Penetration-Free Immersion Cooling Seal for Electrical Devices
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional immersion cooling methods for electrical devices require penetrations for power transmission, which can lead to insulation and sealing challenges, and there is a need for improved cooling arrangements that eliminate the need for these penetrations while maintaining effective heat transfer.
Innovation Solution
An immersion cooling arrangement using a housing with a liquid coolant and a printed wiring board (PWB) that hermetically covers the open side of the housing, providing penetration-free electrical communication and sealing, with a conductive trace connecting external and internal connectors to facilitate power and signal transfer without external penetrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional feed-thru structures with ceramic discs and gaskets are used for power penetration, then electrical connection is achieved, but insulation and sealing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the conventional feed-thru structure (ceramic discs, gaskets, penetration components) entirely from the system. Instead, it uses a hermetic seal that completely encloses the coolant reservoir, with all electrical connections made through the seal structure itself or through connectors on the external surface, eliminating the need for penetrations through the hermetic barrier.
Solution Approach 2:
The hermetic seal acts as an intermediary structure that simultaneously provides both sealing and electrical connection functions. The seal includes conductive elements or is configured to accommodate electrical connectors, allowing power transmission without compromising the hermetic barrier, thus eliminating the need for separate insulation and sealing components.
2Ease of operation
If penetrations are created in the hermetic seal for power transmission, then electrical connection is enabled, but coolant leakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates penetrations through the hermetic seal by using a seal structure that extends beyond the coolant reservoir, providing external surfaces for electrical connections. This removes the source of potential leakage while maintaining power transmission capability through the seal's conductive elements or integrated connectors.
Solution Approach 2:
The hermetic seal serves as a dual-function intermediary: it maintains the hermetic barrier against coolant leakage while simultaneously providing the electrical connection pathway. The seal's structure incorporates conductive materials or is designed to receive external connectors, enabling power transmission without creating weak points in the sealing system.
3Power
If conventional feed-thru structures are used, then power transmission is achieved, but manufacturing cost and assembly complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into the hermetic seal structure itself: sealing, electrical connection, and structural support. By integrating these functions into a single component rather than using separate feed-thru assemblies with multiple parts (ceramic discs, gaskets, fasteners), the manufacturing process is simplified and assembly is reduced to attaching the seal to the reservoir.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the complex multi-component feed-thru structure from the design, eliminating ceramic discs, compression gaskets, and multiple fastening elements. This reduction in part count directly lowers manufacturing costs and simplifies the assembly process while maintaining full electrical transmission capability through the simplified hermetic seal design.
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 enables efficient heat transfer and reduces the complexity and cost of connectivity, enhancing the reliability and efficiency of heat removal from electrical devices by eliminating the need for ceramic or o-ring type feed-thru structures, while allowing for higher voltage usage and reduced hardware and assembly costs.
Implementation Method 1
heat generated by the resistive heating transferring into the coolant
Implementation Method 2
heat from electrical device typically changes from a liquid to a gas, rises to the top of a vessel containing the coolant
Implementation Method 3
rises to the top of a vessel containing the coolant and condenses, thereby transferring heat to the vessel and therethrough to the external environment
Data Source
AI summary
An immersion cooling arrangement includes a housing containing a liquid coolant. An electrical device is submerged within the liquid coolant. A printed wiring board is seated on the housing and separates the coolant from the environment external to the housing to provide penetration-free electrical communication between a power source and the electrical device.