Stacked-Plate Heat Exchanger With Flow-Restricting Ribs
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for compact and effective heat exchangers that provide dual-sided cooling for heat-generating electronic components in a compact array, ensuring balanced fluid flow and efficient thermal communication with the components.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger assembly comprising flat tubes with elongate fluid flow passages, turbulence-enhancing inserts, and flow-restricting ribs, arranged in a stack with manifolds for efficient heat transfer and fluid distribution, along with compressible raised bosses and U-shaped compression fixtures for secure assembly and thermal contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If electronic components are packaged in a compact array to save space, then space utilization is improved, but thermal management becomes more difficult due to limited cooling fluid flow and reduced thermal communication efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is segmented into multiple flat tubes arranged in a stack, with each tube providing independent cooling channels. This segmentation allows cooling fluid to flow through multiple parallel paths, improving thermal management efficiency while maintaining compact array packaging of electronic components between the tubes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from conventional single-layer cooling to three-dimensional multi-layer cooling by stacking flat tubes vertically. This dimensional change enables thermal communication with electronic components on multiple levels, effectively managing heat dissipation in compact arrays where components are packaged in multiple layers to maximize space utilization.
2Device complexity
If a single brazed heat exchanger is used to cool both side surfaces of electronic components, then device integration is improved, but achieving balanced fluid flow to all components becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Flow-restricting ribs are strategically placed at specific locations within the fluid flow passages to create local flow resistance. This local quality modification balances the fluid flow distribution across multiple parallel passages, ensuring each electronic component receives adequate cooling flow while maintaining the integrated single brazed heat exchanger structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention modifies the flow passage geometry by adding flow-restricting ribs, which changes the flow resistance parameter. This parameter change enables balanced fluid flow distribution to all electronic components in the compact array, addressing the challenge of achieving uniform cooling across multiple components while maintaining device integration through a single brazed heat exchanger.
3Temperature
If flat tubes are used with turbulence-enhancing inserts, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional internal components
Solution Approach 1:
The turbulence-enhancing insert is merged with the flat tube structure, where the insert becomes an integral part of the tube's internal geometry. This merging improves heat transfer efficiency by creating turbulence in the cooling fluid flow while avoiding the complexity of separate removable components, as the insert is formed as a single integrated piece within the flat tube.
4Manufacturing precision
If flow-restricting ribs are added to balance fluid flow, then fluid flow distribution is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow-restricting ribs modify the geometric parameters of the fluid flow passages by reducing the height of the passage at specific locations. This parameter change achieves balanced fluid flow distribution to all electronic components. The ribs can be integrated into the brazing process, allowing them to be formed as part of the heat exchanger assembly, which mitigates the increase in manufacturing complexity while achieving the desired flow balance.
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 enables efficient heat transfer and balanced fluid flow across all electronic components, effectively managing heat dissipation in compact arrays, thereby preventing overheating and maintaining performance.
Implementation Method 1
the fluid flow passage of each said flat tube has a heat transfer area located between the manifolds, wherein a turbulence-enhancing insert is provided inside the heat transfer area
Implementation Method 2
with the flat tubes defining heat transfer surfaces along which the flat tubes are adapted for thermal contact with the heat-generating components
Implementation Method 3
along with compressible raised bosses and U-shaped compression fixtures for secure assembly and thermal contact
Data Source
AI summary
A stacked-plate heat exchanger for cooling a plurality of heat-generating electronic components arranged in a plurality of layers comprises a stack of flat tubes defining a plurality of parallel fluid flow passages, the tubes being separated by spaces for receiving the electronic components. One or more flow-restricting ribs is arranged within at least some of the fluid flow passages to partially block fluid flow between at least one the manifolds and the heat transfer area by reducing the height of the fluid flow passage outside the heat transfer area, along at least a portion of the width of the fluid flow passage, in order to improve the flow distribution of a heat transfer fluid between and within the fluid flow passages of the heat exchanger, and to minimize bypass flow at the outer edges of the fluid flow passage.