Board-Level Heat Transfer for Telecom Platforms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cooling of high-powered electronic and optical components in telecom central offices is challenging due to space constraints and limited effectiveness of forced air convection cooling, which often results in inadequate heat removal and restricted acoustic noise levels.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid cooling apparatus that combines forced air convective cooling with heat spreaders and conductive heat paths to high power components, using compliant thermal interface pads with high thermal conductivity and compressibility to facilitate efficient heat transfer, allowing for 'hot' swapping of circuit boards without disrupting power to other components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If forced air convection cooling is used, then cooling coverage is provided, but cooling effectiveness is insufficient for high-powered components
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple independent heat paths, each dedicated to conducting heat from specific high-powered components to the cooler. This segmentation allows targeted cooling of individual heat sources rather than relying on general air convection, significantly improving heat removal effectiveness for high-powered components.
Solution Approach 2:
Heat spreaders and thermal interface pads are introduced as intermediary components between the heat sources and the cooler. These intermediaries conduct heat efficiently from the localized heat sources to the cooling apparatus, bridging the gap between insufficient air convection and the need for effective heat removal.
2Temperature
If slot widths are increased to accommodate better cooling, then cooling effectiveness improves, but space availability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cooling function into dedicated heat conduction paths for each high-powered component, the system achieves effective cooling without requiring increased slot widths. Each component has its own thermal pathway, eliminating the need for additional space.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling approach transitions from two-dimensional air convection across the entire component surface to three-dimensional heat conduction through dedicated thermal pathways. This dimensional change allows efficient heat removal without increasing the horizontal footprint or slot width.
3Ease of operation
If circuit boards are removed for replacement, then component replacement is enabled, but power interruption occurs to other components
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into independent heat paths for each circuit board, allowing individual boards to be removed and replaced without affecting the cooling or power supply to other boards. This segmentation enables hot-swapping operations while maintaining power continuity for remaining components.
Solution Approach 2:
Each circuit board has its own dedicated cooling pathway that remains active independently of other boards. When a board is removed, its cooling path is automatically deactivated without impacting other boards' cooling or power supply, enabling self-contained operations and hot-swapping.
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 hybrid cooling solution effectively manages heat from high-powered components, reduces the need for increased slot widths, and enables flexible circuit board replacement without interrupting power, improving cooling efficiency and operational flexibility in space-constrained environments.
Implementation Method 1
heat spreaders configured to form heat conducting paths over and adjacent to one of the electronic circuit boards from one or more of the localized heat sources thereon to the portion of the cooler
Implementation Method 2
a thickness of the elastic thermal interface pad is compressible by at least about 10 percent when subjected to the force on the corresponding one of the boards and the thickness returns substantially back to its pre-compression value when the force on the corresponding one of the boards is not applied
Implementation Method 3
the cooler is configured to circulate a refrigerant that is a gas at an ambient temperature and pressure
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, comprising a rack and a cooler. The apparatus also comprises a plurality of electronic circuit boards located in corresponding slots of the rack, each of the electronic circuit boards being held against a portion of the cooler by a corresponding force, some of the electronic circuit boards having a localized heat source thereon The apparatus also comprises a plurality of heat spreaders, each heat spreader configured to form a heat conducting path over and adjacent to one of the electronic circuit boards from one or more of the localized heat sources thereon to the portion of the cooler. The apparatus also comprises a plurality of compliant thermal interface pads, each of the pads being compressed between end of one of the heat spreaders and the portion of the cooler to form a heat conduction path therebetween.