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US 10,952,354 B1Granted
Cold plate with metal tube connection and flexible metal tube
AssigneeQuanta Computer Inc.
InventorsChao-Jung Chen, Yu-Nien Huang, Tsung-Ta Li, Kuo-Wei Lee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cold plate assembly for cooling heat-generating electrical component on a circuit board is disclosed. The cold plate assembly includes a cold plate with a bottom contact surface to thermally contact the heat-generating electrical component. The cold plate has an inlet coupler on an opposite top surface to receive coolant; an internal conduit to circulate the received coolant; and an outlet coupler on the opposite top surface to return the coolant. A flexible metal inlet tube is fluidly connected to the inlet coupler to supply coolant. A flexible metal outlet tube is fluidly connected to the outlet coupler to return coolant.
Claims15
A cooling system comprising:
- an inlet manifold for delivering coolant at a first temperature;
- an outlet manifold for receiving the coolant at a second temperature that is higher than the first temperature;
- a first fluidic circuit between the inlet manifold and the outlet manifold, the first fluidic circuit comprising:
- a first flexible metal tube couplable to one of the inlet manifold and the outlet manifold;
- a rigid metal tube more rigid than the first flexible metal tube, the rigid metal tube having:
- one end connected to the first flexible metal tube;
- and
- an open end opposite to the one end, the open end including an annular shoulder, the annular shoulder having a sloped interior surface that transitions to a flat circular shoulder end surface and a side opposite to the sloped interior surface;
- a first cold plate couplable to a first heat-generating electrical component, the first cold plate connected to the open end of the rigid metal tube;
- the first cold plate including a connector assembly for receiving or providing the coolant from the rigid metal tube, the connector assembly comprising:
- a coupler having an interior chamber, the interior chamber having:
- a threaded interior surface;
- and
- a circular sloped surface;
- a screw member having:
- an exterior threaded surface mateable with the threaded interior surface of the interior chamber of the coupler;
- and
- a through bore allowing the rigid metal tube to pass through the screw member, the through bore including a sloped exterior surface;
- wherein when the sloped exterior surface of the screw member presses the side of the annular shoulder of the rigid metal tube as the exterior threaded surface of the screw member and the threaded interior surface of the coupler engage each other, the sloped interior surface of the rigid metal tube is configured to crimp between the sloped exterior surface of the screw member and the circular sloped surface of the coupler to create a fluid seal between the rigid metal tube and the coupler;
- and
- a second flexible metal tube couplable to the first cold plate and another of the inlet manifold and the outlet manifold.
18 more elements
A cold plate assembly for cooling a heat-generating electrical component on a circuit board, the cold plate assembly comprising:
- a cold plate including:
- a bottom contact surface to thermally contact the heat-generating electrical component;
- an inlet connector assembly comprising:
- an inlet coupler on an opposite top surface to receive coolant, the inlet coupler having an inlet interior chamber, the inlet interior chamber having:
- an inlet threaded interior surface;
- and
- an inlet circular sloped surface;
- and
- an inlet screw member having:
- an inlet exterior threaded surface mateable with the inlet threaded interior surface of the inlet interior chamber of the coupler;
- and
- an inlet through bore including an inlet sloped exterior surface;
- an internal conduit to circulate the received coolant;
- an outlet coupler on the opposite top surface to return the coolant;
- a flexible metal inlet tube fluidly connected to the inlet coupler to supply the coolant;
- a rigid metal inlet tube more rigid than the flexible metal inlet tube, the rigid metal inlet tube operable to pass through the inlet through bore of the inlet screw member, the rigid metal inlet tube having:
- an inlet one end connected to the flexible metal inlet tube;
- and
- an inlet open end opposite to the inlet one end, the inlet open end including an inlet annular shoulder, the inlet annular shoulder having an inlet sloped interior surface that transitions to an inlet flat circular shoulder end surface and an inlet side opposite to the inlet sloped interior surface;
- wherein when the inlet sloped exterior surface of the inlet screw member presses the inlet side of the inlet annular shoulder of the rigid metal inlet tube as the inlet exterior threaded surface of the inlet screw member and the inlet threaded interior surface of the inlet coupler engage each other, the inlet sloped interior surface of the rigid metal inlet tube is configured to crimp between the inlet sloped exterior surface of the inlet screw member and the inlet circular sloped surface of the inlet coupler to create a fluid seal between the rigid metal inlet tube and the inlet coupler;
- and
- a flexible metal outlet tube fluidly connected to the outlet coupler to return the coolant.
19 more elements
A computer server comprising:
- a circuit board;
- a first heat-generating electrical component mounted on the circuit board;
- a first cold plate mounted on the first heat-generating electrical component, the first cold plate including an outlet coupler and an inlet coupler;
- an inlet manifold operable to supply coolant;
- a flexible metal inlet tube coupled between the inlet manifold and the inlet coupler;
- an outlet manifold operable to collect the coolant;
- a flexible metal outlet tube coupled between the outlet manifold and the outlet coupler;
- and
- a rigid metal inlet tube more rigid than the flexible metal inlet tube, the rigid metal inlet tube having:
- one end connected to the flexible metal inlet tube;
- and
- an open end opposite to the one end, the open end including an annular shoulder, the annular shoulder having a sloped interior surface that transitions to a flat circular shoulder end surface and a side opposite to the sloped interior surface, the open end coupled to the inlet coupler;
- wherein the inlet coupler comprises:
- an interior chamber, the interior chamber having:
- a threaded interior surface;
- and
- a circular sloped surface;
- an inlet screw member having:
- an exterior threaded surface mateable with the threaded interior surface of the interior chamber of the inlet coupler;
- and
- a through bore allowing the rigid metal inlet tube to pass through the inlet screw member, the through bore including a sloped exterior surface;
- and
- wherein when the sloped exterior surface of the inlet screw member presses the side of the annular shoulder of the rigid inlet metal tube as the exterior threaded surface of the inlet screw member and the threaded interior surface of the inlet coupler engage each other, the sloped interior surface of the rigid metal tube is configured to crimp between the sloped exterior surface of the inlet screw member and the circular sloped surface of the inlet coupler to create a fluid seal between the rigid metal inlet tube and the inlet coupler.
20 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.