A multi-modal fluid-structure coupling hierarchical heat dissipation fan module and a thermal management method thereof

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of thermal management technology, and more particularly to a multimodal fluid-structure interaction (FSI) graded cooling fan module and its thermal management method. Its features include a stepped heat-conducting block with an embedded oscillating heat pipe, a sandwich-locked fan on the side of the stepped heat-conducting block, and a rectifier ring surrounding the stepped heat-conducting block. The blade tips of the sandwich-locked fan are connected to the side of the stepped heat-conducting block and are invertedly positioned around the oscillating heat pipe. The sandwich-locked fan is connected to a motor that drives its rotation. Through multimodal coupling, it improves thermal management efficiency; it employs a biomimetic leaf vein-like capillary structure to achieve efficient working fluid circulation in a small space, and, combined with centrifugal force, ensures stable working fluid reflux at high speeds; its modular design and efficient heat dissipation capabilities allow the thermal management system to achieve good heat dissipation at lower fan speeds, effectively reducing overall system energy consumption and noise.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of thermal management technology, and in particular to a multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical cooling fan module and its thermal management method. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of emerging industries such as 3C electronic products, new energy vehicles, data centers, and IGBTs, the power density and integration level of equipment are significantly improving. For example, the power consumption of high-performance computing chips has exceeded 500W, and the local heat flux density has reached 100W / cm². 2 The instantaneous power of electric drive systems in new energy vehicles can reach hundreds of kilowatts, and the module temperature needs to be controlled below 80°C; the power density of a single data center rack has increased from 5kW to 30kW. This trend has led to a sharp increase in the heat generated during equipment operation, and the heat dissipation space is constantly being compressed, placing more stringent demands on thermal management systems.

[0003] Existing heat dissipation technologies mainly include air cooling, liquid cooling, and heat pipe cooling. Air cooling uses a fan to force airflow to remove heat, but its cooling efficiency is limited, and it suffers from problems such as high noise, high energy consumption, and a tendency for localized overheating. Liquid cooling uses liquid circulation to remove heat, offering high cooling efficiency and no noise, but it is more expensive, the system is complex, and there is a risk of leakage. Heat pipe cooling enhances heat transfer through an internal phase change of the working fluid, and its thermal conductivity is dozens of times that of copper pipes of the same size.

[0004] Existing heat sinks mostly employ a mechanically stacked architecture of heat pipes, heat sink fins, and cooling fans, combining heat pipe conduction with air convection to improve heat dissipation efficiency. Examples include patent applications CN202411022677.5 ("A Dual CPU Heat Pipe Heat Sink with Non-Uniform Length Fins"), CN202321712135.1 ("A CPU Integrated Heat Pipe Heat Sink"), and CN202420372386.8 ("A Double-Layer Heat Pipe Heat Dissipation Component"). These solutions all use heat pipes as the core heat dissipation technology, increasing the heat dissipation area by optimizing the heat sink fin structure and equipping them with cooling fans to enhance convection cooling and improve CPU heat dissipation efficiency. However, essentially, this is still a simple stacking of heat transfer mechanisms and heat dissipation technologies rather than a direct coupling, resulting in insufficient multi-modal coordination, unreasonable hierarchical management, and limited system integration, which restricts further improvement in their thermal management performance.

[0005] Therefore, this invention develops a novel heat dissipation fan module and its thermal management method that features multimodal direct coupling, hierarchical collaboration, and lightweight integration to optimize thermal management efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a multimodal fluid-structure interaction (FSI) hierarchical cooling fan module and its thermal management method. This method utilizes a sandwich-locked fan blade structure to achieve deep coupling of multimodal air cooling, phase change, and liquid cooling fluids within a single solid component, thereby forming a series of multimodal FSI hierarchical cooling fan modules. Furthermore, this module possesses standardized and modular characteristics, allowing for flexible assembly and series / parallel connection for different thermal management applications, effectively meeting diverse thermal management needs.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: a multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical cooling fan module, characterized in that it includes a stepped heat-conducting block, an oscillating heat pipe embedded in the stepped heat-conducting block, a sandwich-locked fan structure on the side of the stepped heat-conducting block, and a rectifier ring corresponding to the sandwich-locked fan structure on the periphery of the stepped heat-conducting block; the blade tips of the sandwich-locked fan structure are connected to the side of the stepped heat-conducting block through the rectifier ring, and are simultaneously upside down and disposed around the oscillating heat pipe; the sandwich-locked fan structure is connected to a motor for driving its rotation.

[0008] Furthermore, the stepped heat-conducting block is a stepped structure with two layers of different cross-sectional areas, including a bottom large cross-sectional area layer and a top small cross-sectional area layer. The bottom surface of the bottom large cross-sectional area layer is used to fit the liquid cooling circuit base, and the side of the bottom large cross-sectional area layer is connected to the blade tip of the sandwich-fitted fan through a rectifier ring. The top small cross-sectional area layer is coupled to the oscillating heat pipe.

[0009] Furthermore, the oscillating heat pipe includes an evaporating section embedded in the stepped heat-conducting block and an oscillating heat pipe condensing section extending to the outside of the stepped heat-conducting block; during operation, the evaporating section of the oscillating heat pipe absorbs heat, causing the internal working fluid to vaporize and generate self-excited oscillation, which rapidly transfers heat to the condensing section of the oscillating heat pipe.

[0010] Furthermore, the sandwich-locking structure fan is arrayed with multiple sandwich-locking structure blades. Each sandwich-locking structure blade includes an integral metal sealing shell. A capillary structure layer is attached to the inner wall of the metal sealing shell, and the capillary structure layer forms an internal sealed cavity in the middle.

[0011] Furthermore, the metal sealing shell is composed of interlocking pressure and suction shell plates, which serve to conduct heat, withstand centrifugal force, and provide an aerodynamic shape. The capillary structure layer has biomimetic leaf vein-like capillary channels, which have superior capillary performance compared to ordinary capillary structures. It can provide greater capillary force in a smaller space, and can more efficiently guide the reflux of the condensed liquid working fluid, significantly improving thermal management efficiency. The internal sealed cavity is the capillary blade core of a sandwich-interlocking fan blade. During implementation, the internal sealed cavity is evacuated and filled with phase change material so that the working fluid can evaporate and condense efficiently under low pressure, thereby achieving heat transfer.

[0012] The tip of the sandwich-locking fan blade is the evaporation section, and the root of the sandwich-locking fan blade is the condensation section. After being heated, the working fluid inside the sealed cavity of the sandwich-locking fan blade absorbs heat and vaporizes to form steam. Under the action of pressure difference, the steam moves to the condensation section of the sandwich-locking fan. The condensed liquid working fluid flows back to the evaporation section of the sandwich-locking fan under the combined drive of capillary force generated by the capillary structure layer, centrifugal force generated by rotation, and internal pressure difference. Then, the liquid working fluid absorbs heat again to form steam, and the cycle continues to achieve effective heat transfer.

[0013] A multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical cooling fan module thermal management method, characterized by comprising: Primary heat distribution: The heat from the heat source is conducted to the stepped heat conduction block, and the heat is distributed in parallel to the oscillating heat pipe and the sandwich-locked structure fan through the stepped heat conduction block; Two-stage phase change heat transfer: The oscillating heat pipe transfers heat from the evaporation section to the condensation section of the oscillating heat pipe through the self-excited oscillation of the gas-liquid two-phase flow of the internal working fluid; at the same time, the working fluid inside the sandwich-locked structure fan absorbs heat and vaporizes in the evaporation section of the sandwich-locked structure fan and moves to the condensation section of the sandwich-locked structure fan. The condensed and liquefied liquid working fluid flows back to the evaporation section of the sandwich-locked structure fan under the combined drive of the capillary force generated by the biomimetic leaf vein capillary structure inside the blade, as well as the centrifugal force and pressure difference generated by the rotation of the blade, and thus continuously circulates and rapidly removes heat; Three-stage blade coordination: The electric motor drives the sandwich-locked structure fan to rotate and generate forced convection. Combined with the reflux of the working fluid inside the sandwich-locked structure blades driven by centrifugal force and capillary force, heat is dissipated to the external environment.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention provides a multimodal fluid-structure interaction (FSI) hierarchical cooling fan module and its thermal management method, which has the following innovative effects: It improves thermal management efficiency through multimodal coupling; it adopts a biomimetic leaf vein-like capillary structure to achieve efficient working fluid circulation in a small space, and, combined with centrifugal force, ensures the stability of working fluid reflux at high speeds; the modular design and efficient heat dissipation capability enable the thermal management system to achieve good heat dissipation at lower fan speeds, effectively reducing overall system energy consumption and noise. It can be standardized for series and parallel assembly, suitable for the thermal management needs of high-power-density devices such as 3C electronic products, new energy vehicles, data centers, and IGBT power modules, and is also applicable to other general thermal management applications. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the multimodal fluid-structure interaction fan cooling module in this invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the sandwich-locking blade structure in this invention; Figure 3 This is an assembly diagram of an embodiment of the thermal management system of the present invention applied to the liquid-cooled circuit radiator; Figure 4 This is an assembly diagram of an embodiment of the modular parallel extension application of the present invention.

[0016] In the diagram: 1. Sandwich-locked fan, 101. Evaporator section of sandwich-locked fan, 102. Condenser section of sandwich-locked fan, 10. Sandwich-locked blades, 1001. Metal sealed shell, 1002. Capillary layer, 1003. Internal sealed cavity, 2. Stepped heat transfer block, 201. Bottom large cross-section layer, 202. Top small cross-section layer, 3. Oscillating heat pipe, 301. Oscillating heat pipe evaporator section, 302. Oscillating heat pipe condenser section, 4. Motor, 100. Liquid cooling circuit base, 200. Heat exchange substrate. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The principles and features of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The examples given are only for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0018] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following specific implementation method: The implementation process of the multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical heat dissipation fan module applied to the thermal management system of the liquid-cooled circuit radiator includes: like Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment demonstrates the application of the multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical cooling fan module in the field of liquid cooling circuit radiator thermal management. For example... Figure 1As shown, the module includes a stepped heat-conducting block 2, an oscillating heat pipe 3, a sandwich-fitted fan 1, and a motor 4. The oscillating heat pipe 3 is embedded in the stepped heat-conducting block 2, and the sandwich-fitted fan 1 is located on the side of the stepped heat-conducting block 2. The sandwich-fitted fan 1 is arranged upside down around the oscillating heat pipe 3, and its fan blade tips are connected to the side of the stepped heat-conducting block 2 via a rectifier ring 5. The motor 4 is connected to the sandwich-fitted fan 1 and is used to drive its rotation.

[0019] The stepped heat-conducting block 2 is a stepped structure with two layers of different cross-sectional areas, including a bottom large cross-sectional area layer 201 and a top small cross-sectional area layer 202. The bottom surface of the bottom large cross-sectional area layer 201 is used to fit the liquid cooling circuit base 100, and its side is connected to the tip of the sandwich snap-fit ​​structure blade 10 of the sandwich snap-fit ​​structure fan 1 through the rectifier ring 5. The connection is filled with labyrinth-type high thermal conductivity grease to take into account both thermal sealing and rotational flexibility. The top small cross-sectional area layer 202 is coupled to the oscillating heat pipe 3.

[0020] The oscillating heat pipe 3 includes an oscillating heat pipe evaporation section 301 embedded in the stepped heat-conducting block 2, and an oscillating heat pipe condensation section 302 extending to the outside of the stepped heat-conducting block 2. During operation, the oscillating heat pipe evaporation section 301 absorbs heat to vaporize the internal working fluid and generate self-excited oscillation, which rapidly transfers heat to the oscillating heat pipe condensation section 302.

[0021] The sandwich-locking structure fan 1 is provided with an array of several sandwich-locking structure blades 10; such as Figure 2 As shown, the sandwich-locking blade 10 includes a metal sealing shell 1001, a capillary layer 1002 attached to the inner wall of the metal sealing shell 1001, and an internal sealed cavity 1003 filled with phase change material surrounded by the capillary layer 1002.

[0022] The metal sealing shell 1001 is composed of interlocking pressure shell plates and suction shell plates, which have the functions of conducting heat, resisting centrifugal force and providing aerodynamic shape. The capillary structure layer 1002 has biomimetic leaf vein-like capillary channels, which have better capillary performance than ordinary capillary structures. It can provide greater capillary force in a smaller space and guide the reflux of the condensed liquid working fluid more efficiently, significantly improving thermal management efficiency. The internal sealed cavity 1003 is the capillary blade core of the sandwich interlocking structure blade 10. The internal sealed cavity 1003 is evacuated to a vacuum state and filled with phase change material so that the working liquid can evaporate and condense efficiently under low pressure, thereby realizing heat transfer.

[0023] The tip of the sandwich-locking blade 10 is the evaporation section 101 of the sandwich-locking fan 1, and the root is the condensation section 102 of the sandwich-locking fan 1. After being heated, the working fluid inside the sealed cavity 1003 of the sandwich-locking blade 10 absorbs heat and vaporizes to form steam. Under the action of pressure difference, the steam moves towards the condensation section 102 of the sandwich-locking fan 1. The condensed liquid working fluid flows back to the evaporation section 101 of the sandwich-locking fan 1 under the combined drive of the capillary force generated by the capillary layer 1002 inside the sandwich-locking blade 10, the centrifugal force generated by rotation, and the internal pressure difference. Then, the liquid working fluid absorbs heat again to form steam, thus continuously circulating to achieve effective heat transfer.

[0024] The thermal management process in this embodiment is as follows: Primary heat distribution: When the liquid cooling system is working, the high-temperature circulating working fluid is injected from one end of the liquid cooling loop base 100, flows through its internal channels, and flows out from the other end. Since the bottom surface of the large cross-sectional area layer 201 of the stepped heat-conducting block 2 is in close contact with the liquid cooling loop base 100, the heat is first transferred to the stepped heat-conducting block 2 through thermal conduction, and then rapidly diffuses in the stepped heat-conducting block 2 using its high thermal conductivity material properties. Subsequently, two parallel heat transfer paths are formed, which are respectively transferred to the oscillating heat pipe 3 and the sandwich-locked structure fan 1.

[0025] Two-stage phase change heat transfer: The evaporation section 301 of the oscillating heat pipe 3, embedded in the stepped heat-conducting block 2, absorbs heat. Locally, the liquid plug absorbs heat and evaporates, causing the bubble volume to expand, leading to a local pressure increase. This pushes the gas-liquid plug towards the condensation section 302 of the oscillating heat pipe. Subsequently, the bubble condenses and contracts in the condensation section 302, reducing the pressure. Simultaneously, new bubbles are generated again in the evaporation section 301. The pressure difference and inertia work together to cause the working fluid to flow in the opposite direction. This self-excited oscillation of the gas-liquid two-phase flow continuously recurs within the pipe, thereby constantly transferring heat from the evaporation section 301 to the condensation section 302 of the oscillating heat pipe, rapidly removing heat. Meanwhile, the sandwich-locked fan evaporator section 101 absorbs heat, and the internal working fluid vaporizes due to the heat. Driven by the pressure difference, the vapor moves to the sandwich-locked fan condenser section 102, where it condenses and liquefies and releases heat. The liquid working fluid then flows back to the sandwich-locked fan evaporator section 101 under the combined drive of the capillary force generated by the biomimetic leaf vein capillary structure inside the blades, the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the blades, and the pressure difference. This cycle repeats continuously, quickly carrying away the heat.

[0026] Three-stage blade coordination: The motor 4 drives the sandwich-locking structure fan 1 to rotate, which enables the heat dissipation module to conduct forced convection heat dissipation with the surrounding air, and finally efficiently dissipates the heat of the liquid cooling circuit base 100 to the external environment of the module, thereby completing the deep cooling of the liquid cooling circuit and realizing the direct coupling of multi-modal air cooling, phase change and liquid cooling fluid in a single solid component.

[0027] The modular parallel expansion application implementation process of the multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical heat dissipation fan module includes: like Figure 4 As shown, this embodiment demonstrates the standardized parallel expansion application of the multimodal fluid-structure interaction (FSI) graded cooling fan module in handling large-area, high-power-density heat sources. In this embodiment, the heat source to be cooled is defined as a heat exchange substrate 200 (such as a large server liquid cooling plate or a high-power inverter heat sink). To address the heat dissipation requirements of the large-area, flat heat source on the heat exchange substrate 200, this embodiment employs multiple FSI graded cooling fan modules arranged in a parallel array. Each cooling module in the array adopts the same structural design as in Embodiment 1, including a stepped heat-conducting block 2, an oscillating heat pipe 3, a sandwich-fitted fan 1, and a motor 4. The large cross-sectional area 201 of the stepped heat-conducting block 2 of each module is discretely and collectively attached to different heat-generating areas of the same heat exchange substrate 200. A standardized interface design is used between the modules, allowing for flexible increases or decreases in the number of modules based on the specific shape or size of the heat source, thus effectively expanding the heat dissipation capacity.

[0028] The thermal management method in this embodiment is as follows: Primary heat distribution: The bottom surface of the large cross-sectional layer 201 of multiple stepped heat-conducting blocks 2 is closely attached to the heat exchange substrate 200. Heat is first transferred to the stepped heat-conducting blocks 2 through thermal conduction, and then rapidly diffuses in the stepped heat-conducting blocks 2 using its high thermal conductivity material properties. Subsequently, two parallel heat transfer paths are formed, which are respectively transferred to the oscillating heat pipe 3 and the sandwich-locked structure fan 1.

[0029] Two-stage phase change heat transfer: The evaporation section 301 of the oscillating heat pipe 3, embedded in the stepped heat-conducting block 2, absorbs heat. Locally, the liquid plug absorbs heat and evaporates, causing the bubble volume to expand, leading to a local pressure increase. This pushes the gas-liquid plug towards the condensation section 302 of the oscillating heat pipe. Subsequently, the bubble condenses and contracts in the condensation section 302, reducing the pressure. Simultaneously, new bubbles are generated again in the evaporation section 301. The pressure difference and inertia work together to cause the working fluid to flow in the opposite direction. This self-excited oscillation of the gas-liquid two-phase flow continuously recurs within the pipe, thereby constantly transferring heat from the evaporation section 301 to the condensation section 302 of the oscillating heat pipe, rapidly removing heat. Meanwhile, the sandwich-locked fan evaporator section 101 absorbs heat, and the internal working fluid vaporizes due to the heat. Driven by the pressure difference, the vapor moves to the sandwich-locked fan condenser section 102, where it condenses and liquefies and releases heat. The liquid working fluid then flows back to the sandwich-locked fan evaporator section 101 under the combined drive of the capillary force generated by the biomimetic leaf vein capillary structure inside the blades, the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the blades, and the pressure difference. This cycle repeats continuously, quickly carrying away the heat.

[0030] Three-stage blade coordination: The motor 4 drives the sandwich-locking structure fan 1 to rotate, which enables the heat dissipation module to perform forced convection heat dissipation with the surrounding air, and finally efficiently dissipates the heat of the heat exchange substrate 200 to the external environment of the module, thereby completing the deep cooling of the liquid cooling circuit and realizing the direct coupling of multi-modal air cooling, phase change and liquid cooling fluid in a single solid component.

[0031] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical heat dissipation fan module, characterized in that, It includes a stepped heat-conducting block, an oscillating heat pipe embedded in the stepped heat-conducting block, a sandwich-locking structure fan on the side of the stepped heat-conducting block, and a rectifier ring on the periphery of the stepped heat-conducting block corresponding to the sandwich-locking structure fan. The blade tips of the sandwich-locking fan are connected to the side of the stepped heat-conducting block via a rectifier ring, and are also invertedly mounted around the oscillating heat pipe; the sandwich-locking fan is connected to the electric motor that drives its rotation.

2. The multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical heat dissipation fan module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The stepped heat-conducting block has a stepped structure with two layers of different cross-sectional areas, including a bottom layer with a large cross-sectional area and a top layer with a small cross-sectional area. The bottom surface of the large cross-section layer is used to fit the liquid cooling circuit base, and the side of the large cross-section layer is connected to the blade tip of the sandwich-fitted fan through a rectifier ring. The top small cross-sectional layer is coupled to the oscillating heat pipe.

3. The multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical heat dissipation fan module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The oscillating heat pipe includes an evaporating section embedded in a stepped heat-conducting block and a condensing section extending to the outside of the stepped heat-conducting block.

4. A multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical cooling fan module as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The sandwich-locking structure fan is arrayed with multiple sandwich-locking structure blades. Each sandwich-locking structure blade includes an integral metal sealing shell. A capillary structure layer is attached to the inner wall of the metal sealing shell, and the capillary structure layer forms an internal sealed cavity in the middle.

5. A multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical heat dissipation fan module as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The metal sealing shell is composed of interlocking pressure surface shell plates and suction surface shell plates; the capillary structure layer has biomimetic leaf vein-like capillary channels; the internal sealed cavity is the capillary blade core of a sandwich interlocking fan blade, and the internal sealed cavity is evacuated and filled with phase change material during implementation.

6. A multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical cooling fan module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The tip of the sandwich-locked fan blade is the evaporation section, and the root of the sandwich-locked fan blade is the condensation section. After being heated, the working fluid inside the sealed cavity of the sandwich-locked fan blade absorbs heat and vaporizes to form steam. Under the action of pressure difference, the steam moves to the condensation section of the sandwich-locked fan. The condensed liquid working fluid flows back to the evaporation section of the sandwich-locked fan under the combined drive of capillary force generated by the capillary structure layer, centrifugal force generated by rotation, and internal pressure difference. Then, the liquid working fluid absorbs heat again to form steam, and the cycle continues to achieve effective heat transfer.

7. A thermal management method for a multimodal fluid-structure interaction hierarchical cooling fan module, characterized in that... include: Primary heat distribution: The heat from the heat source is conducted to the stepped heat conduction block, and the heat is distributed in parallel to the oscillating heat pipe and the sandwich-locked structure fan through the stepped heat conduction block; Two-stage phase change heat transfer: The oscillating heat pipe transfers heat from the evaporation section to the condensation section of the oscillating heat pipe through the self-excited oscillation of the gas-liquid two-phase flow of the internal working fluid; at the same time, the working fluid inside the sandwich-locked structure fan absorbs heat and vaporizes in the evaporation section of the sandwich-locked structure fan and moves to the condensation section of the sandwich-locked structure fan. The condensed and liquefied liquid working fluid flows back to the evaporation section of the sandwich-locked structure fan under the combined drive of the capillary force generated by the biomimetic leaf vein capillary structure inside the blade, as well as the centrifugal force and pressure difference generated by the rotation of the blade, and thus continuously circulates and rapidly removes heat; Three-stage blade coordination: The electric motor drives the sandwich-locked structure fan to rotate and generate forced convection. Combined with the reflux of the working fluid inside the sandwich-locked structure blades driven by centrifugal force and capillary force, heat is dissipated to the external environment.

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