Rotating Vent Assembly for LED Coolant Debubbling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooling techniques for high-intensity LED lighting instruments are inadequate in managing gas bubbles and fluid thermal expansion, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage due to pressure fluctuations, and often fail to provide a hermetic seal, allowing air to enter the cooling system.
Innovation Solution
A debubbler system with a hollow enclosure and a vent assembly that includes a rotating vent member to maintain the open end above the coolant level, allowing air and coolant to be vented out, and a check valve to manage pressure and prevent air from entering, thereby reducing bubbles and pressure fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional cooling techniques are used for high-intensity LED lighting instruments, then cooling capability is limited, but heat dissipation efficiency is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs liquid coolant circulation through channels in contact with LED components to transfer heat away from high-power LED arrays. The hydraulic cooling system allows efficient heat removal that air cooling cannot achieve, directly addressing the insufficient heat dissipation efficiency while maintaining acceptable LED junction temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system utilizes phase change of the coolant (liquid to vapor) to absorb large amounts of heat during evaporation. This phase transition mechanism enables highly efficient heat dissipation from the LED components, solving the contradiction between limited cooling capability and insufficient heat dissipation efficiency.
2Loss of energy
If cooling fluid is used to facilitate heat dissipation, then cooling efficiency improves, but pressure fluctuations occur causing bubbles in coolant flow paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a dedicated debubbler system that extracts gas bubbles from the coolant flow path. By separating and removing bubbles from the liquid coolant, the system maintains continuous liquid contact with heat transfer surfaces, preserving cooling efficiency while eliminating the reliability issues caused by bubbles in the flow paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The debubbler acts as an intermediary component between the coolant pump and the LED cooling channels. It conditions the coolant by removing bubbles before the coolant enters the heat transfer channels, ensuring reliable liquid-phase heat transfer while maintaining the high cooling efficiency provided by the liquid coolant.
3Adaptability or versatility
If cooling system operates with temperature fluctuations, then heat dissipation adapts to LED load, but thermal expansion causes pressure changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates an expansion chamber that accommodates changes in coolant volume and pressure resulting from temperature fluctuations. This parameter change accommodation allows the cooling system to adapt to varying LED heat loads while preventing excessive pressure buildup that would compromise system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion chamber serves as a pre-configured pressure relief mechanism that cushions against thermal expansion effects before they can cause damage. By providing this compensatory volume in advance, the system handles temperature-induced pressure changes without compromising the integrity of cooling channels or connections.
4Ease of manufacture
If non-hermetic materials are used in cooling system construction, then manufacturing ease improves, but air enters cooling fluid via materials
Solution Approach 1:
The debubbler system provides self-service by automatically removing air bubbles that enter the coolant through non-hermetic joints or materials. Rather than requiring perfect sealing throughout the entire system, the debubbler continuously conditions the coolant by separating and removing entrained gases, maintaining cooling effectiveness despite the use of easier-to-manufacture non-hermetic components.
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 debubbler system effectively reduces air bubbles and pressure fluctuations, enhancing the cooling efficiency and preventing damage by ensuring a hermetic seal and efficient coolant circulation, thus improving the performance and longevity of LED lighting instruments.
Implementation Method 1
The vent member is configured to rotate about two or more axes within the hollow enclosure
Implementation Method 2
a check valve to manage pressure and prevent air from entering
Implementation Method 3
The coolant is configured to absorb heat generated by the LED assembly
Implementation Method 4
a debubbler system configured to receive the coolant and remove air from the coolant
Data Source
AI summary
A debubbler system includes a hollow enclosure and a vent assembly. The hollow enclosure includes comprising an inlet configured to receive coolant into the hollow enclosure and an outlet configured to direct coolant out of the hollow enclosure. The vent assembly includes a vent member configured to rotate about two or more axes within the hollow enclosure. Additionally, the vent member includes an open end configured to remain above a coolant level within the hollow enclosure as the vent member rotates about the two or more axes and a tube configured to flow air, coolant, or both, from the open end of the vent member out of the hollow enclosure.