Liquid Cooling Module for Avionics Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional cooling methods for high-power electronic components in avionics systems face challenges in efficiently managing heat dissipation in compact, weight-constrained environments, leading to limitations in power density and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A liquid cooling module utilizing a closed loop with liquid metal and a double impeller system, which includes a housing with a cavity for cooling liquid and a cold plate with cooling channels, enhances heat transfer efficiency by circulating coolant through a simplified design, reducing pressure drops and manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If traditional cooling methods are used for high-power electronic components, then the system structure is simple, but heat transfer efficiency is insufficient and power density is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies hydraulic cooling by circulating liquid metal through cooling channels formed in the housing and cold plate. The cooling liquid flows through defined pathways to efficiently remove heat from electronic components, transforming the cooling mechanism from passive to active fluid-based heat transfer, thereby significantly improving heat transfer efficiency while managing system complexity through integrated channel design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes liquid metal as the cooling medium, which is a composite material with superior thermal conductivity compared to traditional coolants. This material choice enables more effective heat dissipation at higher power densities while maintaining a compact system footprint, addressing the contradiction between heat transfer efficiency and system complexity
2Reliability
If cooling systems are added to manage heat from electronic components, then heat dissipation improves, but weight and volume of the system increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the cooling system with the housing structure by forming cooling channels directly within the housing and cold plate components. This merging of structural and cooling functions eliminates separate cooling components, reducing overall system weight and volume while maintaining effective heat dissipation capability through the unified design
Solution Approach 2:
By using liquid metal as the cooling medium with high thermal conductivity and density, the system achieves superior heat dissipation in a compact form factor. The hydraulic cooling approach allows for more efficient heat removal per unit weight compared to traditional air cooling or less effective liquid coolants, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing system weight
3Loss of energy
If complex cooling channels are designed to improve heat transfer, then heat transfer efficiency increases, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into distinct functional zones: cooling channels in the housing, a cold plate with additional channels, and impeller components. This segmentation allows each part to be manufactured independently using appropriate processes, then assembled together, simplifying manufacturing while maintaining the complex heat transfer pathways needed for high efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling liquid flow paths are designed to follow natural convection patterns and pressure gradients generated by the impeller system, reducing the need for complex pumped circulation systems. This hydraulic design simplifies manufacturing by eliminating the need for precision-machined tight-tolerance channels and complex sealing arrangements, while still achieving effective heat transfer
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 solution increases heat transfer efficiency, supports higher power density, improves reliability, and reduces the weight and volume of thermal management systems, while maintaining ease of operation.
Implementation Method 1
transferring heat from the electronic component to the cooling liquid
Implementation Method 2
transferring heat from the cooling liquid to the coolant
Implementation Method 3
circulating coolant through a simplified design
Data Source
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AI summary
A liquid cooling module (70) for cooling an electronic component (66) includes a housing (80) supporting the electronic component (66), where the housing (80) includes a cavity (85) containing a cooling liquid (86). A liquid flow channel (100) can be in fluid communication with the cavity (85) and define a cooling loop (105). A cold plate (90) supporting the housing (80) can have a cooling channel (92) thermally coupled to the liquid flow channel (100).