WO2021242034A1 - Cooling structure using phase change material - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile cooling structure using a phase change material. The mobile cooling structure comprises: a support structure including a plurality of unit accommodation frames; a plurality of phase change blocks which are inserted into the plurality of unit accommodation frames, respectively, and absorb the internal heat of a target space through a phase change from the solid state to the liquid state; a plurality of cooling fans which are mounted to the plurality of unit accommodation frames, respectively, and cool the plurality of phase change blocks; and a battery which is disposed in an area of the support structure and provides power for driving the plurality of cooling fans.

Description

Cooling structure using phase change material

The present invention relates to a cooling structure, and more particularly, to a cooling structure using a phase change material.

The cooling system is divided into an active cooling system that requires power and a passive cooling system that does not require power. After the Fukushima nuclear accident, interest in passive cooling systems has been increasing.

Some facilities, such as nuclear power plants, require continuous thermal management even after shutdown in emergency situations. Among facilities requiring such thermal management, if there are devices that generate a lot of heat, such as a server room, a cooling device that can cool them is required.

However, when it is necessary to supply power with a limited capacity, such as an emergency generator or a battery, operating a device that consumes a lot of power, such as a cooling device, reduces the use time of important computing equipment. Moreover, if there is a problem with the active cooling device, it cannot cool the heat of the computing equipment, making it difficult to use even the computer equipment. Accordingly, there is a need for a passive cooling system for a space in which devices generating a lot of heat exist.

In facilities with high safety requirements, such as nuclear power plants, cooling of important facilities such as server rooms is essential even in an accident situation. A passive cooling system that operates even in a power outage is required to further increase safety than the existing active cooling system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to solve the above and other problems. Another object of the present invention is to provide a fixed cooling structure using a phase change material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a movable cooling structure using a phase change material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cooling structure capable of maintaining the temperature of a target space at an appropriate level for a certain period of time even in the absence of external power supply by using a phase change material.

According to an aspect of the present invention in order to achieve the above or other objects, the heat insulating material layer is attached to the wall or ceiling of the target space to block incoming heat from the outside; a phase change material layer attached to one side of the insulating material layer and absorbing internal heat of the target space through a phase change from a solid state to a liquid state; and a heat transfer structure layer attached to one side of the phase change material layer and transferring internal heat of the target space to the phase change material layer.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a support structure including a plurality of unit accommodation frames; a plurality of phase change blocks inserted into each of the plurality of unit accommodation frames and configured to absorb internal heat of the target space through a phase change from a solid state to a liquid state; a plurality of cooling fans mounted on each of the plurality of unit accommodation frames to cool the plurality of phase change blocks; and a battery disposed in an area of the support structure to provide power for driving the plurality of cooling fans.

The effect of the cooling structure according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described as follows.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, when electricity is cut off due to an accident occurring in an important facility such as a nuclear power plant, the temperature of the target space is maintained at an appropriate level using a phase change material, thereby reducing the supply of external emergency power. It has the advantage of being able to prevent overheating of the computer equipment existing in the space in advance even in the absence of it.

However, the effects that can be achieved by the cooling structure according to the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned above are based on common knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below. It will be clearly understood by those who have it.

1 is a view showing the structure of a fixed cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a view showing the structure of a fixed cooling structure according to another embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a view showing the structure of a fixed cooling structure according to another embodiment of the present invention;

4A and 4B are views showing the structure of a movable cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are assigned the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, in the description of the embodiment according to the present invention, each layer (film), region, pattern or structure is “above/on” or “below” the substrate, each layer (film), region, pad or patterns. In the case of being described as being formed on "under", "on" and "under" mean "directly" or "indirectly through another layer." “Including all that is formed. In addition, the criteria for the upper / upper or lower / lower of each layer will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the thickness or size of each layer is exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated for convenience and clarity of description. In addition, the size of each component does not fully reflect the actual size.

In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, and the technical spirit disclosed herein is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention , should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

The present invention proposes a stationary cooling structure using a phase change material (PCM). In addition, the present invention proposes a mobile cooling structure using a phase change material (PCM). In addition, the present invention proposes a cooling structure capable of maintaining the temperature of a target space at an appropriate level for a certain period of time even in the absence of external power supply by using a phase change material.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a view showing the structure of a fixed cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the fixed cooling structure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a heat insulating material layer 110 , a phase change material layer 120 , and a heat transfer structure layer 130 .

The insulating material layer 110 may be installed on the wall surface 10 of the target space (eg, a room) to be cooled, and may serve to block heat continuously coming from the outside through the wall surface 10 .

The insulating material layer 110 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the wall surface of the target space. For example, the insulating material layer 110 may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape or a plate shape having a predetermined thickness.

The phase change material layer 120 may be disposed between the heat insulating material layer 110 and the heat transfer structure layer 130 to serve as a heat sink for absorbing internal heat of the target space to be cooled. have. To this end, the phase change material layer 120 may include a phase change material for absorbing heat and a housing (or packaging) for accommodating the phase change material.

The housing may have an interior space for accommodating the phase change material. The housing may be formed of a metal or plastic material having excellent heat transfer efficiency, but is not limited thereto. The housing serves to prevent the material from flowing down to the floor of the target space when the phase change material is changed from a solid state to a liquid state.

The phase change material absorbs heat in a state in which temperature rise is minimized during phase change. That is, the phase change material maintains a solid state in a normal situation, and maintains a low internal temperature of the target space while a phase change occurs in an emergency situation (ie, a power-off situation). As the phase change material, a material having a melting point lower than a limit temperature (ie, a preset maximum temperature) of the target space may be selected. For example, as the phase change material, water (H ₂ O) or a paraffin-based material may be used, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

When the internal temperature of the target space rises because the active cooling system of an important facility such as a nuclear power plant does not operate properly, the phase change material absorbs heat of the target space through the heat transfer structure layer 130 . When the temperature of the phase-change material rises and reaches the melting point, the phase change of the material occurs, and accordingly, the internal heat of the target space is removed while the temperature increase of the material is minimized.

Since most of the phase change materials are compounds, the temperature is not kept constant during the phase change, but the specific heat at the melting point is very high and the temperature rise is very slow. Therefore, if the phase change material is used as a passive cooling system, there is an advantage in that the temperature of the target space can be maintained for a certain period of time. In addition, the passive cooling system using the phase change material has the advantage that it does not require any power use or requires only a minimum amount of power to control the air flow. Accordingly, the phase change material can be applied to the target space that needs cooling for a certain period of time in a state in which power is cut off.

In addition, when the phase change of the phase change material, the difference in density between the solid state and the liquid state is not large, so if there is a small amount of free space in the housing, the material can be continuously stored in the inner space of the housing even after the phase change. Management is convenient.

The heat transfer structure layer 130 may be installed on one side of the phase change material layer 120 to absorb internal heat of the target space to be cooled and transfer it to the phase change material layer 120 . . In this case, the heat transfer structure layer 130 may be formed of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity, such as copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al).

The heat transfer structure layer 130 may be formed to have a shape for improving heat transfer efficiency. For example, the heat transfer structure layer 130 includes a plate part 131 disposed parallel to the wall surface 10 of the target space, and a plurality of slots formed to protrude from both surfaces of the plate part 131 in a vertical direction. It may include slots (133). Here, the plurality of slots 133 serve to increase the heat transfer area of the heat transfer structure layer 130 to improve the heat transfer efficiency of the structure layer 130 .

Meanwhile, although not shown in the drawings, between the wall 10 and the heat insulating material layer 110 , between the heat insulating material layer 110 and the phase change material layer 120 , the phase change material layer 120 and the heat transfer structure layer 130 . ), an adhesive member may be disposed between them.

As described above, the fixed cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention maintains the temperature of the target space at an appropriate level using a phase change material when electricity is cut off due to an accident in an important facility such as a nuclear power plant. By doing so, it is possible to prevent overheating of computer equipment existing in the space even in the absence of external emergency power supply.

2 is a view showing the structure of a fixed cooling structure according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the fixed cooling structure 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention may include an insulating material layer 210 , a phase change material layer 220 , and a heat transfer structure layer 230 .

The insulating material layer 210 may be installed on the wall surface 10 of the target space to be cooled, and may serve to block heat continuously coming from the outside through the wall surface 10 . Since the insulation layer 210 is the same as the insulation layer 110 of FIG. 1 described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The phase change material layer 220 may be disposed between the heat insulating material layer 210 and the heat transfer structure layer 230 to serve as a heat sink for absorbing internal heat of the target space to be cooled. have.

Unlike the phase change material layer 120 of FIG. 1 described above, the phase change material layer 220 according to the present embodiment may be configured in units of blocks. For example, the phase change material layer 220 may include a plurality of housings formed in a block shape and a phase change material accommodated in the plurality of housings.

Each housing may have an interior space for receiving the phase change material. The housing may be formed of a metal or plastic material having excellent heat transfer efficiency, but is not limited thereto.

The phase change material absorbs heat in a state in which temperature rise is minimized during phase change. Since the phase change material is the same as the phase change material of FIG. 1 described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The heat transfer structure layer 230 is installed on one side of the phase change material layer 220 to absorb internal heat of the target space to be cooled and transfer it to the phase change material layer 220 . . In this case, the heat transfer structure layer 230 may be formed of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity, such as copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al).

The heat transfer structure layer 230 may be formed to have a shape for improving heat transfer efficiency. For example, the heat transfer structure layer 230 includes a plate portion 231 disposed parallel to the wall surface 10 and a plurality of slots formed to protrude in a vertical direction from one surface of the plate portion 231 ( 233) may be included. Here, the plurality of slots 233 serves to increase the heat transfer area of the heat transfer structure layer 230 to improve the heat transfer efficiency of the structure layer 230 .

Meanwhile, although not shown in the drawings, between the wall 10 and the insulating material layer 210 , between the insulating material layer 210 and the phase change material layer 220 , the phase change material layer 220 and the heat transfer structure layer 230 . ), an adhesive member may be disposed between them.

As described above, the fixed cooling structure according to another embodiment of the present invention maintains the temperature of the target space at an appropriate level by using a phase change material when electricity is cut off due to an accident in an important facility such as a nuclear power plant. By doing so, it is possible to prevent overheating of computer equipment existing in the space even in the absence of external emergency power supply.

3 is a view showing the structure of a fixed cooling structure according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the fixed cooling structure 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention may include a heat insulating material layer 310 , a phase change material layer 320 , and a heat transfer structure layer 330 .

The insulating material layer 310 may be installed on the ceiling 20 of the target space to be cooled, and may serve to block heat continuously coming from the outside through the ceiling 20 . Since the insulating material layer 310 is the same as the above-described insulating material layer 110 of FIG. 1 , a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The phase change material layer 320 may be disposed between the heat insulating material layer 310 and the heat transfer structure layer 330 to serve as a heat sink for absorbing internal heat of the target space to be cooled. have.

Unlike the phase change material layer 120 of FIG. 1 described above, the phase change material layer 320 according to the present embodiment may be configured in units of blocks. For example, the phase change material layer 320 may include a plurality of housings formed in a block shape and a phase change material accommodated in the plurality of housings.

Each housing may have an interior space for receiving the phase change material. The housing may be formed of a metal or plastic material having excellent heat transfer efficiency, but is not limited thereto.

The phase change material absorbs heat in a state in which temperature rise is minimized during phase change. Since the phase change material is the same as the phase change material of FIG. 1 described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The heat transfer structure layer 330 may be installed on one side of the phase change material layer 320 to absorb internal heat of the target space to be cooled and transfer it to the phase change material layer 320 . . In this case, the heat transfer structure layer 330 may be formed of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity, such as copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al).

The heat transfer structure layer 330 may be formed to have a shape for improving heat transfer efficiency. For example, the heat transfer structure layer 330 may include a plate portion 331 disposed parallel to the ceiling 20 and a plurality of slots 333 formed to protrude vertically from a lower surface of the plate portion 231 . ) may be included. Here, the plurality of slots 333 serve to increase the heat transfer area of the heat transfer structure layer 330 to improve the heat transfer efficiency of the structure layer 330 .

The heat transfer structure layer 330 installed on the ceiling 20 of the target space has an advantage in that the heat transfer efficiency is better than the heat transfer structure layers 130 and 2300 installed on the wall 10 of the target space.

Meanwhile, although not shown in the drawings, between the ceiling 20 and the heat insulating material layer 310 , between the heat insulating material layer 310 and the phase change material layer 320 , the phase change material layer 320 and the heat transfer structure layer 330 . ), an adhesive member may be disposed between them.

As described above, when electricity is cut off due to an accident in an important facility such as a nuclear power plant, the fixed cooling structure according to another embodiment of the present invention uses a phase change material to bring the temperature of the target space to an appropriate level. By maintaining it, it is possible to prevent overheating of computer equipment existing in the space even in the absence of external emergency power supply.

4A and 4B are views showing the structure of a movable cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A and 4B , the movable cooling structure 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a support structure 410 , a plurality of phase change blocks 420 , a plurality of cooling fans 430 , and one or more batteries. It may include a 440 and a plurality of moving means 450 .

The support structure (or support frame, 410 ) may serve to accommodate a plurality of phase change blocks 420 , a plurality of cooling fans 430 , and one or more batteries 440 . In this case, the support structure 410 may be formed in a multi-stage structure to secure a plurality of accommodating spaces.

The support structure 410 may include a plurality of unit accommodation frames having the same shape. Each unit accommodation frame may include an internal space for accommodating a plurality of phase change blocks 420 and two cooling fans 430 .

The support structure 410 may serve to fix and support the plurality of phase change blocks 420 , the plurality of cooling fans 430 , and one or more batteries 440 .

The plurality of phase change blocks 420 may be inserted into the inner space of each unit accommodation frame. In this case, each of the phase change blocks 420 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. Also, each of the phase change blocks 420 may be disposed parallel to each other. In addition, each of the phase change blocks 420 may be arranged to stand up in a direction perpendicular to the floor surface of the target space.

Each phase change block 420 may include a phase change material for absorbing heat and a housing for accommodating the phase change material.

The housing may be formed to have a predetermined shape to accommodate the phase change material. For example, the housing may be formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a predetermined thickness.

The housing may have an interior space for accommodating the phase change material. The housing may be formed of a metal or plastic material having excellent heat transfer efficiency, but is not limited thereto.

The phase change material absorbs heat in a state in which temperature rise is minimized during phase change. As the phase change material, a material having a melting point lower than the limit temperature of the target space may be selected. For example, as the phase change material, water (H ₂ O) or a paraffin-based material may be used, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

The plurality of cooling fans 430 may be installed at both ends of each unit accommodation frame into which the plurality of phase change blocks 420 are inserted. The plurality of cooling fans 430 may generate an air flow in the longitudinal direction of each unit accommodation frame to cool the plurality of phase change blocks 420 .

Meanwhile, in another embodiment, the plurality of cooling fans 430 may be installed on the upper and lower surfaces of the support structure 410 . In this case, the plurality of cooling fans 430 may cool the plurality of phase change blocks 420 by generating an air flow in a direction perpendicular to the floor surface of the target space.

The battery 440 may be disposed in an area of the support structure 410 to provide power for driving the plurality of cooling fans 430 . Therefore, the cooling structure 400 according to the present embodiment can be operated regardless of whether external power is supplied.

The plurality of moving means 450 may be installed at the lower end of the support structure 410 to move the support structure 410 . For example, the moving means 450 may be a wheel, but is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, when the melting point of the phase change material is lower than the average temperature of the target space, the cooling structure 400 according to the present embodiment may be stored in a separate refrigeration facility. When the internal temperature of the target space rises because the active cooling system of an important facility such as a nuclear power plant does not operate properly, the cooling structure stored in the refrigeration facility may be moved to the target space to cool the corresponding space.

As described above, the movable cooling structure according to an embodiment of the present invention maintains the temperature of the target space at an appropriate level using a phase change material when electricity is cut off due to an accident in an important facility such as a nuclear power plant. By doing so, it is possible to prevent overheating of computer equipment existing in the space even in the absence of external emergency power supply.

Meanwhile, although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and should be defined by the following claims as well as the claims and equivalents.

Claims (9)

an insulating material layer attached to the wall or ceiling of the target space to block heat coming from the outside; a phase change material layer attached to one side of the insulating material layer and absorbing internal heat of the target space through a phase change from a solid state to a liquid state; and and a heat transfer structure layer attached to one side of the phase change material layer and transferring internal heat of the target space to the phase change material layer. According to claim 1, and the phase change material layer includes a phase change material for absorbing heat and a housing for accommodating the phase change material. 3. The method of claim 2, The phase change material is a fixed cooling structure, characterized in that the material having a melting point lower than the limit temperature of the target space. According to claim 1, The heat transfer structure layer is a fixed cooling structure, characterized in that it comprises a plate portion disposed parallel to the wall or ceiling of the target space, and a plurality of slots formed to protrude in a vertical direction from at least one side of the plate portion. . a support structure including a plurality of unit accommodation frames; a plurality of phase change blocks inserted into each of the plurality of unit accommodation frames and configured to absorb internal heat of the target space through a phase change from a solid state to a liquid state; a plurality of cooling fans mounted on each of the plurality of unit accommodation frames to cool the plurality of phase change blocks; and and a battery disposed in an area of the support structure to provide power for driving the plurality of cooling fans. 6. The method of claim 5, Installed at the lower end of the support structure, the movable cooling structure further comprising a plurality of moving means for moving the support structure. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein each phase change block includes a phase change material for absorbing heat and a housing for receiving the phase change material. 8. The method of claim 7, The phase change material is a movable cooling structure, characterized in that the material having a melting point lower than the limit temperature of the target space. 8. The method of claim 7, The housing is a movable cooling structure, characterized in that formed of a material having excellent heat transfer efficiency.

Images