing (15), and the third cavity (21) is formed in the flexible pipeline (23); A spring (24) is provided at the end of the flexible pipe (23) away from the shell (15), and the spring (24) is used to provide a thrust for the granular phase change material (22), thereby utilizing the extrusion of the granular phase change material to squeeze the liquid phase change material into the second cavity (12) to reduce the thickness of the liquid phase region, thereby reducing the heat transfer resistance between the heat source and the solid phase phase change material.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The base (14) is made of red copper, and an outer surface of the base (14) corresponding to the first cavity (11) is provided with a boss (141), and the boss (141) is used to contact the electronic component to be temperature-controlled.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that A plurality of ribs (16) are arranged in the second cavity (12), and each of the ribs (16) is respectively connected to the base (14) and the shell (15).

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that A steel ball (25) is arranged in the flexible pipeline (23); one side of the steel ball (25) abuts against the spring (24), and the other side abuts against the granular phase change material (22).

5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that The diameter of the granular phase change material (22) is not greater than 0.125 times the diameter of the flexible pipe (23), and the outer diameter of the spring (24) is not greater than 0.95 times the diameter of the flexible pipe (23).

6. A flexible extrusion solid-liquid phase change temperature control method, characterized in that: A system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: Utilizing the block phase change material (13) to exchange heat with the heating surface of the electronic component to be temperature controlled; When the electronic component to be temperature-controlled is thermally controlled, the block phase change material (13) is heated and melted to become a liquid phase change material, and the granular phase change material (22) is used to generate a thrust on the block phase change material (13), so that the liquid phase change material is squeezed into the second cavity (12).

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