Interwoven Sinusoidal Cold Plate Redundancy
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Solution Overview
Problem
In aerospace applications, conventional cold plates with redundant cooling loops face inefficiency when one loop fails, as the thermal resistance increases, reducing heat transport efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A redundant cold plate design featuring interwoven sinusoidal conduits in a textile-weave pattern, where the crests of one set of conduits overlap the troughs of the other, allowing both loops to efficiently transport heat even if one loop is inactive, with the option to function as a heat exchanger between coolant fluids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cold plates use stacked cooling loops, then redundancy is achieved, but thermal resistance increases when one loop fails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a vertical stacked arrangement of cooling loops to a planar interwoven arrangement where loops are embedded in the same plate thickness. This dimensional reorganization allows both loops to maintain direct thermal contact with the heat load simultaneously, eliminating the thermal resistance penalty associated with stacked configurations while preserving redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling plate is segmented into multiple interwoven sinusoidal conduits that are distributed throughout the plate structure. Each conduit acts as an independent cooling path, and their interwoven arrangement ensures that both segments (loops) remain thermally coupled to the heat load, maintaining effective cooling even when one segment fails.
2Reliability
If redundant cooling loops are implemented, then fault tolerance is improved, but heat transport efficiency decreases when one loop is inactive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges both cooling loops into a single planar structure where they are interwoven together. This combined arrangement ensures that both loops share the thermal load and maintain efficient heat transport pathways simultaneously. When one loop fails, the other continues to operate at full efficiency because both are equally coupled to the heat load, unlike stacked configurations where the upper loop operates less efficiently.
3Ease of manufacture
If straight conduits are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but thermal contact efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs sinusoidal (curved) conduits instead of straight channels. This curvature increases the thermal contact area between the cooling loops and the heat load, improving heat transfer efficiency. The sinusoidal pattern is manufacturable using conventional techniques such as 3D printing or routing, balancing manufacturing feasibility with enhanced thermal performance.
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 interwoven design maintains efficient heat transfer and reduces thermal resistance, ensuring effective cooling of electronics even if one loop fails, by ensuring both loops remain in substantial thermal contact with the heat load and allowing for simultaneous cooling and heat exchange between coolant fluids.
Implementation Method 1
Cold plates are conventionally used to cool electronics by transporting waste heat via a circulating fluid
Implementation Method 2
transporting waste heat via a circulating fluid
Implementation Method 3
allowing for simultaneous cooling and heat exchange between coolant fluids
Data Source
AI summary
A cold plate apparatus is disclosed. A cold plate includes a first set of sinusoidal conduits and a second set of sinusoidal conduits formed therein. The first set of sinusoidal conduits is arranged in a first direction, and the second set of sinusoidal conduits is arranged in a second direction. Crests of the first set of sinusoidal conduits overlap troughs of the second set of sinusoidal conduits. Crests of the second set of sinusoidal conduits overlap troughs of the first set of sinusoidal conduits. A first set of header plates is fluidically coupled to the first set of sinusoidal conduits, and a second set of header plates is fluidically coupled to the second set of sinusoidal conduits.