Evaporative compact high intensity cooler
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorRobert Scott Downing
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An evaporative compact high intensity cooler (ECHIC) for transferring heat from a heat source along a heat conduction surface of the heat source with a two-phase coolant, comprises a flow passage labyrinth of flow passages with short conduction paths interrupted by coolant columns that all radiate from at least one coolant supply passage and offer the coolant expanding volume as the coolant evaporates due to absorbing heat within the flow passages from the heat conduction surface to maintain nearly isobaric conditions for the coolant to maintain relatively constant temperature throughout the ECHIC as it absorbs heat from the heat source and limit boundary layer formation within the flow passages to improve heat transfer.
Claims20
An evaporative compact high intensity cooler (ECHIC) for transferring heat from a heat source along a heat conduction surface of the heat source with a two-phase coolant, comprising:
- a flow passage labyrinth of coolant flow passages and coolant columns intercalated within each of at least four adjacent flow passage laminations that radially and axially radiate from the heat conduction surface proximate a central coolant supply column, the coolant flow passages having cross-sectional areas that increase from an inlet end to an outlet end as they radiate from the central coolant supply column by way of radially increasing the width and by way of at least some of the coolant flow passages having the outlet end coupled to the inlet end of a downstream coolant flow passage that has multiple radially propagating branches, the outlet end of each branch coupling to the inlet end of a further downstream coolant flow passage that has multiple radially propagating branches, to offer the coolant expanding volume as the coolant evaporates due to absorbing heat within the coolant flow passages from the heat conduction surface.
An evaporative compact high intensity cooler (ECHIC) for transferring heat from a heat source along a heat conduction surface of the heat source with a two-phase coolant, comprising:
- a flow passage labyrinth of coolant flow passages generally parallel to the heat conduction surface of the heat source and coolant columns generally normal to the heat conduction surface of the heat source intercalated within each of at least four adjacent flow passage laminations that radially and axially radiate from the heat conduction surface proximate a central coolant supply column, the coolant flow passages having cross-sectional areas that increase from an inlet end to an outlet end as they radiate from the central coolant supply column by way of radially increasing the width and by way of at least some of the coolant flow passages having the outlet end coupled to the inlet end of a downstream coolant flow passage that has two radially propagating branches, the outlet end of each branch coupling to the inlet end of a further downstream coolant flow passage that has two radially propagating branches, to offer the coolant expanding volume as the coolant evaporates due to absorbing heat within the coolant flow passages from the heat conduction surface.
An evaporative compact high intensity cooler (ECHIC) for transferring heat from a heat source along a heat conduction surface of the heat source with a two-phase coolant, comprising:
- a flow passage labyrinth comprising a stack of at least four adjacent diffusion bonded copper flow passage laminations that have photo-etched coolant flow passages generally parallel to the heat conduction surface and coolant columns generally normal to the heat conduction surface, with the coolant flow passages and the coolant columns intercalated within the adjacent diffusion bonded copper flow passage laminations that radially and axially radiate from the heat conduction surface proximate a central coolant supply passage column along the adjacent diffusion bonded copper flow passage laminations and the coolant columns, the coolant flow passages having cross-sectional areas that increase with distance from the central coolant supply column
- from an inlet end to an outlet end by way of radially increasing the width and by way of at least some of the coolant flow passages having the outlet end coupled to the inlet end of a downstream coolant flow passage that has two radially propagating branches, the outlet end of each branch coupling to the inlet end of a further downstream coolant flow passage that has two radially propagating branches, to offer the coolant expanding volume as the coolant evaporates due to absorbing heat within the coolant flow passages from the heat conduction surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.