Heat transfer devices and methods of cooling heat sources

A heat transfer device, comprising:

• a storage chamber;
• a coolant housed within the storage chamber at an initial pressure;
• a cooling chamber adjacent to the storage chamber;
• one or more heat transfer components positioned and configured to facilitate heat transfer from a heat source to the cooling chamber, wherein the heat source is distinct from the cooling chamber;
• a fluid passage between the storage chamber and the cooling chamber;
• and
• a barrier element having:
• (i) a closed configuration in which the barrier element is configured to restrict the coolant from flowing from the storage chamber through the fluid passage and into the cooling chamber;
• and
• (ii) an open configuration in which the barrier element is configured to permit the coolant in the storage chamber to flow from the storage chamber through the fluid passage and into the cooling chamber, wherein the barrier element is configured to passively reconfigure from the closed configuration to the open configuration in response to a trigger condition, in which the coolant housed within the storage chamber reaches a trigger temperature or a trigger pressure;
• wherein the fluid passage is configured to expand the coolant from the initial pressure to an expanded pressure as the coolant flows from the storage chamber through the fluid passage and to the cooling chamber responsive to the barrier element reconfiguring from the closed configuration to the open configuration;
• and
• wherein the fluid passage comprises an expansion valve coupled to the storage chamber and the cooling chamber such that the coolant flows from the storage chamber and into the expansion valve at the initial pressure, and flows out of the expansion valve toward the cooling chamber at the expanded pressure, wherein the initial pressure is greater than the expanded pressure.

A heat transfer device, comprising:

• a storage chamber;
• a coolant housed within the storage chamber at an initial pressure;
• a cooling chamber adjacent to the storage chamber;
• one or more heat transfer components positioned and configured to facilitate heat transfer from a heat source to the cooling chamber, wherein the heat source is distinct from the cooling chamber;
• a fluid passage between the storage chamber and the cooling chamber;
• and
• a barrier element having:
• (i) a closed configuration in which the barrier element is configured to restrict the coolant from flowing from the storage chamber through the fluid passage and into the cooling chamber;
• and
• (ii) an open configuration in which the barrier element is configured to permit the coolant in the storage chamber to flow from the storage chamber through the fluid passage and into the cooling chamber, wherein the barrier element is configured to passively reconfigure from the closed configuration to the open configuration in response to a trigger condition, in which the coolant housed within the storage chamber reaches a trigger temperature or a trigger pressure;
• wherein the barrier element comprises a burst disc that is configured to rupture in response to at least one of:
• at least one of the coolant, the barrier element, and the burst disc reaching the trigger temperature, and
• a current pressure of the coolant in the storage chamber reaching the trigger pressure.

A heat transfer device, comprising:

• a storage chamber;
• a coolant housed within the storage chamber at an initial pressure;
• a cooling chamber adjacent to the storage chamber;
• one or more heat transfer components positioned and configured to facilitate heat transfer from a heat source to the cooling chamber, wherein the heat source is distinct from the cooling chamber;
• a fluid passage between the storage chamber and the cooling chamber;
• and
• a barrier element having:
• (i) a closed configuration in which the barrier element is configured to restrict the coolant from flowing from the storage chamber through the fluid passage and into the cooling chamber;
• and
• (ii) an open configuration in which the barrier element is configured to permit the coolant in the storage chamber to flow from the storage chamber through the fluid passage and into the cooling chamber, wherein the barrier element is configured to passively reconfigure from the closed configuration to the open configuration in response to a trigger condition, in which the coolant housed within the storage chamber reaches a trigger temperature or a trigger pressure;
• wherein the barrier element comprises a plunger that is configured to, when the trigger condition occurs, create a passage that the coolant can flow through.

A heat transfer device, comprising:

• a storage chamber;
• a coolant housed within the storage chamber at an initial pressure;
• a cooling chamber adjacent to the storage chamber;
• one or more heat transfer components positioned and configured to facilitate heat transfer from a heat source to the cooling chamber, wherein the heat source is distinct from the cooling chamber;
• a fluid passage between the storage chamber and the cooling chamber;
• and
• a barrier element having:
• (i) a closed configuration in which the barrier element is configured to restrict the coolant from flowing from the storage chamber through the fluid passage and into the cooling chamber;
• and
• (ii) an open configuration in which the barrier element is configured to permit the coolant in the storage chamber to flow from the storage chamber through the fluid passage and into the cooling chamber, wherein the barrier element is configured to passively reconfigure from the closed configuration to the open configuration in response to a trigger condition, in which the coolant housed within the storage chamber reaches a trigger temperature or a trigger pressure;
• wherein the barrier element comprises a membrane configured to:
• restrict the coolant from flowing across the membrane when a current pressure of the coolant in the storage chamber is below a threshold pressure;
• and allow the coolant to flow across the membrane when the current pressure of the coolant in the storage chamber is greater than or equal to the threshold pressure.

A heat transfer device, comprising:

• a storage chamber;
• a coolant housed within the storage chamber at an initial pressure;
• a cooling chamber adjacent to the storage chamber;
• one or more heat transfer components positioned and configured to facilitate heat transfer from a heat source to the cooling chamber, wherein the heat source is distinct from the cooling chamber;
• a fluid passage between the storage chamber and the cooling chamber;
• and
• a barrier element having:
• (i) a closed configuration in which the barrier element is configured to restrict the coolant from flowing from the storage chamber through the fluid passage and into the cooling chamber;
• and
• (ii) an open configuration in which the barrier element is configured to permit the coolant in the storage chamber to flow from the storage chamber through the fluid passage and into the cooling chamber, wherein the barrier element is configured to passively reconfigure from the closed configuration to the open configuration in response to a trigger condition, in which the coolant housed within the storage chamber reaches a trigger temperature or a trigger pressure;
• wherein the cooling chamber further comprises multiple curved vanes that define multiple curved coolant flow paths extending radially outward from the fluid passage, and wherein the cooling chamber further comprises multiple exit interfaces through which the coolant is permitted to exit the multiple curved coolant flow paths.