Water cooling device and current collector thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a water cooling device and a current collector thereof. The water cooling device comprises a first current collector, a second current collector and a plurality of fluid pipes, the first current collector comprises a receiving cavity and a plurality of rectifying cavities. The receiving chamber has an inlet for receiving a working fluid. Each rectifying cavity comprises a first wall part and a second wall part; the second wall part is opposite to the first wall part; the first wall part is provided with an opening connected with the receiving cavity; the second wall part is provided with an outlet; one end of each fluid pipe is correspondingly connected with an outlet of the rectifying cavity, and the other end of each fluid pipe communicates with the second current collector.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The original application was filed on September 29, 2020; the original application number was 202011055008.X; and the original invention title was: Water Cooling Device and its Collector. Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to a water cooling device and its collector. Background Technology

[0003] In recent years, the demand for memory in server devices has continued to grow, and the number of memory modules on the motherboard has increased accordingly. When using water cooling to dissipate heat from memory modules, the different distances between each memory module and the water inlet of the cooling system result in varying amounts of water flowing past each module for heat exchange, causing temperature differences between the memory modules. Generally speaking, memory modules farther from the water inlet of the cooling system have relatively lower cooling efficiency and therefore higher temperatures. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, one object of the present invention is to provide a water cooling device that can uniformly cool memory modules.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, according to some embodiments of the present invention, a current collector includes:

[0006] A housing having an inlet, a plurality of outlets, and a wall portion for receiving a working fluid, the inlet having a portion extending towards a second wall portion. At least one rectifying channel, the upper surface of at least one sidewall of which does not contact other parts of the housing, the rectifying channel having a first end and at least one second end, the first end facing the inlet, and the second end facing one of the outlets; and

[0007] Multiple rectifier cavities, each of which has an outlet corresponding to a sidewall that penetrates one of the rectifier cavities.

[0008] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the rectifier channel extends into the wall portion.

[0009] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the number of the rectifier channels is two or more, and the size of the rectifier channel is positively correlated with the distance between the outlet and the inlet corresponding to it;

[0010] The cross-sectional area of ​​the rectifier channel increases with distance from the inlet; or

[0011] The number of at least one second end is two or more, and the size of the second end is positively correlated with the distance between the corresponding outlet and the inlet.

[0012] In summary, the collector of the present invention uses a rectifier cavity or rectifier channel structure to distribute the received working fluid to the outlet, thereby homogenizing the fluid flow rate through each fluid pipe.

[0013] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but this is not intended to limit the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0014] To make the above and other objects, features, advantages and examples of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the accompanying drawings are described below:

[0015] Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of a water-cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided.

[0016] Figure 2 For illustration Figure 1 A partially enlarged sectional view of the water-cooling device shown along line segment 1-1';

[0017] Figure 3 To illustrate a partially enlarged top perspective view of a water-cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 4 For illustration Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the water-cooling device along line segment 5-5';

[0019] Figure 5 To illustrate a partially enlarged top perspective view of a water-cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 6 To illustrate a partially enlarged top perspective view of a water-cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 7 For illustration of a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a water-cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 8 An exploded perspective view of a water-cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention is provided.

[0023] Among them, the attached figures are labeled

[0024] 10: Memory Module

[0025] 100, 400: Water cooling device

[0026] 110, 410, 610, 710, 810, 910: First collector

[0027] 111,611: Casing

[0028] 111a, 111b, 911b, 911c: Sidewalls

[0029] 112: Cover

[0030] 113,913: Receiving cavity

[0031] 113a, 613a, 913a: Entrance

[0032] 114, 114a, 114b: Rectifier cavity

[0033] 114x: First wall section

[0034] 114y: Second wall section

[0035] 115, 615, 615a, 615b: Exports

[0036] 116, 116a, 116b: Opening

[0037] 117, 117a, 117b: Convex tubes

[0038] 118, 118a, 118b, 118c: partition

[0039] 120,420: Second collector

[0040] 121: First through hole

[0041] 122: Second through hole

[0042] 123, 124: Sidewall

[0043] 125: partition

[0044] 126, 127: Inner wall

[0045] 130, 430a, 430b: First fluid pipe

[0046] 132: Second fluid tube

[0047] 180: Third collector

[0048] 181: Export

[0049] 190: Connecting pipe

[0050] 440: Reflux chamber

[0051] 441: Partition

[0052] 442: Export

[0053] 611a, 611b: Sidewalls

[0054] 611x, 611y, 913x: Wall portion; 614, 614a, 614b, 614z, 714, 814, 914: Rectifying channel; 614u, 714u, 914u: First end; 614v, 714v, 814v, 814v1, 814v2, 914v: Second end; 614w: Sidewall; A1, A2, C1, C2, F1, F2: Cross-sectional area; B1, B2: Distance; D1, D2: Pipe diameter; E1, E2: Width; X: Direction. Detailed Implementation

[0055] To make the description of the invention more detailed and complete, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings and the various examples described below. The elements in the drawings are not drawn to scale and are provided for illustrative purposes only. Many practical details are described below to provide a comprehensive understanding of the invention; however, those skilled in the art will understand that the invention can be practiced without one or more of these practical details, and therefore, these details should not be used to limit the invention.

[0056] In this invention, "A and B are positively correlated" means that when A increases, B also increases; when A decreases, B also decreases.

[0057] Please refer to Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 . Figure 1 To illustrate an exploded perspective view of a water-cooling device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 For illustration Figure 1 The image shows a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the water-cooling device 100 along line segment 1-1'. The water-cooling device 100 is used to guide the working fluid (e.g., water) and the memory module 10 (in... Figure 1 (Not shown in the diagram) Heat exchange is performed to cool the memory module 10. The water cooling device 100 includes a first collector 110, a second collector 120, and a plurality of first fluid pipes 130 in fluid communication with each other. The first fluid pipes 130 are separated from each other and connected between the first collector 110 and the second collector 120, and the side surfaces of the first fluid pipes 130 are used for thermal contact with the memory module 10. In some embodiments, the first fluid pipes 130 are flat tubes. In some embodiments, the first fluid pipes 130 contain metal or other suitable thermally conductive materials.

[0058] The first collector 110 includes a housing 111 and a cover 112. The housing 111 is used to contain the working fluid, and the cover 112 covers the housing 111. The housing 111 includes a receiving cavity 113 and a plurality of rectifying cavities 114. The receiving cavity 113 has an inlet 113a for receiving the working fluid, which enters the water cooling device 100 through the inlet 113a. The rectifying cavities 114 are arranged on one side of the receiving cavity 113 and are connected to the receiving cavity 113. They are used to distribute the working fluid to the outlet 115 corresponding to each rectifying cavity 114, and to make the flow rate or velocity of the fluid flowing out of each outlet 115 approximately equal.

[0059] Specifically, each rectifier cavity 114 includes a first wall portion 114x and a second wall portion 114y, the second wall portion 114y being opposite to the first wall portion 114x, the first wall portion 114x having an opening 116 connected to the receiving cavity 113, and the second wall portion 114y having an outlet 115.

[0060] For example, inlet 113a and outlet 115 are located on the first sidewall 111a and the second sidewall 111b of housing 111, respectively, and the distances between each outlet 115 and inlet 113a are different. In addition, a connecting pipe 190 may be additionally formed outside the inlet 113a of the first collector 110, through which the first collector 110 can be connected to an external circulation system (not shown).

[0061] One end of the first fluid pipe 130 is connected to the outlet 115 of the rectifier cavity 114, and the other end is connected to the second collector 120 to guide the working fluid from the first collector 110 to the second collector 120.

[0062] Each rectifier cavity 114 or its opening 116 is not exactly the same in size or shape. This difference allows the flow rate or velocity of the working fluid through each outlet 115 to be substantially consistent, thereby ensuring that each of the first fluid pipes 130 of the water cooling device 100 has substantially the same heat dissipation efficiency. In this way, the water cooling device 100 can provide each memory module 10 with substantially the same heat dissipation efficiency.

[0063] The size of the opening 116 of the rectifier cavity 114 is preferably positively correlated with its distance from the inlet 113a of the receiving cavity 113. In other words, as the distance between the rectifier cavity 114 and the inlet 113a increases, the size of the opening 116 of the rectifier cavity 114 (e.g., the width, height, or cross-sectional area of ​​the opening 116) will increase accordingly. In one example, the first collector 110 includes a first rectifier cavity 114a and a second rectifier cavity 114b, the first rectifier cavity 114a and the second rectifier cavity 114b having a first opening 116a and a second opening 116b, respectively. The distance between the first opening 116a and the inlet 113a is less than the distance between the second opening 116b and the inlet 113a, and the cross-sectional area A1 of the first opening 116a is less than the cross-sectional area A2 of the second opening 116b.

[0064] Furthermore, a convex tube 117 can be formed within at least one rectifying cavity 114 as needed. An opening 116 serves as the inlet of this convex tube 117 and protrudes from the first wall portion 114x toward the second wall portion 114y. When convex tubes 117 are formed within at least two rectifying cavities 114, the at least two convex tubes 117 have different diameters, cross-sectional areas, lengths, or inner wall roughness. As the distance between the aforementioned convex tube 117 and the inlet 113a increases, the diameter of the convex tube 117 increases, the cross-sectional area increases, the length decreases, or the inner wall roughness decreases. In some instances, two or more convex tube design parameters (e.g., the cross-sectional area, diameter, length, and inner wall roughness of the convex tube) can be changed simultaneously.

[0065] Taking one example, when the first rectifier cavity 114a and the second rectifier cavity 114b have a first convex tube 117a and a second convex tube 117b respectively, the distance between the first convex tube 117a and the inlet 113a is less than the distance between the second convex tube 117b and the inlet 113a, and the diameter D1 of the first convex tube 117a is less than the diameter D2 of the second convex tube 117b.

[0066] In addition to the above design, the first collector 110 may further be formed with a plurality of baffles 118, which extend from the first wall portion 114x of the rectifier cavity 114 toward the direction away from the second wall portion 114y. The region between two adjacent baffles 118, or the region between a baffle 118 and the inner wall of the receiving cavity 113, each includes at least one opening 116, and the arrangement density of the baffles 118 preferably decreases with increasing distance from the inlet 113a to ensure uniform flow in the aforementioned regions. In a specific example, the first collector 110 includes a first baffle 118a, a second baffle 118b, and a third baffle 118c arranged sequentially away from the inlet 113a, wherein the distance B1 between the first baffle 118a and the second baffle 118b is less than the distance B2 between the second baffle 118b and the third baffle 118c.

[0067] Furthermore, if needed, the water cooling device 100 may include a third manifold 180 and a plurality of second fluid pipes 132, wherein the first manifold 110, the first fluid pipe 130, the second manifold 120, the second fluid pipes 132, and the third manifold 180 are arranged sequentially along the X direction. The second fluid pipes 132 are separate from each other and connect the second manifold 120 and the third manifold 180, and the third manifold 180 has an outlet 181 for discharging working fluid. In the above configuration, the water cooling device 100 can be used to cool separately arranged memory modules.

[0068] The inlet 113a and outlet 181 of the water cooling device 100 can be arranged diagonally, on the same side, or on opposite sides. An additional connecting pipe 190 can also be formed outside the outlet 181, and the water cooling device 100 can form a circulation loop through the two connecting pipes 190.

[0069] When outlet 181 is not located at the second collector 120, the second collector 120 has multiple first through holes 121 and multiple second through holes 122, with the first through holes 121 and second through holes 122 located on opposite side walls 123 and 124 of the second collector 120, respectively. The first through holes 121 are connected to the first fluid pipe 130, and the second through holes 122 are connected to the second fluid pipe 132.

[0070] If necessary, the second collector 120 may additionally form one or more partitions 125, each partition 125 located between two opposing inner walls 126, 127 of the second collector 120 and connected between side walls 123, 124. The partitions 125 isolate multiple regions within the second collector 120. The region between two adjacent partitions 125, or the region between any inner wall 126, 127 and its adjacent partition 125, encompasses at least one first through-hole 121 and at least one second through-hole 122. In the illustrated example, each chamber has a single first through-hole 121 and a single second through-hole 122.

[0071] Please refer to Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 . Figure 3 To illustrate a partially enlarged top perspective view of a water-cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 For illustration Figure 3The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the water-cooling device along line segment 5-5'. Unlike the previous examples that used a rectifier cavity to distribute the working fluid, in this example, the first collector 610 has at least one rectifier channel 614 to distribute the working fluid to multiple outlets 615. Specifically, the housing 611 of the first collector 610 has a first sidewall 611a, a second sidewall 611b different from the first sidewall 611a, and a wall portion 611x connecting the first sidewall 611a and the second sidewall 611b. The first sidewall 611a has an inlet 613a, the second sidewall 611b has an outlet 615, and the wall portion 611x has the rectifier channel 614. Each rectifier channel 614 has a first end 614u and at least one second end 614v, the first end 614u facing the inlet 613a, and the second end 614v facing one of the outlets 615.

[0072] In some instances, the wall portion 611x is located at the bottom of the housing 611; in other words, the wall portion 611x is the bottom wall of the housing 611. In some instances, the rectifying channel 614 extends into the wall portion 611x; in other words, the sidewall 614w of the rectifying channel 614 is recessed from the surface of the wall portion 611x. In other instances, the sidewall of the rectifying channel may instead protrude from the surface of the wall portion 611x to define the rectifying channel.

[0073] The rectifier channel 614 has different flow resistance. Specifically, the flow resistance of the rectifier channel 614 increases as the distance between its corresponding outlet 615 and inlet 613a increases. Therefore, the working fluid entering the first collector 610 from the inlet 613a can be evenly distributed to each outlet 615, and the amount of fluid through each first fluid pipe 130 is also correspondingly uniformized.

[0074] Furthermore, when there are two or more rectifier channels 614, the size of the rectifier channel 614 is positively correlated with the distance between its corresponding outlet 615 and inlet 613a. In other words, as the distance between outlet 615 and inlet 613a increases, the size of the rectifier channel 614 corresponding to outlet 615 (e.g., the width, height, or cross-sectional area of ​​the rectifier channel 614) increases. For example, the first collector 610 includes a first outlet 615a, a second outlet 615b, a first rectifier channel 614a, and a second rectifier channel 614b. The first rectifier channel 614a extends between the inlet 613a and the first outlet 615a, and the second rectifier channel 614b extends between the inlet 613a and the second outlet 615b. The distance between the first outlet 615a and the inlet 613a is less than the distance between the second outlet 615b and the inlet 613a, and the width E1 of the first rectifier channel 614a is less than the width E2 of the second rectifier channel 614b.

[0075] Furthermore, the top wall of the housing 611 is a wall portion 611y, which is positioned opposite to the wall portion 611x. At least one rectifying channel 614z may also be formed on the wall portion 611y, extending between the inlet 613a and the corresponding outlet 615. The rectifying channel 614 and the rectifying channel 614z may coexist or one of them may be selected.

[0076] Please refer to Figure 5 This is a partially enlarged top perspective view illustrating a water-cooling apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the rectifying channel 714 of the first collector 710 increases with distance from the inlet 613a. Specifically, the cross-sectional area C1 of the first end 714u (facing the inlet 613a) of the rectifying channel 714 is smaller than the cross-sectional area C2 of the second end 714v (facing one of the outlets 615) of the rectifying channel 714. Preferably, the cross-sectional area of ​​the rectifying channel 714 gradually increases with distance from the inlet 613a.

[0077] Please refer to Figure 6 This is a partially enlarged top perspective view illustrating a water-cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the rectifying channel 814 of the first collector 810 has two or more second ends 814v (two are shown as an example in the figure). The size of the second end 814v is positively correlated with the distance between its corresponding outlet 615 and inlet 613a. In other words, as the distance between outlet 615 and inlet 613a increases, the size of the second end 814v corresponding to outlet 615 (including the width, height, or cross-sectional area of ​​the second end 814v) increases. Specifically, the first collector 810 includes a first outlet 615a and a second outlet 615b, and the second ends 814v1 and 814v2 of the rectifying channel 814 face the first outlet 615a and the second outlet 615b, respectively. Because the distance between the first outlet 615a and the inlet 613a is less than the distance between the second outlet 615b and the inlet 613a, the cross-sectional area F1 of the second end 814v1 is less than the cross-sectional area F2 of the second end 814v2.

[0078] Please refer to Figure 7 This is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a water-cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is related to... Figure 2 The difference in the illustrated example is that the inlet 913a and outlet 115 of the first collector 910 are respectively located on opposite sidewalls 911c and 911b. Furthermore, compared to... Figure 2 In the example shown, the receiving cavity 913 is further formed with at least one rectifier channel 914, the rectifier channel 914 having a first end 914u and at least one second end 914v, the first end 914u facing the inlet 913a of the receiving cavity 913, and the second end 914v facing the opening 116 of one of the rectifier cavities 114.

[0079] The rectifying channel 914 preferably extends into the wall 913x of the receiving cavity 913 (e.g., the top or bottom wall of the receiving cavity 913). Furthermore, the receiving cavity 913 may have multiple rectifying channels 914, and the size of each rectifying channel 914 is positively correlated with the distance of its corresponding opening 116 from the inlet 913a of the receiving cavity 913. For example, when the distance from the opening of one rectifying channel to the inlet 913a is greater than the distance from the opening of another rectifying channel to the inlet 913a, the size of this rectifying channel is larger than the size of the aforementioned other rectifying channel 914.

[0080] In addition, the rectifier channel of the receiving cavity can be in a similar form. Figure 5 The rectifier channel 714 shown is or Figure 6 The rectifying channel 814 is shown. In some embodiments, the cross-sectional area of ​​the rectifying channel of the receiving cavity may also increase with increasing distance from the inlet 913a of the receiving cavity. In some embodiments, the rectifying channel has more than two second ends, and the size of the second end is positively correlated with the distance of its corresponding opening 116 from the inlet 913a of the receiving cavity. In other words, the greater the aforementioned distance, the larger the size of the second end.

[0081] Please refer to Figure 8 This is an exploded perspective view illustrating a water-cooling device 400 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the first collector 410 further includes a return chamber 440, with a partition 441 between the return chamber 440 and the receiving chamber 113, and the return chamber 440 has an outlet 442 through which the working fluid leaves the first collector 410. The two ends of the first fluid pipe 430a are respectively connected to the rectifying chamber 114 and the second collector 420, while the two ends of the first fluid pipe 430b are respectively connected to the second collector 420 and the return chamber 440.

[0082] In the above configuration, the working fluid flows through the water cooling device 400 in a roughly U-shaped path. Specifically, the working fluid first enters the receiving chamber 113 through the inlet 113a, is distributed into the first fluid pipe 430a via the rectifier chamber 114, enters the second collector 420 through the first fluid pipe 430a, then enters the return chamber 440 through the first fluid pipe 430b and returns to the first collector 410, and finally leaves the water cooling device 400 through the outlet 442.

[0083] In summary, the collector of the present invention uses a rectifier cavity or rectifier channel structure to distribute the received working fluid to the outlet, thereby homogenizing the fluid flow rate through each fluid pipe.

[0084] Of course, the present invention may have other various embodiments. Without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various corresponding changes and modifications according to the present invention, but these corresponding changes and modifications should all fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A current collector, characterized in that, Include: A housing having an inlet, a plurality of outlets and a wall portion, the inlet for receiving a working fluid, the wall portion having at least one rectifying channel, the upper part of at least one sidewall of the rectifying channel not in contact with other parts of the housing, the rectifying channel having a first end and at least one second end, the first end facing the inlet and the second end facing one of the outlets; as well as Multiple rectifier cavities, each of which has an outlet corresponding to a sidewall that penetrates one of the rectifier cavities.

2. The current collector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rectifier channel extends deep into the wall.

3. The current collector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of rectifier channels is two or more, and the size of the rectifier channel is positively correlated with the distance between its corresponding outlet and its inlet; The cross-sectional area of ​​the rectifier channel increases with distance from the inlet; or The number of at least one second end is two or more, and the size of the second end is positively correlated with the distance between the corresponding outlet and the inlet.

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