Spray Evaporator with Pillar Heat Exchanger for Compact DUT Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Designing a test system to efficiently dissipate heat from electronic devices like high-speed microprocessors and laser diodes while minimizing system size to conserve space is challenging, as existing solutions struggle to remove heat in a timely manner without compromising the testing process.
Innovation Solution
An evaporator system utilizing a heat exchanger with a plurality of pillars and a refrigerant distribution manifold, where liquid R-134a Freon is used to absorb heat from the device-under-test, converting into gas for efficient heat transfer, and a controlled spray pattern is formed to maximize heat removal through a compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a conventional cooling system is used to dissipate heat from electronic devices, then heat removal capability is achieved, but system size becomes large consuming excessive floor space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transition of refrigerant (liquid to gas) within the evaporator to achieve efficient heat removal from electronic devices. The refrigerant absorbs heat during evaporation, providing high cooling capacity in a compact form factor, thus resolving the contradiction between heat removal capability and system size.
Solution Approach 2:
The evaporator design nests the heat exchanger channels within a compact manifold structure, allowing the refrigerant to flow through integrated pathways. This nested configuration maximizes heat transfer surface area within minimal space, addressing the contradiction between effective heat dissipation and compact system footprint.
2Productivity
If heat is not removed timely from devices-under-test, then testing accuracy is compromised, but rapid heat removal requires larger cooling infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The rapid phase change of refrigerant from liquid to gas provides instantaneous heat absorption, enabling timely heat removal that keeps pace with high-speed device testing. This allows fast testing cycles without requiring oversized cooling infrastructure, as the phase transition occurs quickly within the compact evaporator.
Solution Approach 2:
The refrigerant flow system uses controlled fluid dynamics to deliver precise amounts of refrigerant to the heat exchanger channels. This hydraulic control enables rapid response to heat generation during testing, maintaining optimal thermal conditions for high-speed testing without excessive system size.
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 evaporator effectively maintains the device-under-test within operational thermal limits, allowing for proper testing by rapidly transferring heat away, thus preventing damage and optimizing space usage.
Implementation Method 1
liquid R-134a Freon is used to absorb heat from the device-under-test, converting into gas for efficient heat transfer
Implementation Method 2
The evaporator effectively maintains the device-under-test within operational thermal limits, allowing for proper testing by rapidly transferring heat away
Data Source
AI summary
An evaporator (102) provides a compact design in which thermal energy can be removed from a DUT (108) in an efficient manner. The evaporator (102) can include a cover (306) which includes both input and output apertures for providing refrigerant into and out of the evaporator (102). An orifice plate (304) is located between the cover (306) and a heat exchanger (302). The heat exchanger (302) includes a plurality of pillars which help increase the surface area of the heat exchanger (302). The orifice plate (304) includes an aperture (310) which forms a nozzle which sprays refrigerant onto the heat exchanger in order to remove the heat away from the heat exchanger (302).