Oblique Cold Plate for PCB Conduction Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cold plate and vapor chamber systems for heat removal from printed circuit boards face challenges in establishing good contact, leading to inefficient heat conduction due to parallel contact interfaces and lack of sufficient force.
Innovation Solution
The cold plate and vapor chamber surfaces are angled relative to the insertion direction, allowing for a complementary angled contact that promotes force and efficient heat conduction upon insertion, with guide rails and locking mechanisms ensuring tight contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the contact interface between the vapor chamber and cold plate is parallel to the insertion direction, then the assembly is simple to manufacture, but good thermal conductivity cannot be established due to insufficient contact force
Solution Approach 1:
The contact interface between the vapor chamber and cold plate is designed with an oblique angle relative to the insertion direction, creating an asymmetric geometry that generates contact force during insertion. This asymmetric angular configuration ensures sufficient thermal conductivity by maintaining pressure at the interface without requiring additional complex mechanisms.
2Reliability
If additional contact mechanisms are added to improve contact force, then thermal conductivity improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The oblique angled contact interface enables the insertion process itself to generate the necessary contact force between the vapor chamber and cold plate. The geometry of the interface automatically produces pressure during assembly, eliminating the need for separate contact mechanisms or additional components to maintain thermal contact.
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 configuration enhances heat transfer by establishing high contact pressure between the cold plate and vapor chamber, effectively cooling printed circuit boards and simplifying enclosure design by eliminating the need for additional contact mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
heat conduction falls off with a space between the vapor chamber and cold plate, and it is critical to establish a good, tight contact between the vapor chamber and cold plate
Implementation Method 2
The assembly including the printed circuit boards also includes a heat exchanger, called a vapor chamber
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a cold plate and vapor chamber for conduction cooling of one or more printed circuit boards in a printed circuit board (PCB) enclosure. The cold plate may include a planar surface at an oblique angle relative to an axis along which the PCB assembly is inserted into the enclosure. The PCB assembly may include a vapor chamber having a complementary obliquely angled surface. The complementary angled surfaces of the cold plate and vapor chamber may exert forces against each other upon insertion of the printed circuit board assembly into the enclosure and contact between the cold plate and vapor chamber.