Water-Immersion Cooling Bag With Heat Sink Thermal Window
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooling methods for electronic apparatuses face challenges in maintaining efficient cooling performance, especially for components other than the central processing unit (CPU), due to the use of harmful refrigerants like PFAS, and issues with thin-film coatings and flexible bags limiting heat transfer and maintainability.
Innovation Solution
A cooling system that immerses electronic apparatuses in ordinary water using a non-conductive bag and a heat sink connected via a heterogeneous-material bonding film, allowing direct heat transfer and ensuring hermeticity, with vacuumization for enhanced heat removal and maintainability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If fluorocarbon-based coolants (PFAS) are used for immersion cooling, then cooling capacity is improved, but harmful effects on humans and environment occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful PFAS refrigerant into a beneficial water-based cooling system. By using water as the coolant and combining it with vacuumization technology, the system achieves effective cooling without the environmental and health hazards of fluorocarbon-based refrigerants, thus transforming a harmful approach into a beneficial one.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the coolant from fluorocarbon-based (PFAS) to water-based. This parameter change eliminates the harmful effects while maintaining cooling effectiveness through the combination of water cooling and vacuumization, which enhances heat transfer efficiency.
2Reliability
If thin-film coatings are used to protect electronic apparatus from water, then water resistance is improved, but heat transfer efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the thin-film coating layer that was preventing direct water contact. By eliminating this barrier layer, the system enables direct heat transfer from the electronic apparatus to the water coolant, thereby resolving the contradiction between water resistance and heat transfer efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a thin-film coating to protect against water (conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by using vacuumization to create a protective environment that allows direct water contact. The vacuumization process removes air and moisture from the enclosure, enabling water to directly cool the heat sink without requiring protective coatings that would impede heat transfer.
3Ease of repair
If flexible bags are used to encase electronic apparatus, then ease of maintenance is improved, but hermeticity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical flexible bag enclosure with a vacuumization system. Instead of relying on the physical barrier properties of flexible bags to maintain hermeticity, the system uses vacuumization to remove air and moisture, creating a hermetic environment that is easier to maintain and more reliable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an inert environment through vacuumization, removing air and moisture from the enclosure. This inert atmosphere prevents oxidation and contamination while maintaining hermeticity, providing both ease of maintenance and reliability without the need for flexible bags.
4Device complexity
If air cooling is used for electronic apparatus, then device complexity is reduced, but cooling capacity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces water as an intermediary coolant between the heat sink and the environment. Water provides superior heat transfer capacity compared to air, enabling effective cooling while maintaining relatively simple device architecture through the combination of water cooling and vacuumization.
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 achieves improved cooling performance by eliminating heat transfer barriers and ensuring hermeticity, while allowing easy maintenance and reuse of electronic components.
Implementation Method 1
the coolant directly absorbs heat on the heat sink surface
Implementation Method 2
vacuumization for enhanced heat removal
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
To provide a simple and efficient cooling system and cooling method with which the cooling performance of an electronic apparatus is improved. This cooling system includes a cooling intermediate composite body. The cooling intermediate composite body includes: a non-conductive bag for wrapping an electronic apparatus including a substrate and a heating element mounted on the substrate; a heat sink; and a bonding layer joining a rear surface of the heat sink and one surface of the non-conductive bag. The bonding layer is formed of a heterogeneous material bonding film. A first opening is formed in the heterogeneous material bonding film. The first opening provides a window for thermally connecting the rear surface of the heat sink to one surface of the heating element.