Heat Pipe Thermal Coupling for Unequal Heat Generation in UPS Assemblies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic systems like UPSs face inefficiencies in cooling due to subsystems generating heat in unequal and non-concurrent manners, leading to underutilization of cooling resources as individual heat sinks are sized for peak outputs, resulting in wasted space and material.
Innovation Solution
The use of heat pipes to thermally couple heat sinks with electronic assemblies, allowing heat transfer between active and inactive subsystems, enabling the reuse of cooling resources and reducing the need for oversized cooling systems by redistributing heat from active to inactive components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If individual heat sinks are sized for peak heat output of each electronic assembly, then each assembly can be cooled adequately during peak operation, but the heat sink mass and fin area are wasted when assemblies operate below peak capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple heat sinks that would otherwise operate independently into a unified thermal management system. Heat sinks associated with different electronic assemblies (e.g., rectifier and inverter) are thermally coupled through heat pipes, allowing them to function as a single integrated cooling system that shares thermal capacity across multiple components.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat sink system is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously. A single heat sink can cool multiple electronic assemblies at different times or concurrently, depending on which assemblies are actively generating heat. This multi-functional approach allows the same thermal management infrastructure to adapt to varying operational demands.
2Reliability
If individual heat sinks are designed for each electronic assembly, then each assembly has dedicated cooling capacity, but the overall system occupies more space and uses more materials
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple spatially distributed heat sinks are merged into a single thermal system through heat pipe interconnections. This allows the cooling function to be shared across multiple locations while using a unified thermal management footprint, reducing the total space required compared to completely separate cooling systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Heat pipes serve as intermediary thermal conduction elements that connect separate heat sink structures. These heat pipes enable thermal energy to transfer between heat sinks associated with different electronic assemblies, allowing coordinated cooling without requiring direct physical integration of the heat sinks themselves.
3Power
If heat sinks are oversized to handle peak heat generation, then cooling capacity is sufficient during maximum operation, but the cooling resources are underutilized during normal operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system recovers cooling capacity that would otherwise be wasted. When one electronic assembly operates below its peak heat generation, the unused cooling capacity of its associated heat sink is recovered and made available to cool other electronic assemblies that are generating heat, thereby utilizing the full cooling potential of the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal management system dynamically redistributes heat based on real-time operational conditions. Heat pipes enable heat to flow preferentially toward heat sinks that are currently under-utilized, creating a dynamic balancing effect that adapts to varying heat generation patterns across different electronic assemblies.
4Ease of operation
If separate cooling systems are used for each subsystem, then each subsystem can be independently cooled, but the overall system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple independent cooling systems are merged into a single integrated thermal management system. While the physical heat sinks remain associated with specific electronic assemblies, they are thermally connected through heat pipes to form a unified system that manages heat across all subsystems through a single coordinated infrastructure.
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 approach allows for more compact and cost-effective cooling systems by optimizing the use of heat sink mass and fin area, reducing waste and improving thermal management in electronic systems.
Implementation Method 1
at least one heat pipe thermally coupled to the at least one heat sink and extending between locations proximate the first and second mounting sites
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2~3
Figure 4A~4B
AI summary
An apparatus includes at least one heat sink and first and second electronic assemblies mounted on the at least one heat sink at respective first and second mounting sites and configured to unequally (e.g., at least partially non-concurrently) produce heat. At least one heat pipe is thermally coupled to the at least one heat sink and extends between locations proximate the first and second mounting sites. For example, the first and second electronic assemblies may be components of respective subsystems of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), such as a rectifier and a battery converter, that generate heat in an at least partially non-concurrent manner.