# US 9,518,875 B2 · Thermally determining flow and/or heat load distribution in parallel paths > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,518,875 B2 - Document ID: US9518875B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/982,623 - Filed: 2015-12-29 - Published: 2016-04-21 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-28 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Timothy J. Chainer; Madhusudan K. Iyengar; Pritish R. Parida - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9518875B2 ## CPC - G01K 15/005: {Calibration} - G01K 7/427: {Temperature calculation based on spatial modeling, e.g. spatial inter- or extrapolation} - G01J 5/0003: {for sensing the radiant heat transfer of samples, e.g. emittance meter} - G01J 5/53: Reference sources, e.g. standard lamps; Black bodies - G01K 15/00: Testing or calibrating of thermometers - G01K 2007/422: {Dummy objects used for estimating temperature of real objects} - G06F 2200/201: Cooling arrangements using cooling fluid - G01K: MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (radiation pyrometry G01J5/00) - G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A method including obtaining calibration data for at least one sub-component in a heat transfer assembly, wherein the calibration data comprises at least one indication of coolant flow rate through the sub-component for a given surface temperature delta of the sub-component and a given heat load into said sub-component, determining a measured heat load into the sub-component, determining a measured surface temperature delta of the sub-component, and determining a coolant flow distribution in a first flow path comprising the sub-component from the calibration data according to the measured heat load and the measured surface temperature delta of the sub-component. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: obtaining calibration data for a plurality of sub-components in a heat transfer assembly, wherein said calibration data comprises at least one indication of coolant flow rate through each of said plurality of sub-components for a given surface temperature delta of each of said plurality of sub-components and a given heat load into each of said plurality of sub-components; obtaining a coolant flow distribution of a system level coolant flow among a plurality of flow paths in said heat transfer assembly using a measured surface temperature delta of each of said plurality of sub-components, each flow path of said plurality of flow paths including at least one of said plurality of sub-components, wherein said plurality of sub-components have similar heat loads; determining a measured surface temperature delta of each of said plurality of sub-components with different heat loads; determining a heat load distribution in said heat transfer assembly between each of said respective flow paths using said calibration data, said coolant flow distribution, and said measured surface temperature delta of each of said plurality of sub-components; and adjusting said coolant flow distribution based on said heat load distribution. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: collecting a time history of said heat load distribution; and detecting a change in said heat transfer assembly according to said time history of said heat load distribution. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining said measured surface temperature delta of each of said plurality of sub-components comprises: determining a first surface temperature along an inlet side of a respective sub-component and a second surface temperature along an output side of said respective sub-component along a respective flow path of each of said plurality of sub-components; and determining said measured surface temperature delta of each of said plurality of sub-components as a difference between said first and second surface temperatures. ### Claim 4 A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform the method of: obtaining calibration data for a plurality of sub-components in said heat transfer assembly, wherein said calibration data comprises at least one indication of coolant flow rate through each of said plurality of sub-components for a given surface temperature delta of each of said plurality of sub-components and a given heat load into each of said plurality of sub-components; obtaining a coolant flow distribution of a system level coolant flow among a plurality of flow paths in said heat transfer assembly using a measured surface temperature delta of each of said plurality of sub-components, each flow path of said plurality of flow paths including at least one of said plurality of sub-components, wherein said plurality of sub-components have similar heat loads; determining a measured surface temperature delta of each of said plurality of sub-components with different heat loads; determining a heat load distribution in said heat transfer assembly between each of said respective flow paths using said calibration data, said coolant flow distribution, and said measured surface temperature delta of each of said plurality of sub-components; and adjusting said coolant flow distribution based on said heat load distribution. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 4, further comprising computer executable instructions which when executed by said computer cause the computer to perform the additional method steps of: collecting a time history of said heat load distribution; and detecting a change in said heat transfer assembly according to said time history of said heat load distribution. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 4, further comprising computer executable instructions which when executed by said computer cause the computer to perform the additional method steps of: determining a first surface temperature along an inlet side of a respective sub-component and a second surface temperature along an output side of said respective sub-component along a respective flow path of each of said plurality of sub-components; and determining said measured surface temperature delta of each of said plurality of sub-components as a difference between said first and second surface temperatures.