Efficient cooling duct
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorRobert Scott Downing
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cooling system comprises an electronics module and a duct. The electronics module produces more heat at a first location than at a second location, and is rated to a safe operating temperature. The duct surrounds the electronics module, and has a shaped baffle with a constricted region near the first location and an open region near the second location. The expanded region has greater cross-sectional flow area than the constricted region. Airflow through the duct cools both the first location and the second location to within an efficiency margin below the safe operating temperature.
Claims20
A cooling system comprising:
- a electronics module that produces more heat at a first location than at a second location, and that is rated to a safe operating temperature;
- a duct surrounding the electronics module and having a shaped baffle with a constricted region near the first location and an open region with greater cross-sectional flow area than the constricted region near the second location, such that airflow through the duct cools both the first location and the second location to within an efficiency margin below the safe operating temperature.
A method for designing contours of a duct to cool an electronics module, the method comprising:
- iteratively adjusting a baffle contour from an initial estimate to decrease cross-sectional flow area near regions of the electronics module above a first temperature threshold;
- and
- iteratively adjusting an the baffle contour from the initial estimate to increase cross-sectional flow area near regions of the electronics module below a second temperature threshold lower than the first temperature threshold.
A method for cooling an electronics module with relatively hot and relatively cool regions and a safe operating temperature, the method comprising:
- forcing airflow through a duct containing a shaped baffle;
- increasing flow speed at a constricted region produced by the baffle near the relatively hot region such that the relatively hot region is cooled to within an efficiency margin below the safe operating temperature;
- and
- decreasing flow speed at an expanded region produced by the baffle near the relatively cool region such that the cool regions is cooled to within an efficiency margin below the safe operating temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.