Liquid cooling structure

Abstract

A liquid cooling structure for cooling an object to be cooled, according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises: a microchannel unit for exchanging heat, by means of a cooling liquid, with an object to be cooled; a cover unit including an inlet for introducing, into the liquid cooling structure, a cooling liquid to be introduced and an outlet for discharging, from the liquid cooling structure, a cooling liquid to be discharged; and a manifold unit including an inlet pipe unit formed between the cover unit and the microchannel unit to supply, from the cover unit to the microchannel unit, the cooling liquid to be introduced and an outlet pipe unit for moving, from the microchannel unit to the cover unit, the cooling liquid to be discharged. The liquid cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention can effectively increase the supply amount of the cooling liquid flowing into the microchannel to cool the object to be cooled. To this end, the liquid cooling structure may be formed of a plurality of layers.

Description

Liquid cooling structure

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid cooling structure, more specifically, to a structure that cools a target object, such as a semiconductor chip, through a liquid by utilizing microchannels.

[0002] A recent key topic in the technological advancement of modern industry is heat control. For instance, as the computational load on semiconductor chips increases and chip manufacturing processes shrink, power density (heat generation per unit area) is rising. Consequently, conventional air cooling methods, which have low heat transfer rates, face limitations in controlling the heat generated by semiconductor chips. In particular, air cooling methods require large-scale air conditioning equipment, presenting limitations in terms of noise and space utilization. To address these issues, cooling systems utilizing liquid cooling structures are being actively adopted. Furthermore, liquid cooling is being utilized to cool secondary batteries in electric vehicles, and research is being conducted on liquid cooling methods to control the thermal runaway phenomenon in secondary batteries, which has recently become a significant concern. As such, liquid cooling can be applied across a wide range of technological fields.

[0003] In the proposed liquid cooling structure, it is important to reduce thermal resistance between the object to be cooled and the liquid coolant. Specifically, a technology is required to increase thermal conductivity while reducing the distance between the liquid coolant and the object to be cooled.

[0004] [Prior Art Literature]

[0005] [Patent Literature]

[0006] (Patent Document 1) Republic of Korea Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2659553

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems by providing a liquid cooling structure capable of effectively cooling heat generated from a cooling target.

[0008] In addition, the present invention provides a liquid cooling structure capable of effectively supplying a cooling liquid to a microchannel formed between a liquid cooling liquid and a cooling target.

[0009] A liquid cooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises, in a liquid cooling structure for cooling a target object, a microchannel portion that exchanges heat with the target object through a cooling liquid; a cover portion including an inlet for introducing a cooling liquid into the liquid cooling structure and an outlet for discharging a cooling liquid from the liquid cooling structure; and a manifold portion formed between the cover portion and the microchannel portion, including an inlet pipe portion for supplying the inlet cooling liquid from the cover portion to the microchannel portion and an outlet pipe portion for moving the discharged cooling liquid from the microchannel portion to the cover portion.

[0010] In a liquid cooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention, the cover portion may include an inlet space that is a space in which the inlet cooling liquid flows and is connected to the inlet portion and the inlet portion and an outlet space that is a space in which the discharge cooling liquid flows and is connected to the outlet portion and the discharge portion.

[0011] In a liquid cooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention, the inlet space and the outlet space within the cover portion may be spatially separated from each other.

[0012] In a liquid cooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention, the cover portion may be composed of an upper cover and a lower cover.

[0013] A liquid cooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention may have the inlet and the outlet formed in the upper cover, and the inlet space and the outlet space formed in the lower cover.

[0014] In a liquid cooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention, the inlet and the outlet are formed on the side wall of the lower cover, and the inlet space and the outlet space may be formed inside the lower cover.

[0015] A liquid cooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention may have an outlet formed on a side wall of the upper cover and an inlet formed on a side wall of the lower cover, an inlet space formed inside the lower cover, and an outlet space formed inside the upper cover and the lower cover.

[0016] In a liquid cooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention, the outlet and the inlet may be formed in the same direction in the liquid cooling structure.

[0017] In a liquid cooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention, the outlet and the inlet may be formed in different directions in the cold body cooling structure.

[0018] In a liquid cooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention, the inlet pipe portion and the outlet pipe portion may be formed in a plurality of numbers.

[0019] A liquid cooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention can effectively increase the supply amount of cooling liquid entering a microchannel to cool an object to be cooled. To this end, the liquid cooling structure may be formed in a plurality of layers.

[0020] In particular, the liquid cooling structure according to one embodiment of the present invention can be described as being implemented to achieve efficient cooling efficiency within a limited size.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a liquid cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] FIGS. 2a to 2f show a cover portion of a liquid cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] FIGS. 3a to 3e show a cover portion of a liquid cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] FIGS. 4a to 4c show a cover portion of a liquid cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] FIGS. 5a to 5c illustrate a cover portion of a liquid cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0026] FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a manifold portion of a liquid cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to specific embodiments and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments of the present invention. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar components.

[0028] In this document, expressions such as "have," "can have," "include," or "can include" refer to the existence of the relevant feature (e.g., numerical values, functions, actions, or components, etc.) and do not exclude the existence of additional features.

[0029] In this document, expressions such as “A or B,” “at least one of A or / and B,” or “one or more of A or / and B” may include all possible combinations of items listed together. For example, “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” or “at least one of A or B” may refer to cases including (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) both at least one A and at least one B.

[0030] As used in this document, the expression "configured to" may be replaced, depending on the context, with, for example, "suitable for," "having the capacity to," "designed to," "adapted to," "made to," or "capable of." The term "configured to" does not necessarily mean "specifically designed to."

[0031] The terms used in this document are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art described in this document. Terms used in this document that are defined in general dictionaries may be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning as they have in the context of the relevant technology, and are not to be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this document. In some cases, even terms defined in this document may not be interpreted to exclude the embodiments of this document.

[0032] Therefore, it should be understood that the configurations of the embodiments described in this specification are merely some of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention, and that various equivalents and modifications that can replace them may exist at the time of filing this application.

[0033] Throughout the specification, when a part is described as “comprising” a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components.

[0034] The objects, specific advantages, and novel features of the invention described herein will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in assigning reference numbers to the components of each drawing in this specification, the same components are assigned the same number whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, terms such as "one side," "other side," "first," and "second" are used to distinguish one component from another, and the components are not limited by these terms. In the following description of the invention, detailed descriptions of related prior art that may unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention are omitted.

[0035] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, and the same reference numerals indicate the same components.

[0036]

[0037] Hereinafter, a liquid cooling structure (1) according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0038]

[0039] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a liquid cooling structure (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040]

[0041] A liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises, in a liquid cooling structure (1) for cooling a target object, a microchannel section (100) that exchanges heat with a target object and a cooling liquid (L), a cover section (200) including an inlet (210) for introducing an inflow cooling liquid (L1) into the liquid cooling structure (1) and an outlet (220) for discharging a discharge cooling liquid (L2) from the liquid cooling structure (1), and a manifold section (300) formed between the cover section (200) and the microchannel section (100) and including an inflow pipe section (310) for supplying the inflow cooling liquid (L1) from the cover section (200) to the microchannel section (100) and a discharge pipe section (320) for moving the discharge cooling liquid (L2) from the microchannel section (100) to the cover section (200).

[0042]

[0043] A liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a microchannel section (100), a cover section (200), and a manifold section (300).

[0044] Looking at FIG. 1, it can be seen that a microchannel section (100), a manifold section (300), and a cover section (200) are formed in sequence. In a liquid cooling structure (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, a cooling target object, such as a semiconductor chip, is formed in the direction in which the microchannel section (100) is formed. Therefore, direct heat exchange occurs between the cooling target object and the microchannel section (100). The technical details of the manifold section (300) and the cover section (200) in the present invention are designed to ensure a structure that can effectively supply cooling liquid (L) to the microchannel section (100) to effectively maintain the flow rate of the cooling liquid and increase cooling efficiency. The microchannel section (100) has many micro-sized channels formed therein, and by maximizing the contact surface between the microchannel section (100) and the cooling target object, it can perform the role of maximizing the heat exchange efficiency between the cooling liquid (L) flowing through the microchannel section (100) and the cooling target object.

[0045] The manifold section (300) refers to a member having a plurality of pipes formed therein to supply a cooling liquid (L) between the cover section (200) and the microchannel section (100). Referring to FIG. 6, the manifold section (300) may include an inlet pipe section (310) and an outlet pipe section (320). The inlet pipe section (310) allows the inlet cooling liquid (L1) to move from the cover section (200) to the microchannel section (100), and the outlet pipe section (320) allows it to move in the opposite direction from the microchannel section (100) to the cover section (200). The formation positions of the inlet pipe section (310) and the outlet pipe section (320) in FIG. 6 may change depending on the shape of the cover section (200).

[0046] The cover portion (200) includes an inlet (210) for introducing an inflow cooling liquid (L1) into the liquid cooling structure (1) and an outlet (220) for discharging an outflow cooling liquid (L2) from the liquid cooling structure (1). Accordingly, the cover portion (200) forms the largest volume of the liquid cooling structure (1) and must be equipped with an effective structure for the effective supply and discharge of cooling liquid (L) to the manifold portion (300) and the microchannel portion (100). The inlet (210) and outlet (220) of the cover portion (200) may have various arrangements.

[0047]

[0048] In a liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the cover portion (200) may include an inlet space (230) in which the inlet (210) and the inlet pipe portion (310) are connected to each other and the inlet cooling liquid (L1) flows, and an outlet space (240) in which the outlet (220) and the discharge pipe portion (320) are connected to each other and the discharge cooling liquid (L2) flows.

[0049] In a liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the inlet space (230) and the outlet space (240) within the cover portion (200) may be spatially separated from each other.

[0050]

[0051] A cover portion (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an inlet space (230) and an outlet space (240). The inlet space (230) is a space that allows communication between an inlet (210) and an inlet pipe portion (310), and an inlet pipe portion (310) may be formed corresponding to the inlet space (230). Referring to FIG. 3e, the inlet pipe portion (310) may be a pipe shape that communicates downwardly with the manifold portion (300) corresponding to the inlet space (230). The outlet space (240) is a space that allows communication between an outlet (220) and an outlet pipe portion (320), and an outlet pipe portion (320) may be formed corresponding to the outlet space (240). Referring to FIG. 3e, the outlet pipe portion (320) may be a pipe shape that communicates downwardly with the manifold portion (300) corresponding to the outlet space (240).

[0052] Since the inlet space (230) and the outlet space (240) must be formed to be connected to the inlet pipe section (310) and the outlet pipe section (320), respectively, it is desirable to spatially separate them from each other within the cover section (200).

[0053]

[0054] In a liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the cover portion (200) may be composed of an upper cover (201) and a lower cover (202).

[0055]

[0056] A cover portion (200) of a liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention may be composed of an upper cover (201) and a lower cover (202), and an inlet space (230) and an outlet space (240) may be formed only in the lower cover (202), or an inlet space (230) and an outlet space (240) may also be formed in the upper cover (201), and this may vary depending on the embodiment.

[0057]

[0058] In a liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the inlet (210) and the outlet (220) may be formed in the upper cover (201), and the inlet space (230) and the outlet space (240) may be formed in the lower cover (201).

[0059]

[0060] Looking at FIGS. 2a to 2f, it can be seen that in a liquid cooling structure (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, an inlet (210) and an outlet (220) are formed in the upper cover (201), and an inlet space (230) and an outlet space (240) are formed in the lower cover (202).

[0061] Looking at FIG. 2a, it can be seen that an inlet (210) and an outlet (220) are formed in the upper cover (201) of the cover portion (200). FIG. 2b is a drawing cut in the directions 1, 2, and 3 of FIG. 2a. Looking at drawing 1 in FIG. 2b, it is a drawing cut in the direction 1 of FIG. 2a, and it can be seen that an inlet space (230) is formed in the lower cover (202) to correspond to the inlet (210). Also, looking at drawings 1, 2, and 3 in FIG. 2b, it can be seen that the inlet space (230) and the outlet space (240) are separated from each other in the lower cover (202).

[0062] FIG. 2c shows only the lower cover (202) of the cover portion (200) of the liquid cooling structure (1) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2d shows a cut view taken in directions 1, 2, 3, and 4 of FIG. 2c. Looking at the cut views of FIG. 2d, it can be seen that the discharge space (240) is formed towards the center of the cover portion (200), and the inflow space (230) is formed to surround the discharge space (230), so that the discharge space (240) and the inflow space (230) are spatially separated from each other. FIG. 2f shows a cut view taken in directions 1, 2, and 3 of FIG. 2e, and FIG. 2f also shows that the inflow space (230) is formed to surround the discharge space (230), so that the discharge space (240) and the inflow space (230) are spatially separated from each other.

[0063]

[0064] In a liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the inlet (210) and the outlet (220) are formed on the side wall of the lower cover (202), and the inlet space (230) and the outlet space (240) may be formed inside the lower cover (202).

[0065]

[0066] As shown in FIG. 3a, in the lower cover (202) of the cover portion (200) of the liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention, an inlet (210) and an outlet (220) may be formed, and an inlet space (230) and an outlet space (240) may be formed, and in this case, the upper cover (201) performs a simple opening and closing function.

[0067] Referring to FIGS. 3B and 3C, the discharge space (240) connected to the outlet (220) is positioned at the center of the lower cover (202), and a discharge pipe section (320) may be formed at a position corresponding to the discharge space (240) of the manifold section (300). Additionally, the inlet space (230) connected to the inlet (210) is formed in a shape that surrounds the discharge space (240) and is formed towards the side of the lower cover (202), so that an inlet pipe section (310) may be formed at a position corresponding to the inlet space (230) of the manifold section (300).

[0068] Looking at FIG. 3d and FIG. 3e, it can be seen that the inlet space (230) is formed to surround the outlet space (230), and that the outlet space (240) and the inlet space (230) are spatially separated from each other.

[0069]

[0070] A liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention may have an outlet (220) formed on a side wall of the upper cover (201), an inlet (210) formed on a side wall of the lower cover (202), an inlet space (230) formed inside the lower cover (202), and an outlet space (240) formed inside the upper cover (201) and the lower cover (202).

[0071]

[0072] Referring to FIGS. 4a to 4c, an outlet (220) may be formed on the side wall of the upper cover (201), and an inlet (210) may be formed on the side wall of the lower cover (202). Referring to FIG. 4b, it can be seen that the inlet space (230) and the outlet space (240) are separated from each other in the lower cover (202). Referring to FIG. 4c, it can be seen that the outlet space (240) is also formed in the upper cover (201). That is, the outlet space (240) may be formed to spatially connect the upper cover (201) and the lower cover (202).

[0073]

[0074] In a liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the outlet (220) and the inlet (210) may be formed in the same direction in the liquid cooling structure (1).

[0075] In a liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the outlet (220) and the inlet may be formed in different directions in the cold body cooling structure (1).

[0076]

[0077] Looking at FIGS. 4a to 4c, it can be seen that the outlet (220) and the inlet (210) are formed in the same direction in the liquid cooling structure (1), and looking at FIGS. 5a to 5c, it can be seen that the outlet (220) and the inlet (210) are formed in different directions in the liquid cooling structure (1). That is, in various embodiments, the direction of the outlet (220) and the inlet (210) can be changed.

[0078]

[0079] In a liquid cooling structure (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the inlet pipe section (310) and the outlet pipe section (320) may be formed in multiple numbers.

[0080]

[0081] Looking at FIG. 6, it can be seen that the inlet pipe section (310) and the discharge pipe section (320) are formed in multiple numbers in the manifold section (300). At this time, the arrangement of the inlet pipe section (310) and the discharge pipe section (320) formed in the manifold section (300) can be changed and can be changed to correspond to the inlet space (230) and the discharge space (240) of the cover section (200).

[0082] In the case where the inlet pipe section (310) of the manifold section (300) surrounds all four sides as in FIG. 6, the inlet space (230) is not formed to surround the discharge space (240) in three directions excluding one direction as in FIG. 4b and FIG. 5b, but can be formed so that the inlet space (230) surrounds all four sides of the discharge space (240).

[0083]

[0084] Although the present invention has been described in detail through specific embodiments, this is for the purpose of specifically explaining the invention, and the invention is not limited thereto. It will be apparent that modifications or improvements can be made by those skilled in the art within the technical scope of the invention.

[0085] All simple variations or modifications of the present invention fall within the scope of the present invention, and the specific scope of protection of the present invention will be clarified by the appended claims.

[0086] [Explanation of the symbol]

[0087] L: Coolant

[0088] L1: Incoming coolant

[0089] L2: Drain coolant

[0090] 1 : Liquid cooling structure

[0091] 100 : Microcircle

[0092] 200 : Cover part

[0093] 201 : Top cover

[0094] 202 : Bottom cover

[0095] 210 : Entrance

[0096] 220 : Exit

[0097] 230 : Inflow space

[0098] 240: Exhaust space

[0099] 300 : Manifold section

[0100] 310 : Inlet pipe section

[0101] 320 : Discharge pipe section

Claims

1. In a liquid cooling structure for cooling an object to be cooled, A microchannel that exchanges heat through a cooling target and a cooling liquid; A cover portion comprising an inlet for introducing an inflow cooling liquid into the above liquid cooling structure and an outlet for discharging a discharge cooling liquid from the above liquid cooling structure; and A liquid cooling structure comprising: a manifold portion formed between the cover portion and the microchannel portion, the manifold portion including an inlet pipe portion for supplying the inlet cooling liquid from the cover portion to the microchannel portion and an outlet pipe portion for moving the discharge cooling liquid from the microchannel portion to the cover portion.

2. In Claim 1, The above cover part is, A liquid cooling structure comprising an inlet space in which the inlet and the inlet pipe section are connected to each other and the inlet cooling liquid flows, and an outlet space in which the outlet and the discharge pipe section are connected to each other and the discharge cooling liquid flows.

3. In Claim 2, A liquid cooling structure characterized in that the inlet space and the outlet space are spatially separated from each other within the cover portion.

4. In Claim 3, The above cover part is, A liquid cooling structure comprising an upper cover and a lower cover.

5. In Claim 4, The inlet and the outlet are formed in the upper cover, and A liquid cooling structure in which the inlet space and the outlet space are formed in the lower cover.

6. In Claim 4, The inlet and the outlet are formed on the side wall of the lower cover, and A liquid cooling structure in which the inlet space and the outlet space are formed inside the lower cover.

7. In Claim 4, The outlet is formed on the side wall of the upper cover, and The above-mentioned opening is formed in the side wall of the lower cover, and The inflow space is formed inside the lower cover, and A liquid cooling structure in which the discharge space is formed inside the upper cover and the lower cover.

8. In Claim 7, A liquid cooling structure in which the above outlet and the above inlet are formed in the same direction in the above liquid cooling structure.

9. In Claim 7, A liquid cooling structure in which the above outlet and the above inlet are formed in different directions in the above cold body cooling structure.

10. In Claim 1, A liquid cooling structure characterized by the fact that the inlet pipe section and the outlet pipe section are formed in multiple numbers.

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