Integrated liquid cooling unit for computers

An integrated liquid cooling unit for cooling an electronic device comprising;

• a liquid pump having a housing and having an inlet and an outlet for circulating a coolant,
• a flat tube extending in a U-shape through a heat exchange leg defining an entrance and a return leg defining an exit with said legs being spaced and parallel to one another,
• said flat tube having a cross-section presenting outside and inside flat walls in each leg interconnected by rounded sides defining a width and extending in said U-shape between said entrance and said exit,
• a plurality of flow interrupters disposed on an interior surface of at least one of said flat walls of said flat tube for creating turbulence in the flow of the coolant to enhance heat transfer from said flat tube to the liquid coolant,
• a plurality of cooling fins extending between said legs of said flat tube for transferring heat from said flat tube to passing air to cool the coolant in said flat tube,
• a blower assembly including at least one fan for blowing air over said cooling fins between said legs of said flat tube,
• an adapter being an integral component defining an input manifold rigidly connecting said outlet of said liquid pump to the wider entrance of said heat exchange leg of said flat tube and an output manifold connecting said inlet of said liquid pump to the wider exit of said return leg of said flat tube to prevent relative movement between said pump and said flat tube,
• said housing of said liquid pump having a housing width being no greater than the distance between said rounded sides of said flat tube and a housing height being no greater than the distance between said outside walls of said legs,
• said inlet and outlet of said liquid pump having a diameter being greater than a thickness of said flat tube defined by the distance between said inside wall and said outside wall of each leg of said flat tube,
• said flow interrupters being disposed on said interior surface of said heat exchange leg of said flat tube and including at least one rib extending across said interior surface and defined by a reduced cross-sectional area along a section of said inside wall of said heat exchange leg to define a rectangular recess extending across said inside wall of said heat exchange leg between said rounded sides thereof and to define an un-recessed section of said heat exchange leg,
• a plurality of long cooling fins extending along and into said rectangular recess of said flat tube and between said heat exchange leg of said flat tube and said return leg of said flat tube,
• a plurality of short cooling fins extending along said un-recessed section of said heat exchange leg between said heat exchange leg of said flat tube and said return leg of said flat tube,
• said blower assembly attached to and extending between said rounded sides on one side of said flat tube with said pump and adapter and blower assembly disposed between the planes of said outside walls of said legs of said flat tube and rigidly connected together to define a unified liquid cooling unit for removing heat from an electronic device engaging said outside wall of said heat exchange leg opposite to said recess in said inside wall of said heat exchange leg by transferring the heat through said outside wall of said heat exchange leg to turbulent flow of the coolant through said heat exchange leg and from the coolant flowing through said return leg to said cooling fins and to the air moved over said cooling fins by said blower assembly.

A method of fabricating an integrated liquid cooling unit of the type comprising the steps of;

• forming a rectangular recess in the top surface of a flat tube having an entrance and an exit to define a rib extending across the interior surface of the flat tube and to define a recessed section of the flat tube and an un-recessed section of the flat tube,
• bending the flat tube into a U-shape defining a heat exchange leg containing the rectangular recess and defining a return leg generally parallel to the heat exchange leg,
• inserting a plurality of long cooling fins between the heat exchange and return legs of the flat tube along the rectangular recess of the heat exchange leg,
• inserting the plurality of short cooling fins between the heat exchange and return legs of the flat tube along the un-recessed section of the heat exchange leg,
• connecting an adapter having an input manifold and an output manifold to the flat tube to establish fluid communication between the input manifold and the entrance of the flat tube and establishing fluid communication between the output manifold and the exit of the flat tube,
• connecting a liquid pump having an inlet and an outlet to the adapter and establishing fluid communication between the inlet of the liquid pump and the output manifold of the adapter and establishing fluid communication between the outlet of the liquid pump and the input manifold of the adapter,
• positioning a blower assembly against one side of the flat tube and including at least one fan for propelling air across the cooling fins,
• brazing the adapter to the flat tube and the liquid pump and brazing the blower assembly to the one side of the flat tube into one integral unit.