Gas-liquid forced turbulence cooling

A cooling system for an electronic computer having a plurality of circuit modules located in a circuit module chamber and power supply equipment located in a power supply chamber, each module including a plurality of relatively closely spaced apart heat generating integrated circuits (ICs) mounted within the interior of the module and located in a direct heat communicating relationship with an elongated interior channel which is formed in substantial part by the spaces between the ICs, the power supply equipment including a plurality of relatively farther spaced apart heat generating components, said cooling system comprising, in combination:

• means for immersing the power supply components in a pool of cooling liquid in the power supply chamber and for circulating the cooling liquid in the pool around the power supply components to remove heat from the power supply components;
• means for supplying cooling liquid to the circuit module chamber and for creating a spray of droplets of cooling fluid which is directed onto the modules;
• and
• means for supplying a pressurized gas into the circuit module chamber and for flowing the gas through the spray of droplets to create a mixture in which a major volumetric proportion of the mixture is gas and minor volumetric proportion of the mixture is droplets of cooling liquid, the pressure of the gas supplied forcing the mixture through the channels to remove heat from the ICs by transferring heat to the mixture while in the channels from vaporizing a fraction of the cooling liquid in the channels by latent heat gain of the vaporized fraction of the cooling liquid and from sensible heat gain of the unvaporized fraction of the cooling liquid;
• and
• a separation chamber positioned in fluid communication with the circuit module chamber which is above the separation chamber and also positioned in fluid communication with the power supply chamber which is below the separation chamber;
• and wherein:
• the unvaporized fraction of the cooling liquid of the mixture falls through the separation chamber into the pool in the power supply after the mixture exits the channels;
• and
• a portion of the vaporized fraction of the cooling liquid of the mixture exiting the channels condenses in the separation chamber and falls through the separation chamber into the pool in the power supply chamber.

A cooling system for an electronic circuit module which includes a plurality of spaced apart electronic heat generating components mounted within the interior of the module and located in a direct heat communicating relationship with at least one elongated interior channel which is formed in substantial part by the spaces between the components, said cooling system comprising:

• a chamber having a interior space and an opening through which fluid exits from the chamber;
• means for positioning the module in the chamber in a predetermined position in which a first end of the channel communicates with the interior space and the other second end of the channel communicates with the opening;
• means for supplying a cooling liquid into the interior space of the chamber and for directing the cooling liquid into the first end of the channel of the module;
• and
• means for supplying a flow of gas at a predetermined pressure into the interior space of the chamber, the predetermined pressure of the gas forcing the cooling liquid through the channel from the first end to the second end and into contact with the electronic components within the interior of the module.

A cooling system for an electronic computer having a plurality of power supply components and a plurality of circuit modules, each module including a plurality of relatively closely spaced apart heat generating integrated circuits (ICs), said cooling system comprising, in combination:

• means for immersing the power supply components in a pool of cooling liquid;
• means for circulating the cooling liquid in the pool around the power supply components to remove heat from the power supply components;
• means for spraying droplets of cooling liquid over the modules and the ICs;
• and
• means for flowing a pressurized cooling gas onto the modules and ICs to create a mixture of droplets and cooling gas which is forced over the modules and ICs to remove heat.

A method of cooling an electronic computer having a plurality of power supply components and a plurality of circuit modules, each module including a plurality of heat generating integrated circuits (ICs), said method comprising:

• immersing the power supply components in a pool of cooling liquid;
• circulating the cooling liquid in the pool around the power supply components;
• transferring heat from the power supply components to the cooling liquid in the pool;
• removing heat from the circulating cooling liquid in the pool to cool the power supply components;
• spraying droplets of cooling liquid over the modules and the ICs;
• flowing a pressurized cooling gas through the spray of droplets to create a mixture of droplets and cooling gas;
• flowing the mixture over the modules and the ICs;
• transferring heat from the modules and ICs by absorbing heat in the flowing mixture;
• and
• removing the flowing mixture from the modules and ICs after the heat has been transferred to the mixture to cool the modules and the ICs.

A method of cooling an electronic computer having a plurality of power supply components and a plurality of circuit modules, each module including a plurality of relatively closely spaced apart heat generating integrated circuits (ICs) which are mounted within the interior of the module in a direct heat communicating relationship with an elongated interior channel which is formed in substantial part by the spaces between the ICs, said method comprising:

• immersing the power supply components in a pool of cooling liquid;
• circulating the cooling liquid in the pool around the power supply components;
• transferring heat from the power supply components to the cooling liquid in the pool;
• removing heat from the circulating cooling liquid in the pool to cool the power supply components;
• spraying droplets of cooling liquid;
• flowing a pressurized cooling gas through the spray of droplets to create a mixture of droplets and cooling gas;
• forcing the flow of the mixture through the interior channel by the pressure of the cooling gas;
• transferring heat from the modules and ICs by absorbing heat in the flowing mixture in the channels by:
• vaporizing a fraction of the cooling liquid of the droplets by latent heat gain of the vaporized fraction of the cooling liquid;
• absorbing heat in the unvaporized fraction of the cooling liquid of the droplets by sensible heat gain;
• and
• absorbing heat in the cooling gas by sensible heat gain;
• removing the flowing mixture from the channel after the heat has been transferred to the mixture to cool the modules and the ICs;
• conducting the unvaporized fraction of the cooling liquid of the mixture after the mixture exits the channels;
• condensing a portion of the vaporized fraction of the cooling liquid of the mixture after the mixture exits the channels;
• conducting the condensed portion of the vaporized fraction of the cooling liquid of the mixture into the pool;
• collecting the cooling gas and the uncondensed vaporized fraction of the cooling liquid after the mixture exits the channels;
• pressurizing the gas and the uncondensed vapor fraction of the cooling liquid collected after the mixture exits the channels;
• extracting heat from the pressurized cooling gas and uncondensed vapor fraction of cooling liquid to condense a further portion of the cooling liquid from the uncondensed vaporized fraction of the cooling liquid collected after the mixture exits the channels;
• and
• separating the further condensed portion of cooling liquid from the remaining amount of uncondensed cooling liquid and cooling gas.

A method of cooling heat generating components, comprising:

• spraying droplets of a cooling liquid;
• flowing a pressurized cooling gas through the spray of droplets to create a mixture of droplets and cooling gas;
• adjusting the volumetric quantities of cooling gas and cooling fluid to establish a major proportion of cooling gas and minor proportion of cooling liquid in the flowing mixture;
• flowing the mixture over the components;
• transferring heat from the components to the mixture flowing over the components by:
• vaporizing a fraction of the cooling liquid of the mixture by latent heat gain of the vaporized fraction of the cooling liquid;
• absorbing heat in the unvaporized fraction of the cooling liquid of the mixture by sensible heat gain;
• and
• absorbing heat in the cooling gas of the mixture by sensible heat gain.

A method of cooling a plurality of relatively closely spaced apart heat generating components which are mounted within the interior of a module in a direct heat communicating relationship with an elongated interior channel of the module which is formed in substantial part by the spaces between the components, comprising:

• spraying droplets of a cooling liquid;
• flowing a pressurized cooling gas through the spray of droplets to create a mixture of droplets and cooling gas;
• adjusting the volumetric quantities of cooling gas and cooling fluid to establish a major proportion of cooling gas and minor proportion of cooling liquid in the flowing mixture;
• forcing a flow of the mixture through the interior channel and over the components by the pressure of the cooling gas;
• transferring heat from the components to the mixture flowing over the components by:
• vaporizing a fraction of the cooling liquid of the mixture by latent heat gain of the vaporized fraction of the cooling liquid;
• absorbing heat in the unvaporized fraction of the cooling liquid of the mixture by sensible heat gain;
• and
• absorbing heat in the cooling gas of the mixture by sensible heat gain;
• condensing a portion of the vaporized fraction of the cooling liquid as the mixture exits the channels;
• and
• separating the unvaporized fraction of the cooling liquid and the condensed portion of the vaporized fraction of the cooling liquid from the cooling gas and the remaining uncondensed portion of the vaporized fraction of the cooling liquid after the mixture exits the channels.