JP2006049861A - Interdigitated manifolds for reducing pressure drop in microchannel heat exchangers - Google Patents

Abstract

A microchannel heat exchanger that achieves appropriate temperature uniformity in a heat source, and a heat exchanger that can reduce the pressure drop between the inlet and outlet fluid ports.
A microchannel heat exchanger coupled to a heat source and cooling the heat source includes a first set of fingers 118B, 118C for supplying a fluid at a first temperature to the heat exchange region. The fluid in the heat exchange zone flows toward the second set of fingers 118E, 118F and is discharged from the heat exchanger at a second temperature. Each finger is arranged in parallel, spaced from an adjacent finger by an appropriate distance to minimize the pressure drop in the heat exchanger. Within the manifold layer 106 is formed a first set of fingers and a second set of fingers for cooling the hot spots of the heat source. The configuration and dimensions of the finger 118 is determined by the hot spot of the heat source, which is the electronic device 99 that needs to be cooled.
[Selection] Figure 3B

Description

Related applications

  This patent application is a pending US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 423,009, filed Nov. 1, 2002, incorporated herein by reference, entitled “Flexible Fluid Transport and Microchannels”. US Provisional Patent, filed January 24, 2003, incorporated herein by reference, "METHODS FOR FLEXIBLE FLUID DELIVERY AND HOTSPOT COOLING BY MICROCHANNEL HEAT SINKS" Application No. 60 / 442,383, entitled “OPTIMIZED PLATE FIN HEAT EXCHANGER FOR CPU COOLING”, 2003, incorporated herein by reference. Pending US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 455,729 filed on May 17, entitled "Microchannel Heat Exchanger with Porous Structure and MICROCHANNEL HEAT EXCHANGER APPARATUS WITH POROUS CONFIGURATION AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THEREOF US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 439,912, filed on the 16th, entitled “INTERWOVEN MANIFOLDS FOR PRESSURE DROP REDUCTION IN MICROCHANNEL HEAT EXCHANGERS” Is a partial continuation application.

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for cooling an exothermic device, and more particularly, to a combined manifold for reducing pressure drop in a microchannel heat exchanger.

  Microchannel heat sinks have been used in the industrial field since their introduction in the early 1980s, showing applicability to high heat flux cooling applications. However, existing microchannels use conventional parallel channel arrangements, which are not suitable for cooling exothermic devices where the thermal load varies spatially. Such a heat generating device has a region that generates more heat than other regions. Such a heat generating device has a region that generates more heat than other regions. In the present specification, such a hotter region is referred to as a “hot spot”, and a region that generates less heat than the hot spot is referred to as a “warm spot”.

  FIG. 1A shows a conventional heat exchanger 10. The heat exchanger 10 is coupled to an electronic device 99, such as a microprocessor, via a thermal interface material 98. As shown in FIG. 1A, fluid typically flows from a single inlet port 12 as indicated by the arrows, flows along parallel microchannels 14 along the bottom surface 11 and flows out of the outlet port 16. Although the heat exchanger 10 cools the electronic device 99, the fluid flows uniformly from the inlet port 12 to the outlet port 16. In other words, the fluid flows substantially uniformly along the entire bottom surface 11 of the heat exchanger 10 and more fluid is supplied to the area of the bottom surface 11 corresponding to the hot spots of the electronic device 99. Absent. Further, the temperature of the liquid flowing in from the inlet port 12 usually increases as it flows along the bottom surface 11 of the heat exchanger 10. Therefore, the cold fluid is not supplied to the downstream side of the heat source that is the electronic device 99, that is, the region near the outlet port 16, and actually the heated fluid or the two-phase fluid is supplied upstream. In this way, the heated fluid transports heat across the entire bottom surface 11 of the heat exchanger 10 and the area of the heat source that is the electronic device 99, near the outlet port 16, the fluid becomes very hot, The effect of cooling the heat source which is the electronic device 99 is lost. Furthermore, in the heat exchanger 10 having only one inlet port 12 and one outlet, the fluid travels along the long parallel microchannel 14 of the bottom surface 11 over the entire length of the heat exchanger 10. The result is a large pressure drop due to the length of fluid travel.

  FIG. 1B is a side view of a conventional multi-level heat exchanger 20. The fluid flows into the multi-level heat exchanger 20 through the port 22, travels downward through the plurality of jets 28 in the intermediate layer 26, and is discharged from the bottom surface 27 and the discharge port 24. Further, the fluid that moves to the bottom surface 27 along the ejection port 28 may or may not flow uniformly. Note that the fluid flowing into the multi-level heat exchanger 20 diffuses in the longitudinal direction of the multi-level heat exchanger 20, but this design requires a hotter region of the multi-level heat exchanger 20 and more fluid circulation. It does not supply a lot of fluid to the heat source.

  Furthermore, the conventional heat exchanger is formed of a material having a high thermal resistance at the bottom so that the thermal expansion coefficient of the heat exchanger matches the thermal expansion coefficient of the heat source that is the electronic device 99. Due to the high heat resistance of such a heat exchanger, heat exchange with the heat source which is the electronic device 99 could not be sufficiently performed. In the conventional heat exchanger, in consideration of such a high thermal resistance, a larger channel crossing is performed so that more effective heat exchange can be performed between the heat exchanger 10 and the heat source that is the electronic device 99. The area is selected. In addition, the heat resistance of the heat exchanger can be reduced by reducing the dimensions of the channel of the heat exchanger and making the distance between the channel wall and the hydraulic radius smaller. However, the use of a narrow microchannel creates a problem of pressure drop along the channel. As the pressure drop increases, the burden on the pump for circulating the fluid through the heat exchanger increases. Furthermore, increasing the microchannel size results in a greater pressure drop between the inlet and outlet ports due to the longer distance that the single or two-phase flow must travel. Furthermore, as the fluid boils in the microchannel heat exchanger, the pressure drop for a given flow rate increases due to the acceleration caused by the mixing of liquid and vapor and the transition from liquid to gas phase. These causes increase the pressure drop per unit length. Due to the large pressure drop that occurs in known microchannel heat exchangers, larger pumps that can accommodate higher pressures are required, which makes it difficult to use microchannels.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a microchannel heat exchanger that realizes appropriate temperature uniformity in a heat source. Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger that realizes appropriate temperature uniformity from the viewpoint of a hot spot of a heat source. Another object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger that has a relatively high thermal conductivity and performs appropriate heat exchange with a heat source. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a heat exchanger that can reduce the pressure drop between the inlet and outlet fluid ports.

The heat exchanger according to the present invention is connected to a heat source and configured to cool the heat source by flowing a fluid, and has a contact layer having a thickness in the range of 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm, A first set of fingers configured to reduce pressure drop in the exchanger and a second set of fingers disposed in parallel to the first set of fingers, wherein fluid is transferred to / from the contact layer And a manifold layer for circulating the gas. The fluid may be in a single phase flow state. The fluid may be in a two-phase flow state. At least a portion of the fluid may transition between a single laminar flow state and a two-phase flow state in the contact layer. The first set of specific fingers may be spaced from the second set of specific fingers by an appropriate dimension to minimize the pressure drop in the heat exchanger. Each finger may have the same length dimension and width dimension. At least one of the fingers may have a different dimension than the other fingers. The plurality of fingers may be arranged irregularly in at least one dimension of the manifold layer. At least one of the plurality of fingers may have at least one variable dimension along the length of the manifold layer. The manifold layer may have more than 3 and less than 10 parallel fingers. The first and second sets of fingers may be arranged alternately along one dimension of the manifold layer. The manifold layer may be configured to cool at least one contact layer hot spot region. It may further comprise at least one first port connected to the first set of fingers, and the fluid may enter the heat exchanger via the at least one first port. Further comprising at least one second port connected to the second set of fingers, the fluid may be exhausted from the heat exchanger via the at least one second port. The manifold layer may be disposed on the contact layer, and fluid may flow downward through the first set of fingers and flow upward through the second set of fingers. The heat exchanger further comprises a first port flow path connected to the first port and the first set of fingers and configured to flow fluid from the first port to the first set of fingers. Also good. The heat exchanger further comprises a second port flow path connected to the second port and the second set of fingers and configured to flow fluid from the second set of fingers to the second port. Also good. The contact layer may be formed integrally with the heat source. The contact layer may be connected to a heat source. The heat exchanger may further comprise an intermediate layer disposed between the contact layer and the manifold layer and flowing fluid to / from one or more predetermined locations within the contact layer via at least one conduit. . The intermediate layer may be connected to the contact layer and the manifold layer. The intermediate layer may be formed integrally with the contact layer and the manifold layer. At least one of the conduits may have at least one variable dimension along the intermediate layer. The contact layer may comprise a coating that provides a suitable thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K. The contact layer may have a thermal conductivity of at least 100 W / m-K. The heat exchanger may further include a plurality of pillars configured in a predetermined pattern along the contact layer. At least one of the plurality of pillars may have an area size in a range of (10 μm) ² or more and (100 μm) ² or less. At least one of the plurality of pillars may have a height dimension within a range of 50 μm to 2 mm. At least two of the plurality of pillars may be spaced apart from each other with a spacing dimension in the range of 10 μm to 150 μm. The plurality of pillars may comprise a coating having a suitable thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K. The contact layer may have a roughened surface. The contact layer may have a microporous structure on the surface. The microporous structure may have a porosity in the range of 50 percent to 80 percent. The average pore size of the microporous structure may be in the range of 10 μm to 200 μm. The microporous structure may have a height dimension within a range of 0.25 mm or more and 2.00 mm or less. The heat exchanger may comprise a plurality of microchannels configured in a predetermined pattern along the contact layer. At least one of the plurality of microchannels may have an area dimension within a range of (10 μm) ² or more and (100 μm) ² or less. At least one of the plurality of microchannels may have a height dimension in the range of 50 μm to 2 mm. At least two of the plurality of microchannels may be spaced apart from each other with a spacing dimension in the range of 10 μm to 150 μm. At least one of the plurality of microchannels may have a width dimension in the range of 10 μm to 100 μm. The plurality of microchannels may be coupled to the contact layer. The plurality of microchannels may be formed integrally with the contact layer. The plurality of microchannels may be divided into segment arrays with at least one groove aligned with a corresponding finger disposed therebetween. The plurality of microchannels may comprise a coating having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K. The heat exchanger may have an overhanging dimension within a range of 0 mm or more and 15 mm or less.

Furthermore, the heat exchanger according to the present invention is a heat exchanger for cooling a heat source, wherein the fingers are arranged in parallel to each other, and each finger has a first configuration in which a fluid having a first temperature flows. A manifold layer comprising a set and a second set of fingers each having a second configuration for flowing a fluid at a second temperature, and having a thickness in the range of 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm; At a plurality of first locations, each associated with a corresponding finger in the first set, receives a fluid at a first temperature, each along a plurality of predetermined flow paths, each in the second set. A contact layer for flowing fluid to a plurality of second locations associated with the corresponding finger. The fluid may be in a single phase flow state. The fluid may be in a two-phase flow state. At least a portion of the fluid may transition between a single laminar flow state and a two phase flow state in the contact layer. The first set of specific fingers may be spaced apart from the second set of specific fingers by an appropriate dimension that minimizes the pressure drop in the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger may further comprise at least one first port connected to the first set of fingers, and the fluid may enter the heat exchanger via the at least one first port. The heat exchanger further comprises at least one second port connected to the second set of fingers, such that fluid is exhausted from the heat exchanger via the at least one second port. Good. The manifold layer may be disposed on the contact layer, and fluid may flow downward through the first set of fingers and flow upward through the second set of fingers. The contact layer may be formed integrally with the heat source. The contact layer may be connected to a heat source. The first set of fingers may be arranged alternately with the second set of fingers. Each finger may have the same length dimension and width dimension. At least one of the fingers may have a different dimension than the other fingers. The plurality of fingers may be arranged irregularly in at least one dimension of the manifold layer. At least one of the plurality of fingers may have at least one variable dimension along the length of the manifold layer. The manifold layer may have more than 3 and less than 10 parallel fingers. The heat exchanger further comprises a first port flow path connected to the first port and the first set of fingers and configured to flow fluid from the first port to the first set of fingers. Also good. The heat exchanger further comprises a second port flow path connected to the second port and the second set of fingers and configured to flow fluid from the second set of fingers to the second port. Also good. It may further comprise an intermediate layer disposed between the contact layer and the manifold layer for flowing fluid to / from one or more predetermined locations within the contact layer via at least one conduit. The conduits may be arranged in a predetermined configuration to allow fluid to flow to one or more contact layer hot spot regions within the contact layer. The conduits may be arranged in a predetermined configuration to allow fluid flow from one or more contact layer hot spot areas within the contact layer. The intermediate layer may be connected to the contact layer and the manifold layer. The intermediate layer may be formed integrally with the contact layer and the manifold layer. The conduit may have at least one variable dimension in the intermediate layer. The contact layer may comprise a coating that provides a suitable thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K. The contact layer may have a thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K. The heat exchanger may further include a plurality of pillars configured in a predetermined pattern along the contact layer. At least one of the plurality of pillars may have an area size in a range of (10 μm) ² or more and (100 μm) ² or less. At least one of the plurality of pillars may have a height dimension within a range of 50 μm to 2 mm. At least two of the plurality of pillars may be spaced apart from each other with a spacing dimension in the range of 10 μm to 150 μm. The plurality of pillars may comprise a coating having a suitable thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K. The contact layer may have a roughened surface. The contact layer may have a microporous structure on the surface. The microporous structure may have a porosity in the range of 50 percent to 80 percent. The average pore size of the microporous structure may be in the range of 10 μm to 200 μm. The microporous structure may have a height dimension within a range of 0.25 mm or more and 2.00 mm or less. The heat exchanger may further comprise a plurality of microchannels configured in a predetermined pattern along the contact layer. At least one of the plurality of microchannels may have an area dimension within a range of (10 μm) ² or more and (100 μm) ² or less. At least one of the plurality of microchannels may have a height dimension in the range of 50 μm to 2 mm. At least two of the plurality of microchannels may be spaced apart from each other with a spacing dimension in the range of 10 μm to 150 μm. At least one of the plurality of microchannels may have a width dimension in the range of 10 μm to 100 μm. The microchannel may be coupled to the contact layer. The microchannel may be formed integrally with the contact layer. The plurality of microchannels may be divided into segments with at least one groove disposed therebetween. The microchannel may be continuous along one dimension of the contact layer. At least one groove may be aligned with a corresponding finger. The plurality of microchannels may comprise a coating having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K. The heat exchanger may have an overhanging dimension within a range of 0 mm or more and 15 mm or less.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments.

  The heat exchanger generally captures thermal energy generated from the heat source, preferably by passing the fluid through selective areas of the contact layer that are coupled to the heat source. Specifically, the fluid is identified in the contact layer to cool the hot spot and the area around the hot spot to achieve temperature uniformity across the heat source while keeping the pressure drop in the heat exchanger small. Shed in the area. As described in the various embodiments described below, the heat exchanger is selected for the contact layer using a plurality of apertures, channels and / or fingers in the manifold layer and using conduits in the intermediate layer. Fluid is circulated and circulated to and from the hot spot area. Alternatively, heat exchangers are specially placed in place to cool the heat source effectively by allowing fluid to flow directly into and out of the hot spot. You may have the port of.

  Here, a microchannel heat exchanger is described that flexibly transports fluid to cool the hot spot location of the device, but instead, the heat exchanger of the present invention heats the cold spot location of the device. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that it may be used for the flexible transport of fluids. Furthermore, although the present invention will be described as a microchannel heat exchanger, the present invention is not limited to this description and can be used for other applications.

  FIG. 2A shows a schematic of a circulating cooling device 30 comprising a suitable flexible fluid delivery microchannel heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention. In addition, FIG. 2B shows a schematic of a circulating cooling device 30 comprising another flexible fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 having a plurality of fluid ports 108, 109 according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the fluid ports 108, 109 are connected to a fluid line 38, which is connected to a pump 32 and a thermal condenser 36. The pump 32 pumps and circulates fluid in the circulation type cooling device 30. In one embodiment, one fluid port 108 is preferably used to supply fluid to the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100. Furthermore, one fluid port 109 may be used to drain fluid from the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100. Preferably, a uniform and constant flow of fluid flows into and out of the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 via each fluid port 108, 109. Alternatively, fluids having different flow rates may flow into the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 and be discharged from the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 through the fluid ports 108 and 109 at a predetermined time. Good. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2B, a single pump may provide fluid to inlet ports, which are a plurality of designated fluid ports 108. Alternatively, multiple pumps (not shown) may provide fluid to their corresponding fluid ports 108, 109. Further alternatively, in this system, a suitable or alternative heat exchange using dynamic sensing and control module 34 depending on the change in the amount of heat at various hot spots or hot spot locations and the location of the hot spots. The flow rate of fluid entering and exiting the vessel may be dynamically varied and controlled.

  A three layer heat exchanger, shown as a preferred embodiment heat exchanger 400, includes a contact layer 402, at least one intermediate layer 404, and at least one manifold layer 406. A preferred manifold layer 406 and a preferred contact layer 402 are shown in FIG. 7, and an intermediate layer 404 is shown in FIG. 3B. Alternatively, as described below, the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 may be a two-layer device including a contact layer 402 and a manifold layer 406, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the heat exchanger 400 is coupled to a heat source that is an electronic device 99, for example, but not limited to, an electronic device 99 such as a microchip or an integrated circuit. Alternatively, the thermal interface material 98 is preferably sandwiched between the heat source, which is the device 99, and the heat exchanger 400. Alternatively, the heat exchanger 400 may be directly coupled to the surface of the heat source, the electronic device 99. Alternatively, instead of this, the heat exchanger 400 may be integrally formed with the heat source that is the electronic device 99, that is, the heat source that is the heat exchanger 400 and the electronic device 99 may be formed as one component. In this case, which is obvious to those skilled in the art, the contact layer 402 is provided integrally with the heat source that is the electronic device 99 and the heat source that is the electronic device 99. It is formed so as to be included in the same part.

  Preferably, the heat exchanger 400 according to the present invention is configured to contact directly or indirectly a heat source, which is a rectangular electronic device 99, as shown. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the heat exchanger 400 may have any other shape depending on the shape of the heat source, which is the electronic device 99. For example, the heat exchanger 400 according to the present invention includes: The heat exchanger (not shown) may be configured to have a semicircular shape so that the heat exchanger (not shown) may directly or indirectly contact a corresponding semicircular heat source (not shown). it can. Furthermore, it is preferable that the heat exchanger 400 has a size slightly larger than the heat source in the range of 0.5 mm to 5.0 mm.

  FIG. 3A is a plan view of a preferred manifold layer 106 in accordance with the present invention. Specifically, the manifold layer 106 includes four side surfaces in addition to the top surface 130 and the bottom surface 132, as shown in FIG. 3B. However, in FIG. 3A, the upper surface 130 is removed to appropriately represent and explain the function of the manifold layer 106. As shown in FIG. 3A, the manifold layer 106 includes a series of channels or channels 116, 118, 120, 122 and fluid ports 108, 109 formed in these channels. As shown in FIG. 3B, the fingers 118, 120 extend completely through the body of the manifold layer 106 in the Z-direction. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3A, the fingers 118, 120 may be formed in part of the manifold layer 106, extend in the Z-direction, and have apertures. Further, the channels 116 and 122 may be formed so as to extend to a part of the manifold layer 106. The remaining region 107 between the inlet and outlet channels corresponding to the channels 116, 122 extends from the top surface 130 to the bottom surface 132 and constitutes the body of the manifold layer 106.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, fluid enters the manifold layer 106 through an inlet port, which is a fluid port 108, flows along the inlet channel corresponding to the channel 116, and is shown as X and Y directions from the channel 116. It flows into several fingers 118 that branch in several directions, thereby supplying fluid to selected areas of the contact layer 102. The fingers 118 are formed in different predetermined directions and provide fluid to the location of the contact layer 102 corresponding to the hot spot of the heat source and the area in the vicinity thereof. These locations of the contact layer 102 are hereinafter referred to as contact hot spot regions. The fingers are configured to cool the stationary contact layer hot spot area and also to cool the temporally converting contact layer hot spot area. As shown in FIG. 3A, the channels 116, 122 and fingers 118, 120 are disposed in the manifold layer 106 in the X and Y directions. Forming channels 116, 122 and fingers 118, 120 in various directions in this way transports fluid, cools hot spots of heat sources that are electronic devices 99, and / or fluid transport microchannel heat exchangers. The pressure drop within 100 can be minimized. Alternatively, as shown in the preferred embodiment, channels 116 and 122 and fingers 118 and 120 may be arranged at regular intervals in the manifold layer 106 to form a predetermined pattern.

  The configuration and dimensions of the fingers 118, 120 are determined according to the hot spot of the heat source, which is the electronic device 99 that needs to be cooled. Manifold layer 106 is configured such that fingers 118 and 120 are located on or near the contact layer hot spot area in contact layer 102 based on the location of the hot spots and the amount of heat generated at or near each hot spot. The Manifold layer 106 allows single-phase fluid and / or two-phase fluid to contact layer 102 without causing a substantial pressure drop in fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 and circulating cooling device 30 (FIG. 2A). Circulate. By transporting the fluid to the contact layer hot spot region, the temperature of the contact layer hot spot region is uniform, as is the region of the heat source adjacent to the contact layer hot spot region.

  The number and size of the channels 116 and fingers 118 are determined based on a number of factors. In one embodiment, the inlet and outlet fingers corresponding to fingers 118, 120 have the same width dimension. Alternatively, the inlet and outlet fingers corresponding to fingers 118, 120 may have different width dimensions. The width dimension of the fingers 118 and 120 is preferably in the range of 0.25 mm to 0.50 mm. In one embodiment, the inlet and outlet fingers corresponding to fingers 118, 120 have the same length and depth dimensions. Alternatively, the inlet and outlet fingers 118, 120 may have different length and depth dimensions. In other embodiments, the inlet and outlet fingers corresponding to the fingers 118, 120 may have various width dimensions along the length of the fingers. The length dimensions of the inlet and outlet fingers corresponding to the fingers 118 and 120 are preferably 0.5 mm or more and within three times the length of the heat source. Furthermore, the fingers 118 and 120 are preferably formed to have a height or depth dimension within a range of 0.25 mm to 0.50 mm. Furthermore, less than 10 or more than 30 fingers per cm are disposed in the manifold layer 106. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that 10-30 fingers per cm may be provided in the manifold layer.

  In the present invention, the fingers 118 and 120 and the channels 116 and 122 may be irregularly formed in order to optimize the cooling efficiency of the hot spot of the heat source. In order to achieve a uniform temperature across the heat source that is the electronic device 99, the spatial distribution of heat transport to the fluid may be matched to the spatial distribution of heat generation. As the fluid flows along the contact layer through the microchannel, the temperature increases and begins to change to vapor under two-phase conditions. Thus, the fluid expands significantly, resulting in a significantly faster flow rate. The efficiency of heat transport from the contact layer to the fluid usually improves as the fluid flow rate increases. Thus, adjusting the cross-sectional dimensions of the fingers 118, 120 and the channels 116, 122 for inflow and outflow of fluid in the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 can adjust the efficiency of heat transport to the fluid. it can.

  For example, a particular finger may be designed for a heat source that generates higher heat near the inlet. In addition, for areas where liquid and vapor mixing is expected, it may be advantageous to increase the cross-section of fingers 118, 120 and channels 116, 122. Although not shown in the figure, the flow velocity of the fluid can be increased by reducing the cross section of the finger on the inlet side. It is also possible to slow the fluid flow rate by increasing the cross-section of a particular finger or channel on the downstream outlet side. By designing the fingers or channels in this way, the pressure drop is minimized in the heat exchanger in the region where the fluid volume, acceleration and velocity increase due to the liquid to vapor change in two-phase flow. And hot spot cooling efficiency can be optimized.

  In addition, fluids at different desired locations within the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 can be obtained by temporarily widening and subsequently again narrowing the fingers 118, 120 and channels 116, 122 along their length. The flow rate of can be increased. Instead, the heat and transport efficiency is adjusted according to the expected heat dissipation distribution across the heat source, which is the electronic device 99, by changing the finger and channel dimensions from large to small and from small to large many times. Sometimes it is appropriate. Note that the description regarding the change in the dimensions of the fingers and the channel is not limited to this embodiment, and can be similarly applied to other embodiments described later.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3A, the manifold layer 106 may include one or more apertures 119 in the inlet fingers corresponding to the fingers 118. In the three-layer heat exchanger that is the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100, the fluid flowing along the finger 118 flows into the intermediate layer 104 through the aperture 119. Alternatively, in a two-layer heat exchanger that is a fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100, the fluid flowing along the finger 118 flows directly from the aperture 119 into the contact layer 102. Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, the manifold layer 106 includes an aperture 121 in the outlet finger 120. In the three-layer heat exchanger that is the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100, the fluid flowing out from the intermediate layer 104 flows into the outlet finger 120 through the aperture 121. Instead, in the two-layer heat exchanger that is the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100, the fluid flowing out from the contact layer 102 flows directly into the outlet finger 120 through the aperture 121.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, the inlet and outlet fingers corresponding to fingers 118, 120 are open channels without apertures. The bottom surface 103 of the manifold layer 106 contacts the upper surface of the intermediate layer 104 in the three-layer heat exchanger that is the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100, and contacts the contact layer 102 in the two-layer heat exchanger. In this way, in the three-layer heat exchanger that is the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100, the fluid can freely move between the intermediate layer 104 and the manifold layer 106. Fluid is flowed through the conduit 105 of the intermediate layer 104 to properly enter and exit the appropriate contact layer hot spot area. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, conduit 105 may be arranged to align directly with the fingers, as described below, or elsewhere in the three-layer system.

  FIG. 3B shows a three-layer heat exchanger, which is a fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention with a manifold layer shown as a variant. Alternatively, the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 may have a two-layer structure consisting of a manifold layer 106 and a contact layer 102, in which case the fluid does not go through the intermediate layer 104, and the manifold layer Go back and forth between 106 and contact layer 102 directly. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the manifold layer, intermediate layer, and contact layer configurations shown herein are exemplary and that the actual configuration is not limited to the configurations shown herein.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the intermediate layer 104 preferably comprises a plurality of conduits 105 extending through the intermediate layer 104 itself. An inflow conduit, which is an inflow conduit 105, causes fluid to flow from the manifold layer 106 to a designated contact layer hot spot area of the contact layer 102. Similarly, the aperture of conduit 105 causes fluid to flow from contact layer 102 to fluid port 109. In this way, the intermediate layer 104 provides fluid transport from the contact layer 102 to the fluid port 109 coupled to the manifold layer 106.

  The conduit 105 is disposed in the intermediate layer 104 in a predetermined pattern based on a number of factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, the position of the contact layer hot spot region, the flow rate necessary for appropriately cooling the heat source that is the electronic device 99 in the contact layer hot spot region, and the temperature of the fluid. Etc. Although the width dimension of the other part is designed to be several mm at the maximum, the conduit 105 preferably has a width dimension of about several hundred μm. However, the conduit 105 may be formed in other dimensions based at least on the factors described above. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that each conduit 105 of the intermediate layer 104 has the same shape and / or dimensions, but this condition is not necessary. For example, as with the fingers described above, the conduit may have varying length and / or width dimensions instead of this embodiment. Alternatively, the conduit 105 may have a constant depth or height dimension through the intermediate layer 104. Alternatively, the conduit 105 may have different depth dimensions, for example, a trapezoidal or nozzle-shaped shape in the thickness direction of the intermediate layer 104. The horizontal shape of the conduit 105 is shown as a rectangle in FIG. 2C, but the horizontal shape of the conduit 105 can be any other shape, such as a circle (FIG. 3A), a curved shape, an ellipse, or the like. There may be. Instead of this, the one or more conduits 105 may be formed into a shape corresponding to a part or the whole shape of the upper one or more fingers.

  The intermediate layer 104 is preferably positioned horizontally within the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 such that the conduit 105 is vertical. Alternatively, the intermediate layer 104 may be arranged in any other direction within the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100, such as, but not limited to, slanting or curving. Alternatively, the conduit 105 may be disposed horizontally, diagonally, curved, or in any other direction within the intermediate layer 104. Further, the intermediate layer 104 preferably extends horizontally along the entire length of the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100, and the intermediate layer 104 completely separates the contact layer 102 from the manifold layer 106, thereby allowing fluid to flow. It may be forced to flow through the conduit 105. Alternatively, a portion of the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 does not include an intermediate layer 104 between the manifold layer 106 and the contact layer 102, thereby allowing fluid to flow between the manifold layer 106 and the contact layer 102. You may make it go freely. Further alternatively, the intermediate layer 104 may extend vertically between the manifold layer 106 and the contact layer 102 to form an independent, individual intermediate layer region. Alternatively, the intermediate layer 104 may not extend completely from the manifold layer 106 to the contact layer 102.

  Preferably, the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention has a larger width than the heat source that is the electronic device 99. If the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 is larger than the heat source that is the electronic device 99, there is an overhang dimension. The overhang dimension is the furthest distance between one outer wall of the heat source that is the electronic device 99 and the fluid channel wall inside the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100, such as, for example, the inner wall of the fluid port 408 (FIG. 4). Distance. In a preferred embodiment, the overhang dimension is 0-5 mm for single phase flow and 0-15 mm for two phase flow.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a contact layer 202 'according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10A, the contact layer 202 'comprises a series of pillars 203 extending upward from the top surface of the contact layer 202'. Further, FIG. 10A shows a microporous structure 213 provided on the bottom surface of the contact layer 202 ′. Note that the contact layer 202 ′ may include only the microporous structure 213, and may include any other contact layer structure (for example, a microchannel, a pillar, etc.) together with the microporous structure 213. Is clear. Furthermore, the thickness dimension of the contact layer 202 ′ of the present invention is preferably 0.3 to 0.7 mm for single phase flow and 0.3 to 1.0 mm for two phase flow.

  The heat exchanger in the embodiment of the present invention uses the microporous structure 213 provided on the contact layer 202 ′. The microporous structure 213 has an average pore size within a range of 10 to 200 μm in both a single laminar flow and a two-phase flow. Furthermore, the porosity of the microporous structure 213 is desirably in the range of 50 to 80 percent in both the single-layer flow and the two-phase flow. The height of the microporous structure 213 is preferably in the range of 0.25 to 2.00 mm in both the single-layer flow and the two-phase flow.

In embodiments using pillars and / or microchannels along the contact layer 202 ′, the contact layer 202 ′ according to the present invention has a thickness dimension in the range of 0.3 to 0.7 mm for single phase flow. And in the case of a two-phase flow, it has a thickness dimension in the range of 0.3 to 1.0 mm. Furthermore, in both the single-phase flow and the two-phase flow, at least one pillar or microchannel has an area in the range of (10 μm) ² to (100 μm) ² . Further, the separation dimension between at least two pillars and / or microchannels is in the range of 10 to 150 μm for both single-phase flow and two-phase flow. The width dimension of the microchannel is set to be within a range of 10 to 100 μm in both a single-layer flow and a two-phase flow. The height dimension of the microchannel and / or pillar is in the range of 50 to 800 μm in the case of a single-phase flow, and in the range of 50 μm to 2 mm in the case of a two-phase flow. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that dimensions other than those described above may be used.

  FIG. 3B shows a perspective view of the contact layer 102 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3B, the contact layer 102 includes a bottom surface 103 and preferably a plurality of microchannel walls 110, and the region between the microchannel walls 110 allows fluid to flow along the fluid flow path. Or distribute. The bottom surface 103 is flat and has a high thermal conductivity that realizes sufficient heat transport from a heat source that is the electronic device 99. Alternatively, the bottom surface 103 may comprise troughs and / or crests designed to collect fluid at a particular location or to retreat fluid from a particular location. The microchannel walls 110 are formed in parallel, as shown in FIG. 3B, so that the fluid preferably flows between the microchannel walls 110 along the flow path. Alternatively, the microchannel wall 110 may have a non-parallel configuration.

  Alternatively, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the microchannel wall 110 may be configured in any other suitable configuration based on the factors described above. For example, as shown in FIG. 8C, the contact layer 102 may have grooves between sections of the microchannel wall 110. Further, the microchannel wall 110 may have dimensions to minimize the pressure drop or pressure differential within the contact layer 102. Also, but not limited to, microchannels such as pillars (FIG. 10), rough surfaces, eg, microporous structures such as sintered metal and silicon foam (FIG. 10) Obviously, other structures than the wall 110 may be used. However, here, the contact layer 102 in the present invention will be described using the parallel microchannel walls 110 shown in FIG. 3B as an example.

  Through the microchannel wall 110, the fluid exchanges heat along a selected hot spot location in the contact layer hot spot region and cools the heat source, which is the electronic device 99, at that location. The microchannel wall 110 has a width dimension in the range of 10 to 100 μm and a height dimension in the range of 50 μm to 2 mm depending on the heat amount of the heat source that is the electronic device 99. The microchannel wall 110 has a length dimension in the range of 100 μm to several cm, depending on the size of the heat source and the size of the hot spot and the heat flux density from the heat source. Alternatively, any other microchannel wall dimension may be used. Here, the microchannel wall 110 is divided by an interval within a range of 50 to 500 μm according to the amount of heat of the heat source that is the electronic device 99, but this interval may be set to any other value.

  In FIG. 3B, the top surface of the manifold layer 106 is shown cut away to show the channels 116, 122 and fingers 118, 120 in the body of the manifold layer 106. Here, the position of the heat source that is the electronic device 99 that generates high heat is referred to as a hot spot, and the position of the heat source that is the electronic device 99 that generates heat lower than this is referred to as a warm spot. As shown in FIG. 3B, the heat source that is the electronic device 99 has a position A that is a hot spot region and a position B that is a warm spot region. The area of the contact layer 102 that contacts the hot spot and the warm spot is shown as the contact layer hot spot area. That is, as shown in FIG. 3B, the contact layer 102 includes a contact layer hot spot region A on the position A and a contact layer hot spot region B on the position B.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the fluid first flows into the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 via an inlet port, which is one fluid port 108. The fluid then preferably flows into one channel 116 corresponding to the inlet channel. Alternatively, the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 may include inlet channels corresponding to two or more channels 116. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the fluid flowing along the inlet channel corresponding to the channel 116 from the inlet port which is the fluid port 108 first branches to the finger 118A. Further, fluid flowing along the remainder of the inlet channel corresponding to channel 116 is poured into individual fingers, such as finger 118B and finger 118C.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3B, the fluid is supplied to the contact layer hot spot region A by pouring the fluid into the finger 118A. That is, the fluid flows down to the intermediate layer 104 through the fingers 118A. The fluid flows into the contact layer 102 via the inlet conduit 105A disposed under the finger 118A, and exchanges heat with the heat source that is the electronic device 99. The fluid moves along the microchannel wall 110 as shown in FIG. 3B, but the fluid may move along the contact layer 102 in any other direction. The heated fluid then flows up to outlet finger 120A via conduit 105B. Similarly, fluid flows down to the intermediate layer 104 in the Z-direction via fingers 118E, 118F. The fluid then flows down to the contact layer 102 via the inlet conduit 105C in the Z-direction. Then, the heated fluid flows in the Z-direction from the contact layer 102 to the outlet fingers 120E and 120F via the outlet conduit 105D. The fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 removes the fluid heated in the manifold layer 106 via the outlet fingers 120, which are connected to the outlet channels 122. Through the outlet channel 122, the fluid is discharged from the heat exchanger through an outlet port, which is one fluid port 109.

  In one embodiment, the inflow and outflow conduits, which are conduits 105, are disposed directly or nearly directly over a suitable contact layer hotspot region and supply fluid directly to the hot spots of the heat source, which is the electronic device 99. . Further, in order to minimize the pressure drop, each outlet finger 120 is disposed in the vicinity of the aperture 119 corresponding to a particular contact layer hot spot area. Thus, the fluid flows into the contact layer 102 via the inlet finger 118A and travels the shortest distance from the contact layer 102 to the outlet finger 120A along the bottom surface 103 of the contact layer 102. Obviously, the distance that the fluid travels along the bottom surface 103 properly removes heat from the heat source, which is the electronic device 99, without creating an unnecessary amount of pressure drop. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, in order to reduce the pressure drop of the fluid flowing along the finger 118, the corner portions in the fingers 118, 120 are preferably formed to be curved.

  As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the configuration of manifold layer 106 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is merely exemplary. The configuration of the channels 116 and fingers 118 in the manifold layer 106 is not limited to the following, but includes the location of the contact layer hot spot region, the flow rate of fluid to and from the contact layer hot spot region. It depends on many factors such as the amount of heat generated by the heat source in the contact layer hot spot region. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7A and described later, as a preferable configuration of the manifold layer 106, a pattern in which parallel inlet fingers and outlet fingers are alternately arranged along the width of the manifold layer is combined with each other. (Interdigitated pattern) may be used. However, the channel 116 and the finger 118 may be arranged in any other configuration.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a preferred manifold layer 406 of a heat exchanger according to the present invention. The manifold layer 406 of FIG. 4 preferably comprises a plurality of parallel fluid fingers 411, 412 that mate or mesh with each other, thereby providing substantial pressure within the heat exchanger 400 and the circulating cooling device 30 (FIG. 2A). Single-phase fluid and / or two-phase fluid can be circulated through the contact layer 402 without causing a drop. As shown in FIG. 4, the inlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 411 and the outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 412 are alternately arranged. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that any number of inlet fingers or outlet fingers may be arranged adjacent to each other, and therefore the present invention is not limited to the alternating configuration shown in FIG. . In addition, the fingers may be arranged alternately so that parallel fingers diverge from other parallel fingers or parallel fingers are connected to other parallel fingers. Accordingly, more inlet fingers may be provided than outlet fingers, and conversely, more outlet fingers may be provided than inlet fingers.

  The inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 supplies the fluid flowing into the heat exchanger to the contact layer 402, and the outlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 412 extracts the fluid discharged from the heat exchanger 400 from the contact layer 402. . The preferred configuration of manifold layer 406 allows fluid to flow into contact layer 402, travel a very short distance in contact layer 402, and then flow into outlet fingers corresponding to fluid finger 412. By substantially reducing the length of fluid travel along the contact layer 402, the pressure drop in the heat exchanger 400 and the circulating cooling device 30 (FIG. 2A) can be substantially reduced.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the preferred manifold layer 406 is connected to inlet fingers corresponding to two fluid fingers 411 and includes a flow path 414 for supplying fluid thereto. The manifold layer 406 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 includes outlet fingers corresponding to the three fluid fingers 412 connected to the flow path 418. The flow path 414 of the manifold layer 406 preferably has a flat bottom surface that allows fluid to flow through the fluid fingers 411, 412. Alternatively, a gentle slope may be provided in the flow path 414 to allow fluid to flow through the selected fluid finger 411. Alternatively, one or more apertures may be provided on the bottom surface of the inlet channel corresponding to the channel 414 in order to cause a part of the fluid to flow down to the contact layer 402. Similarly, manifold layer flow path 418 may have a flat bottom surface that contains fluid and allows fluid to flow to fluid port 408. Alternatively, a gentle slope may be provided in the flow path 418 to allow fluid to flow through the selected fluid port 408. Furthermore, in this specific example, the width of the flow paths 414, 418 is about 2 mm. However, in other specific examples, any other width dimension may be used.

  The flow paths 414, 418 are connected to fluid ports 408, 409, which are connected to fluid lines 38 (FIG. 2A) of the circulating cooling device 30. The manifold layer 406 preferably comprises fluid ports 408, 409 arranged in a horizontal direction. Alternatively, although not shown in FIGS. 4-7, the manifold layer 406 may include fluid ports 408, 409 configured vertically and / or diagonally, as described below. Instead of this, the manifold layer 406 may not include the flow path 414. In this case, fluid is supplied directly from the fluid port 408 to the fluid finger 411. Further alternatively, the fluid finger 411 may not include the flow path 418, in which case the fluid in the fluid finger 412 is discharged directly from the heat exchanger 400 via the fluid port 408. . Here, the two fluid ports 408 are connected to the flow paths 414, 418, but instead, any other number of ports may be provided.

  The inlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 411 have dimensions to allow fluid to move to the contact layer without creating a large pressure drop along the fluid fingers 411 and the circulating cooling device 30 (FIG. 2A). . The width dimension of the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 is preferably in the range of 0.25 mm or more and 5.00 mm or less. However, any other dimensions may be used. Furthermore, the length dimension of the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 is preferably formed within a range of 0.5 mm or more and within three times the length dimension of the heat source. Alternatively, this length dimension may be any value. Further, as described above, the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 extends downward toward the microchannel 410 or at a position slightly higher than the height of the microchannel 410 so that the fluid flows directly into the microchannel 410. Extend. The height dimension of the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 is preferably in the range of 0.25 mm or more and 5.00 mm or less. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 does not have to extend downward toward the microchannel 410 and that any height dimension other than those shown here may be used. is there. Also, although the inlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 411 here have the same dimensions, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the inlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 411 may have different dimensions. It is. Further, alternatively, the inlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 411 may vary in width, cross-sectional dimensions and / or distance between adjacent fingers. In particular, the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 may include a region having a wider or deeper depth and a region having a narrower or shallower depth along the longitudinal direction. By varying the dimensions in this way, more fluid is provided to a given contact layer hot spot region in the contact layer 402 through a wider portion, and the narrow portion provides a warm spot contact layer hot spot region. The flow rate can be limited.

  Further, the outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 412 have dimensions suitable for moving fluid to the contact layer without creating a large pressure drop along the circulating cooling device 30 (FIG. 2A) and the fluid fingers 412. It is preferable to have. The outlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 412 preferably has a width dimension in the range of 0.25 mm to 5.00 mm, but any other width dimension may be used. Further, the length dimension of the outlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 412 is preferably formed within a range of 0.5 mm or more and within three times the length dimension of the heat source. Further, the outlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 412 is lowered down to the height of the microchannel 410 so that after the fluid flows horizontally along the microchannel 410, it easily flows to the outlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 412. It extends. The width dimension of the outlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 412 is preferably in the range of 0.25 mm or more and 5.00 mm or less, for example. However, any other dimensions may be used. Also, although the outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 412 have the same dimensions here, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the corresponding t corresponding to the fluid fingers 412 may have different dimensions. It is. Further alternatively, the outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 412 may have irregular shapes that vary in width, cross-sectional dimensions, and / or distance between adjacent fingers.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the inlet and outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 411, 412 are preferably segmented and separated from each other so that the fluids in these channels mix together. There is no. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, outlet fingers corresponding to two fluid fingers 412 are provided on the outer edge side of the manifold layer 406, and outlet fingers corresponding to one fluid finger 412 are provided on the manifold layer 406. It is provided in the center. Further, the inlet fingers corresponding to the two fluid fingers 411 are provided adjacent to both sides of the outlet finger corresponding to the central fluid finger 412. With this particular configuration, fluid entering the contact layer 402 travels a short distance within the contact layer 402 before flowing out of the contact layer 402 via an outlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 412. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the inlet and outlet channels may be arranged in any other suitable configuration, and thus are not limited to the configurations shown and described herein. The number of inlet and outlet fingers corresponding to the finger fluid fingers 411, 412 in the manifold layer 406 is preferably greater than 3 and preferably less than 10 per cm in the manifold layer 406. In addition, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the number of the inlet channels and the outlet channels is not limited to the configuration shown and described here, and may be any other number.

  The manifold layer 406 is preferably connected to an intermediate layer (not shown), and the intermediate layer (not shown) is connected to the contact layer 402, thereby providing a three-layer heat exchanger, which is a heat exchanger 400. It is formed. This intermediate layer has been described in connection with the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7A, the manifold layer 406 may be connected to the contact layer 402 and disposed on the contact layer 402 to form a two-layer heat exchanger that is the heat exchanger 400. . A cross section of a suitable manifold layer 406 coupled to the contact layer 402 of the two-layer heat exchanger is shown in FIGS. 6A-6C. Specifically, FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of heat exchanger 400 taken along line AA in FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 400 along line BB in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 400 along line CC in FIG. As described above, the inlet and outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 411, 412 extend from the top surface of the manifold layer 406 to the bottom surface. When the manifold layer 406 and the contact layer 402 are coupled together, the inlet and outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 411, 412 have a height that is the same as or slightly higher than the height of the microchannel 410 of the contact layer 402. With this configuration, the fluid from the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 easily flows out of the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 via the microchannel 410. Further, this configuration allows fluid flowing through the microchannel 410 to easily flow up to the outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 412 after flowing through the microchannel 410.

  Although not shown in the figures, in a preferred embodiment, the intermediate layer 104 (FIG. 3B) may be disposed between the manifold layer 406 and the contact layer 402. The intermediate layer 104 (FIG. 3B) allows fluid to flow to designated contact layer hot spot areas in the contact layer 402. Further, preferably, the intermediate layer 104 (FIG. 3B) can be used to provide a uniform flow of fluid to the contact layer 402. Also, preferably, the intermediate layer 104 can be used to provide fluid to the contact layer hot spot region of the contact layer 402 to properly cool the hot spot and to equalize the temperature in the heat source that is the electronic device 99. . The inlet and outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 411, 412 are not necessarily required, but are preferably disposed on or near the hot spot of the heat source, which is the electronic device 99, in order to properly cool the hot spot. The

  FIG. 7A is an exploded view of another manifold layer 406 with another contact layer 102 in accordance with the present invention. Preferably, the contact layer 102 includes a continuous configuration of microchannel walls 110 as shown in FIG. 3B. In this configuration, generally speaking, as with the preferred manifold layer 106 shown in FIG. 3B, fluid flows into the manifold layer 406 via the fluid port 408 and travels through the flow path 414 to the fluid fingers 411. Head. The fluid flows into the opening of the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 and preferably flows along the length of the fluid finger 411 in the X-direction, as indicated by the arrows. Furthermore, the fluid flows down in the Z-direction to a contact layer 402 provided below the manifold layer 406. As shown in FIG. 7A, in the contact layer 402, the fluid flows along the bottom surface in the X and Y directions of the contact layer 402, and exchanges heat with the heat source that is the electronic device 99. The heated fluid preferably flows upwardly in the Z-direction through outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 412 and out of the contact layer 402, with the outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 412 extending in the X-direction. The heated fluid flows along the flow path 418 of the manifold layer 406. The fluid then flows along the flow path 418 and is discharged from the heat exchanger by flowing out of the port 409.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the contact layer comprises a series of grooves 416 disposed between a set of microchannels 410 by which fluid flows into and into the fluid fingers 411, 412. Flows out of 412. Specifically, the groove 416A is located directly below the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 of the other manifold layer 406 so that fluid entering the contact layer 402 is routed through the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411. It flows directly into the microchannel adjacent to the groove 416A. In this way, the groove 416A causes the fluid to flow directly from the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 to a specific designated flow path, as shown in FIG. Similarly, the contact layer 402 has a groove 416 </ b> B provided immediately below the outlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 412 in the Z direction. Thus, fluid that flows horizontally along the microchannel 410 toward the outlet channel flows horizontally to the groove 416B and perpendicularly to the outlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 412 above the groove 416B.

  FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger 400 that includes a manifold layer 406 and a contact layer 402. Specifically, FIG. 6A shows an inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 intercombined with an outlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 412 so that fluid flows to the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411. Down and up to the outlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 412. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6A, the fluid flows horizontally through the microchannels 410 disposed between the inlet and outlet channels and separated by the microchannels 410. Alternatively, the microchannel walls may be continuous without being separated by the grooves (FIG. 3B). As shown in FIG. 6A, the inlet and / or outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 411, 412 have a curved surface 420 at the end near the groove 416. This curved surface 420 causes fluid to flow down the fluid finger 411 toward the microchannel 410 adjacent to the fluid finger 411. In this manner, the fluid entering the contact layer 102 flows more easily toward the microchannel 410 than flowing directly into the groove 416A. Similarly, the outlet finger curved surface 420 corresponding to the fluid finger 412 directs fluid from the microchannel 410 to the outer fluid finger 412.

  In a variation, as shown in FIG. 7B, the contact layer 402 ′ may include an inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411 and an outlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 412 as described above with respect to the manifold layer 406 (FIGS. 8 and 9). Is provided. In a variation, fluid is supplied directly from the fluid port 408 'to the contact layer 402'. The fluid flows along the flow path 414 'toward the inlet finger corresponding to the fluid finger 411'. The fluid then traverses the set of microchannels 410 ', exchanges heat with a heat source (not shown), and flows into the outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 412'. The fluid then flows into the flow path 418 'along the outlet fingers corresponding to the fluid fingers 412' and is discharged from the contact layer 402 'via the port 409'. The fluid ports 408 ', 409' may be formed in the contact layer 402 'or may be formed in the manifold layer 406 (FIG. 7A).

  Note that although the heat exchanger according to the present invention is shown here to operate in all horizontal directions, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this heat exchanger may operate in the vertical direction. . When operating in the vertical direction, the heat exchanger is configured such that each inlet channel is located above an adjacent outlet channel. Thus, fluid enters the contact layer via the inlet channel and naturally flows into the outlet channel. Obviously, any other configuration of the manifold layer and contact layer may be used to operate the heat exchanger in the vertical direction.

  8A to 8C are plan views of other embodiments of the heat exchanger according to the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 8A is a plan view of another manifold layer 206 in accordance with the present invention. 8B and 8C are plan views of the intermediate layer 204 and the contact layer 202, respectively. Further, FIG. 9A shows a three-layer heat exchanger using another manifold layer 206, and FIG. 9B shows a two-layer heat exchanger using another manifold layer 206.

  As shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A, the manifold layer 206 includes a plurality of fluid ports 208 configured horizontally and vertically. Alternatively, the fluid port 208 may be disposed at an angle with respect to the manifold layer 206 or in any other direction. The fluid port 208 is disposed at a selected location within the manifold layer 206 to effectively provide fluid to a predetermined contact layer hot spot area of the heat exchanger 200. Multiple fluid ports 208 have the important advantage of being able to provide fluid directly from the fluid port to a particular contact layer hot spot area without causing a large pressure drop in the heat exchanger 200. Further, the fluid port 208 is disposed in the manifold layer 206 so that the fluid in the contact layer hot spot region can travel the shortest distance distance to the fluid port 208 so that the fluid is directed to the fluid port 208. Achieve temperature uniformity while maintaining minimal pressure drop between corresponding inlet and outlet ports. Further, the use of the manifold layer 206 can stabilize the two-phase flow in the heat exchanger 200 while providing an evenly uniform flow across the contact layer 202. In place of this, two or more manifold layers 206 are provided in the heat exchanger 200, and one manifold layer 206 circulates fluid to and from the heat exchanger 200, and the other manifold layer (see FIG. (Not shown) may control the rate of fluid circulation to the heat exchanger 200. Alternatively, all of the plurality of manifold layers 206 may circulate fluid to a corresponding selected contact layer hot spot area in the contact layer 202.

  The manifold layer 206 shown as a variation has a lateral dimension corresponding to the dimension of the contact layer 202. Furthermore, the manifold layer 206 has the same dimensions as the heat source that is the electronic device 99. Alternatively, the manifold layer 206 may be larger than the heat source that is the electronic device 99. The vertical dimension of the manifold layer 206 is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 10 mm. Further, the size of the aperture in the manifold layer 206 connected to the fluid port 208 may be in the range between 1 mm to the full width or full length of the heat source that is the electronic device 99.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger 200 having another manifold layer 206 according to the present invention with a part cut away. As shown in FIG. 11, the heat exchanger 200 is divided into individual regions based on the amount of heat generated along the body of the heat source that is the electronic device 99. These regions are separated by the vertical intermediate layer 204 and / or the microchannel wall structure 210 of the contact layer 202. However, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to the assembly shown in FIG. 11, and this assembly is shown for illustrative purposes only.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the heat source that is the electronic device 99 has a hot spot at position A and a warm spot at position B, and the hot spot at position A generates higher heat than the warm spot at position B. . It is obvious that the heat source that is the electronic device 99 may have two or more hot spots and warm spots at any time and at any position. In this specific example, the position A is a hot spot, and from the position A, more heat is transported to the contact layer 202 on the position A (shown as the contact layer hot spot area A in FIG. 11). Thus, the heat exchanger 200 provides more fluid and / or a higher flow rate fluid to the contact layer hot spot region A in order to properly cool position A. In this specific example, the contact layer hot spot region B is shown larger than the contact layer hot spot region A, but the contact layer hot spot regions A and B in the heat exchanger 200 and all other contact layer hot spots are shown. It will be appreciated that the spot area may have any size and / or may have any relative configuration.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11, fluid enters the heat exchanger via inlet port 208A and flows into the contact layer hot spot region A by flowing along the intermediate layer 204 to the inflow conduit 205A. Also good. Next, the fluid flows down the inflow conduit 205 </ b> A in the Z-direction and reaches the contact layer hot spot region A of the contact layer 202. The fluid flows between the microchannels 210 </ b> A so that heat from location A is transported to the fluid by heat conduction through the contact layer 202. The heated fluid flows along the contact layer 202 in the contact layer hot spot area A toward the outlet port 209A and is discharged from the heat exchanger 200. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that an inlet port corresponding to any number of fluid ports 208 and an outlet port corresponding to fluid ports 209 may be used for a particular contact layer hot spot region or set of contact layer hot spot regions. It is. Further, the outlet port 209A is disposed near the contact layer 202A, but instead the outlet port 209A is not limited to the following, for example, any other location such as the outlet port 209B. You may provide in arrangement | positioning perpendicular | vertical to.

  In the specific example shown in FIG. 11, the heat source that is the electronic device 99 has a warm spot at the position B that generates heat lower than the position A of the heat source that is the electronic device 99. The fluid that flows in through the outlet port 208B is supplied to the contact layer hot spot region B by flowing into the outflow conduit 205B along the intermediate layer 204B. Next, the fluid flows down the outflow conduit 205 </ b> B in the Z− direction and reaches the contact layer hot spot region B of the contact layer 202. The fluid flows between the microchannels 210A in the X and Y directions, so that heat from location B is transported to the fluid by heat conduction through the contact layer 202. The heated fluid flows up the outlet port 209B in the Z direction along the entire contact layer 202B in the contact layer hot spot region B via the outlet conduit 205B of the intermediate layer 204 and is discharged from the heat exchanger 200. The

  Instead, as shown in FIG. 9A, the heat exchanger 200 may include a vapor permeable membrane 214 disposed on the contact layer 202. The vapor permeable membrane 214 is in sealing contact with the inner wall of the heat exchanger 200. The vapor permeable membrane 214 has several small apertures, and vapor generated along the contact layer 202 flows into the outlet port 209 via the apertures. Further, the vapor permeable membrane 214 is configured to have hydrophobicity, whereby the vapor permeable membrane 214 prevents the liquid flowing along the contact layer 202 from passing through the aperture. For other details of the vapor permeable membrane 114, see also co-pending US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 366,128, filed Feb. 12, 2003, entitled “Vapor-permeable microchannel heat. "VAPOR ESCAPE MICROCHANNEL HEAT EXCHANGER", which is incorporated herein by reference.

  The microchannel heat exchanger according to the present invention may have a configuration different from the above-described configuration. For example, the heat exchanger may include a manifold layer that minimizes the pressure drop in the heat exchanger by having individually sealed inlet and outlet apertures leading to the contact layer. In this case, the fluid flows directly into the contact layer via the inlet aperture and exchanges heat with the contact layer. Fluid exits the contact layer via an outlet aperture disposed adjacent to the inlet aperture. This perforated configuration of the manifold layer can minimize the distance that the fluid flows between the inlet and outlet ports and maximize the flow split across several apertures leading to the contact layer.

  Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing and assembling the individual layers of the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 and the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 will be described. In the following, for the sake of brevity, preferred and alternative heat exchangers according to the present invention will be described using the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 of FIG. 3B and its individual layers. Also, in the following, assembly / manufacturing details will be described in connection with the present invention, including details of one fluid inlet port and one fluid outlet port as shown in FIGS. 1A-1C. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention applies equally well to two- and three-layer heat exchangers using and to conventional heat exchangers.

  The contact layer 102 preferably has a coefficient of thermal expansion (hereinafter referred to as CTE) that is equal to or close to a heat source that is the electronic device 99. Thereby, the contact layer 102 preferably expands and contracts similarly according to expansion and contraction of the heat source which is the electronic device 99. Alternatively, the material of the contact layer 102 may have a CTE different from the CTE of the material of the heat source that is the electronic device 99. The contact layer 102 made from a material such as silicon has a CTE corresponding to the CTE of the heat source that is the electronic device 99 and sufficient heat to properly transport heat from the heat source that is the electronic device 99 to the fluid. It has conductivity. However, instead of this, the contact layer 102 may be formed using another material having a CTE that matches the CTE of the heat source that is the electronic device 99.

  The contact layer 102 of the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 provides sufficient heat conduction between the heat source that is the electronic device 99 and the fluid that flows along the contact layer 102 so that the heat source that is the electronic device 99 does not overheat. It is preferable to have a high thermal conductivity that realizes. The contact layer 102 is preferably formed from a material having a high thermal conductivity of about 100 W / m-K. However, the thermal conductivity of the contact layer 102 may be 100 W / m-K or higher and is not limited to this value, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  In order to achieve a suitable high thermal conductivity, the contact layer 102 is preferably formed from a semiconductor substrate such as silicon. Alternatively, the contact layer may be, but is not limited to, single crystal dielectric material, metal, aluminum, nickel copper, Kovar ™, graphite, diamond, composites thereof and any suitable It may be made from any other material including alloys. Other materials for the contact layer 102 include patterned or molded organic mesh.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the contact layer 102 is preferably coated with a coating material layer 112 to protect the material of the contact layer 102 and to improve the heat exchange properties of the contact layer 102. Specifically, the coating material layer 112 provides chemical protection that prevents chemical interaction between the fluid and the contact layer 102. For example, the contact layer 102 formed from aluminum is scraped by the fluid that contacts it, and the contact layer 102 may deteriorate over time. Here, by electroplating the surface of the contact layer 102 with a coating material layer 112 of about 25 μm nickel thin film, any chemical potential reaction is prevented without significantly changing the thermal properties of the contact layer 102. can do. Obviously, any other coating material having an appropriate layer thickness may be used depending on the material of the contact layer 102.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 12, a coating material layer 112 may be applied to the contact layer 102 in order to improve the thermal conductivity of the contact layer 102 and perform sufficient heat exchange with a heat source that is the electronic device 99. . For example, a contact layer 102 having a metal base coated with plastic can be thermally reinforced by providing a coating material layer 112 made of nickel on the plastic. The nickel coating material layer 112 may be formed to a thickness of at least 25 μm depending on the dimensions of the contact layer 102 and the heat source of the electronic device 99. Obviously, any other coating material having an appropriate layer thickness may be used depending on the material of the contact layer 102. Instead of this, a coating material layer 112 may be further provided on a material that already has high thermal conductivity characteristics to improve the thermal conductivity of the material. The coating material layer 112 may preferably be applied to the bottom surface 103 as well as the microchannel wall 110 of the contact layer 102 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the coating material layer 112 may be applied to only one of the bottom surface 103 and the microchannel wall 110. The coating material layer 112 is preferably made of a metal such as nickel and aluminum, although not limited to the following. However, instead of this, the coating material layer 112 may be formed of any other thermally conductive material.

  The contact layer 102 is preferably formed by etching a copper material coated with a nickel thin film to protect the contact layer 102. Alternatively, the contact layer 102 may be formed from aluminum, a silicon substrate, plastic, or any other suitable material. In addition, the contact layer 102 formed of a material having low thermal conductivity may be coated with an appropriate coating material in order to improve the thermal conductivity of the contact layer 102. One approach to electroforming the contact layer is to apply a seed layer of chromium or other suitable material along the bottom surface 103 of the contact layer 102 and apply an appropriate voltage electrical connection to the seed layer. . By this electrical connection, a layer of a thermally conductive coating material layer 112 is formed on the contact layer 102. Also, various structures in the range of 10 to 100 μm can be formed by electroforming. The contact layer 102 can be formed by electrocasting such as patterned electroplating. Further alternatively, the contact layer may be formed by photochemical etching or chemical cutting alone or in combination with electroforming. The structure in the contact layer 102 may be machined using a standard lithographic set for chemical cutting. Further, by using a laser-assisted chemical cutting process, the aspect ratio can be changed and the tolerance accuracy can be increased.

  The microchannel wall 110 is preferably formed from silicon. Alternatively, the microchannel wall 110 may be formed of any other material including, but not limited to, patterned glass, polymer, and molded polymer mesh. The microchannel wall 110 is preferably formed from the same material as the material of the bottom surface 103 of the contact layer 102, but instead the microchannel wall 110 is made of a material different from the material of other parts of the contact layer 102. It may be formed.

  Preferably, the microchannel wall 110 has a thermal conductivity characteristic of at least 10 W / m-K. Alternatively, the microchannel wall 110 may have a thermal conductivity characteristic greater than 10 W / m-K. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the microchannel wall 110 may alternatively have a thermal conductivity characteristic of less than 10 W / m-K, in which case, as shown in FIG. In order to improve the thermal conductivity of the wall 110, a coating material layer 112 may be applied to the microchannel wall 110. In addition, a coating material layer 112 having a thickness of at least 25 μm that protects the surface of the microchannel wall 110 may be applied to the microchannel wall 110 that is already formed of a material having high thermal conductivity. For the microchannel wall 110 formed from a low-rate material, a coating material layer 112 having a thermal conductivity of at least 50 W / m-K and a thickness of 25 μm or more may be applied. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other types and thicknesses of coating materials may be used.

  In order to form a microchannel wall 110 having a suitable thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K, the microchannel wall 110 may be formed, for example, by a coating material layer 112 (FIG. 12) of nickel or other metal as described above. Electroformed. Also, to form a microchannel wall 110 having a suitable thermal conductivity of at least 50 W / m-K, the microchannel wall 110 is formed by electroplating copper on a thin film metal film seed layer. . Alternatively, the microchannel wall 110 may not be coated with a coating material. Note that the thermal conductivity characteristics of the microchannel wall 110 and the coating material layer 112 are also applied to the pillar 203 (FIG. 10) and the appropriate coating on the pillar 203, if appropriate.

  The microchannel wall 110 is preferably formed by a thermal embossing method, thereby realizing a high aspect ratio of the microchannel wall 110 along the bottom surface 103 of the contact layer 102. Alternatively, the microchannel wall 110 may be formed as a silicon structure deposited on the glass surface, which is etched to the desired configuration on the glass. Alternatively, the microchannel wall 110 may be formed by standard lithographic methods, stamping or casting methods, or any other suitable technique. The microchannel wall 110 may be formed separately from the contact layer 102 and connected to the contact layer 102 by anodic bonding or epoxy resin bonding. Alternatively, the microchannel wall 110 may be coupled to the contact layer 102 by conventional electroforming techniques such as electroplating.

  The intermediate layer 104 can be formed using various methods. The intermediate layer is preferably formed of silicon. The intermediate layer may also be any other material including, but not limited to, glass or laser patterned glass, polymer, metal, glass, plastic, molded organic material, or composites thereof. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that suitable materials may be used. Preferably, the intermediate layer 104 is formed using a plasma etching technique. Alternatively, the intermediate layer 104 may be formed using a chemical etching method. As another method, the metal may be formed into a desired configuration by machining, etching, extrusion, and / or forging. Alternatively, the intermediate layer 104 may be formed in a desired configuration by injection molding of a plastic mesh. Alternatively, the intermediate layer 104 may be formed in a desired configuration by laser drilling on a glass plate.

  The manifold layer 106 can be created by various techniques. Manifold layer 106 is formed by an injection molding process using plastic, metal, polymer composite or any other suitable material, where each layer is preferably formed from the same material. Alternatively, as described above, each layer may be formed from different materials. The manifold layer 106 may be formed using a metal processing technique such as machining or etching. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the manifold layer 106 may be formed by any other suitable technique.

  The intermediate layer 104 is coupled to the contact layer 102 and the manifold layer 106 in various ways, thereby forming the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100. Contact layer 102, intermediate layer 104, and manifold layer 106 are preferably connected to each other by anodic bonding, adhesive or eutectic bonding, or the like. Alternatively, the intermediate layer 104 may be integrally formed in the structure of the manifold layer 106 and the contact layer 102. The intermediate layer 104 may be coupled to the contact layer 102 by a chemical bonding process. Alternatively, the intermediate layer 104 may be formed by thermal embossing or soft lithography techniques, where the intermediate layer 104 may be stamped using a wire electrical discharge machine EDM or a silicon master. Further, if necessary, the intermediate layer 104 may be electroplated with a metal or other suitable material to improve the thermal conductivity of the intermediate layer 104.

  Alternatively, the intermediate layer 104 may be formed simultaneously with the creation of the microchannel wall 110 in the contact layer 102 by injection molding. Alternatively, the intermediate layer 104 may be formed with the creation of the microchannel wall 110 by any other suitable technique. Other techniques for forming the heat exchanger include, but are not limited to, soldering, fusion, eutectic bonding, intermetallic bonding, and the type of material used in each layer. Any other suitable technique may be used.

  FIG. 13 shows another manufacturing method of the heat exchanger according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 13, another manufacturing method of the heat exchanger includes a process (step 500) of manufacturing a hard mask formed from a silicon substrate as a contact layer. The hard mask is formed from silicon oxide or spin-on glass. Once the hard mask is formed, a plurality of under-channels are formed in the hard mask. These underchannels form a flow path between the microchannel walls 110 (step 502). The under channel may be formed by any suitable method such as, but not limited to, HF etching technology, chemical cutting, soft lithography, xenon difluoride etching, and the like. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide a sufficient space between the under channels so that adjacent under channels are not bridged with each other. Next, using some known technique, spin-on glass is provided on the upper surface of the hard mask to form an intermediate and a manifold layer (step 504). Subsequently, the intermediate layer and the manifold layer are strengthened by a curing method (step 506). After the intermediate layer and the manifold layer are fully formed and reinforced, one or more fluid ports are formed in the reinforced layer (step 508). The fluid port is formed by etching or drilling the manifold layer. While specific techniques for creating the contact layer 102, intermediate layer 104, and manifold layer 106 have been described above, the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 may be manufactured using other techniques known in the art. Good.

  A modification of the heat exchanger according to the present invention is shown in FIG. In the modification shown in FIG. 14, two heat exchangers 200 and 200 ′ are connected to a heat source that is one electronic device 99. Specifically, a heat source that is an electronic device 99 such as an electronic device is connected to the circuit board 96 and arranged vertically, and both surfaces of the heat source that is the electronic device 99 are necessarily exposed to the outside. The heat exchangers 200 and 200 ′ according to the present invention are respectively connected to the exposed surface of the heat source that is the electronic device 99, and the heat exchangers 200 and 200 ′ allow the cooling efficiency of the heat source that is the electronic device 99 to be improved. Maximized. Alternatively, if the heat source is connected horizontally to the circuit board, two or more heat exchangers (not shown) are stacked on the heat source, which is the electronic device 99, and each heat exchanger is connected to the electronic device 99. The heat source may be electrically connected. Additional details regarding this embodiment can be found in co-pending US patent application Ser. No. 10 / 072,137 filed Feb. 7, 2002, entitled “POWER CONDITIONING MODULE”. Which is hereby incorporated by reference.

  In the example shown in FIG. 14, the heat exchanger 200 having two layers is connected to the left side of the heat source that is the electronic device 99, and the heat exchanger 200 ′ having three layers is connected to the right side of the heat source that is the electronic device 99. It is connected. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a suitable or alternative heat exchanger may be coupled to any face of the heat source that is the electronic device 99. Further, as a modification, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that another heat exchanger 200 ′ may be connected to both surfaces of the heat source that is the electronic device 99. In the modification shown in FIG. By supplying the fluid to cool the hot spots that exist along the thickness of the heat source, the hot spots of the heat source that is the electronic device 99 can be cooled more accurately. That is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, by performing heat exchange on both surfaces of the heat source that is the electronic device 99, the hot spot can be appropriately cooled at the center of the heat source that is the electronic device 99. In addition, in embodiment shown in FIG. 14, although the circulation type cooling device 30 of FIG. 2A and 2B is used, it is clear to those skilled in the art that other circulation systems may be used.

  As described above, the heat source that is the electronic device 99 may change the position of one or more hot spots due to different tasks that need to be performed in the heat source that is the electronic device 99. In order to properly cool the heat source, which is the electronic device 99, the circulating cooling device 30 (FIGS. 2A and 2B) is configured to change the fluid entering the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100 in response to a change in the position of the hot spot. A sensing and control module 34 is provided that dynamically changes the flow rate and / or flow rate.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14, one or more sensors 124 are disposed in each contact layer hot spot region in the heat exchanger 200 and / or in each potential hot spot location of the heat source that is the electronic device 99. To do. Alternatively, a plurality of sensors may be equally arranged between the heat source and the heat exchanger and / or in the heat exchanger itself. The control module 34 (FIGS. 2A and 2B) may also be coupled to one or more valves in the circulating cooling device 30 that controls the flow of fluid to the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100. In this embodiment, these one or more valves are disposed within the fluid line, but may alternatively be disposed at any other location. The plurality of sensors 124 are coupled to the control module 34, which is preferably disposed on the upstream side of the fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger 100, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the control module 34 may be arranged at any other position in the circulation type cooling device 30.

  The sensor 124 is not limited to the following, for example, the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the contact layer hot spot region, the temperature of the hot spot region of the heat source that is the contact layer 102 and / or the electronic device 99, the temperature of the fluid, and the like. Is provided to the control module 34. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the sensor 124 disposed on the contact layer has a higher temperature in a specific contact layer hot spot area of the heat exchanger 200, and the specific contact layer of the heat exchanger 200 ′. Information indicating that the temperature of the hot spot area is low is provided to the control module 34. In response, the control module 34 increases the flow rate of fluid to the heat exchanger 200 and decreases the flow rate of fluid to the heat exchanger 200 '. Instead, the control module 34 changes the flow rate of the fluid to one or more contact layer hot spot areas in the one or more heat exchangers in response to information received from the sensor that is the finger 118. Also good. In the specific example shown in FIG. 14, the sensor as the finger 118 is connected to the two heat exchangers 200 and 200 ′. Instead, the sensor as the finger 118 is connected to only one heat exchanger. Obviously it may be.

  The invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments, including various details, in order to provide a clear explanation of the structure and operating principles of the invention. Such reference herein to specific embodiments and details thereof is not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the exemplary selected embodiments can be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

It is a side view of the conventional heat exchanger. It is a top view of the conventional heat exchanger. It is a side view of the conventional multilevel heat exchanger. 1 is a schematic diagram of a circulating cooling device incorporating a preferred embodiment of a flexible fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a circulating cooling device incorporating a variation of a flexible fluid transport microchannel heat exchanger according to the present invention. It is a top view of the modification of the manifold layer of the heat exchanger based on this invention. 1 is an exploded view of a preferred heat exchanger having a preferred manifold layer according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred interdigitated manifold layer according to the present invention. 1 is a plan view of a contact layer and a suitable interdigitated manifold layer according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view along line AA of a contact layer according to the present invention and a suitable interdigitated manifold layer. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line BB of a contact layer and a suitable interdigitated manifold layer according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line CC of a contact layer according to the present invention and a suitable interdigitated manifold layer. 1 is an exploded view of a contact layer and a suitable interdigitated manifold layer according to the present invention. FIG. It is a perspective view of the modification of the contact layer based on this invention. It is a top view of the modification of the manifold layer based on this invention. 1 is a plan view of a contact layer according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a contact layer according to the present invention. FIG. It is a side view of the modification of the three-layer type heat exchanger based on this invention. It is a side view of the modification of the two-layer heat exchanger based on this invention. 1 is a perspective view of a contact layer having a micro pin array according to the present invention. FIG. It is a partially notched perspective view of the modification of the heat exchanger based on this invention. 1 is a side view of a contact layer of a heat exchanger according to the present invention to which a coating material is applied. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacture procedure of the heat exchanger based on this invention. It is a figure which shows other embodiment of this invention which connects two heat exchangers to a heat source.

Claims (93)

a. A contact layer coupled to the heat source and configured to cool the heat source by flowing a fluid and having a thickness in the range of 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm;
b. A first set of fingers configured to reduce pressure drop in the heat exchanger and a second set of fingers disposed parallel to the first set of fingers, the contact layer having And a manifold layer for circulating a fluid from the heat exchanger.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is in a single-phase flow state.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the fluid is in a two-phase flow state.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the fluid transitions between a single laminar flow state and a two-phase flow state in the contact layer.   The first set of specific fingers is spaced from the second set of specific fingers by an appropriate dimension to minimize pressure drop in the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger according to claim 1.   2. A heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein each finger has the same length and width.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the fingers has a size different from that of the other fingers.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of fingers are irregularly arranged in at least one dimension of the manifold layer.   The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of fingers has at least one variable dimension along a length of the manifold layer.   The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the manifold layer has more than three and fewer than ten parallel fingers.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the first set and the second set of fingers are alternately arranged along one dimension of the manifold layer.   The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the manifold layer is configured to cool at least one contact layer hot spot region.   The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one first port connected to the first set of fingers, wherein the fluid enters the heat exchanger via the at least one first port. The heat exchanger according to 1.   And further comprising at least one second port connected to the second set of fingers, wherein the fluid is exhausted from the heat exchanger via the at least one second port. The heat exchanger according to claim 13.   The manifold layer is disposed on the contact layer, and the fluid flows downward through the first set of fingers and flows upward through the second set of fingers. The heat exchanger according to claim 1.   14. A first port flow path connected to the first set of first ports and fingers and configured to flow fluid from the first port to the first set of fingers. The described heat exchanger.   17. A second port flow path connected to the second set of second ports and fingers and configured to flow fluid from the second set of fingers to the second port. The described heat exchanger.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the contact layer is formed integrally with the heat source.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the contact layer is connected to the heat source.   The heat exchange of claim 1, further comprising an intermediate layer disposed between the contact layer and the manifold layer and for flowing fluid to / from one or more predetermined locations in the contact layer via at least one conduit. vessel.   The heat exchanger according to claim 20, wherein the intermediate layer is connected to the contact layer and the manifold layer.   The heat exchanger according to claim 20, wherein the intermediate layer is formed integrally with the contact layer and the manifold layer.   The heat exchanger of claim 20, wherein at least one of the conduits has at least one variable dimension along the intermediate layer.   The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the contact layer comprises a coating that provides a suitable thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the contact layer has a thermal conductivity of at least 100 W / m-K.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of pillars configured in a predetermined pattern along the contact layer. It said plurality of at least one of the pillar, (10 [mu] m) ² or (100 [mu] m) The heat exchanger of claim 26 characterized by having an area dimension in the range of ² or less.   27. The heat exchanger according to claim 26, wherein at least one of the plurality of pillars has a height dimension in a range of 50 [mu] m to 2 mm.   27. The heat exchanger according to claim 26, wherein the at least two of the plurality of pillars are spaced apart from each other with a spacing dimension within a range of 10 μm to 150 μm.   27. The heat exchanger of claim 26, wherein the plurality of pillars comprise a coating having a suitable thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the contact layer has a roughened surface.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the contact layer has a microporous structure on a surface thereof.   The heat exchanger according to claim 32, wherein the microporous structure has a porosity in the range of 50 percent to 80 percent.   The heat exchanger according to claim 32, wherein an average pore size of the microporous structure is in a range of 10 µm to 200 µm.   The heat exchanger according to claim 32, wherein the microporous structure has a height dimension in a range of 0.25 mm to 2.00 mm.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of microchannels configured in a predetermined pattern along the contact layer. It said plurality of at least one of the microchannels, (10 [mu] m) ² or (100 [mu] m) The heat exchanger of claim 36 characterized by having an area dimension in the range of ² or less.   37. The heat exchanger according to claim 36, wherein at least one of the plurality of microchannels has a height dimension in a range of 50 [mu] m to 2 mm.   37. The heat exchanger according to claim 36, wherein the at least two of the plurality of microchannels are spaced apart from each other with a spacing dimension in the range of 10 μm to 150 μm.   37. The heat exchanger according to claim 36, wherein at least one of the plurality of microchannels has a width dimension in the range of 10 [mu] m to 100 [mu] m.   The heat exchanger according to claim 36, wherein the plurality of microchannels are connected to the contact layer.   37. The heat exchanger according to claim 36, wherein the plurality of microchannels are formed integrally with the contact layer.   37. The heat exchanger according to claim 36, wherein the plurality of microchannels are divided into segment arrays in which at least one groove aligned with a corresponding finger is disposed.   37. The heat exchanger of claim 36, wherein the plurality of microchannels comprises a coating having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger has an overhanging dimension in a range of 0 mm or more and 15 mm or less. In the heat exchanger that cools the heat source,
a. A first set of fingers having a first configuration in which each finger flows a fluid at a first temperature and a second configuration in which each finger flows a fluid at a second temperature, arranged in parallel to each other. A manifold layer including a second set of fingers;
b. The fluid at the first temperature at a plurality of first positions having a thickness in the range of 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm, each associated with a corresponding finger in the first set. And a contact layer that receives and flows fluid along a plurality of predetermined flow paths to a plurality of second locations, each of which is associated with a corresponding finger in the second set.   The heat exchanger according to claim 46, wherein the fluid is in a single-phase flow state.   The heat exchanger according to claim 46, wherein the fluid is in a two-phase flow state.   The heat exchanger according to claim 46, wherein at least a part of the fluid transitions between a single laminar flow state and a two-phase flow state in the contact layer.   The first set of specific fingers are spaced apart from the second set of specific fingers by an appropriate dimension to minimize the pressure drop in the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger according to claim 46.   The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one first port connected to the first set of fingers, wherein the fluid enters the heat exchanger via the at least one first port. 46. A heat exchanger according to 46.   And further comprising at least one second port connected to the second set of fingers, wherein the fluid is exhausted from the heat exchanger via the at least one second port. 52. A heat exchanger according to claim 51.   The manifold layer is disposed on the contact layer, and the fluid flows downward through the first set of fingers and flows upward through the second set of fingers. The heat exchanger according to claim 46.   The heat exchanger according to claim 46, wherein the contact layer is formed integrally with the heat source.   The heat exchanger according to claim 46, wherein the contact layer is connected to the heat source.   47. The heat exchanger of claim 46, wherein the first set of fingers are alternately disposed with the second set of fingers.   The heat exchanger of claim 46, wherein each finger has the same length and width dimensions.   The heat exchanger of claim 46, wherein at least one of the fingers has a different size than the other fingers.   The heat exchanger of claim 46, wherein the plurality of fingers are irregularly arranged in at least one dimension of the manifold layer.   The heat exchanger of claim 46, wherein at least one of the plurality of fingers has at least one variable dimension along the length of the manifold layer.   The heat exchanger of claim 46, wherein the manifold layer has more than 3 and less than 10 parallel fingers.   53. A first port flow path connected to the first set of first ports and fingers and configured to flow fluid from the first port to the first set of fingers. The described heat exchanger.   63. A second port flow path connected to the second set of second ports and fingers and configured to flow fluid from the second set of fingers to the second port. The described heat exchanger.   47. The heat exchange of claim 46, further comprising an intermediate layer disposed between the contact layer and the manifold layer and flowing fluid to / from one or more predetermined locations within the contact layer via at least one conduit. vessel.   65. The heat exchanger of claim 64, wherein the conduit is arranged in a predetermined configuration to allow fluid to flow to one or more contact layer hot spot areas in the contact layer.   65. The heat exchanger of claim 64, wherein the conduit is arranged in a predetermined configuration to allow fluid to flow from one or more contact layer hotspot regions within the contact layer.   The heat exchanger of claim 64, wherein the intermediate layer is connected to the contact layer and the manifold layer.   The heat exchanger according to claim 64, wherein the intermediate layer is formed integrally with the contact layer and the manifold layer.   The heat exchanger of claim 64, wherein the conduit has at least one variable dimension in the intermediate layer.   49. The heat exchanger of claim 46, wherein the contact layer comprises a coating that provides a suitable thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K.   The heat exchanger of claim 46, wherein the contact layer has a thermal conductivity of at least 100 W / m-K.   The heat exchanger according to claim 46, further comprising a plurality of pillars configured in a predetermined pattern along the contact layer. It said plurality of at least one of the pillar, (10 [mu] m) ² or (100 [mu] m) The heat exchanger of claim 72, wherein the having an area dimension in the range of ² or less.   The heat exchanger according to claim 72, wherein at least one of the plurality of pillars has a height dimension in a range of 50 µm to 2 mm.   The heat exchanger according to claim 72, wherein the at least two of the plurality of pillars are spaced apart from each other with a spacing dimension in the range of 10 µm to 150 µm.   73. The heat exchanger of claim 72, wherein the plurality of pillars comprise a coating having a suitable thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K.   47. A heat exchanger according to claim 46, wherein the contact layer has a roughened surface.   The heat exchanger according to claim 46, wherein the contact layer has a microporous structure on a surface.   The heat exchanger according to claim 78, wherein the microporous structure has a porosity in a range of 50 percent to 80 percent.   79. The heat exchanger according to claim 78, wherein an average pore size of the microporous structure is in a range of 10 [mu] m to 200 [mu] m.   79. The heat exchanger according to claim 78, wherein the microporous structure has a height dimension within a range of 0.25 mm or more and 2.00 mm or less.   47. The heat exchanger of claim 46, further comprising a plurality of microchannels configured in a predetermined pattern along the contact layer. It said plurality of at least one of the microchannels, (10 [mu] m) ² or (100 [mu] m) The heat exchanger of claim 82, wherein the having an area dimension in the range of ² or less.   83. The heat exchanger according to claim 82, wherein at least one of the plurality of microchannels has a height dimension within a range of 50 [mu] m to 2 mm.   83. The heat exchanger according to claim 82, wherein the at least two of the plurality of microchannels are spaced apart from each other with a spacing dimension in the range of 10 μm to 150 μm.   83. The heat exchanger according to claim 82, wherein at least one of the plurality of microchannels has a width dimension in a range of 10 [mu] m to 100 [mu] m.   83. The heat exchanger of claim 82, wherein the microchannel is connected to the contact layer.   The heat exchanger according to claim 82, wherein the microchannel is formed integrally with the contact layer.   The heat exchanger of claim 82, wherein the plurality of microchannels are divided into segments with at least one groove disposed therebetween.   83. The heat exchanger of claim 82, wherein the microchannel is continuous along one dimension of the contact layer.   90. The heat exchanger of claim 89, wherein the at least one groove is aligned with a corresponding finger.   83. The heat exchanger of claim 82, wherein the plurality of microchannels comprises a coating having a thermal conductivity of at least 10 W / m-K.   The heat exchanger according to claim 46, wherein the heat exchanger has an overhang dimension in a range of 0 mm or more and 15 mm or less.

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