Heat dissipation structure

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of heat dissipation and provides a heat dissipation structure. The heat dissipation structure includes a cold plate, which includes a heat spreader connected to the object to be cooled by thermal coupling; and a heat exchange assembly with cooling channels formed within it, which are thermally coupled to the heat spreader to form a two-stage heat transfer path. This heat dissipation structure, through its decoupled two-stage heat transfer path design, solves the core pain point of related technologies in high-density horizontally stacked hard drives. By using the two-stage heat transfer structure of the heat spreader and heat exchange assembly, the planar heat absorption and heat spreader functions are completely decoupled from the centralized liquid cooling heat exchange function. No cooling channels need to be created inside the cold plate, thus allowing the overall thickness of the cold plate to be controlled within an ultra-thin range of 2 mm. This allows it to be embedded in the installation gaps of high-density horizontally stacked hard drives without requiring any modifications to the original hard drive components, hard drive trays, or chassis structure, solving the pain point of not being able to achieve liquid cooling in confined spaces.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of heat dissipation, and provides a heat dissipation structure. Background Technology

[0002] The statements herein are provided only as background information in connection with this application and do not necessarily constitute related technology.

[0003] With the rapid development of technology, various intelligent products are emerging in an endless stream, and the demand for high-performance computing is also increasing. As storage hard drives become smaller, their power consumption is also increasing, leading to increasingly serious heat dissipation problems. Related technologies mainly use air cooling or liquid cooling for heat dissipation. Air cooling requires high-speed fans to dissipate the generated heat, but this method increases the power consumption of the fans themselves and the noise generated during system operation. Therefore, liquid cooling is often chosen. However, to ensure effective heat dissipation from the cold plate, liquid cooling often requires modifications to the original components of the hard drive, the trays, and the chassis to install the cold plate, which increases the cost of liquid cooling system upgrades. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a heat dissipation structure to address the shortcomings of related technologies that cannot achieve liquid cooling in a confined space.

[0005] This invention provides a heat dissipation structure, comprising: A cold plate, the cold plate including a heat-spreading element, the heat-spreading element being thermally coupled to the object to be cooled; A heat exchange assembly having a cooling channel formed therein, the cooling channel being thermally coupled to the heat exchanger to form a two-stage heat transfer path.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the cold plate further includes an insulating film, a thermally conductive mounting bracket, and a first thermally conductive element stacked together, the heat-spreading element being disposed between the insulating film and the thermally conductive mounting bracket, and the first thermally conductive element being thermally coupled to the cooling channel.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thermally conductive mounting bracket includes: A first heat-conducting mounting part is disposed between the heat-spreading component and the first heat-conducting component; The second thermally conductive mounting part is connected to the first thermally conductive mounting part, and the second thermally conductive mounting part is thermally coupled to the heat exchange assembly through the second thermally conductive element.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the second heat-conducting element is at least disposed on the side of the second heat-conducting mounting portion facing the heat exchange assembly.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the insulating film is 0.08 mm, the thickness of the heat spreader is 1 mm, the thickness of the first thermally conductive mounting portion is 0.5 mm, and the thickness of the first thermally conductive pad is 0.25 mm.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the cold plate is less than or equal to 2 mm.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat-conducting mounting bracket is provided with a locking part for mounting the object to be cooled.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat dissipation structure includes a plurality of cold plates, and the plurality of cold plates are thermally coupled to the same heat exchange component.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat exchange assembly is provided with an inlet and an outlet that are in fluid communication with the cooling channel.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a baffle is provided in the heat exchange assembly, the baffle being adapted to divide the cooling channel into an inflow channel and an outflow channel, the inlet being in fluid communication with the inflow channel, and the outlet being in fluid communication with the outflow channel.

[0015] The heat dissipation structure provided by the embodiments of the present invention solves the core pain point of related technologies in high-density horizontally stacked hard drives through a decoupled two-stage heat transfer path design. By using a two-stage heat transfer structure of a heat spreader and a heat exchange component, the planar heat absorption and heat dissipation functions are completely decoupled from the centralized liquid cooling heat exchange function. No cooling channels need to be opened inside the cold plate, thus the overall thickness of the cold plate can be controlled within an ultra-thin range of 2 mm. This allows it to be embedded in the installation gaps of high-density horizontally stacked hard drives without any modifications to the original hard drive components, hard drive trays, or chassis structure, solving the pain point of not being able to achieve liquid cooling in confined spaces. The cold plate directly adheres to the large surface of the hard drive, without occupying additional space on the hard drive backplane, requiring no modifications to the hard drive backplane. This not only does not reduce the number of hard drives that can be installed in the server, but also allows the entire machine to support a larger number of high-power hard drives, balancing high-density storage and efficient heat dissipation. By utilizing the ultra-high thermal conductivity of phase change heat transfer through the design of the heat vapor chamber, rapid and even heat distribution across the entire plane of the hard drive is achieved within a very thin thickness. This keeps the maximum temperature difference on the hard drive surface within a preset temperature range, eliminating localized hot spots and significantly extending the lifespan of the hard drive. Simultaneously, the heat vapor chamber's planar thermal resistance is far lower than that of a copper plate of the same thickness, improving heat exchange efficiency within an ultra-thin space of less than 2 millimeters. Through in-plane phase change heat transfer, the heat vapor chamber achieves rapid two-dimensional planar heat diffusion, enabling precise heat distribution tailored to the heat distribution characteristics of the hard drive. This solves the problems of high thermal resistance and uneven heat dissipation associated with metal cooling plates in related technologies. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this invention or related technologies, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic three-dimensional diagram illustrating the application of the heat dissipation structure provided by this invention to a hard drive.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic perspective view of the heat dissipation structure and the object to be cooled provided by the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic perspective view of the heat-conducting mounting bracket provided by the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic front view of the heat-conducting mounting bracket provided by the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A schematic cross-sectional view along the AA direction.

[0022] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A magnified view of a section at point B.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic perspective view of the heat exchange component provided by the present invention.

[0024] Figure label: 100. Cold plate; 102. Heat spreader; 104. Object to be cooled; 106. Heat exchange assembly; 108. Cooling channel; 110. Insulating film; 112. Thermally conductive mounting bracket; 114. First thermally conductive component; 116. First thermally conductive mounting part; 118. Second thermally conductive mounting part; 120. Second thermally conductive component; 122. Locking part; 124. Inlet; 126. Outlet. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0026] The specific terminology used in this specification is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the illustrative embodiments. For example, expressions such as "same" and "identical" not only indicate a strictly identical state, but also indicate a state with tolerances or differences in the degree of functionality. For example, expressions such as "towards a certain direction," "along a certain direction," "side by side," "perpendicular," "centered on," "concentric," or "coaxial" indicating relative or absolute arrangement not only strictly indicate such arrangement, but also indicate a state of relative displacement by tolerances or angles or distances with the same degree of functionality.

[0027] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms center, longitudinal, transverse, length, width, thickness, upper, lower, front, back, left, right, vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, inner, outer, clockwise, counterclockwise, axial, radial, circumferential, etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0028] Furthermore, the definition of "first" and "second" features may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of those features. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. In the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified. In the description of the embodiments of this application, terms and / or are merely descriptive of the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, B1 and / or B2 can represent: B1 existing alone, B1 and B2 existing simultaneously, and B2 existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0029] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms installation, connection, and linking should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0030] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a heat dissipation structure, including: Cold plate 100, cold plate 100 includes heat dissipation component 102, heat dissipation component 102 is thermally coupled to object to be cooled 104; The heat exchange component 106 has a cooling channel 108 formed inside it. The cooling channel 108 is thermally coupled to the heat exchanger 102 to form a two-stage heat transfer path.

[0031] The heat dissipation structure provided by the embodiments of the present invention solves the core pain point of related technologies in high-density horizontally stacked hard drives through a decoupled two-stage heat transfer path design. The two-stage heat transfer structure of the heat spreader 102 and the heat exchange assembly 106 completely decouples the planar heat absorption and heat dissipation functions from the centralized liquid cooling heat exchange function. No cooling channels 108 need to be opened inside the cold plate 100, thus the overall thickness of the cold plate 100 can be controlled within an ultra-thin range of 2 mm. This allows it to be embedded in the installation gaps of high-density horizontally stacked hard drives without any modifications to the original hard drive components, hard drive brackets, or chassis structure, solving the pain point of not being able to achieve liquid cooling in confined spaces. The cold plate 100 directly adheres to the large surface of the hard drive, without occupying additional space on the hard drive backplane. No modifications to the hard drive backplane are required, which not only does not reduce the number of hard drives that can be installed in the server, but also allows the entire machine to support a larger number of high-power hard drives, balancing high-density storage and efficient heat dissipation. By utilizing the ultra-high thermal conductivity of phase change heat transfer through the heat vapor chamber 102, rapid homogenization of hard drive heat is achieved across the entire plane within a very thin thickness. This keeps the maximum temperature difference on the hard drive surface within a preset temperature range, eliminating local hot spots and significantly extending the lifespan of the hard drive. Simultaneously, the planar thermal resistance of the heat vapor chamber 102 is far lower than that of a copper plate of the same thickness, improving heat exchange efficiency within an ultra-thin space of less than 2 millimeters. The heat vapor chamber 102 achieves rapid two-dimensional planar diffusion of heat through in-plane phase change heat transfer, enabling precise heat homogenization tailored to the heat distribution characteristics of the hard drive. This solves the problems of high thermal resistance and uneven heat dissipation associated with metal cooling plates 100 in related technologies.

[0032] Furthermore, the overall structure of this invention requires no structural modifications to the hard drive, hard drive tray, hard drive backplane, or server chassis. It can directly upgrade the hard drive array of an existing air-cooled server to liquid cooling, resulting in low modification costs and suitability for heat dissipation scenarios with a large number of hard drives.

[0033] Please continue reading Figures 1 to 7 The heat dissipation structure provided in this embodiment of the invention can be used to design heat dissipation scenarios for horizontally stacked hard drives in servers, adapt to the hard drive installation layout in the front window of the server, and achieve efficient liquid cooling heat dissipation for high-density stacked hard drives without changing the original organic components of the hard drives through a two-stage heat transfer structure with functional decoupling.

[0034] Of course, in some other embodiments, the heat dissipation structure can also be used to dissipate heat from other objects 104 that need to be cooled, such as the chassis, switch, router, hard drive rack, etc. in a server.

[0035] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The following description uses the heat dissipation structure provided in the embodiment of the present invention applied to the front window hard drive of a server as an example.

[0036] The application scenario of this heat dissipation structure is to dissipate heat from multiple (four in a typical embodiment) horizontally stacked hard drives in a server. The standard installation gap between adjacent hard drives is only 2.2 mm. The overall structure consists of a cold plate 100 and a heat exchange component 106.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, the cold plate 100 is a heat absorption and heat dissipation unit that directly cooperates with the object to be cooled 104, and the heat exchange assembly 106 is a centralized liquid-cooled heat exchange unit. The heat dissipation element 102 in the cold plate 100 is thermally coupled to the hard drive to be cooled. The heat exchange assembly 106 has a cooling channel 108 for the flow of cooling medium. The cooling channel 108 is thermally coupled to the heat dissipation element 102. Finally, a two-stage heat transfer path is constructed, consisting of the object to be cooled 104, the heat dissipation element 102, the cooling channel 108 of the heat exchange assembly 106, and the cooling medium. The first stage of heat transfer is the transfer and in-plane homogenization of heat from the hard drive to the heat dissipation element 102. The second stage of heat transfer is the transfer and removal of heat from the heat dissipation element 102 to the cooling medium in the cooling channel 108.

[0038] It should be noted that the thermal coupling connection mentioned here refers to the ability to exchange heat between the cold plate 100 and the object to be cooled 104. Specifically, the heat exchange between the cold plate 100 and the object to be cooled 104 can be at least one of the following forms: heat conduction, heat convection, and heat radiation. In this embodiment of the invention, the cold plate 100 is arranged next to the hard drive to be cooled, that is, heat exchange between the cold plate 100 and the object to be cooled 104 is carried out through heat conduction and heat convection.

[0039] In this embodiment of the invention, the cold plate 100 is a flat composite laminated structure with an overall thickness of less than or equal to 2 mm. It can be directly embedded into the installation gap between horizontally stacked hard drives. The cold plate 100 includes a heat spreader 102, which can be an ultra-thin VC heat spreader (vapor chamber) as the core heat spreader of the cold plate 100. The thickness of the heat spreader 102 can be 1 mm, and it can be integrally stamped from a 0.1 mm thick oxygen-free copper shell. The VC heat spreader can utilize the phase change principle for heat dissipation, has high heat transfer efficiency, and can be easily applied to ultra-thin environments. The hot end surface of the heat spreader 102 forms a thermal coupling connection with the large surface of the hard drive to be cooled, which can quickly diffuse and homogenize the local heat generated by the heat-generating cores such as the hard drive controller chip and storage chips in a short time, eliminate local hot spots on the hard drive surface, and control the maximum temperature difference on the hard drive surface within a preset temperature range.

[0040] For a typical scenario of four horizontally stacked hard drives, the heat dissipation structure can be configured with five identical and interchangeable cold plates 100. A standard hard drive installation gap of 2.2 mm is formed between adjacent cold plates 100. The two large surfaces on the left and right sides of each hard drive are tightly attached to the insulating film 110 of a cold plate 100, forming a double-sided heat dissipation structure with one hard drive and two cold plates 100. All cold plates 100 are thermally coupled to the same set of heat exchange components 106.

[0041] like Figure 1 and Figure 7 As shown, the heat exchange component 106 can be a roughly elongated manifold structure, which can be integrally welded from 304 stainless steel and run along the entire length of all the cold plates 100, with its length completely covering the width of the multiple cold plates 100. Its interior is enclosed to form a cooling channel 108 for the flow of cooling medium, and the cooling channel 108 is thermally coupled to the heat exchanger 102 of all the cold plates 100.

[0042] The cooling channel 108 extends along the length of the heat exchange component 106. The heat exchange component 106 is completely divided into an independent and non-connected inflow channel and an outflow channel by an integrally formed stainless steel partition. The ratio of the flow cross-sectional area of ​​the inflow channel to the outflow channel can be 1:1. In addition, there are no abrupt changes in the cross-section of the channels, whether it is the inflow channel or the outflow channel, to avoid a surge in local flow resistance.

[0043] One end of the heat exchange component 106 is provided with an inlet 124 and an outlet 126. The inlet 124 is in fluid communication with the inflow channel, and the outlet 126 is in fluid communication with the outflow channel. The other end of the heat exchange component 106 is provided with a connecting hole, which is only used to connect the end of the inflow channel and the end of the outflow channel to form a co-current flow path. The side wall of the inflow channel facing the cold plate 100 can be provided with heat exchange enhancement grooves corresponding to each cold plate 100 to increase the heat exchange contact area with the cold plate 100 and ensure the heat exchange uniformity of all cold plates 100.

[0044] The sidewall of the heat exchange component 106 forms a full-area thermal coupling connection with all the cold plates 100, realizing efficient heat conduction between the heat exchanger 102 and the cooling channel 108. The cooling medium can be a standard server liquid cooling system such as ethylene glycol aqueous solution, propylene glycol aqueous solution, or water. After entering the inflow channel from the inlet 124, the cooling medium flows along the inflow channel and completes heat exchange with all the cold plates 100. Then, it enters the outflow channel through the end connecting hole and finally flows out from the outlet 126, completing the circulating heat exchange.

[0045] like Figure 7As shown, both the inlet 124 and the outlet 126 are connected to pagoda-type connectors to fit the standard PU hoses of the server liquid cooling system, meeting the sealing requirements of the server liquid cooling system. In addition, a pressure sensor and an inlet water temperature sensor can be installed at the inlet 124, and an outlet water temperature sensor can be installed at the outlet 126 to monitor the operating status of the cooling channel 108 in real time and realize overload protection of the heat dissipation system.

[0046] The two-stage heat transfer path of the present invention is fully realized through the functional decoupling design of the heat spreader 102 and the heat exchanger 106. The specific heat transfer process is as follows: First-stage heat transfer: The heat generated by the hard drive during operation is transferred to the hot end of the heat exchanger 102 through heat conduction; the heat exchanger 102 uses the phase change heat transfer of the internal working fluid to diffuse and homogenize the heat of the local hot spots of the hard drive in a short time, eliminating the local high temperature area on the surface of the hard drive, and at the same time, the homogenized heat is directionally transferred to the heat exchange component 106, completing the first-stage heat transfer process.

[0047] Second-stage heat transfer: The heat transferred to the heat exchange component 106 is simultaneously transferred from the front and side walls to the outer wall of the cooling channel 108 of the heat exchange component 106; the cooling medium flowing in the cooling channel 108 carries away the heat from the outer wall of the cooling channel 108 through convection heat transfer, and finally discharges it to the outside of the chassis through the server liquid cooling circulation system, completing the second-stage heat transfer process.

[0048] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the cold plate 100 further includes an insulating film 110, a heat-conducting mounting bracket 112 and a first heat-conducting element 114 stacked together, a heat-spreading element 102 disposed between the insulating film 110 and the heat-conducting mounting bracket 112, and the first heat-conducting element 114 thermally coupled to the cooling channel 108.

[0049] like Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the cold plate 100 can adopt a layered composite stacked structure. Along the direction perpendicular to the object to be cooled 104, the cold plate 100 is sequentially provided with an insulating film 110, a heat spreader 102, a thermally conductive mounting bracket 112, and a first thermally conductive component 114. The layers are seamlessly bonded together by a high thermal conductivity adhesive layer or vacuum brazing process, without any air layer introducing additional thermal resistance. The insulating film 110 can be a 0.08 mm thick polyimide (PI) insulating film with nano-level thermally conductive pressure-sensitive adhesive layers on both sides, completely covering the large surface of the metal casing of the hard drive to be cooled, achieving reliable electrical insulation between the hard drive and the heat dissipation structure. The heat spreader 102 is an ultra-thin VC heat spreader plate, which can be made of oxygen-free copper shell, with an internal sintered copper powder capillary core, and filled with deionized water working fluid, with a thickness of 1 mm. Its hot end surface is fully bonded to the insulating film 110, and its cold end surface is fully bonded to the thermally conductive mounting bracket 112. The thermally conductive mounting bracket 112 can be made of oxygen-free copper material in one piece. The structure is 0.5 mm thick and can be nickel-plated for anti-oxidation treatment. It provides rigid support for the heat spreader 102 while realizing directional heat conduction. The first heat conductor 114 can be a silicon-based high thermal conductivity pad with a thermal conductivity greater than or equal to 8 W / Km. The thickness after compression is 0.25 mm. One side of the first heat conductor 114 is in close contact with the heat-conducting mounting bracket 112, and the other side of the first heat conductor 114 is thermally coupled to the corresponding heat exchange surface of the cooling channel 108 of the heat exchange component 106, realizing efficient heat transfer from the heat-conducting mounting bracket 112 to the cooling channel 108.

[0050] For applications involving four horizontally stacked hard drives, the stacked structure of a single cold plate 100 has the same length and width as the hard drive, completely covering the entire heat-generating surface of the hard drive. Each hard drive can have a set of cold plates 100 with this stacked structure installed on both sides of its large surface, forming a double-sided heat dissipation layout.

[0051] This embodiment decouples insulation, heat dissipation, and heat conduction functions through a layered structure. Under the premise of ensuring electrical safety, the heat dissipation plate quickly eliminates the in-plane temperature difference between the hard drive controller chip and the storage particles, avoiding local hot spots. At the same time, the structural parameters of each layer have been optimized through thermal simulation, achieving optimal thermal conductivity within a very small thickness. It can be embedded into the hard drive stacking gap without modifying the original organic components of the hard drive.

[0052] The stacked structure of this embodiment is directly and fully attached to the large surface of the hard drive, which increases the heat absorption area. The heat dissipation component 102 enables rapid in-plane heat diffusion, significantly reducing thermal resistance. Furthermore, no modifications are required to the hard drive backplate, making it perfectly compatible with horizontally stacked high-density hard drive layouts. This solves the problem of balancing space occupation and heat dissipation efficiency in related technologies.

[0053] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thermally conductive mounting bracket 112 includes: The first heat-conducting mounting part 116 is disposed between the heat-spreading component 102 and the first heat-conducting component 114. The second heat-conducting mounting part 118 is connected to the first heat-conducting mounting part 116, and the second heat-conducting mounting part 118 is thermally coupled to the heat exchange assembly 106 through the second heat-conducting element 120.

[0054] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the heat-conducting mounting bracket 112 can be an L-shaped bent integral structure, divided into a first heat-conducting mounting part 116 and a second heat-conducting mounting part 118 that are perpendicular to each other and integrally connected. The material of the first heat-conducting mounting part 116 and the second heat-conducting mounting part 118 can both be oxygen-free copper, which has a high thermal conductivity. The first heat-conducting mounting part 116 is a rectangular flat plate structure with its surface parallel to the large surface of the hard drive to be cooled. Its side facing the heat spreader 102 can be bonded to the cold end surface of the heat spreader 102 by vacuum brazing, and its side facing the first heat-conducting element 114 can be mirror-polished. It is thermally coupled to the front heat exchange surface of the heat exchange assembly 106 through the first heat-conducting element 114. The second heat-conducting mounting part 118 can be a long strip straight plate structure with its surface perpendicular to the surface of the first heat-conducting mounting part 116. It extends vertically from the edge of the first heat-conducting mounting part 116 near the heat exchange assembly 106 toward the heat exchange assembly 106, and the extension length matches the height of the side wall of the heat exchange assembly 106. Its side facing the side wall of the heat exchange assembly 106 is fully bonded to the side wall heat exchange surface of the heat exchange assembly 106 through the second heat-conducting element 120 to achieve thermal coupling connection.

[0055] For a scenario with four horizontally stacked hard drives, the dimensions of the first thermally conductive mounting part 116 perfectly match the dimensions of the heat spreader 102. The bend between the second thermally conductive mounting part 118 and the first thermally conductive mounting part 116 can be rounded to avoid stress concentration. The second thermally conductive part 120 can use a silicon-based thermal pad, laid on the contact surface between the second thermally conductive mounting part 118 and the heat exchange assembly 106, achieving dual-channel heat transfer. Specifically, the heat spreader 102, the first thermally conductive mounting part 116, the first thermally conductive part 114, and the front cooling channel 108 of the heat exchange assembly 106 can form a first heat transfer path; the heat spreader 102, the first thermally conductive mounting part 116, the second thermally conductive mounting part 118, the second thermally conductive part 120, and the side wall cooling channel 108 of the heat exchange assembly 106 can form a second heat transfer path.

[0056] This embodiment uses an L-shaped dual heat-conducting mounting structure to simultaneously transfer the heat from the heat-spreading component 102 to the heat exchange assembly 106 from both the front and side walls, effectively increasing the heat exchange area. At the same time, it realizes the structural transformation from planar heat absorption to directional concentrated heat exchange, quickly concentrating the heat dispersed on the large surface of the hard drive to the heat exchange assembly 106, thus solving the problem of insufficient heat exchange area of ​​the ultra-thin cold plate 100 in related technologies.

[0057] Moreover, the dual heat-conducting mounting structure does not need to pass through the hard drive backplate and is laid out entirely within the hard drive mounting gap without altering any structure of the original hard drive backplate. At the same time, the dual-channel heat transfer path significantly reduces the overall thermal resistance. Even if one path has poor contact, the other path can still ensure stable heat dissipation, improving the redundancy and reliability of the heat dissipation system.

[0058] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the second heat-conducting element 120 is at least disposed on the side of the second heat-conducting mounting portion 118 facing the heat exchange assembly 106.

[0059] like Figure 2 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the second thermal conductive element 120 can be a highly flexible silicon-based thermal conductive pad. The second thermal conductive element 120 is laid on at least the side wall surface of the second thermal conductive mounting portion 118 facing the heat exchange component 106, and the laying range completely covers the contact area between the second thermal conductive mounting portion 118 and the heat exchange component 106.

[0060] For the heat dissipation structure of four hard drives, the initial thickness of the second heat-conducting component 120 is 0.3 mm. After the cold plate 100 and the heat exchange component 106 are assembled, it is compressed to 0.15 mm by the assembly pre-tightening force, which can completely fill the installation gap between the second heat-conducting mounting part 118 and the side wall of the heat exchange component 106, eliminating the fitting gap caused by machining tolerance.

[0061] In some other embodiments, in addition to the side of the second heat-conducting mounting portion 118 facing the heat exchange component 106, an auxiliary second heat-conducting component 120 can be added to the side of the second heat-conducting mounting portion 118 away from the heat exchange component 106. The auxiliary second heat-conducting component 120 is thermally coupled with the second heat-conducting mounting portion 118 of the adjacent cold plate 100 to achieve heat balance among multiple cold plates 100 and avoid local temperature rise caused by heat concentration in a single cold plate 100. At the same time, the edge of the second heat-conducting component 120 can be provided with an integrally formed sealing buffer protrusion. During assembly, the protrusion is compressed first, which can not only achieve sealing and dust prevention of the contact surface, but also buffer the vibration during the operation of the server and avoid relative displacement of the contact surface.

[0062] In this embodiment, a second heat-conducting element 120 is provided between the second heat-conducting mounting part 118 and the heat exchange component 106. By utilizing its flexible compression characteristics, the fitting gap caused by the part processing tolerance and assembly tolerance is offset, the contact thermal resistance is reduced, and the vibration during the operation of the server can be absorbed to ensure the stability of the fitting surface during long-term operation and avoid thermal resistance fluctuations caused by vibration.

[0063] The second heat-conducting component 120 is a flexible and detachable structure. No welding is required during assembly, which greatly reduces the assembly difficulty. During maintenance, the cold plate 100 and the heat exchange component 106 can be disassembled without damage, resulting in a high reuse rate. At the same time, the flexible structure can effectively absorb vibration and avoid failure of the heat transfer path. It solves the pain points of rigid connection failure and inconvenient maintenance in related technologies, forming a substantial difference from related technologies.

[0064] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the insulating film 110 is 0.08 mm, the thickness of the heat spreader is 1 mm, the thickness of the first thermally conductive mounting portion 116 is 0.5 mm, and the thickness of the first thermally conductive pad is 0.25 mm.

[0065] In one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness parameters of each layer of the cold plate 100 are precise design values ​​optimized through thermal simulation and structural simulation. The material, performance, and tolerance control of each component are as follows: The insulating film 110 can be 0.08 mm thick, which can completely cover the surface of the hard drive's metal casing, achieving full insulation isolation between the hard drive and the heat dissipation structure; The heat spreader can be 1 mm thick, which can completely cover all heat-generating areas of the hard drive, such as the controller chip and storage chips, and can control the maximum temperature difference on the hard drive surface within the preset temperature range. The thickness of the first heat-conducting mounting part 116 can be 0.5 mm. It can be made of oxygen-free copper and stamped. The side facing the heat spreader can be seamlessly connected by vacuum brazing, and the side facing the first heat-conducting pad can be mirror polished to ensure a tight fit with the heat-conducting pad. The first thermally conductive pad can be compressed to a stable thickness of 0.25 mm. It can be a silicon-based high thermal conductivity pad. Under a certain assembly pressure, it can stably maintain a design thickness of 0.25 mm, filling the fitting gap between the first thermally conductive mounting part 116 and the heat exchange component 106, without interface gaps.

[0066] The theoretical total thickness after stacking all layers can be 1.83 mm, and the total thickness after taking into account the maximum tolerance can not exceed 1.95 mm. Thus, it can be stably embedded in the standard installation gap of 2.2 mm between hard drives.

[0067] This embodiment, through the thickness design of each component, stably controls the total thickness of the cold plate 100 to within 2 mm. At the same time, the functions of insulation, heat dissipation, support, and heat conduction are separated into components of different thicknesses, achieving a balance of multiple functions in a very small space. It can be directly embedded into the gaps between high-density horizontally stacked hard drives without making any changes to the original components, hard drive brackets, or chassis structure of the hard drive.

[0068] In this embodiment, the 0.08 mm insulating film 110 ensures electrical safety without introducing excessive thermal resistance; the 1 mm heat spreader achieves rapid heat homogenization with a very small thickness; the 0.5 mm copper first thermally conductive mounting part 116 combines structural support with efficient heat conduction; and the 0.25 mm first thermally conductive pad adapts to assembly tolerances, improving heat exchange efficiency within a thickness of less than 2 mm.

[0069] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the cold plate 100 is less than or equal to 2 mm.

[0070] In one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the cold plate 100 is defined as the total dimension perpendicular to the direction of the large surface of the hard drive to be cooled. The cold plate 100 is a flat structure with an overall thickness of 1.98 mm and a maximum assembly tolerance of no more than 0.05 mm, meaning the maximum thickness of the cold plate 100 does not exceed 2.03 mm, strictly meeting the design requirement of ≤2 mm. The stacked structure of the cold plate 100 is a flat structure of uniform thickness, with a length and width consistent with the length and width of the hard drive, completely covering the entire heat-generating surface of the hard drive.

[0071] For a server with four horizontally stacked hard drives on the front panel, the standard installation gap between adjacent hard drives is 2.2 mm. The cold plate 100 can be directly embedded into this gap. The two large surfaces of the cold plate 100 are arranged parallel to the corresponding surfaces of the two adjacent hard drives. The side facing the hard drives is bonded to the hard drive surface through an insulating film 110 to achieve efficient heat absorption. The layers of the cold plate 100 are seamlessly bonded together using thermally conductive adhesive or brazing, eliminating air gaps and ensuring long-term stability of the overall thickness. Within a certain operating temperature range, the thickness change due to thermal expansion does not exceed 0.02 mm, preventing any squeezing or interference with the hard drives.

[0072] It is understood that the cold plate 100 in this embodiment only undertakes the functions of heat absorption, heat equalization and heat conduction, and completely decouples the liquid cooling heat exchange function to the independent heat exchange component 106. There is no need to open any flow channels inside the cold plate 100, so the overall thickness can be stably controlled within 2 mm, which can be adapted to the installation gap of high-density horizontally stacked hard drives, and there will be no problems related to flow resistance and pressure resistance, thus solving the core pain point that liquid cooling heat dissipation cannot be implemented in a small space.

[0073] The 2mm ultra-thin cold plate 100 in this embodiment can be directly embedded into the lateral gap between hard drives, fully fitting the large surface of the hard drive, and does not occupy any extra space on the hard drive backplate. It does not reduce the number of hard drives that can be installed in the server, but instead enables the whole machine to support more high-power hard drives, thus balancing high-density storage and efficient heat dissipation.

[0074] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat-conducting mounting bracket 112 is provided with a locking part 122 for mounting the object to be cooled 104.

[0075] like Figure 3 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the locking part 122 is integrally stamped with the heat-conducting mounting bracket 112 without additional welding or splicing structures. It is located at the left and right edges of the heat-conducting mounting bracket 112, specifically as a locking ear plate structure with threaded holes. Four locking ear plates are provided on the heat-conducting mounting bracket 112 of a single cold plate 100, located at the four corners of the heat-conducting mounting bracket 112. The surface of the locking ear plates is perpendicular to the main body surface of the heat-conducting mounting bracket 112 to ensure the stability of the locking.

[0076] For four horizontally stacked hard drives, each hard drive has pre-set standard mounting holes on both sides of its casing corresponding to the locking part 122. Bolts are passed through the threaded holes of the locking part 122 and the mounting holes of the hard drives to rigidly fix the cold plate 100 to the hard drives. After locking, the bonding pressure between the insulating film 110 of the cold plate 100 and the large surface of the hard drive is stable, ensuring tight contact between the mating surfaces. Furthermore, the locking part 122 can also be integrally equipped with a flexible snap-fit ​​structure adapted to a standard server hard drive tray. This snap-fit ​​structure can be a cantilevered flexible snap-fit ​​that can directly snap into the standard slot of the hard drive tray, enabling quick installation and positioning of the cold plate 100 within the hard drive tray without the need for additional drilling or welding.

[0077] In this embodiment, the locking part 122 on the heat-conducting mounting bracket 112 can directly and rigidly lock the cold plate 100 and the hard drive to be cooled into a whole. The bonding pressure can be precisely controlled to ensure the stability of the bonding surface during long-term operation and avoid fluctuations in contact thermal resistance caused by server vibration. At the same time, the hard drive and the cold plate 100 can be disassembled and assembled as a whole, and the cold plate 100 does not need to be disassembled separately during maintenance, which greatly improves the convenience of maintenance.

[0078] In this embodiment, the locking part 122 can directly achieve a rigid connection between the cold plate 100 and the hard disk body without relying on the hard disk backplate for fixation. It does not affect the layout of the connectors and heat-generating components on the hard disk backplate at all, and does not require any modification to the hard disk backplate. It fundamentally solves the pain points of poor installation stability, inconvenient maintenance, and the need to modify the original structure in related technologies.

[0079] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat dissipation structure includes a plurality of cold plates 100, which are thermally coupled to the same heat exchange component 106.

[0080] like Figure 1As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, for four horizontally stacked hard drives on the front window of a server, the heat dissipation structure is configured with five identical and interchangeable cold plates 100. A standard hard drive mounting gap of 2.2 mm is formed between adjacent cold plates 100. The left and right large surfaces of each hard drive are respectively tightly bonded to the insulating film 110 of one cold plate 100, forming a double-sided heat dissipation structure with two cold plates 100 per hard drive. The second thermally conductive mounting portions 118 corresponding to the five cold plates 100 are all tightly bonded to the sidewall of the same heat exchange component 106 through second thermally conductive elements 120, achieving thermal coupling connection. The thermal coupling surfaces of all cold plates 100 are completely parallel to the heat exchange surfaces of the heat exchange component 106.

[0081] The heat exchange assembly 106 is arranged along the entire length of all the cold plates 100, completely covering the width of the five cold plates 100. The cooling channels 108 inside the heat exchange assembly 106 extend along its length and are arranged parallel to the thermal coupling surfaces of all the cold plates 100, achieving synchronous and uniform heat exchange for all the cold plates 100. In optional embodiments, for server scenarios with 12 or 16 hard drives, 13 or 17 cold plates 100 can be configured accordingly. All cold plates 100 are thermally coupled to the same heat exchange assembly 106, forming a unified heat dissipation system without the need for additional heat exchange assembly 106 and piping.

[0082] In this embodiment, multiple cold plates 100 are thermally coupled to the same heat exchange component 106. The coolant only needs to flow in the cooling channel 108 inside the heat exchange component 106. There is no need to set up separate inlet and outlet water pipes for each cold plate 100. In the scenario of 4 hard drives, only one set of inlet and outlet water connectors is needed, which reduces the risk of system leakage. At the same time, all cold plates 100 exchange heat with the same heat exchange component 106, and the heat exchange temperature is uniform, which ensures the consistency of heat dissipation effect of all hard drives. The maximum temperature difference between hard drives is controlled within the preset temperature range.

[0083] In this embodiment, multiple cold plates 100 simultaneously achieve large-area thermal coupling with the same heat exchange component 106, resulting in a short heat transfer path, significantly reduced thermal resistance, and the ability to attach and fix all cold plates 100 to the heat exchange component 106 simultaneously during assembly. This also enables a single cold plate 100 to simultaneously dissipate heat for both left and right airflow components. With the same number of hard drives, fewer cold plates 100 are required, resulting in lower space occupation and making it suitable for higher-density hard drive stacking scenarios.

[0084] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat exchange assembly 106 is provided with an inlet 124 and an outlet 126 that are in fluid communication with the cooling channel 108.

[0085] like Figure 7As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the heat exchange component 106 is a long strip-shaped manifold structure, which can be integrally welded from 304 stainless steel. The cooling channel 108 inside is a continuous channel extending along the length of the heat exchange component 106. The inlet 124 and the outlet 126 can be respectively located at both ends of the heat exchange component 106. The inlet 124 can be located at the lower left end of the heat exchange component 106, and the outlet 126 can be located at the upper right end of the heat exchange component 106. The center lines of the inlet 124 and the outlet 126 are parallel to the center line of the cooling channel 108, forming a diagonal inlet and outlet co-current layout.

[0086] Both the inlet 124 and outlet 126 can be welded with pagoda-style connectors to fit standard PU hoses for server liquid cooling systems. The connectors are fixed to the end of the heat exchange component 106 via argon arc welding to meet the sealing requirements of the server liquid cooling system. The inlet 124 is connected to the chilled water supply line of the server liquid cooling system, and the outlet 126 is connected to the chilled water return line of the server liquid cooling system. Furthermore, a pressure sensor and an inlet water temperature sensor can be installed at the inlet 124, and an outlet water temperature sensor can be installed at the outlet 126. This allows for real-time monitoring of the pressure and inlet / outlet water temperature within the cooling channel 108, enabling real-time monitoring and overload protection of the heat dissipation system.

[0087] In this embodiment, only one inlet 124 and one outlet 126 are set at both ends of the heat exchange component 106, which can realize unified heat exchange of all cold plates 100, greatly simplifying the pipeline layout, reducing the system flow resistance along the flow path, reducing the power consumption of the water pump, and significantly reducing the number of joints, thus significantly reducing the risk of system leakage and meeting the core requirements of energy conservation and emission reduction in data centers.

[0088] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inlet 124 and outlet 126 are respectively located at both ends of the heat exchange assembly 106 to form a co-current heat exchange. The flow path of the coolant in the cooling channel 108 is consistent with the arrangement direction of the cold plate 100, resulting in uniform heat exchange without dead corners. This ensures that the heat exchange temperature difference between all cold plates 100 and the heat exchange assembly 106 is consistent, thereby ensuring uniform heat dissipation of all hard drives. This solves the pain points of large temperature difference and high flow resistance in the related technologies for multiple hard drives.

[0089] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a baffle is provided in the heat exchange assembly 106, the baffle being adapted to divide the cooling channel 108 into an inflow channel and an outflow channel, the inlet 124 being in fluid communication with the inflow channel, and the outlet 126 being in fluid communication with the outflow channel.

[0090] In one embodiment of the present invention, the partition is a 304 stainless steel sheet integrally stamped with the heat exchange component 106. The partition is arranged along the length of the heat exchange component 106, completely dividing the internal cavity of the heat exchange component 106 into independent and non-communicating inflow channels and outflow channels. The inflow channel is located in the lower half of the cavity of the heat exchange component 106, and the outflow channel is located in the upper half of the cavity of the heat exchange component 106. The ratio of the flow cross-sectional area of ​​the inflow channel to the outflow channel can be 1:1.

[0091] The inlet 124 and outlet 126 can both be located at the same end of the heat exchange assembly 106. The inlet 124 is only connected to the inflow channel, and the outlet 126 is only connected to the outflow channel, forming a structure where water enters and exits on the same side. A connecting hole is provided at the other end of the heat exchange assembly 106. The connecting hole is only used to connect the end of the inflow channel and the end of the outflow channel, forming a U-shaped flow path. Multiple heat exchange enhancement grooves are provided on the side wall of the inflow channel facing the cold plate 100. The heat exchange enhancement grooves correspond one-to-one with the thermal coupling position of each cold plate 100, increasing the heat exchange area between the inflow channel and the cold plate 100. The inner wall of the outflow channel is provided with turbulence ribs extending along the flow direction to enhance the heat exchange between the coolant and the inner wall of the heat exchange assembly 106.

[0092] For the five cold plates 100 corresponding to the four hard drives, the length of the inflow channel covers the thermal coupling area of ​​all five cold plates 100. After the cooling medium enters the inflow channel from the inlet 124, it flows along the inflow channel to the other end of the heat exchange component 106. After completing the heat exchange with all the cold plates 100, it enters the outflow channel through the connecting hole at the end, and then flows back to the outlet 126 along the outflow channel. There is no mixing or short circuit throughout the process.

[0093] In this embodiment, the cooling channel 108 is divided into an inflow channel and an outflow channel by a partition, forming a U-shaped counter-current heat exchange structure. The low-temperature coolant in the inflow channel and the high-temperature coolant in the outflow channel exchange heat, which can significantly reduce the temperature gradient along the length of the heat exchange component 106 and control the temperature difference between the beginning and end of the heat exchange component 106 within a preset temperature range, ensuring that the temperature of the heat exchange components 106 at all locations of the cold plates 100 is uniform, thereby ensuring that the operating temperature of all hard drives is consistent.

[0094] The dual-channel design of this embodiment realizes the inflow and outflow of coolant within the same heat exchange component 106, eliminating the need for additional return water pipes and significantly reducing the space occupied by the heat exchange component 106. At the same time, the U-shaped flow path doubles the flow of coolant, resulting in longer heat exchange time and improved heat exchange efficiency. The same-side inlet and outlet design can perfectly adapt to the single-side pipe layout of the server chassis, eliminating the need to set up supply and return water pipes at both ends of the chassis, further reducing the complexity of the pipe layout.

[0095] Meanwhile, the dual-channel separation design ensures that the low-temperature coolant flowing into the channel is always thermally coupled with the cold plate 100, avoiding the problem of decreased heat exchange efficiency after the coolant temperature rises.

[0096] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a flow-deflecting element may also be provided in the cooling channel 108. The flow-deflecting element is arranged non-uniformly in the cooling channel 108, and the arrangement density of the flow-deflecting element gradually increases along the flow direction of the cooling medium.

[0097] In one embodiment of the present invention, the baffles are arranged in a non-uniform manner within the cooling channel 108, with the arrangement density of the baffles gradually increasing along the flow direction of the cooling medium. For a scenario involving the cooling of 12 hard drives, cooling water flows in from the inlet 124 and out from the outlet 126. Along the water flow direction, the baffles within the cooling channel 108 are divided into three regions: an inlet section, a middle section, and an outlet section. For example, the arrangement density of baffles in the inlet section is 2 per square centimeter, in the middle section it is 4 per square centimeter, and in the outlet section it is 6 per square centimeter. For a scenario involving the cooling of 16 hard drives, the arrangement density is 3 per square centimeter in the inlet section, 5 per square centimeter in the middle section, and 7 per square centimeter in the outlet section.

[0098] This embodiment employs a non-uniform arrangement design with gradually increasing density along the water flow direction, precisely matching the heat exchange characteristics of the cooling water: the cooling water temperature is low at the inlet, with a large temperature difference between it and the hard drive, resulting in ample heat exchange potential. The low-density arrangement reduces the inlet resistance of the flow channel. As the cooling water temperature increases closer to the outlet, the temperature difference between it and the hard drive decreases, leading to a decline in heat exchange capacity. A high-density arrangement is used to enhance turbulence, break the boundary layer, and compensate for the attenuation of heat exchange capacity. Ultimately, this achieves uniform heat exchange efficiency throughout the entire flow of the cold plate 100. Under the premise that the total pressure drop of the flow channel only increases slightly, the overall heat exchange capacity of the cold plate 100 is improved, solving the problems of insufficient heat exchange at the outlet section of conventional uniform flow channels and excessively high temperatures at the tail of the hard drive.

[0099] The non-uniform arrangement design in this embodiment enhances the heat exchange effect in the target area while reducing the overall flow resistance through low-density areas. This makes the flow distribution of multiple parallel cold plates 100 more uniform, which is better than the flow deviation of conventional uniform flow channels. It ensures the consistency of heat dissipation of all hard drives in the multi-hard drive array and avoids overheating problems caused by insufficient flow to some hard drives.

[0100] The non-uniform arrangement design in this embodiment can still be achieved through an integrated stamping process without adding any additional processing steps. It achieves a significant improvement in heat dissipation performance without increasing manufacturing costs, while overcoming the technical bias in the prior art that enhanced heat exchange inevitably increases flow resistance and cost.

[0101] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A heat dissipation structure, characterized in that, include: A cold plate, the cold plate including a heat-spreading component, the heat-spreading component being thermally coupled to the object to be cooled; A heat exchange assembly having a cooling channel formed therein, the cooling channel being thermally coupled to the heat exchanger to form a two-stage heat transfer path.

2. The heat dissipation structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cold plate also includes an insulating film, a heat-conducting mounting bracket, and a first heat-conducting component stacked together. The heat-spreading component is disposed between the insulating film and the heat-conducting mounting bracket, and the first heat-conducting component is thermally coupled to the cooling channel.

3. The heat dissipation structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The heat-conducting mounting bracket includes: A first heat-conducting mounting part is disposed between the heat-spreading component and the first heat-conducting component; The second thermally conductive mounting part is connected to the first thermally conductive mounting part, and the second thermally conductive mounting part is thermally coupled to the heat exchange assembly through the second thermally conductive element.

4. The heat dissipation structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second heat-conducting element is at least disposed on the side of the second heat-conducting mounting portion facing the heat exchange assembly.

5. The heat dissipation structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The insulating film has a thickness of 0.08 mm, the heat spreader has a thickness of 1 mm, the first thermally conductive mounting part has a thickness of 0.5 mm, and the first thermally conductive pad has a thickness of 0.25 mm.

6. The heat dissipation structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The thickness of the cold plate is less than or equal to 2 mm.

7. The heat dissipation structure according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that, The heat-conducting mounting bracket is provided with a locking part for mounting the object to be cooled.

8. The heat dissipation structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The heat dissipation structure includes multiple cold plates, which are thermally coupled to the same heat exchange component.

9. The heat dissipation structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The heat exchange assembly is provided with an inlet and an outlet that are in fluid communication with the cooling channel.

10. The heat dissipation structure according to claim 9, characterized in that, The heat exchange assembly is provided with a baffle plate, which is adapted to divide the cooling channel into an inflow channel and an outflow channel. The inlet is in fluid communication with the inflow channel, and the outlet is in fluid communication with the outflow channel.

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