Two-Phase Cold Plate Vaporization Structure for Low Pressure Drop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current power electronics systems face challenges in efficiently cooling high heat flux devices using two-phase cooling, as existing techniques require separate cooling for power and passive devices, leading to increased package volume and high pressure drops.
Innovation Solution
A two-phase cold plate with a manifold body, fluid pathway, and vaporization structure that includes a porous surface with nucleation sites, allowing for capillary-driven fluid flow and vaporization, minimizing pressure drop and enabling efficient cooling of both low and high heat generating devices in a unified, compact package.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate cooling systems are used for power devices and passive devices, then each device can be cooled independently, but the package volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate cooling systems for power devices and passive devices into a unified two-phase cooling system. The cold plate integrates cooling channels that accommodate both high-heat flux power devices and lower-heat passive devices, eliminating the need for separate cooling loops and reducing overall package volume while maintaining effective cooling for both device types.
Solution Approach 2:
The cold plate is designed with multi-functional cooling capabilities to handle different heat loads from various device types. The cooling system can simultaneously provide high-performance two-phase cooling for power devices requiring high heat flux removal and adequate cooling for passive devices, making a single cooling system that serves multiple cooling needs.
2Reliability
If porous coating is used for vaporization in two-phase cooling, then cooling performance is improved, but pressure drop increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a porous coating layer on the cooling channels to enhance two-phase vaporization performance. The porous structure increases the surface area for liquid-vapor phase change, improving heat transfer efficiency and cooling performance while managing the pressure drop through optimized pore structure and distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes parameters of the porous coating including pore size, porosity, and thickness to balance vaporization performance and pressure drop. By carefully selecting and adjusting these parameters, the system achieves effective two-phase cooling with minimized pressure losses across the cooling channels.
3Temperature
If high performance cooling solution is used for high heat flux, then heat dissipation is improved, but pump power increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes two-phase phase change cooling where the coolant transitions between liquid and vapor phases to remove high heat flux from power devices. This phase change mechanism provides high heat transfer coefficients that improve cooling effectiveness while the system is designed to minimize the energy required for fluid circulation through optimized channel geometry and phase change management.
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 solution provides efficient cooling of power electronics systems by minimizing pressure drop and package size, achieving targeted cooling for devices with varying heat loads through a hybrid single-phase and two-phase cooling approach, reducing pumping power and package volume.
Implementation Method 1
the porous surface includes a plurality of nucleation sites configured to induce vaporization of a cooling fluid and facilitate vapor flow into the vapor cavity
Implementation Method 2
allowing for capillary-driven fluid flow and vaporization
Implementation Method 3
The cooling fluid flows along the fluid pathway thereby removing heat from the one or more heat generating devices thermally coupled to the two-phase cold plate
Implementation Method 4
at least a portion of the cooling fluid enters one or more porous feeding posts of the vaporization structure that fluidly couple the fluid pathway of with a vapor cavity of the vaporization structure thereby vaporizing at least a portion of the cooling fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A two-phase cold plate that includes a manifold body having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet each fluidly coupled to a fluid pathway housed within the manifold body and a vaporization structure housed within the manifold body such that the fluid pathway is disposed over the vaporization structure. The vaporization structure includes a cavity cover, a porous surface, a vapor cavity disposed between the cavity cover and the porous surface, and one or more porous feeding posts extending between the cavity cover and the porous surface. The one or more porous feeding posts fluidly coupled the fluid pathway with the porous surface of the vaporization structure and the porous surface includes a plurality of nucleation sites configured to induce vaporization of a cooling fluid and facilitate vapor flow into the vapor cavity of the vaporization structure.