Modular microchannel heat exchanger

An apparatus for cooling a heated region comprising:

• a liquid coolant,
• a thermally conductive first section having a solid thermally conductive layer adjacent to, and in heat exchange communication with, said heated region, and a contiguous stack of sheets, each having a plurality of elongated holes mostly in alignment with corresponding holes in abutting adjacent sheets of said stack defining a plurality of microchannels adapted to receive a liquid coolant flow,
• a second section, juxtaposed to the first section and distal to said heated region, having a contiguous sequence of plates, defining inlet and outlet apertures, a combined inlet and outlet aperture in one of said sequence of plates positioned distal to said first section, and a plurality of laminae disposed between said combined aperture and said plurality of inlet apertures and arranged as a contagious stack, each of said plurality of laminae having multiple throughways disposed therein, with a subset of said multiple throughways of adjacent laminae being aligned, defining a flow path in fluid communication with both said plurality of inlet apertures and said combined aperture, a first of said plurality of laminae being disposed between a second and third of said plurality of laminae and having one said throughway including a central portion and pair of tributary portions, each of which extends from said central portion in opposing directions, with said second of said plurality of laminae having one said throughway with a cross-sectional area coinciding with a region of said central portion and said third of said plurality of laminae having a barrier portion coinciding with said region and having a plurality of said throughways, so that said reciprocal flow traveling along said flow path and through said central portion is symmetrically divided by passing through said pair of tributary portions and a subgroup of said plurality of throughways,
• a means for supplying said coolant to said combined aperture, and
• a means for receiving said coolant from said combined aperture.

A modular apparatus for cooling a heated device comprising:

• a liquid coolant,
• a thermally conductive substrate having a surface in thermal contact with said heated device and having subsurface walls formed by contiguous stack of sheets with elongated openings therein aligned with corresponding openings in abutting adjacent sheets of said stack that define a plurality of microchannels,
• a manifold joined to said substrate distal to said surface and having a first end with a combined inlet and outlet aperture therein and a second end with a plurality of inlet and outlet apertures therein and a plurality of laminae arranged as a contagious stack, each of said plurality of laminae having multiple throughways disposed therein, with a subset of said multiple throughways of adjacent laminae being aligned, defining a flow path in fluid communication with both said combined aperture and said plurality of inlet apertures, a first of said plurality of laminae being disposed between a second and third of said plurality of laminae and having one said throughway including a central portion and pair of tributary portions, each of which extends from said central portion in opposing directions, with said second of said plurality of laminae having one said throughway with a cross-sectional area coinciding with a region of said central portion and said third of said plurality of laminae having a barrier portion coinciding with said region and having a plurality of said throughways, so that a flow traveling along said flow path and through said central portion is evenly divided by passing through said pair of tributary portions and a subgroup of said plurality of throughways,
• a shaft attached to said manifold housing a nested inlet and outlet conduit pair, with the inlet conduit being in fluid communication with said inlet apertures and the outlet conduit being in fluid communication with said outlet apertures;
• means for supplying said coolant to said inlet conduit,
• means, disposed between said supplying means and said inlet apertures, for creating a pressure differential between a flow of coolant entering said inlet apertures and a flow or coolant exiting said outlet apertures, and
• a means for draining said coolant from said outlet conduit.

A modular apparatus for cooling a heated region comprising:

• a thermally conductive substrate having a surface adjacent to and in thermal communication with a heated region and a plurality of subsurface walls that define a plurality of microchannels,
• a manifold having a first end with a plurality of inlet and outlet apertures in fluid communication with said plurality of microchannels, a second end with nested inlet and outlet conduits and a plurality of laminae arranged as a contiguous stack disposed therebetween, with said outlet apertures being in fluid communication with said outlet conduit, and each of said plurality of laminae having multiple throughways disposed therein, with a subset of said multiple throughways of adjacent laminae being aligned, defining a flow path in fluid communication with both said plurality of inlet apertures and said inlet conduit, a first of said plurality of laminae being disposed between a second and third of said plurality of laminae and having one said throughway including a central portion and a pair of tributary portions, each of which extends from said central portion in opposing directions, with said second of said plurality of laminae having one said throughway with a cross-sectional area coinciding with a region of said central portion and said third of said plurality of laminae having a barrier portion coinciding with said region and having a plurality of throughways, said inlet and outlet apertures being alternately interspersed across said plurality of microchannels, such that at least one of said inlet apertures is adjacent to, and in fluid communication with, a plurality of said outlet apertures and at least one of said outlet apertures is adjacent to, and in fluid communication with, a plurality of said inlet apertures, said adjacent apertures being in fluid communication with each other via said plurality of microchannels whereby a flow traveling through said central portion is symmetrically divided by passing through said pair of tributary portions and a subgroup of said plurality of throughways,
• a case having an inlet and an outlet chamber, the case having a plurality of modular holes fitting said nested inlet and outlet conduits with said inlet conduit being in fluid communication with said inlet chamber and said outlet conduit being in fluid communication with said outlet chamber,
• means for supplying fluid to said inlet chamber, and
• means for receiving fluid from said outlet chamber.

An apparatus for cooling a heating region comprising:

• a liquid coolant;
• a thermally conductive substrate in heat exchange communication witch said heated region;
• a first body having a plurality of elongated passageways defining a plurality of inlet and outlet apertures, and a plurality of laminae arranged as a contiguous stack, each of said plurality of laminae having multiple throughways disposed therein, with a subset of said multiple throughways of adjacent laminae being aligned, defining a flow path in fluid communication with said plurality of inlet apertures, a first of said plurality of laminae being disposed between a second and third of said plurality of laminae and having one said throughway including a central portion and a pair tributary of portions, each of which extends from said central portion in opposing directions, with said second of said plurality of laminae having one said throughway with a cross-sectional area coinciding with said central portion and said third of said plurality of laminae having a barrier portion coinciding with said central portion and having a plurality of said throughways;
• a second body, disposed between said substrate and said first body, with said second body being in heat exchange communication with said substrate and including a plurality of microchannels, with said plurality of inlet and outlet apertures being in flow communication with said microchannels and oriented so that a longitudinal axis of each of said plurality of passageways extends transverse to a longitudinal axis of each of said plurality of microchannels, whereby flow traveling along said flow path and through said central portion is symmetrically divided by passing through said pair of tributary portions and a subgroup of said plurality of throughways;
• means for supplying said coolant to said inlet apertures;
• means, disposed between said supplying means and said inlet apertures, for creating a pressure differential between a flow of coolant entering said inlet apertures and a flow of said coolant exiting said outlet apertures;
• and
• means for receiving said coolant from said outlet apertures.