Methods and apparatus for recycling cryogenic liquid or gas from test chambers
AssigneeAir Liquide America Corporation
InventorsMartin Theriault, Philippe Blostein
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus are presented which allow efficient environmental testing of components such as printed circuit boards, integrated circuits, sub-systems and other components. In one method of the invention, a component can be placed into a chamber having an internal space filled with a gaseous atmosphere. The component is indirectly cooled by smartly positioning one or more cooling coils near the component to be tested, and the cooling coils are fed with a cryogenic fluid from a source of cryogenic fluid. The warm cryogenic fluid is recycled by one of two means: a thermosiphon conduit loop, and a storage and compression facility for reusing the warm cryogenic fluid. The internal space is preferably filled with a dry gas.
Claims21
A method of environmental testing of a component, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) placing a component to be tested into a chamber, the chamber having an internal space filled with a gaseous atmosphere;
- (b) convectively cooling the component by smartly positioning one or more cooling coils near the component to be tested so as to control the temperature of the component from 1° C. ΔT per minute to 100° C. ΔT per minute;
- (c) feeding the cooling coils with a cryogenic fluid from a source of cryogenic fluid, thus cooling the component and creating a warmer cryogenic fluid;
- and
- (d) recycling the warmer cryogenic fluid to the source of cryogenic fluid in a thermosiphon fashion using a thermosiphon conduit loop.
An apparatus for environmental testing of one or more components, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a test chamber having an internal space adapted to hold one or more components to be tested;
- (b) at least one cooling coil smartly positioned within said test chamber that can convectively control the temperature of the component from 1° C. ΔT per minute to 100° C. ΔT per minute;
- (c) a cryogenic fluid feed conduit connecting a source of cryogenic fluid and an inlet to said at least one cooling coil;
- and
- (d) a cryogenic fluid return conduit connecting an outlet of said at least one cooling coil to said source of cryogenic fluid, wherein said cryogenic fluid feed conduit and said cryogenic fluid return conduit are connected in a thermosiphon loop.
A method of environmental testing of a component, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) placing a component to be tested into a chamber, the chamber having an internal space filled with a gaseous atmosphere;
- (b) convectively cooling the component by smartly positioning one or more cooling coils near the component to be tested so as to control the temperature of the component from 1° C. ΔT per minute to 100° C. ΔT per minute;
- (c) feeding the cooling coils with a cryogenic fluid from a source of said cryogenic fluid, thus cooling the component and creating a warmer cryogenic fluid;
- and
- (d) flowing the warmer cryogenic fluid to a low-pressure storage device.
An apparatus for environmental testing of one or more components, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a test chamber having an internal space adapted to hold one or more components to be tested;
- (b) at least one cooling coil smartly positioned within said test chamber that can convectively control the temperature of the component from 1° C. ΔT per minute to 100° C. ΔT per minute;
- (c) a cryogenic fluid feed conduit connecting a source of cryogenic fluid and an inlet to said at least one cooling coil;
- and
- (d) a low-pressure storage device for receiving said warmer cryogenic fluid, and a conduit connecting an outlet of said at least one cooling coil to said low-pressure storage device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.