Two-Phase Cooling Device Overfill Detection via Phase Transition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Two-phase cooling devices face issues with overfilling, leading to bulging and leakage due to the formation of liquid pockets within the frozen medium, which compromises cooling performance and reliability, necessitating a method to accurately determine if the device is overfilled without opening it or measuring the cooling medium's volume.
Innovation Solution
A method involving temperature monitoring and analysis using sensors to detect temperature patterns and derivatives during phase transitions, allowing for the determination of whether the cooling device is overfilled by identifying specific criteria such as extreme values and phase transition widths, without the need to open the device or measure the medium's volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cooling device is filled with more cooling medium to ensure optimal cooling performance, then the cooling performance is improved, but the device becomes overfilled causing bulging and leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by conducting a filling test before the cooling device is put into service. The test involves cooling the device to sub-zero temperatures to induce phase change in the cooling medium, which causes volume expansion. By monitoring this expansion process beforehand, the system can detect if the device is overfilled before actual operation begins, preventing bulging and leakage issues from occurring during normal use.
2Measurement precision
If the cooling device is opened to measure the cooling medium volume to detect overfilling, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity and operational disruption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical measurement methods (requiring physical opening of the device) with a thermal-based detection method. By utilizing the phase change properties of the cooling medium and monitoring temperature changes during controlled cooling, the system can non-invasively determine the amount of cooling medium present. This substitution eliminates the need to open the device, maintaining sealing integrity while achieving accurate measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent exploits phase transitions of the cooling medium (between liquid and solid states) as the basis for detection. When the device is cooled to sub-zero temperatures, the cooling medium undergoes phase change, causing volume expansion that can be monitored through temperature sensors. This phase transition provides a clear, measurable signal that indicates whether the device is overfilled, eliminating the need for direct visual inspection or mechanical measurement.
3Measurement precision
If the cooling device is cooled to sub-zero temperatures to induce phase change for testing, then the detection accuracy is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by implementing the filling test only at specific intervals - namely, before the cooling device is put into service and periodically thereafter. This periodic testing approach ensures that overfilling is detected when it matters most (before operation begins and at regular maintenance intervals), while avoiding continuous cooling operations. The test is conducted as a discrete, time-limited procedure rather than a continuous process, minimizing overall energy consumption while maintaining detection accuracy.
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 method enables accurate and non-invasive testing of two-phase cooling devices to determine overfilling, ensuring reliable operation and preventing bulging and leakage, thereby maintaining optimal cooling performance.
Implementation Method 1
when cooled below 0° C., the cooling medium 32 freezes
Implementation Method 2
the cooling medium 32 freezes from the peripheral region of the bottom region 30 towards a center of the bottom region 30
Implementation Method 3
the expansion of the frozen cooling medium 40 pushes the remaining liquid cooling medium 36 towards the top region 28
Data Source
AI summary
A method for testing a two-phase cooling device is provided. The cooling device has a housing surrounding a cavity and a cooling medium within the cavity. The method includes controlling a temperature of ambient air of the cooling device such that the cooling medium within the cavity transitions from its liquid state to its solid state and/or from its solid state to its liquid state, while monitoring a first temperature of the cooling device, determining whether the monitored first temperature fulfills a predetermined criterion, and determining that the cooling device is overfilled with the cooling medium if the predetermined criterion is fulfilled.