Liquid nitrogen-based cooling system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooling systems require significant equipment and electrical power to achieve sufficient cooling capacity, making them costly and inefficient for applications needing large amounts of cooling.
Innovation Solution
A liquid nitrogen-based cooling system with a heat sink and cooling circuit, where heat is absorbed by liquid nitrogen, causing it to vaporize, and then condensed back using a helium-based cryo-refrigeration system, with a double-walled vessel and coils in a partial vacuum to minimize heat transfer, utilizing propylene glycol as the heat-absorbing medium.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional cooling systems are used to achieve sufficient cooling capacity, then cooling effect is provided, but equipment size and electrical power consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the phase transition of liquid nitrogen from liquid to gas when it absorbs heat, and then back to liquid through condensation. This phase change process provides efficient heat absorption and release, achieving high cooling capacity while reducing energy consumption compared to conventional vapor-compression systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the working fluid from conventional refrigerants to liquid nitrogen, fundamentally altering the thermodynamic parameters of the cooling cycle. This parameter change enables operation at different temperature ranges and improves overall system efficiency.
2Temperature
If conventional cooling systems are used to achieve sufficient cooling capacity, then cooling effect is provided, but equipment size and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By utilizing the natural phase transition properties of nitrogen, the system eliminates the need for complex compressors, condensers, and expansion devices required in conventional systems. The phase change occurs naturally through heat exchange, simplifying the overall equipment design and reducing size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and utilizes the phase transition properties of nitrogen directly, removing the need for complex mechanical components. The system relies on the inherent thermodynamic properties of nitrogen rather than mechanical compression and expansion mechanisms.
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
This approach significantly increases efficiency and reduces costs by requiring less power and equipment, with a large-scale server system example showing a monthly cost reduction from $22,000 to $155.
Implementation Method 1
Heat absorbed by a heat-absorbing medium circulating in the cooling circuit is subsequently absorbed by liquid nitrogen within the heat sink, which causes the liquid nitrogen to vaporize
Implementation Method 2
The vaporized nitrogen is condensed back to liquid form, e.g., by means of a helium-based cryo-refrigeration system
Implementation Method 3
The first vessel and the coils may be contained within a second, outer vessel that minimizes heat transfer from the ambient environment to the heat-absorbing medium flowing in the cooling circuit and the liquid nitrogen within the first vessel
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid nitrogen-based cooling system features a cooling circuit and a liquid nitrogen-based heat sink. Heat absorbed by fluid flowing in the cooling circuit is subsequently absorbed by liquid nitrogen within the heat sink, which causes the liquid nitrogen to vaporize. The vaporized nitrogen is condensed back to liquid form, e.g., by means of a helium-based cryo-refrigeration system. The heat-sink includes at least a first vessel that contains the liquid nitrogen, with the cooling circuit including a series of coils passing around the first vessel in heat-exchanging contact with an exterior surface thereof so that heat can be transferred into the liquid nitrogen. The first vessel and coils may be contained within a second, outer vessel that minimizes heat transfer from the ambient environment to the fluid flowing in the cooling circuit and the liquid nitrogen within the first vessel.