Mechanically Coupled Fan and Pump for Liquid Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern computing systems face challenges in effectively cooling heat-producing components without consuming valuable space and excessive energy, as traditional cooling methods are inefficient in managing heat dissipation.
Innovation Solution
A closed loop liquid cooling system is introduced, where a fan impeller and a pump impeller are mechanically coupled, allowing the rotation of the fan impeller to drive the circulation of liquid through the system, enhancing both air and liquid cooling efficiency with a single power source.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If separate cooling components are used for air and liquid cooling, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and space consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the air cooling fan and liquid cooling pump into a single integrated cooling assembly. The fan impeller and pump impeller share a common drive shaft, allowing both cooling functions to be performed by one unified structure rather than separate components, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining effective cooling performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated cooling assembly performs multiple cooling functions simultaneously - the fan impeller moves air through the radiator for air cooling while the pump impeller circulates liquid through the cold plate for liquid cooling. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate cooling systems, reducing space and complexity requirements.
2Temperature
If separate cooling components are used for air and liquid cooling, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fan and pump are merged into a single integrated assembly with shared housing and common drive mechanism. This consolidation places both air cooling and liquid cooling functions in one compact unit, significantly reducing the total space required compared to having separate cooling components distributed throughout the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump impeller is positioned within the same housing as the fan impeller, with both impellers nested around a common drive shaft. This nested arrangement allows the liquid cooling and air cooling mechanisms to occupy overlapping spatial volumes, minimizing the overall footprint of the cooling system.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate power sources are used for fan and pump, then operational independence is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fan impeller and pump impeller are mechanically coupled through a common drive shaft, allowing both components to be driven by a single power source. This eliminates the need for separate motors and power circuits, reducing overall energy consumption while the liquid cooling system provides passive thermal management that complements the active air cooling.
4Temperature
If multiple cooling components are used, then cooling coverage is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated cooling assembly is manufactured as a single unified structure with the fan housing, pump housing, and drive shaft formed together or pre-assembled as one unit. This reduces the number of separate manufacturing processes, quality control checkpoints, and assembly steps required compared to producing and assembling multiple independent cooling components.
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
This solution effectively removes heat from electronic packages by circulating liquid and airflow, optimizing space usage and energy consumption while maintaining system operation, thereby improving cooling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a fan impeller configured so that air flows from the fan impeller through the radiator of the closed loop liquid cooling system
Implementation Method 2
a pump impeller configured for delivering liquid to the electronic package via a cold plate, the pump impeller mechanically coupled to the fan impeller such that rotating the fan impeller causes the pump impeller to rotate such that liquid is circulated in the closed loop liquid cooling system
Implementation Method 3
air flows from the fan impeller through the radiator of the closed loop liquid cooling system
Data Source
AI summary
A closed loop liquid cooling system for electronic packages, the closed loop liquid cooling system including: a fan impeller configured so that air flows from the fan impeller through a radiator of the closed loop liquid cooling system; an electric motor coupled to the fan impeller, the electric motor configured to rotate the fan impeller; and a pump impeller configured for delivering liquid to the electronic package via a cold plate, the pump impeller mechanically coupled to the fan impeller such that rotating the fan impeller causes the pump impeller to rotate such that liquid is circulated in the closed loop liquid cooling system.