Liquid-Cooling Monitoring Module for Early Thermal Resistance Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid-cooling systems in electronic devices fail to provide timely alerts for coolant leakage and other issues that affect cooling capacity, such as corrosion, debris accumulation, and tubing abnormalities, leading to potential malfunctions.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring and alerting module that calculates thermal resistance and flow rate ratios using temperature sensors and a control unit to detect deviations from predetermined thresholds, enabling early alerts for potential issues in the liquid-cooling system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional leakage detectors are arranged on the circuit board or tubing underneath the cooling loop, then coolant leakage can be detected, but the alert is received too late after damages have already occurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by monitoring thermal resistance changes before actual coolant leakage occurs. The system detects early signs of cooling system degradation through thermal resistance variations, enabling users to take preventive measures before significant damage happens, thus resolving the timing issue between detection and damage occurrence
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces thermal resistance as an intermediary parameter to detect cooling system health. Instead of directly detecting coolant leakage, the system monitors thermal resistance changes between the heat source and coolant, which serve as an early indicator of potential issues including leakage, corrosion, or debris accumulation
2Temperature
If liquid cooling is used to effectively cool heat sources, then cooling capacity is improved, but the system becomes more complex with additional components like cold plates and tubing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the cooling system to monitor its own health status through thermal resistance measurements. The system automatically detects issues such as leakage, corrosion, or debris accumulation without requiring external inspection, simplifying the overall system while maintaining effective cooling
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the thermal resistance monitoring system multi-functional, as it can detect various types of cooling system issues (leakage, corrosion, debris accumulation, tubing abnormalities) through a single measurement approach, reducing the need for multiple specialized sensors and simplifying system design
3Loss of time
If thermal resistance monitoring is implemented to detect cooling issues early, then alert timing is improved, but additional temperature sensors and control units are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the temperature measurement functions into existing system components. The control unit integrates multiple temperature sensor readings to calculate thermal resistance, and existing temperature sensors serve dual purposes for both cooling control and health monitoring, minimizing additional hardware requirements
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
Enables timely alerts for potential cooling capacity issues, allowing users to address problems before they cause significant performance degradation.
Implementation Method 1
a first inlet thermometer is in communication with the control unit for measuring a temperature of a liquid inlet of the at least one cold plate
Implementation Method 2
a first heat source thermometer is in communication with the control unit for measuring a temperature of at least one heat source in thermal contact with the at least one cold plate
Implementation Method 3
The coolant is pumped to pass through the cold plates so as to take away the heat generated by heat source being in contact with the cold plates
Implementation Method 4
a pump to enable a coolant flowing through the cold plates and tubing
Data Source
AI summary
A monitoring and alerting method for a liquid-cooling system includes monitoring a thermal resistance variation of a cold plate of the liquid-cooling system and sending an alert related to the thermal resistance variation. Furthermore, a liquid-cooling system and an electronic device including the same are provided. The liquid-cooling system includes a liquid-cooling module including a cold plate; and a monitoring and alerting module including a control unit, an inlet thermometer in communication with the control unit for measuring a temperature of a liquid inlet of the cold plate, and a heat source thermometer in communication with the control unit for measuring a temperature of a heat source in thermal contact with the cold plate. The control unit produces an alert according to a thermal resistance variation calculated by the inlet thermometer, the heat source thermometer, and a power of the heat source.