Immersion Cooling Vapor Control to Prevent Component Dryout
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid cooling systems for computing devices face issues with vaporization leading to dryout, which reduces thermal conductivity and thermal mass, causing undesirable temperature rises in heat-generating components.
Innovation Solution
Implementing mechanisms such as vapor diffusers, micro-condensers, and nucleation rods to manage vapor within the cooling fluid, maintaining a controlled vapor-to-liquid ratio by directing vapor away from heat-generating components and condensing it back into liquid phase.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If liquid cooling fluid is used for immersion cooling, then cooling efficiency is improved due to higher thermal mass, but vaporization occurs leading to dryout and reduced thermal conductivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes vapor from the cooling fluid using vapor removal mechanisms positioned in the immersion chamber. This prevents vapor accumulation that would otherwise reduce thermal conductivity and cause dryout conditions, thereby maintaining reliable thermal management while preserving the high cooling efficiency of liquid immersion cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls the vapor-to-liquid ratio parameter in the cooling fluid by actively managing vaporization and condensation processes. By maintaining optimal parameter ranges for phase composition, the system preserves the thermal mass benefits of liquid cooling while preventing the harmful effects of excessive vapor content.
2Power
If vapor is allowed to rise from cooling fluid, then phase change cooling is enhanced, but vapor accumulates and causes dryout reducing cooling performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control through vapor removal mechanisms that continuously monitor and respond to vapor levels in the cooling fluid. This feedback system ensures that vaporization is harnessed for cooling enhancement while preventing vapor accumulation that would lead to dryout and performance degradation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces vapor removal mechanisms as intermediary components between the heat-generating components and the cooling fluid. These intermediaries facilitate controlled vapor management, allowing phase change cooling to occur while preventing vapor from causing dryout conditions.
3Reliability
If cooling fluid temperature is lowered to prevent vaporization, then dryout is prevented, but cooling efficiency is reduced due to lower thermal mass
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of lowering the temperature of the cooling fluid, the patent extracts vapor from the system using vapor removal mechanisms. This approach maintains the cooling fluid at optimal temperatures for high thermal mass and cooling efficiency, while simultaneously preventing vapor accumulation that would cause dryout.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the phase composition parameter of the cooling fluid by actively managing vapor-to-liquid ratio through vapor removal. This allows the fluid to maintain liquid-phase dominance for high thermal mass while preventing the harmful effects of vapor-induced dryout.
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
Prevents dryout conditions, maintaining efficient thermal management by controlling vapor levels, thereby ensuring stable component temperatures and improved cooling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The cooling fluid can be maintained at a lower temperature by allowing vaporized fluid to rise out of the liquid
Implementation Method 2
The vapor in the cooling liquid can adversely affect the cooling performance of the cooling fluid
Implementation Method 3
Vapor diffusers may be positioned above and/or between at least some of the heat-generating components in the liquid cooling fluid
Implementation Method 4
The vapor diffuser directs all of the vapor generated by the heat-generating component in a first direction
Implementation Method 5
A condenser is positioned at a top of the cooling fluid above the liquid cooling fluid and in a vapor region of the cooling fluid. The condenser cools part of the vapor of the cooling fluid back into a liquid phase
Implementation Method 6
The heat-generating components, supports, or other elements of the immersion cooling system positioned in the liquid cooling fluid have nucleation sites on a surface thereof that promote the nucleation of vapor bubbles of the cooling fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A system for thermal management of a computing device includes an immersion chamber, a cooling fluid, a plurality of heat-generating components, and a means for removing vapor from a cooling volume of the cooling fluid. The cooling fluid is positioned in the immersion chamber and fills at least a portion of the immersion chamber. The plurality of heat-generating components is positioned in the cooling fluid and arranged in a series. The series defines the cooling volume of the cooling fluid contacting the plurality of heat-generating components to cool the plurality of heat-generating components.