Thermally pumped liquid/gas heat exchanger for cooling heat-generating devices
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorDennis G Manzer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cooling system for a heat-generating device includes: coolant fluid; an evaporator for holding the coolant fluid and for heating the coolant fluid; said evaporator in close proximity to the heat-generating device for removing unwanted heat. The cooling system also includes a plurality of tubes for providing a flow path for the coolant fluid and gases produced by the evaporator; a heat exchanger through which the tubes pass for cooling the coolant fluid. The heat exchanger includes: a reservoir, a coolant, and a heating element for heating the gas so that it expands and pushes cool coolant fluid back to the evaporator. The heating element may be located inside the reservoir.
Claims20
A cooling system for a heat-generating device, the system comprising:
- a coolant;
- an evaporator comprising a single chamber for both containing and heating the coolant;
- wherein the single chamber contains both the coolant to be heated and gases produced by heating the coolant
- wherein said evaporator is in close proximity to a surface of the heat-generating device for removing unwanted heat generated by said heat-generating device;
- a plurality of tubes for providing a flow path for the coolant and gases produced by the evaporator;
- each tube having a first end connected to the evaporator;
- and
- a heat exchanger through which the plurality of tubes pass for cooling the coolant, the heat exchanger comprising:
- a reservoir within the heat exchanger, connected to a second end of each of the plurality of tubes;
- a coolant within the reservoir;
- and
- a heating element within said heat exchanger for heating the coolant in the reservoir, wherein the heat causes the coolant gases to expand and force coolant back to the evaporator for cooling the surface of the heat-generating device.
A method for cooling a heat-generating device, the method comprising steps of:
- evaporating heated coolant in an evaporator comprising a single chamber for both containing and heating the coolant;
- wherein the single chamber contains both the coolant to be heated and gases produced by heating the coolant;
- wherein the evaporator is disposed in close proximity to a surface of the heat-generating device for releasing gases from the coolant, wherein the gases are used to pump the heated coolant and gases out of the evaporator and into a heat exchanger disposed above the evaporator;
- transferring heated coolant and gases to the heat exchanger in a plurality of tubes;
- cooling the coolant and gases in the heat exchanger;
- collecting the cooled coolant and gases in a reservoir within the heat exchanger;
- activating a heating element for heating the cooled coolant and gases in the reservoir and expanding the gases;
- returning the cooled coolant back to the evaporator using the heated gas to push the fluid down through the plurality of tubes;
- and
- de-activating the heating element upon receipt of a trigger event, the trigger event comprising an indicator of a status of the coolant in the evaporator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.