Stacked Cooler With Multi-Stage Coolant Passages
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stacked type coolers for electronic components with heat radiation differences between two surfaces often suffer from insufficient cooling capacity due to uneven heat transfer, leading to temperature imbalances and potential distortion.
Innovation Solution
A stacked type cooler design featuring multiple stages of coolant flow passages within the inside cooling tubes, with alternating first and second coolant flow passages, and inner fins to enhance heat transfer and prevent boundary layer formation, ensuring efficient cooling of both surfaces with varying heat radiation amounts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single coolant flow passage is used in the cooling tube, then the structure is simple, but the heat transfer area is insufficient and cooling capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The single coolant flow passage is segmented into multiple passages (first and second coolant flow passages) within the same cooling tube. This segmentation increases the heat transfer area between the coolant and the electronic component, thereby improving cooling capacity while maintaining a relatively compact structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The coolant flow passages are arranged in different dimensional positions within the cooling tube, with some passages positioned at different heights or depths. This spatial arrangement allows multiple passages to coexist within the same cooling tube volume, increasing heat transfer area without significantly increasing the overall structure size.
2Reliability
If coolant flow passages are arranged in multiple stages, then the heat transfer area increases and cooling capacity improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple coolant flow passages are merged within a single cooling tube structure, sharing common walls and cooling tube material. This merging approach increases heat transfer area while avoiding the need for separate cooling tubes for each passage, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling tube serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, contains multiple coolant flow passages for heat transfer, and acts as a thermal conduit between different regions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components, limiting complexity increase.
3Reliability
If cooling tubes are stacked to cool both surfaces of electronic components, then cooling coverage is improved, but heat transfer uniformity deteriorates when calorific amounts differ
Solution Approach 1:
Different coolant flow passages are configured with different local characteristics, such as varying passage cross-sectional areas, lengths, or coolant flow rates, to match the local heat generation characteristics of different regions of the electronic component. This local customization improves temperature uniformity across surfaces with different calorific amounts.
Solution Approach 2:
The parameters of the coolant flow passages (such as passage diameter, length, or number of passages) are changed to match the heat generation characteristics of different regions. By adjusting these parameters, the cooling system can adapt to varying calorific amounts and achieve more uniform temperature distribution.
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 design significantly improves the cooling capacity by increasing the heat transfer area and reducing temperature differences between surfaces, preventing distortion and enhancing the reliability of both the cooling tubes and electronic components.
Implementation Method 1
the first coolant flow passage cools the electronic component in contact with the first main surface and the second coolant flow passage cools the electronic component in contact with the second main surface
Implementation Method 2
a first coolant flow passage facing a first tube wall having a first main surface coming into contact with the electronic component and a second coolant flow passage facing a second tube wall having a second main surface coming into contact with the electronic component
Data Source
AI summary
A stacked type cooler 1 for cooling a plurality of electronic components 6 from two surfaces of each component includes a plurality of cooling tubes 2 having a flat shape and coolant flow passage 21 for allowing a coolant to flow, and a connecting pipe 3 for communicating these cooling tubes 2. The plurality of cooling tubes 2 is arranged and stacked in such a fashion as to interpose the electronic components 6 between the cooling tubes. The plurality of cooling tubes 2 includes an outside cooling tube 2b and an inside cooling tube 2a. The inside cooling tube 2a includes at least a first coolant flow passage 211 facing a first tube wall 231 constituting a first main surface 221 of the inside cooling tube 2a and a second coolant flow passage 212 facing a second tube wall 232 constituting a second main surface 222 on the opposite side to the first main surface 221. The coolant flow passage 21 is formed into two or more stages in a direction of thickness of the inside cooling tube 2a.