Adjustable Thermal Blocks for PCB Liquid Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid cooling systems face challenges in achieving tight thermal contact between a single cold plate and multiple heat sources due to assembling tolerances, which limits the heat dissipation capacity.
Innovation Solution
A liquid cooling device with multiple thermal blocks and plates, where at least one thermal block is movably disposed on the second thermal plate, allowing adjustable protruding height to accommodate varying gap widths between heat sources and the thermal plate, ensuring effective thermal contact regardless of mechanical interference or gaps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single cold plate is used to contact multiple heat sources, then the device complexity is reduced, but the thermal contact effectiveness deteriorates due to assembling tolerances among heat sources
Solution Approach 1:
The cold plate is divided into multiple independent thermal blocks, each capable of independently contacting a heat source. This segmentation allows each thermal block to adapt to the specific position and height of individual heat sources, ensuring effective thermal contact despite assembling tolerances, while reducing the overall structural complexity compared to a single rigid cold plate design.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal blocks are designed with movable connections to the support plate, allowing them to dynamically adjust their positions and heights. This dynamic capability enables each thermal block to automatically adapt to variations in heat source positions and heights caused by assembling tolerances, maintaining reliable thermal contact without requiring a complex rigid structure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the cold plate is made rigid to maintain structural stability, then the stability is improved, but the adaptability to different heat source positions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid cold plate is segmented into multiple independent thermal blocks that can move relative to the support plate. This segmentation allows the system to maintain overall structural stability while enabling individual thermal blocks to adapt to different heat source positions, effectively resolving the contradiction between rigidity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the cooling device have different mechanical properties: the support plate maintains rigidity for structural stability, while the thermal blocks have movable connections that provide local adaptability. This local differentiation of mechanical properties allows the system to simultaneously achieve structural stability and adaptability to varying heat source positions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If thermal blocks are made movable to accommodate height variations, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal blocks are designed with simple movable connections to the support plate, allowing them to freely adjust their positions and heights in response to variations in heat source positions. This dynamic design provides high adaptability while avoiding complex adjustment mechanisms, thereby achieving adaptability without excessive device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures thermal contact between thermal blocks and heat sources, enhancing heat dissipation capacity by accommodating different heat source heights and tolerances, preventing mechanical interference and gaps, and maintaining efficient coolant circulation.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid cooling system utilizes a cold plate to directly contact back surfaces of these integrated circuit chips, and utilizes coolant flowing through the cold plate to take unwanted heat
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid cooling device, which is configured to be in thermal contact with a first and a second heat sources which are disposed on a PCB, includes a first and a second thermal plates and a first and a second thermal blocks. The first thermal plate is configured to be disposed on the PCB. The second thermal plate is disposed on the first thermal plate. The thermal plates together form a storage space configured to store a coolant. The thermal blocks are configured to respectively be in thermal contact with the heat sources. The thermal blocks are movably disposed on the second thermal plate, such that protruding heights of the thermal blocks from the second thermal plate are adjustable respectively according to a gap width between the first heat source and the second thermal plate and a gap width between the second heat source and the second thermal plate.