A liquid cooling device

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of laser equipment, and discloses a liquid cooling device, which comprises a box body and a radiator; the box body is loaded with cooling liquid, and the box body is provided with condensation pieces extending to the outside; the radiator is placed in the box body, and the radiator comprises a uniform heating plate for placing a heat source and a shell provided on the uniform heating plate; the shell comprises a plurality of outer walls connected in head-to-tail mode, and at least one outer wall is filled with a phase change material. The application can avoid heat concentration, effectively improve the heat dissipation efficiency, and ensure the working stability of the device acted on by the liquid cooling device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of laser equipment technology and discloses a liquid cooling device. Background Technology

[0002] Conventional air-cooled lasers are limited by the low heat transfer coefficient of gas convection, making conventional finned and fan-based heat dissipation methods unsuitable for high-power air-cooled lasers. Although some heat dissipation devices incorporate water tanks for combined water cooling to improve heat exchange efficiency, they still suffer from significant heat concentration, poor portability, and high weight, thus failing to adequately meet heat dissipation requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention discloses a liquid cooling device that can avoid heat concentration, effectively improve heat dissipation efficiency, and ensure the operational stability of the liquid cooling device's components.

[0004] The specific technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0005] A liquid cooling device, comprising:

[0006] A housing containing coolant, with condenser fins extending outwards from the housing; and

[0007] A radiator is placed in a housing. The radiator includes a heat spreader for housing a heat source and a housing disposed on the heat spreader. The housing includes multiple outer walls connected end to end, and at least one outer wall is filled with a phase change material.

[0008] This application involves preparing a sealed enclosure filled with coolant, immersing a heat source (functional device) with high heat dissipation requirements within it for heat dissipation. In this application, the heat source with high heat dissipation requirements is placed in a radiator, which is then immersed in the coolant. This allows the radiator to dissipate heat first, followed by the coolant to further enhance heat dissipation efficiency. The phase change material is a material that undergoes a phase change within a specific temperature range, possessing characteristics such as high heat storage density and near-isothermal phase change process. During the phase change process, the phase change material absorbs or releases a large amount of latent heat while maintaining a relatively constant temperature. Therefore, this application increases the heat capacity of the heat source through phase change heat storage, achieving thermal buffering and simultaneously reducing the weight of the casing. Thus, while ensuring miniaturization and lightweight design, it effectively achieves rapid temperature uniformity of the heat source, avoiding heat concentration.

[0009] Preferably, the outer wall for filling the phase change material has multiple filling cavities, and the phase change material is encapsulated within the filling cavities.

[0010] The presence of partition walls between adjacent filling cavities ensures the molding and structural stability of the shell, while effectively saving on the filling cost of phase change materials.

[0011] Preferably, the shell has a rectangular structure, with one outer wall having an interface and a mounting portion respectively, and the other outer wall being filled with a phase change material.

[0012] This structure can meet the needs of the heat source and effectively dissipate heat, ensuring that the heat source is in normal working condition.

[0013] Preferably, the housing and / or heat spreader are provided with heat dissipation fins.

[0014] The heat dissipation fins can increase the heat dissipation area and effectively improve heat dissipation efficiency.

[0015] Preferably, the heat dissipation fins of the housing are located on the outer wall filled with phase change material.

[0016] This structure can further improve heat dissipation efficiency and further avoid heat concentration.

[0017] Preferred options also include:

[0018] A stirring mechanism, which is installed inside the tank, is used to promote the flow of coolant;

[0019] The stirring mechanism is either a stirring paddle or an internal circulating water pump.

[0020] The stirring mechanism causes the coolant to flow within the tank, preventing uneven heating. At the same time, when the coolant undergoes a liquid-gas phase change, the air bubbles generated around the radiator are promptly carried away by the flowing coolant, preventing slow heat dissipation due to air bubbles.

[0021] Preferably, the condenser plate has a cavity communicating with the housing, a fin three is provided in the cavity, and a fin four extends outward from the outer side of the condenser plate.

[0022] When the coolant turns into gas, it enters the cavity of the condenser fins, absorbs heat through the condenser fins, and dissipates the heat released by the gas-liquid phase change into the air through the condenser fins. Then the gas re-condenses into liquid and returns to the housing by gravity. The fins can improve the heat exchange rate and facilitate the rapid condensation of gas into liquid.

[0023] Preferably, a safety valve is provided on the top of the housing to release pressure when the internal pressure of the housing exceeds a preset pressure.

[0024] When the internal air pressure of the enclosure exceeds the safe value that the shell can withstand, the internal gas is released through the safety valve to ensure system safety. At the same time, the release of heat to the outside also achieves emergency heat dissipation, thereby better ensuring the working effect of the device.

[0025] Preferred options also include:

[0026] A fluid replenishment device, wherein the fluid replenishment device is connected to a water tank via a fluid replenishment pipe;

[0027] A water level sensor is used to detect the liquid level in the tank, and the water level sensor is communicatively connected to the liquid replenishment device; and

[0028] An alarm is provided, which is communicatively connected to the coolant replenishment device to issue an alarm message when the coolant replenishment device is low on coolant.

[0029] When the coolant in the enclosure is insufficient, it can be replenished using a coolant replenishment device to ensure the preset heat dissipation effect. When the coolant replenishment device is low on coolant, an alarm will sound to prevent situations where coolant needs to be replenished but the enclosure cannot be replenished, thereby avoiding overheating damage to components due to insufficient coolant in the enclosure.

[0030] Preferably, the heat spreader is made of a high thermal conductivity composite material.

[0031] In the prior art, heat spreaders are generally made of copper, which has a low thermal conductivity and obvious heat concentration. Therefore, in this application, a high thermal conductivity composite material is used in the heat spreader to further enhance the thermal conductivity of the metal material while meeting the requirements of miniaturization and lightweighting.

[0032] Compared with existing technologies, this invention fills the shell with phase change material, which increases heat capacity and reduces the weight of the pump itself, thus improving heat dissipation efficiency while meeting the requirements of miniaturization and lightweighting. Since the heat spreader of this invention is made of a high thermal conductivity composite material, it can also dissipate the heat emitted by the heat source more quickly, avoiding heat concentration. In addition, through the built-in stirring mechanism, which facilitates gas-liquid phase change, better heat exchange function is achieved, with a heat exchange coefficient that is 2 to 10 times that of conventional water tanks. Through the safety valve, rapid cooling can be achieved in extreme cases, and the fins in the condenser can also accelerate the gas-liquid phase change. Thus, heat dissipation of high-power heat-generating devices is achieved, resulting in high cooling efficiency of the coolant, which is 2 to 10 times that of existing water cooling. Furthermore, this invention has high safety performance, is easy to carry, and has low energy consumption. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the liquid cooling device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Cross-sectional view;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the heat sink in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the hidden cover plate in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the condenser plate in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] In the diagram: 1-Heat spreader; 2-Shell; 21-Outer wall; 3-Phase change material; 4-Cover plate; 5-Chip; 6-Interface section; 7-Mounting section; 8-Fiber optic cable; 9-Fin 1; 10-Fin 2; 11-Box body; 12-Stirring mechanism; 13-Condenser; 14-Fin 4; 15-Safety valve; 16-Replenishment equipment; 17-Replenishment pipe; 18-Observation window; 19-Cable; 20-Fin 3. Detailed Implementation

[0039] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0040] This embodiment can be used as a pump source for lasers, and also for internal resonant cavities, beam combiners, and other devices within lasers. For ease of explanation, this embodiment uses a heat-generating device (heat source) as the pump source.

[0041] Generally, the heat transfer coefficient of air cooling is 20–150 W / (m²). 2 ·℃), the water-cooled heat transfer coefficient is 1000~11000W / (m²). 2 The heat transfer efficiency of air cooling is lower than that of water cooling (temperature range ·℃). Furthermore, as lasers become increasingly miniaturized and lightweight, the smaller the laser and the smaller the heat capacity of the pump source, the more prone the pump source is to heat concentration and failure. Therefore, this embodiment fills the housing 2 with phase change material 3 to balance lightweight design and heat dissipation efficiency, combined with water cooling using coolant inside the casing 11, to better meet the specific requirements for high heat dissipation performance. Specifically, as... Figures 1-4 As shown, a liquid cooling device includes a housing 11 and a radiator; the housing 11 is filled with coolant, and condenser fins 13 are provided extending outward from the housing 11; the radiator is placed in the housing 11, and the radiator includes a heat spreader 1 for placing a heat source, and a shell 2 disposed on the heat spreader 1, the shell 2 including a plurality of outer walls 21 connected end to end, at least one outer wall 21 being filled with a phase change material 3.

[0042] The housing 11 contains coolant and maintains a certain degree of vacuum. The pump source, after being treated for waterproofing and oil resistance, is placed inside the radiator. When the pump source operates, the heat on its surface is promptly dissipated by the radiator, and the dissipated heat is carried away by the coolant in the housing 11. Depending on the boiling point of the coolant, the vacuum level inside the housing 11 can be adjusted, allowing the coolant to undergo a liquid-gas phase change when it absorbs heat to a certain temperature, thereby carrying away a large amount of heat dissipated by the pump source through vaporization. The condenser 13 is located above the housing 11. Therefore, when the coolant changes phase to gas, it can carry heat to the condenser 13. Fins 14 extend from both sides of the condenser 13, accelerating heat dissipation and cooling. This allows the gas at the condenser 13 to condense back into liquid and flow back into the housing 11, achieving coolant circulation while maintaining high heat dissipation efficiency. To further enhance heat dissipation, an axial fan is installed on the side of the condenser 13. This fan forces gas to flow, further improving heat dissipation from the condenser 13 and accelerating the liquid-gas phase change. Thus, this embodiment effectively controls the coolant within a safe temperature range through liquid-gas circulation, ensuring efficient heat dissipation. Furthermore, as... Figure 5 As shown, the condenser 13 has a cavity communicating with the housing 11. Fins 20 are disposed within the cavity. It should be noted that in this embodiment, multiple condenser 13s are arranged side-by-side, and fins 14 extend along the arrangement direction of the condenser 13s. Any two adjacent condenser 13s can be connected by fins 14, or condenser 13s can be disposed on both sides of each condenser 13. The fins 20 extend perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the condenser 13s to provide heat exchange space. Thus, when the coolant turns into gas, it enters the cavity of the condenser 13, absorbs heat through the condenser 13, and the heat released by the gas-liquid phase change is dissipated into the air through the condenser 13. Then, the gas re-condenses into liquid and returns to the housing 11 by gravity. The fins 20 can improve the heat exchange rate, facilitating rapid condensation of the gas into liquid. It is understood that to ensure vacuum, a hole is provided on the housing 11, on which a valve can be installed to adjust the vacuum level. In this embodiment, the phase change material 3 is an alkane-based phase change material. In this embodiment, the phase change material 3 can deform appropriately under temperature changes, better meeting the requirements of the heat dissipation mechanism and helping to reduce extended thermal resistance.

[0043] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the housing 2 has an annular structure, typically consisting of multiple interconnected outer walls 21. It is sealed at the bottom by a heat spreader 1 and at the top by a cover plate 4, thus allowing the pump source to be located inside the housing 2. Figure 4As shown, in a preferred technical solution, the pump source is placed on the heat spreader 1, so that the heat emitted by the pump source can directly act on the heat spreader 1, thereby effectively absorbing the heat emitted by the heat source through the heat spreader 1. Specifically, the pump source chip 5 is directly placed on the heat spreader 1 and arranged in an array. Since at least one outer wall 21 is filled with phase change material 3, the phase change of the phase change material 3 under temperature difference can effectively achieve heat storage, thereby increasing the heat capacity of the heat source and playing a role in heat buffering, thus better avoiding heat concentration. Furthermore, as... Figure 4 As shown, the outer wall 21 for filling the phase change material 3 has multiple filling cavities, and the phase change material 3 is encapsulated within the filling cavities. Furthermore, the heat dissipation fins of the housing 2 are located on the outer wall 21 filled with the phase change material 3. Specifically, in this embodiment, the housing 2 has a rectangular structure, with an interface portion 6 and a mounting portion 7 respectively provided on one pair of outer walls 21, and the other pair of outer walls 21 filled with the phase change material 3. The interface portion 6 is used to connect to the pump source for power connection; that is, the cable 19 can be connected to the pump source through the interface portion 6. The mounting portion 7 is used to install the optical fiber 8; that is, the optical fiber 8 is positioned and installed through the mounting portion 7 so that the pump source emits laser light from that location. It is known that both the cable 19 and the optical fiber 8 exit from the housing 11.

[0044] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the housing 2 and / or the heat spreader 1 are provided with heat dissipation fins. That is, in this embodiment, at least one of the housing 2 and the heat spreader 1 is provided with heat dissipation fins. In this embodiment, the housing 2 is provided with fin one 9, and the heat spreader 1 is provided with fin two 10. Fin one 9 forms wings facing both sides of the housing 2, and fin two 10 is formed on the heat spreader 1 facing away from the housing 2. Of course, fin two 10 can also be on the same side as the housing 2. Thus, the heat emitted by the chip 5 can be effectively dissipated directly through the heat spreader 1 and fin two 10, while heat is stored through the phase change material 3, and then dissipated even more efficiently through fin one 9.

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment also includes a stirring mechanism 12, which is disposed inside the housing 11 to promote coolant flow. When the stirring mechanism 12 operates, it causes the coolant to flow within the housing 11, preventing uneven heating of the coolant. Simultaneously, when the coolant undergoes a liquid-gas phase change, bubbles generated around the radiator are promptly carried away by the flowing coolant, preventing slow heat dissipation from the device due to bubbles. In this embodiment, the stirring mechanism 12 is configured as a stirring paddle or an internal circulating water pump.

[0046] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, to further improve the safety of this embodiment, a safety valve 15 is provided on the top of the housing 11 to release pressure when the internal pressure of the housing 11 exceeds a preset pressure. Furthermore, a liquid replenishment device 16 is also included, which is connected to the water tank via a liquid replenishment pipe 17. While the pressure relief provided by the safety valve 15 offers good safety and emergency cooling, it can also cause coolant loss. Therefore, this embodiment uses the liquid replenishment device 16 for liquid replenishment. At least a portion of the housing 11 is made of a transparent material, such as glass or transparent plastic, to form an observation window 18, allowing the user to observe the liquid level. When the liquid level is low, coolant can be added to the housing 11. Of course, this embodiment can also achieve automatic liquid replenishment. Therefore, this embodiment also includes a water level sensor and an alarm; the water level sensor is used to detect the liquid level in the housing 11 and is communicatively connected to the liquid replenishment device 16; the alarm is communicatively connected to the liquid replenishment device 16 to issue an alarm message when the liquid replenishment device 16 is low on coolant. The water level sensor can be a weight sensor or an infrared sensor. A weight sensor uses weight changes to indicate whether replenishment is needed, while an infrared sensor uses liquid level changes. Therefore, when replenishment is required, the water level sensor sends replenishment information to the replenishment device 16, thus meeting the replenishment demand. If the coolant in the replenishment device 16 is insufficient, an alarm can be triggered to alert the user, preventing heat loss from the pump source due to insufficient coolant.

[0047] In this embodiment, the outer wall 21 of the housing 2 is made of copper-aluminum alloy. Copper-aluminum alloy can effectively combine the advantages of lightweight and high heat dissipation. The heat spreader 1 is made of a high thermal conductivity composite material, which can be copper-diamond composite material, copper-carbon nanotube composite material, aluminum-diamond composite material, aluminum-graphene composite material, aluminum-silicon carbide composite material, aluminum-graphite composite material, carbon fiber-aluminum composite material, or carbon nanotube-aluminum composite material. Existing heat spreaders 1 are generally made of copper, which has a low thermal conductivity and obvious heat concentration. By using diamond, carbon nanotubes, graphene, silicon carbide, graphite powder particles, or carbon fibers in the heat spreader 1, the thermal conductivity of the metal material can be enhanced. This quickly dissipates the heat from the pump source chip 5, avoiding heat concentration. At the same time, compared with the conventional capillary liquid-gas heat spreader 1, the heat spreader 1 made of high thermal conductivity composite material in this embodiment will not fail due to high acceleration. Therefore, this embodiment is also 30-80% lighter than conventional air-cooled lasers.

[0048] To simplify the process, in this embodiment, the heat spreader 1 and the housing 2 are integrally sintered or welded. Specifically, a blank is obtained by integrally sintering or welding using a high thermal conductivity composite material through a mold. The blank is then machined to obtain the heat spreader 1 with the actual structure. The housing 2 is machined to form the filling cavity. The housing 2 and the heat spreader 1 are integrally sintered or welded together. Then, the pump source is placed in the housing 2, specifically, the chip 5 is placed on the heat spreader 1. Next, the phase change material 3 is injected, and finally, the fiber optic cable 8 is installed and connected to electricity. This forms the heat sink for the pump source of the laser.

[0049] Therefore, the liquid cooling device in this embodiment can achieve heat dissipation function in a small volume and achieve heat dissipation for high-power lasers, with a significantly better effect than current water-cooled and air-cooled heat dissipation devices.

[0050] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that the above preferred embodiments should not be considered as limitations on the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims. For those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A liquid cooling device, characterized in that, include: A housing containing coolant, with condenser fins extending outwards from the housing; and A radiator is placed in a housing. The radiator includes a heat spreader for housing a heat source and a housing disposed on the heat spreader. The housing includes multiple outer walls connected end to end, and at least one outer wall is filled with a phase change material.

2. The liquid cooling device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer wall for filling the phase change material has multiple filling cavities, in which the phase change material is encapsulated.

3. A liquid cooling device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The shell has a rectangular structure, with an interface and a mounting part on one outer wall and a phase change material filling the other outer wall.

4. The liquid cooling device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The housing and / or heat spreader are provided with heat dissipation fins.

5. A liquid cooling device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The heat dissipation fins of the housing are located on the outer wall filled with phase change material.

6. The liquid cooling device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A stirring mechanism, which is installed inside the tank, is used to promote the flow of coolant; The stirring mechanism is either a stirring paddle or an internal circulating water pump.

7. The liquid cooling device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The condenser plate has a cavity that communicates with the housing, and fin three is provided in the cavity. Fin four extends outward from the outer side of the condenser plate.

8. The liquid cooling device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the enclosure is equipped with a safety valve to release pressure when the internal pressure of the enclosure exceeds a preset pressure.

9. A liquid cooling device as described in claim 8, characterized in that, Also includes: A fluid replenishment device, wherein the fluid replenishment device is connected to a water tank via a fluid replenishment pipe; A water level sensor is used to detect the liquid level in the tank, and the water level sensor is communicatively connected to the liquid replenishment device. as well as An alarm is provided, which is communicatively connected to the coolant replenishment device to issue an alarm message when the coolant replenishment device is low on coolant.

10. A liquid cooling device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The heat spreader is made of a high thermal conductivity composite material.

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