Cooling device for high-power electronic equipment
By designing an indirect air-cooling system cooling device for high-power electronic equipment, using a plate-fin heat exchanger and a brushless DC fan to achieve efficient heat exchange and cooling, the reliability and life problems of electronic equipment when working in high-temperature and high-humidity environments are solved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421480668.6
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-26
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-13
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-06-26
AI Technical Summary
When high-power electronic devices work in high temperature and high humidity environments, component failures, short circuits and failures are prone to component failures, short circuits and failures, and existing cooling devices are difficult to meet the needs of complex structures, closed seals and high environmental requirements.
A cooling device for an indirect air-cooling system is designed, adopting a plate-fin heat exchanger structure and a brushless DC fan. Through the fork-flow heat exchange of the ventilation duct assembly and the air inlet passage assembly, efficient heat exchange and cooling are achieved.
This cooling device can effectively reduce the temperature of electronic equipment, improve its reliability and service life, ensure the isolation of cold and hot air, avoid pollution and mixing, and meet the efficient cooling needs of high-power electronic equipment.
Smart Images

Figure CN222869251U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to a cooling device for high-power electronic equipment, belonging to the field of design of thermal management systems for environmental control of electronic equipment. Background Technology
[0002] The increasing number and power of electronic equipment in modern advanced aircraft and other equipment place ever higher demands on electronic environmental control systems. Due to the rapid increase in the power of electronic equipment, the cooling load on environmental control systems has significantly increased. Because the parameters of electronic components are temperature-dependent, higher temperatures decrease component reliability, and temperature changes also significantly affect the failure rate of electronic components. Therefore, to maintain the normal performance of electronic and electrical equipment and improve its reliability and lifespan, sufficient cooling capacity must be provided to keep their temperature as close to room temperature as possible. Besides temperature, ambient humidity also has adverse effects on electronic equipment. The presence of free moisture in the environment can cause short circuits in electronic circuits, burning out electronic components, or causing electronic components to generate erroneous signals, thus reducing the reliability of electronic equipment. The accumulation of sand and dust inside equipment can also cause malfunctions. Therefore, the design of cooling systems for electronic equipment should comprehensively consider the requirements of temperature, humidity, and sand and dust contamination to ensure the normal and reliable operation of electronic equipment.
[0003] The heat generated by electronic equipment during operation can be dissipated through heat conduction, convective heat transfer caused by the movement of the medium, radiative heat transfer through space, and evaporation of liquids. Cooling methods for electronic equipment typically include direct ventilation and indirect cooling. Direct ventilation involves introducing cool air directly into the electronic equipment through an external device. As the air flows through the equipment, it carries away heat from the components, keeping them below their rated temperature. This is a simple and effective method, but the cooling air must be clean and dry, and the arrangement of equipment components and the proper distribution of cooling air are crucial. For complex or densely packaged electronic equipment, direct ventilation cooling is not feasible. In such cases, some form of intermediate heat exchanger must be used for cooling. This cooling method, where the external cold source does not directly contact the electronic equipment components, is called indirect cooling. Common indirect cooling methods include indirect ventilation cooling, liquid cooling, phase change cooling, and cold plate cooling.
[0004] With the increasing demands for larger scale, greater intelligence, and greater data-driven systems in aviation, aerospace, and other equipment, the demand for high-power electronic devices is rising. This, in turn, places higher requirements on cooling systems, making electronic cooling devices a critical component. Due to the special nature of electronic equipment—specifically, requirements for anti-static, explosion-proof, short-circuit, and open-circuit protection—cooling devices must be safe and reliable, thus placing increasingly stringent demands on heat sink systems. The structural forms of electronic cooling devices in aviation, aerospace, and other equipment are diverse. The selection is primarily based on factors such as cooling capacity, operating environment, installation space, cooling medium, system mass, and cost, choosing cooling device structures with mature design and manufacturing methods. Summary of the Invention
[0005] In view of the problems existing in the background technology, this utility model aims to provide a cooling device for high-power electronic devices based on requirements such as cooling capacity, working environment, installation space, cooling medium, and system quality, so as to meet the cooling requirements of high-power electronic devices with complex structures, closed and sealed installations, and high working environment requirements.
[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following solution:
[0007] A cooling device for high-power electronic devices, comprising:
[0008] The housing assembly includes an outer shell with an open top and a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet.
[0009] An air inlet assembly is installed at the opening of the housing, thereby closing the opening of the housing and forming a cavity inside the housing. The air inlet assembly is provided with a heat medium inlet and a heat medium outlet.
[0010] A radiator assembly, at least one pair of which are symmetrically mounted in the cavity, includes a radiator core assembly and a ventilation duct assembly. The radiator core assembly includes a refrigerant channel and a heat transfer medium channel. The ventilation duct assembly includes two outlets and one inlet. The outlet end of the refrigerant channel is connected to the inlet of the ventilation duct assembly, and the inlet end of the refrigerant channel is connected to a cold air inlet on the outer casing. The outlet end of the heat transfer medium channel is connected to the cavity, and the inlet end of the heat transfer medium channel is connected to a heat transfer medium inlet on the air inlet assembly. The two outlets of the ventilation duct assembly are connected to refrigerant outlets on the outer casing. The ventilation duct assembly is not connected to the cavity.
[0011] A fan is installed at both outlets of the ventilation duct assembly.
[0012] As one embodiment, the ventilation duct assembly is located between the air inlet assembly and the radiator core assembly, and the ventilation duct assembly extends in a direction that is perpendicular to both the heat medium flow channel and the cold medium flow channel.
[0013] As one solution, the cooling device for high-power electronic devices also includes an air inlet channel assembly disposed in the cavity but not connected to the cavity. The heat medium inlet of the air inlet assembly is connected to the inlet end of the heat medium flow channel of the radiator core assembly after bypassing the ventilation duct assembly through the air inlet channel assembly.
[0014] As one option, the radiator core assembly is a plate-fin heat exchanger structure or a similar plate-fin heat exchanger structure.
[0015] As one embodiment, the ventilation duct assembly is a straight pipe structure with a smaller cross-sectional area in the middle and larger cross-sectional areas at the left and right ends. The inlet of the ventilation duct assembly is located at the position with a smaller cross-sectional area in the middle, and the two outlets are located at the positions with larger cross-sectional areas at the left and right ends, respectively.
[0016] As one option, the fan is a brushless DC fan.
[0017] As one option, the number of fans at the two different outlets of the same ventilation duct assembly may be different.
[0018] As one option, in the same pair of symmetrically installed ventilation duct assemblies, the number of fans located at the outlet on the same side may differ.
[0019] As one option, the cooling device for high-power electronic devices also includes an electrical connector mounted on the inner wall of the housing assembly.
[0020] As one option, a fan is installed at the heat medium outlet of the air inlet assembly.
[0021] Compared with the prior art, this utility model has the following characteristics:
[0022] (1) This utility model is applicable to indirect air-cooling systems without direct contact. The dry and clean hot air, which is used as a refrigerant for high-power electronic devices, is cooled by heat exchange with the cold air in the external environment and then recycled to avoid the hot air being contaminated.
[0023] (2) In the cooling device of this utility model, the heat medium flow channel and the cold medium flow channel in the radiator core assembly are completely isolated by the ventilation channel assembly and the air inlet channel assembly, so as to avoid the impact of hot air and cold air mixing on the safety, reliability and life of electronic equipment.
[0024] (3) In the cooling device of this utility model, a fan is used to drive cold air for heat exchange, ensuring that the flow rate of cold air meets the heat dissipation requirements of high-power electronic equipment. The arrangement and quantity distribution of the fans ensure the overall balance of the device and the reasonable distribution of the air field. The fans are brushless DC fans, which meet the requirements of electronic system safety, reliability and long life.
[0025] (4) In the cooling device of this utility model, the cold air in the refrigerant flow channel of the ventilation duct assembly and the radiator core assembly and the hot air in the heat medium flow channel of the air inlet channel assembly and the radiator core assembly undergo cross-flow heat exchange, which saves device space while maintaining high heat exchange efficiency.
[0026] (5) The cooling device of this utility model adopts a symmetrical structure design, with the center of gravity in the middle, a compact structure, and stable flow of cold and hot air.
[0027] (6) The heat sink assembly, the housing assembly, and the air inlet assembly are all formed by welding after sheet metal processing. The process is mature and the material selection is wide. When aluminum alloy materials with high heat exchange performance, good corrosion resistance and high strength ratio are used, the cooling needs of high power electronic equipment can be better met. Attached Figure Description
[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cooling device structure of this utility model;
[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of this utility model;
[0030] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the enclosure assembly structure;
[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the heat sink assembly structure;
[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the air inlet assembly structure;
[0033] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a brushless DC fan and its connecting plate.
[0034] In the diagram: 1-Enclosure assembly; 2-Radiator assembly; 201-Ventilation duct assembly; 202-Radiator core assembly; 203-Flange; 3-Air inlet assembly; 301-Enclosure flange; 302-Air inlet duct assembly; 4-Brushless DC fan; 6-Electrical connector; 7-Single fan connection plate; 8-Bent plate; 9-Dual fan connection plate; 10-Ventilation duct housing; 11-Connector; 12-Protective net. Detailed Implementation
[0035] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. However, it should not be construed that the scope of the subject matter of the present invention is limited to the following embodiments. Any modifications, substitutions and alterations made based on ordinary technical knowledge and conventional means in the art without departing from the above-described technical concept of the present invention are included within the scope of the present invention.
[0036] like Figures 1-6 As shown, this is a cooling device for high-power electronic equipment, which mainly consists of components such as a housing assembly 1, a heat sink assembly 2, an air inlet assembly 3, a brushless DC fan 4, a connecting plate, and an electrical connector 6.
[0037] The working principle of the cooling device for high-power electronic equipment in this invention is as follows: The cooling device is an indirect cooling device that does not directly contact the electronic equipment. Dry and clean air is filled into the sealed chamber of the electronic equipment to cool it. After the high-temperature air inside the electronic equipment is cooled to the required temperature, it re-enters the chamber to circulate and cool the electronic equipment. The brushless DC fan 4 in the cooling device rotates and draws in cold air from the low-temperature environment into the heat sink assembly 2, where it exchanges heat with the high-temperature hot air from the electronic system. The cooled hot air then returns to the electronic equipment system to circulate and cool the electronic equipment, ensuring its normal operation. The inlet and outlet channels of the cold air are completely welded into a sealed channel, which is completely isolated from the hot air channels in the cooling device to prevent the cold air in the environment from mixing with the hot air in the electronic system, thus affecting the safety, reliability, and lifespan of the electronic equipment. Figure 2 The figure illustrates the working principle of this cooling device. Figure 2 The arrows in the diagram represent the flow paths of cold and hot air in the two heat sink components 2, and both the cold and hot sides are single-pass cross-flow heat exchange forms. The arrows with thicker lines correspond to cold air, and the arrows with thinner lines correspond to hot air.
[0038] The enclosure assembly 1 is the main frame assembly of the cooling device. It houses components such as the radiator assembly 2, air inlet assembly 3, brushless DC fan 4, connecting plate, and electrical connector 6. It also serves to mount electronic equipment system components and is a key component for the installation, support, and flow of hot and cold fluids within the cooling device. Enclosure assembly 1 is a sheet metal enclosure manufactured using machining, sheet metal bending, and welding processes. Figure 3 As shown, the structure of the box assembly 1 is a thin sheet metal bent box, which is processed by machining, sheet metal bending, welding and other processes.
[0039] The radiator assembly 2 is a plate-fin structure or a similar plate-fin structure. A plate-fin structure is a heat exchange structure composed of fins, baffles, seals, guide vanes, and end caps. The fins are the basic heat exchange units and come in various types, including serrated, porous, straight, and corrugated types. In this embodiment, straight fins are used. The radiator assembly 2 consists of a ventilation duct assembly 201, a radiator core assembly 202, and a flange 203. The ventilation duct assembly 201 consists of a ventilation duct shell 10, a bending plate 8, a single fan mounting plate 7, a dual fan mounting plate 9, and a support nut. The radiator assemblies 2 are two identical structures arranged symmetrically in the internal cavity of the housing assembly 1. Figure 2 (The upper and lower centers are symmetrically arranged). The ventilation duct assembly 201, radiator core assembly 202, and flange 203 are connected by argon arc welding. The self-locking nuts on the single fan mounting plate 7 and the dual fan mounting plate 9 are connected by screws. The radiator core assembly 202 uses vacuum brazing to braze the fins, baffles, seals, and side plates into a whole. The hot medium flow channel or cold medium flow channel is a single-pass crossflow structure. The fins in the hot medium flow channel and the cold medium flow channel are all low-flow-resistance straight-through rectangular fins. The inlet and outlet channels of the cold air are completely welded into a sealed channel (i.e., the inlet end of the refrigerant channel of the radiator core assembly 202 is sealed to the refrigerant inlet of the housing assembly 1 through flange 203, while the outlet end of the refrigerant channel is connected to the refrigerant outlet of the housing assembly 1 through ventilation duct assembly 201), which is completely isolated from the hot medium channel in the cooling device to prevent ambient air from mixing with the hot air in the electronic system, thus affecting the safety, reliability, and lifespan of the electronic equipment. Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the radiator assembly 2 is a plate-fin structure, mainly composed of a ventilation duct assembly 201, a radiator core assembly 202, and a flange 203 connected by argon arc welding. The radiator core assembly 202 uses vacuum brazing to braze the fins, partitions, seals, and side plates into a whole. The ventilation duct assembly 201 is composed of a ventilation duct shell 10, a bending plate 8, a single fan mounting plate 7, a double fan mounting plate 10, and a support plate nut.
[0040] like Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the air inlet assembly 3 has a corresponding hot air inlet and outlet for the heat sink assembly 2. Figure 5The air outlet is not shown, but a corresponding exhaust fan is installed at the air outlet to circulate the cooled hot air into the electronic equipment compartment as a cooling medium. The hot air inlet is connected to the heat medium flow channel in the radiator assembly 2 through the air inlet duct assembly 302. The air inlet assembly 3 consists of a housing flange 301 and an air inlet duct assembly 302. The housing flange 301 is mainly composed of the housing and a flange edge around the outer edge of the housing. The air inlet duct assembly 302 is welded from the air inlet duct flange and four aluminum plates. The air inlet duct assembly 302 is welded to its components by argon arc welding, and then the welded air inlet duct is butt-welded to the housing flange 301.
[0041] The brushless DC fan 4 is a functional component that provides a source of cool air. The fan's rotation draws in sufficient cooling air from the outside, which then enters the radiator assembly 2 to convect and exchange heat with the hot air, carrying away the heat and ensuring that the cooling device meets the cooling requirements of the electronic components. Each radiator assembly 2 uses three fans to drive the intake of cool air, arranged in single-fan and dual-fan configurations at both ends of the air outlet of the ventilation duct assembly 201. To ensure the overall balance of the product and the rationality of the airflow distribution, the fans of the two radiator assemblies 2 are installed in a staggered, obliquely symmetrical arrangement (i.e.,...). Figure 1 In the middle, the left side of the two heat sink components 2 has a dual-fan and a single-fan configuration, while the right side has a single-fan and a dual-fan configuration. The fans are brushless DC fans 4, which are safe, reliable, and have a long lifespan, to meet the requirements of safety, reliability, and long lifespan of the electronic system. Figure 6 The image shows the brushless DC fan 4 and its connecting plate of the dual-fan assembly. The fan assembly is divided into dual-fan assembly and single-fan assembly, and the connecting plate is also divided into single-fan connecting plate 7 and dual-fan connecting plate 9. They have similar structure and installation method, consisting of a fan, connecting plate, connector 11, and protective net 12. The fan and protective net 12 are connected and fixed to the connecting plate by screws and bracket nuts, and can be disassembled for maintenance.
[0042] The connecting plate is a mounting component for mounting the brushless DC fan 4 onto the housing assembly 1. The brushless DC fan 4, the connecting plate, and the protective net 12 are installed using connecting bolts. The connecting plate can install one or two brushless DC fans 4 onto the housing assembly 1 using bolts. The protective net 12 serves to protect the brushless DC fan 4 and ensure the safety of personnel during use.
[0043] The electrical connector 6 consists of two parts: one serves as the power supply socket for the brushless DC fan 4, and the other controls the speed of the brushless DC fan 4 according to the cooling requirements of the cooling device, enabling variable airflow from the brushless DC fan 4 at varying speeds to meet different heat dissipation requirements under various operating conditions. The electrical connector 6 is installed inside the housing assembly 1 using bolts, clamps, or other methods.
[0044] The cooling device is formed by machining, sheet metal bending, welding and other processes. The radiator core assembly 202 is made by vacuum brazing the fins, baffles, seals, side plates and other parts into a whole. The ventilation duct assembly 201, the radiator core assembly 202 and the flange 203 are connected by welding (argon arc welding) to form the radiator assembly 2. The radiator assembly 2 and the air inlet assembly 3 are connected to the housing assembly 1 by welding. Other parts are connected to the housing assembly 1 by bolts, clamps, bracing and other methods to form a detachable cooling device.
[0045] like Figure 1 As shown, the cooling device mainly consists of components such as the housing assembly 1, radiator assembly 2, air inlet assembly 3, brushless DC fan 4, connecting plate, and electrical connector 6. The cooling device primarily utilizes aluminum alloy materials with high heat exchange performance, good corrosion resistance, and high strength-to-weight ratio, employing mature processes such as brazing, argon arc welding, machining, and sheet metal bending. Argon arc welding is used to weld the radiator assembly 2 and air inlet assembly 3 to the housing assembly 1. The remaining components are connected to the housing assembly 1 using bolts, clamps, and connectors. The fan and electrical connector 6 are detachable for easy maintenance. The two radiator assemblies 2 are arranged symmetrically at the top and bottom centers within the housing assembly 1, while the single and dual fans are arranged alternately from left to right. The entire cooling device has an approximately symmetrical structure with a centrally located center of gravity, ensuring efficient flow of hot and cold fluids.
[0046] The above description is merely one specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A cooling device for high-power electronic equipment, characterized in that: include: A box assembly (1), the box assembly (1) comprising a shell with an open upper end, the shell having a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet; An air inlet assembly (3), the air inlet assembly (3) being mounted at the opening of the shell, thereby closing the opening of the shell and forming a cavity inside the shell, and the air inlet assembly (3) being provided with a heat medium inlet and a heat medium outlet; A radiator assembly (2), wherein at least one pair of the radiator assemblies (2) are symmetrically installed in the cavity, the radiator assembly (2) comprises a radiator core assembly (202) and a ventilation duct assembly (201), the radiator core assembly (202) comprises a refrigerant flow channel and a heat medium flow channel, the ventilation duct assembly (201) comprises two outlets and one inlet, the outlet end of the refrigerant flow channel is connected to the inlet of the ventilation duct assembly (201), the inlet end of the refrigerant flow channel is connected to the cold air inlet on the shell, the outlet end of the heat medium flow channel is connected to the cavity, the inlet end of the heat medium flow channel is connected to the heat medium inlet on the air inlet assembly (3), the two outlets of the ventilation duct assembly (201) are connected to the refrigerant outlet on the shell, and the ventilation duct assembly (201) is not connected to the cavity; A fan is installed at two outlets of the ventilation duct assembly (201).
2. A cooling device for high-power electronic equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ventilation duct assembly (201) is located between the air inlet assembly (3) and the radiator core assembly (202), and the ventilation duct assembly (201) extends in a direction that is perpendicular to both the hot medium flow channel and the cold medium flow channel.
3. A cooling device for high-power electronic equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes an air inlet channel assembly (302) disposed in the hollow cavity and not connected to the hollow cavity, wherein the heat medium inlet of the air inlet assembly (3) bypasses the ventilation duct assembly (201) through the air inlet channel assembly (302) and is connected to the inlet end of the heat medium flow channel of the radiator core assembly (202).
4. The cooling device for high-power electronic equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radiator core assembly (202) is a plate-fin heat exchanger structure or a structure similar to a plate-fin heat exchanger structure.
5. The cooling device for high-power electronic equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fan is a brushless DC fan (4).
6. The cooling device for high-power electronic equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of fans at two different outlets of the same ventilation duct assembly (201) is different.
7. The cooling device for high-power electronic equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the same pair of symmetrically installed ventilation duct assemblies (201), the number of fans located at the same side outlet is different.
8. The cooling device for high-power electronic equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises an electrical connector (6), wherein the electrical connector (6) is mounted on the inner wall of the outer shell of the box assembly (1).
9. The cooling device for high-power electronic equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A fan is provided at the heat medium outlet of the air inlet assembly (3).