Immersion cooling system and working fluid used therein

Abstract

The present application relates to an immersion cooling system and a working fluid used therein, comprising: a housing having an internal space; a heat generating component disposed in the internal space; and a working fluid filled in the internal space and having thermal contact with the heat generating component, wherein waste heat generated by the heat generating component is transferred to outside of the housing by the working fluid. The working fluid comprises an insulating coolant and a plurality of modified boron nitride particles, the insulating coolant and the modified boron nitride particles are mutually dissolved in the working fluid, and the molecular structure of the modified boron nitride particles comprises an organic functional group.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to an immersion cooling system and a working fluid thereof, and more particularly to an immersion cooling system and a working fluid thereof that enhances the heat transfer efficiency of the immersion cooling system by using modified boron nitride microparticles. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional cooling systems often require forced convection to achieve sufficient heat transfer capacity to remove waste heat generated by heat-generating components. Forced convection methods include, for example, using fan blades to move the hotter working fluid to a cooler area to achieve a cooling effect. Since this design requires a forced convection drive, some of the transferred waste heat is generated by the forced convection device, making it less energy-efficient. Furthermore, most traditional cooling systems rely on forced convection drives; therefore, when forced convection is absent or the drive is damaged, the cooling system cannot operate effectively, causing the entire system or device to shut down or even cease normal operation, resulting in significant losses. Utility Model Content

[0003] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the purpose of this application is to provide an immersion cooling system and the working fluid used therein, which can effectively transfer heat energy to the outside through the working fluid of modified boron nitride particles.

[0004] Regarding the aforementioned technical needs, the purpose and technical problem solved by this application are achieved through the following technical solution. From one perspective, this application proposes an immersion cooling system and a working fluid within the system. The immersion cooling system includes: a housing having an internal space; a heating element disposed within the internal space; and a working fluid filling the internal space and having thermal contact with the heating element, wherein waste heat generated by the heating element is transferred to the outside of the housing via the working fluid. The working fluid comprises an insulating coolant and a plurality of modified boron nitride microparticles. The modified boron nitride microparticles contain organic functional groups in their molecular structure, and the insulating coolant and the modified boron nitride microparticles are mutually soluble in the working fluid.

[0005] In one embodiment, the insulating coolant comprises an unsaturated fluoroolefin hydroxy compound.

[0006] In one embodiment, the immersion cooling system has a non-forced convection heat transfer mode and a forced convection heat transfer mode. In the non-forced convection heat transfer mode, the working fluid does not have forced convection during heat conduction; in the forced convection heat transfer mode, the working fluid conducts heat through forced convection.

[0007] In one embodiment, the modified boron nitride microparticles have a hexagonal boron nitride (e.g., α-BN) atomic arrangement or a cubic boron nitride (e.g., β-BN, cBN, etc.) atomic arrangement. In both the non-forced convection heat transfer mode and the forced convection heat transfer mode, the working fluid generates a lattice vibration effect through the modified boron nitride microparticles, resulting in a heat conduction efficiency higher than that of the insulating coolant.

[0008] In one embodiment, the modified boron nitride particles are not suspended in the working fluid.

[0009] In one embodiment, the particle size of the modified boron nitride microparticles is preferably in the range of 0.01 μm to 5 μm.

[0010] In one embodiment, the preferred concentration range of the modified boron nitride microparticles in the working fluid is 100 to 10,000 PPM.

[0011] In one embodiment, the organic functional group in the molecular structure of the modified boron nitride microparticles includes a hydroxyl group.

[0012] From another perspective, this application proposes an immersion cooling system and a working fluid in the system, comprising an unsaturated fluoroalkoxy compound and a plurality of modified boron nitride microparticles. The unsaturated fluoroalkoxy compound and the modified boron nitride microparticles are dissolved in the working fluid. The modified boron nitride microparticles have a hexagonal boron nitride atomic arrangement structure or a cubic boron nitride atomic arrangement structure. The working fluid has a higher thermal conductivity than the unsaturated fluoroalkoxy compound due to the lattice vibration effect generated by the modified boron nitride microparticles. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 The diagram illustrates an exemplary immersion cooling system according to this application.

[0014] Figure 2 The illustration is a schematic diagram of an exemplary modified boron nitride microparticle according to this application.

[0015] Figure 3 The diagram illustrates yet another exemplary immersion cooling system according to this application. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The foregoing descriptions and other technical contents, features, and effects of this application will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following descriptions of the embodiments are with reference to the accompanying drawings and are used to illustrate specific embodiments in which this application can be implemented. The foregoing descriptions and other technical contents, features, and effects of this application will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] The accompanying drawings and descriptions are intended to be illustrative in nature, not restrictive. In the drawings, structurally similar units are denoted by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, for ease of understanding and description, the dimensions and thicknesses of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrary, but this application is not limited thereto.

[0018] To further illustrate the technical means and effects adopted by this application to achieve the intended purpose, the following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments, describes the specific implementation, structure, features, and effects of a wireless communication identification system, method, and battery wireless management system proposed in this application.

[0019] Please refer to Figure 1 This application provides an immersion cooling system and a working fluid in the system. The working fluid of this application has superior heat transfer efficiency compared to prior art. The immersion cooling system 100 includes: a housing 10 having an internal space 12 (in the figure, the internal space 12 is filled with working fluid WF, and the internal space 12 is basically the space formed around the housing 10); a heating element 20 (the shape of the heating element 20 in the figure is only schematic, and in practice, the heating element 20 may have various shapes), disposed in the internal space 12; and a working fluid WF, filling the internal space 12 and having thermal contact with the heating element 20. The waste heat generated by the heating element 20 is transferred to the outside of the housing 10 by the working fluid WF (on the right side of the figure, after the working fluid WF leaves the internal space 12 and transfers the waste heat to the outside of the housing 10, the cooled working fluid WF returns to the internal space 12). The working fluid WF comprises an insulating coolant ICL (shown as a wavy portion in the diagram) and multiple modified boron nitride microparticles MP (shown as black dots in the diagram; the modified boron nitride microparticles MP are dissolved in the working fluid WF). The insulating coolant ICL contains a fluorocarbon compound, and the molecular structure of the modified boron nitride microparticles MP contains an organic functional group R (…). Figure 2 Through the interaction between fluorocarbon compounds and organic functional groups R, insulating coolant ICL and modified boron nitride microparticles MP are miscible in the working fluid WF. The modified boron nitride microparticles MP possess both insulating and thermally conductive properties. According to this application, the combination of insulating coolant ICL and modified boron nitride microparticles MP significantly enhances the heat transfer performance of the working fluid WF.

[0020] In one embodiment, the insulating coolant ICL may be a fluorocarbon compound, which contains unsaturated fluoroolefin compounds. In another embodiment, the insulating coolant ICL may be a fluorinated liquid, an electronic fluorinated liquid, or a fluorine chemical liquid, wherein the aforementioned fluorinated liquid, electronic fluorinated liquid, or fluorine chemical liquid contains unsaturated fluoroolefin compounds.

[0021] In one embodiment, the immersion cooling system 100 has a non-forced convection heat transfer mode and a forced convection heat transfer mode. In the non-forced convection heat transfer mode, the working fluid WF does not have forced convection during heat conduction and is in a static or natural convection state; in the forced convection heat transfer mode, the working fluid WF conducts heat primarily through forced convection. In particular, even in a static state, the working fluid WF still has very good heat conduction performance.

[0022] For an explanation of modified boron nitride microparticles (MP), please refer to... Figure 2 In one embodiment shown, the modified boron nitride microparticles MP have a hexagonal boron nitride (e.g., α-BN) atomic arrangement (see reference). Figure 2 The diagram in the lower right corner shows a partial atomic arrangement structure, where nitrogen (N) and boron (B) are linked to form a hexagonal arrangement or a cubic boron nitride (e.g., β-BN, cBN, etc.) atomic arrangement structure. These two atomic arrangement structures have corresponding crystal forms. In both the non-forced convection heat transfer mode and the forced convection heat transfer mode, the working fluid WF generates a higher thermal conductivity than the insulating coolant ICL due to the lattice vibration effect in the modified boron nitride particles MP. This characteristic is particularly evident in the non-forced convection heat transfer mode.

[0023] Please refer to Figure 3 The internal space 12 of the housing 10 is filled with working fluid WF, and there is thermal contact between the working fluid WF and the heating element 20 in the internal space 12. The waste heat generated by the heating element 20 is transferred to the outside of the housing 10 through the working fluid WF. After the working fluid WF is cooled by the heat exchanger THE, it returns to the internal space 12.

[0024] According to the applicant's experimental results, it was found that under normal operating conditions (operating an immersion-cooled computer at room temperature), the heat dissipation efficiency of this application can be improved by at least approximately 50% to 65% (under the same electronic component operating conditions, the temperature difference (Tb1-Tc) between the surface temperature (Tb1) of the heat-generating component 20 generated by the working fluid WF containing modified boron nitride microparticles (MP) and the heat dissipation end temperature (Tc) of the immersion cooling system 100 can be improved by at least approximately 50% to 65% compared to the temperature difference between the surface temperature (Tb2) of the heat-generating component 20 generated by the conventional working fluid without modified boron nitride microparticles (MP) and the heat dissipation end temperature (Tc) of the immersion cooling system 100). In one embodiment, the larger (Tb1-Tc) is, the stronger the heat carrying capacity of the working fluid WF. According to this application, (Tc-Tb1) / (Tc-Tb2) can reach between 1.5 and 1.65, which is very significant. If experiments are continued based on this concept, even better heat dissipation effects may be achieved.

[0025] In one embodiment, the modified boron nitride particles (MP) are not suspended in the working fluid WF. The modified boron nitride particles (MP) are completely dissolved in the working fluid WF without precipitation. Furthermore, due to the complete solubility of the modified boron nitride particles (MP) and their specific gravity being close to that of the insulating coolant ICL, the modified boron nitride particles (MP) can be uniformly distributed in the working fluid WF. Thus, the lattice vibration effect of the modified boron nitride particles (MP) (e.g., from a microscopic perspective, the lattice vibration effect of the modified boron nitride particles (MP)) can act uniformly throughout the working fluid WF, significantly reducing the possibility of accumulated waste heat in the corners of the internal space 12. Moreover, even after prolonged standing (e.g., during storage, long-distance transportation), the concentration ratio of the insulating coolant ICL to the modified boron nitride particles (MP) remains very stable throughout the working fluid WF, without any concentration gradient, making it a highly stable and reliable technology.

[0026] In one embodiment, the particle size of the modified boron nitride microparticles (MP) preferably ranges from 0.01 μm to 5 μm, encompassing the nanometer scale. Essentially, the morphology of the modified boron nitride microparticles (MP) can include elongated, sheet-like, and other shapes. These shapes can be determined by the atomic arrangement or crystallization method.

[0027] In one embodiment, the preferred concentration range of modified boron nitride microparticles MP in the working fluid WF is 100 to 10000 PPM, which can be the weight concentration or volume concentration between the working fluid WF and the modified boron nitride microparticles MP.

[0028] In one embodiment, the organic functional group in the molecular structure of the modified boron nitride microparticles MP contains a hydroxyl group (or a hydroxyl group).

[0029] According to one perspective, this application provides a working fluid WF used in an immersion cooling system 100, comprising an unsaturated fluoroalkoxy compound and a plurality of modified boron nitride microparticles MP. The unsaturated fluoroalkoxy compound and the modified boron nitride microparticles MP are dissolved in the working fluid WF. The modified boron nitride microparticles MP have a hexagonal boron nitride atomic arrangement structure or a cubic boron nitride atomic arrangement structure. By combining the lattice vibration effect generated by the modified boron nitride microparticles MP and the combination of the modified boron nitride microparticles MP and the unsaturated fluoroalkoxy compound, the working fluid WF can significantly improve its thermal conductivity.

[0030] The phrase "in one embodiment" is used repeatedly in this application. This phrase does not usually refer to the same embodiment; however, it may refer to the same embodiment. The words "comprising," "having," and "including" are synonyms unless the context otherwise indicates otherwise.

[0031] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, intended to facilitate understanding of the content of this application by those skilled in the art, and is not intended to limit this application in any way. Although this application has been disclosed above with specific embodiments, it is not intended to limit this application. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the technical solution of this application. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of this application without departing from the content of the technical solution of this application shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of this application.

Claims

1. An immersion cooling system, characterized in that, The immersion cooling system includes: A shell with an internal space; A heating element is disposed in the internal space; and A working fluid is filled in the internal space and has thermal contact with the heating element. The waste heat generated by the heating element is transferred to the outside of the housing through the working fluid. The working fluid comprises an insulating coolant and a plurality of modified boron nitride microparticles. The molecular structure of the modified boron nitride microparticles contains organic functional groups. The insulating coolant and the modified boron nitride microparticles are miscible in the working fluid.

2. The immersion cooling system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating coolant contains an unsaturated fluoroolefin compound.

3. The immersion cooling system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The immersion cooling system has a non-forced convection heat transfer mode and a forced convection heat transfer mode, wherein in the non-forced convection heat transfer mode, the working fluid does not have forced convection during the heat conduction process; or, in the forced convection heat transfer mode, the working fluid conducts heat essentially by forced convection.

4. The immersion cooling system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The modified boron nitride microparticles have a hexagonal boron nitride atomic arrangement structure or a cubic boron nitride atomic arrangement structure. In the non-forced convection heat transfer mode and the forced convection heat transfer mode, the working fluid generates a lattice vibration effect through the modified boron nitride microparticles, so that the working fluid has a higher thermal conductivity than the insulating coolant.

5. The immersion cooling system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In the working fluid, the modified boron nitride particles are not in a suspended state.

6. The immersion cooling system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The preferred particle size range of the modified boron nitride microparticles is 0.01 μm to 5 μm.

7. The immersion cooling system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The preferred concentration range of the modified boron nitride microparticles in the working fluid is 100 to 10,000 PPM.

8. The immersion cooling system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In the working fluid, the specific gravity of the modified boron nitride particles is equal to that of the insulating coolant.

9. The immersion cooling system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The organic functional group in the molecular structure of the modified boron nitride microparticles contains a hydroxyl group.

10. A working fluid used in an immersion cooling system, characterized in that, The working fluid used in the immersion cooling system includes: An unsaturated fluoroolefin hydroxyl compound; and Multiple modified boron nitride microparticles are dissolved in the working fluid, the unsaturated fluoroalkoxy compound and the modified boron nitride microparticles are dissolved in the working fluid, the modified boron nitride microparticles have a hexagonal boron nitride atomic arrangement structure or a cubic boron nitride atomic arrangement structure, the working fluid can improve the thermal conductivity of the working fluid by the lattice vibration effect generated by the modified boron nitride microparticles and the combination of the modified boron nitride microparticles and the unsaturated fluoroalkoxy compound.

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