Compliant Heat Receiver With Expandable Fluid Coupling for Thermal Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid cooled heat exchange devices face challenges in accommodating the movement and thermal expansion of heat generating devices, leading to misalignment and inefficient heat transfer.
Innovation Solution
A heat transfer device with a base that is resiliently biased and fluidly coupled to a support, allowing for compliant engagement with the heat generating device through movable fluid couplings, such as bellows or sleeves, to accommodate movement and maintain thermal contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the base is fixed rigidly to the support, then the structural stability is improved, but the ability to accommodate thermal expansion and device movement is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The base is designed with resilient biasing elements (springs) that enable it to move dynamically between different positions. The base can compliantly engage with the heat generating device when inserted, and can accommodate thermal expansion by moving away from the device when heated, maintaining both structural stability and adaptability through controlled motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient elements change their mechanical properties (force, position) in response to temperature changes and device insertion. The base's position parameter is allowed to vary within a controlled range, enabling it to adapt to thermal expansion while maintaining stable thermal contact through the biasing force of the springs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the base is made resiliently biased to contact the heat generating device, then the compliant engagement is improved, but the thermal contact stability is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient biasing creates a dynamic equilibrium where the base continuously adapts its position to maintain optimal thermal contact. The springs provide a restoring force that keeps the base engaged with the heat generating device while allowing for controlled movement, ensuring both compliant engagement and thermal contact stability through active mechanical feedback.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the fluid coupling is made extendable and contractible, then the accommodation of base movement is improved, but the fluid connection reliability is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid coupling employs flexible bellows that can expand and contract to accommodate base movement while maintaining a sealed fluid connection. The bellows structure provides both the necessary compliance for motion and the integrity for fluid containment, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and reliability through its flexible yet sealed design.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the base is allowed to move relative to the support, then the thermal expansion accommodation is improved, but the structural rigidity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The base assembly incorporates resilient elements that enable controlled movement to accommodate thermal expansion while maintaining sufficient structural rigidity through the biasing force. The springs provide both the compliance needed for expansion accommodation and the restoring force that maintains structural integrity, achieving a balance between adaptability and strength.
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 solution ensures efficient and reliable heat transfer by allowing the base to move compliantly with the heat generating device, maintaining thermal coupling and alignment while accommodating thermal expansion and device insertion, thus enhancing cooling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The heat transfer device may include a resilient element, such as a spring, positioned between the base and the support and configured to bias the base to move away from the support
Implementation Method 2
a chamber in which a thermal transfer fluid (e.g., cooling fluid) is circulated so that heat may be transferred from the base to the fluid
Implementation Method 3
the fluid coupling may include a bellows configured to expand and contract along the first direction in response to movement of the base relative to the support
Data Source
AI summary
A heat transfer device includes a base that is configured to move relative to a support along a first direction and to receive a heat transfer fluid from the support via a fluid coupling. The fluid coupling is configured to expand and contract along the first direction to accommodate movement of the base relative to the support. The base may include a contact surface to engage and transfer heat with respect to a heat generating device, such as a device including optics modules requiring cooling. Heat received from the heat generating device may be transferred to the heat transfer fluid in a chamber of the base.