Sub-Ambient Cooling Cycle With Secondary Condenser Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cooling systems face challenges in effectively managing thermal energy dissipation when the ambient temperature exceeds or falls below the desired temperature of heat-generating structures, particularly in extreme environments.
Innovation Solution
A sub-ambient cooling system incorporating a heat exchanger, a condenser heat exchanger, and a secondary condenser, where the secondary condenser, often a thermoelectric cooler (TEC), is selectively activated to manage thermal energy transfer, allowing for both removal and addition of thermal energy to maintain optimal operating conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a conventional cooling system uses a single condenser, then the system structure is simple, but the system cannot effectively manage thermal energy when ambient temperature exceeds desired temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system divides the condensation function into two separate condensers: a primary condenser for normal operating conditions and a secondary condenser for extreme temperature conditions. This segmentation allows each condenser to be optimized for specific temperature ranges, enabling the system to effectively manage thermal energy across varying ambient temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between the primary and secondary condensers based on ambient temperature conditions. The control system activates the secondary condenser when ambient temperature exceeds the desired temperature, and can deactivate it when conditions improve. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain optimal performance across different environmental conditions.
2Temperature
If a cooling system operates in extreme hot environments, then the cooling capacity is sufficient, but the system requires complex refrigeration components
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the extreme temperature management function from the primary cooling system by adding a separate secondary condenser. This secondary condenser handles only the extreme hot environment conditions, allowing the primary system to remain simple for normal operations. The separation enables the system to achieve sufficient cooling capacity in extreme conditions without making the entire system complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary condenser is designed with specific local qualities optimized for extreme temperature conditions, such as enhanced heat dissipation surfaces or specialized refrigerant flow paths. This localized optimization allows the system to achieve sufficient cooling capacity in extreme hot environments without requiring the entire system to be over-engineered, thus avoiding unnecessary complexity.
3Temperature
If a cooling system uses a heat sink at ambient temperature, then the system is simple, but the system cannot achieve sub-ambient cooling when ambient temperature exceeds desired temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary condenser is pre-configured and positioned within the system as a standby component, ready to activate when ambient temperature conditions deteriorate. This preliminary preparation ensures that when extreme heat conditions occur, the system can immediately switch to sub-ambient cooling mode without delay, maintaining cooling effectiveness and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary condenser acts as an intermediary thermal management component between the primary cooling system and the extreme ambient environment. It mediates the thermal energy transfer when the primary heat sink becomes insufficient, enabling the system to achieve sub-ambient cooling by providing an additional thermal pathway that is optimized for extreme temperature conditions.
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 efficient operation in extreme temperatures by compensating for undesirable heat sink conditions, reducing the need for refrigeration systems, and allowing for reduced antifreeze usage, thus enhancing cooling system performance and flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
Thermal energy communicated from the heat-generating structure to the fluid coolant causes the fluid coolant substantially in the form of a liquid to boil and vaporize in the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
Thermal energy communicated from the heat-generating structure to the fluid coolant causes the fluid coolant substantially in the form of a liquid to boil and vaporize in the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 3
The condenser heat exchanger receives a flow of the fluid coolant at least partially in the form of a vapor from the heat exchanger and transfers at least a portion of the thermal energy within the fluid coolant to a heat sink
Implementation Method 4
The second condenser is often a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) and is selectively activated to remove thermal energy from the sub-ambient cooling system. In another embodiment, the second condenser is selectively activated to add thermal energy to the sub-ambient cooling system
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment of the disclosure, a cooling system for a heat-generating structure comprises a heat exchanger, a first structure, a condenser heat exchanger, and a second condenser. The heat exchanger is in thermal communication with a heat-generating structure. The heat exchanger has an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is operable to receive fluid coolant substantially in the form of a liquid into the heat exchanger, and the outlet is operable to dispense fluid coolant at least partially in the form of a vapor out of the heat exchanger. The first structure directs a flow of the fluid coolant substantially in the form of a liquid to the heat exchanger. Thermal energy communicated from the heat-generating structure to the fluid coolant causes the fluid coolant substantially in the form of a liquid to boil and vaporize in the heat exchanger. The condenser heat exchanger receives a flow of the fluid coolant at least partially in the form of a vapor from the heat exchanger and transfers at least a portion of the thermal energy within the fluid coolant to a heat sink. The second condenser assists the condenser heat exchanger in transferring at least a portion of the thermal energy within the fluid coolant away from the fluid coolant. The second condenser is selectively activated when the heat sink reaches an undesirable temperature.