Autonomous Thermal Fuse Backup Cooling for Heat Generating Components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling systems for electronic components are susceptible to leaks, obstructions, and failures in their cooling loops, which can lead to overheating and damage, necessitating a redundant cooling solution that can be autonomously activated to prevent such issues.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system with a main and backup cooling arrangement, where a thermal fuse in the backup loop changes state from solid to melted in response to temperature thresholds, enabling the flow of a backup heat transfer fluid to collect thermal energy when the main cooling system fails, ensuring continuous cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a main cooling arrangement is used to cool the heat generating component, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the system becomes vulnerable to leaks and obstructions that can cause overheating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a backup cooling arrangement with a thermal fuse that is pre-positioned within the cooling loop. When the main cooling system fails due to leaks or obstructions, the thermal fuse automatically melts at a predetermined temperature threshold, opening the loop and allowing backup cooling fluid to flow through the component, thereby providing preliminary protective action before catastrophic overheating occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates redundant cooling capacity through the backup cooling arrangement that remains dormant during normal operation but is ready to activate immediately upon main system failure. This cushioning approach ensures that even if the primary cooling system fails, the component is protected from temperature excursions that would cause damage
2Reliability
If redundant cooling arrangements are added to prevent overheating, then system reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal fuse provides autonomous, self-activating protection without requiring external sensors, controllers, or power sources. The backup cooling arrangement activates automatically when the thermal fuse melts at the predetermined temperature threshold, eliminating the need for complex control systems while maintaining high reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal fuse is a simple, inexpensive sacrificial component that melts once to activate the backup cooling system. This disposable element provides a low-cost mechanism for detecting cooling system failure and initiating backup cooling, avoiding the need for expensive sensors and control electronics
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 system effectively prevents overheating by autonomously activating the backup cooling loop when the main cooling system fails, ensuring the heat generating component remains within safe temperature limits, thereby preventing damage and maintaining performance.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal fuse disposed within at least a portion of the at least one fluid path, the thermal fuse changing from a solid state to a melted state and selectively enabling a flow of the backup heat transfer fluid
Implementation Method 2
the backup heat transfer fluid being configured to, upon flowing in the at least one fluid path, collect thermal energy from the main cooling arrangement
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling system comprises a main cooling arrangement thermally coupled to the heat generating component, and configured for collecting thermal energy of the heat generating component via a main heat transfer fluid, and a backup cooling arrangement thermally coupled to the main cooling arrangement and comprising at least one fluid path configured for conducting a backup heat transfer fluid. The cooling system comprises a thermal fuse disposed within at least a portion of the at least one fluid path, the thermal fuse changing from a solid state to a melted state and selectively enabling a flow of the backup heat transfer fluid in the at least one fluid path of the backup cooling arrangement in response to its temperature being above a temperature threshold, the backup heat transfer fluid being configured to, upon flowing in the at least one fluid path, collect thermal energy from the main cooling arrangement.