Integral Cold Plate Chassis Housing for Power Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power electronics housings for aerospace and military applications are heavy, expensive, and inefficient due to suboptimal material utilization and manufacturing processes, requiring improved heat dissipation and reduced weight for increased power density, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
An integral cold plate/chassis (ICPC) housing formed by brazing two aluminum blocks with cut-outs and channels for fluid communication, integrating a cold plate fin and chambers for electronic components, allowing efficient heat removal and reduced material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional sheet metal housing with separate cold plate assembly is used, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but weight and manufacturing cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cold plate and housing into a single integrated aluminum block structure. The cold plate channels and housing walls are formed as one piece through machining and brazing operations, eliminating the need for separate sheet metal fabrication and assembly. This integration directly reduces weight while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized aluminum block processing and brazing techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The aluminum block serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural housing walls, contains cold plate cooling channels, and offers mounting surfaces for electronic components. The integrated structure performs what previously required separate housing and cold plate assemblies, reducing part count and assembly complexity while achieving weight reduction.
2Loss of substance
If conventional sheet metal construction with multiple operations is used, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but material utilization efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing walls and cold plate channels are merged into a single aluminum block structure, eliminating material waste from separate sheet metal fabrication and assembly. The integrated design allows direct machining of channels and walls from solid aluminum, optimizing material utilization compared to conventional multi-piece construction with joints and fasteners.
3Reliability
If conventional separate assembly methods are used, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but structural integrity and water splash resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The cold plate and housing are merged into an integrated aluminum block structure that is machined and brazed as one piece. This eliminates joints, seams, and fasteners that would compromise structural integrity and water splash resistance, while the brazing process creates strong bonds between internal channels and external walls.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of complex assembly operations into benefit by using brazing to create a seamless integrated structure. The brazing process, while requiring precision, eliminates weak points from mechanical fastening and creates a monolithic structure with superior structural integrity and environmental sealing.
4Temperature
If conventional housing design is used, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but heat dissipation efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The cold plate channels are integrated directly into the housing aluminum block, creating direct thermal pathways from internal component mounting areas to external cooling surfaces. This integration eliminates thermal resistance at interfaces between separate housing and cold plate components, improving heat dissipation efficiency.
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 ICPC housing enhances heat dissipation efficiency, reduces weight and manufacturing costs, improves reliability, and provides improved water splash resistance and structural integrity, addressing the limitations of conventional housings.
Implementation Method 1
an integral cold plate/chassis (ICPC) housing formed by brazing two aluminum blocks
Implementation Method 2
The forced cooling is either air or liquid. The proper utilization of the coolant flow is achieved by using special devices called cold plates
Implementation Method 3
Cold plates with double-sided population of components and brazed fins are very popular in the industry because they provide greater utilization of surfaces
Data Source
AI summary
An integral cold plate/chassis (ICPC) housing may be formed from two blocks of material, having a cold plate sandwiched therebetween, brazed together. The blocks may then be machined to fit power electronics therein, thereby providing a cold plate as an integral part of the power electronic's housing. Unlike conventional heat exchangers that may be used to dissipate heat from power-dissipating components that are housed typically in sheet metal housings, the ICPC described herein provides a cold plate integral to the housing of power electronics, thereby allowing the rapid and efficient removal of heat from the components into the cold plate carrier fluid and out of the system.