Duct and Bracket Airflow Barrier for Electronic Enclosure Heat Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electronic equipment enclosures, heated air often mixes with cooled air, reducing the effectiveness of heat dissipation and potentially damaging equipment or increasing operational costs, and existing solutions do not adequately accommodate various types of equipment and enclosures.
Innovation Solution
A thermal management system featuring a duct and bracket arrangement that separates air intake and exhaust openings, using adjustable equipment rails to mount a duct assembly and support bracket, creating a barrier to isolate cooled and heated air streams, and accommodating different equipment and enclosure configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electronic equipment is enclosed in an electronic equipment enclosure, then the equipment is protected and organized, but heated air mixes with cooled air, reducing heat dissipation effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure is divided into separate zones: a first region for cooled air intake and a second region for heated air exhaust. The duct and bracket structure physically segments the enclosure space to prevent mixing of cooled and heated air, ensuring reliable heat dissipation while maintaining protective enclosure functionality.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed duct-bracket arrangement is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate various types of electronic equipment and enclosures
Solution Approach 1:
The duct and bracket assembly incorporates adjustable equipment rails that can be repositioned along the enclosure. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the same basic structure to accommodate various electronic equipment types and enclosure configurations, enhancing versatility while maintaining structural simplicity through a modular design.
3Reliability
If the duct is positioned close to the equipment, then the barrier effect is strong, but the installation space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The duct extends in the longitudinal dimension of the enclosure, running parallel to the equipment rather than perpendicular to it. This dimensional approach allows the barrier to be positioned close to the equipment for effective air separation while utilizing the length of the enclosure to accommodate the duct-bracket assembly, thereby maintaining strong separation effectiveness without significantly reducing available installation space.
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
Effectively separates cooled and heated air streams, enhancing heat dissipation efficiency and preventing overheating, while allowing for versatile installation across various electronic equipment and enclosures.
Implementation Method 1
The duct forms a barrier between the air intake opening and the air exhaust opening for separating cooled air entering the electronic equipment and heated air exiting the electronic equipment
Data Source
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AI summary
Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a system for managing heat generated by electronic equipment in an electronic equipment enclosure. The electronic equipment enclosure includes a first pair of equipment rails and a second pair of equipment rails spaced apart from the first pair of equipment rails. The system includes a duct connected to the first pair of equipment rails and a bracket connected to the second pair of equipment rails and spaced apart from the duct. The duct is adapted to receive a first portion of the electronic equipment and the bracket is adapted to receive a second portion of the electronic equipment. The first portion of the electronic equipment includes an air intake opening and the second portion of the electronic equipment includes an air exhaust opening. The duct forms a barrier between the air intake opening and the air exhaust opening for separating cooled air entering the electronic equipment and heated air exiting the electronic equipment.