Flexible Bellows Assembly for Immersion Cooling Pressure Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing immersion cooling systems face challenges in efficiently managing pressure and reducing coolant-liquid vapor release during overpressure events, which can lead to inefficiencies and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A bellows assembly with a container made of flexible polymeric material that can deform to change volume, equipped with pressure-relief vents and ports to manage gas expansion and reduce vapor release during overpressure events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid container is used to maintain structural integrity, then strength is improved, but the ability to accommodate gas expansion and regulate pressure is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible bellows structure with polymeric walls that can deform elastically to accommodate gas expansion and contraction. This flexible shell allows the container to change volume in response to pressure changes while maintaining structural integrity, directly resolving the contradiction between rigidity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bellows assembly introduces dynamic volume adjustment capability through its deformable walls. The container transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic flexible structure that automatically adjusts its volume to regulate pressure, enabling the system to adapt to varying gas volumes during immersion cooling operations.
2Loss of substance
If pressure-relief vents are added to reduce vapor release, then loss of substance is improved, but device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The bellows assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a flexible container for gas storage, a pressure regulation mechanism through its deformable walls, and a vapor reduction system through integrated pressure-relief vents. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by combining several components into one unified structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the container, pressure regulation mechanism, and vapor relief system into a single integrated bellows assembly. The pressure-relief vents are incorporated directly into the bellows structure, combining what would traditionally be separate components into one unified device that reduces both vapor release and system complexity.
3Volume of stationary object
If the container volume is increased to accommodate gas expansion, then volume of stationary object is improved, but the space required in the immersion cooling system is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The bellows structure enables dynamic volume adjustment, allowing the container to expand when gas volume increases and contract when gas volume decreases. This dynamic capability provides large gas storage capacity when needed while minimizing the occupied space during normal operation, effectively resolving the contradiction between storage capacity and footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible polymeric walls of the bellows allow the container to change its volume without requiring a correspondingly large fixed space. The thin flexible walls enable significant volume changes within a compact footprint, allowing the system to accommodate gas expansion while maintaining a small overall footprint in the immersion cooling system.
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
The bellows assembly effectively regulates pressure in immersion cooling systems, minimizing coolant-liquid vapor release and optimizing system performance and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a container having at least one flexible, polymeric wall that can deform outward from a center of the bellows and deform inward to change an amount of volume enclosed by the container
Implementation Method 2
The bellows assembly can be used for pressure regulation and that allows for gas expansion in two-phase immersion cooling systems
Data Source
AI summary
A bellows assembly and related methods are described. The bellows assembly can be used in a two-phase immersion cooling system to regulate pressure in a tank's airspace above a coolant liquid. The bellows assembly can include a flexible container and pressure-release valves located to reduce emissions of coolant liquid vapor into an ambient environment.