WO2010081475A2 - Evaporator, cooling device and method of manufacture - Google Patents

Evaporator, cooling device and method of manufacture Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2010081475A2
WO2010081475A2 PCT/DK2010/000006 DK2010000006W WO2010081475A2 WO 2010081475 A2 WO2010081475 A2 WO 2010081475A2 DK 2010000006 W DK2010000006 W DK 2010000006W WO 2010081475 A2 WO2010081475 A2 WO 2010081475A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
body member
evaporator
evaporator according
flow channel
sealing element
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/DK2010/000006
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2010081475A3 (en
Inventor
Henrik Olsen
Original Assignee
Noise Limit Aps
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Noise Limit Aps filed Critical Noise Limit Aps
Publication of WO2010081475A2 publication Critical patent/WO2010081475A2/en
Publication of WO2010081475A3 publication Critical patent/WO2010081475A3/en

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
    • F28D—HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
    • F28D15/00—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies
    • F28D15/02—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes
    • F28D15/0266—Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls ; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes with separate evaporating and condensing chambers connected by at least one conduit; Loop-type heat pipes; with multiple or common evaporating or condensing chambers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L23/00—Details of semiconductor or other solid state devices
    • H01L23/34—Arrangements for cooling, heating, ventilating or temperature compensation ; Temperature sensing arrangements
    • H01L23/42—Fillings or auxiliary members in containers or encapsulations selected or arranged to facilitate heating or cooling
    • H01L23/427—Cooling by change of state, e.g. use of heat pipes
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
    • F28F—DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
    • F28F2255/00—Heat exchanger elements made of materials having special features or resulting from particular manufacturing processes
    • F28F2255/16—Heat exchanger elements made of materials having special features or resulting from particular manufacturing processes extruded
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
    • H01L2924/0001—Technical content checked by a classifier
    • H01L2924/0002—Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an evaporator and a cooling device, in particular an evaporator for operating with a high pressure. Further, the present invention relates to a method for manufacture of an evaporator.
  • a cooling device for cooling of electronic devices comprising processors due to the desire for small or flat electronic devices and the increasing power consumption and consequently increased heat emission from such devices.
  • Cooling devices for electronic devices are often limited in space due to e.g. cabinets and other units in the electronic device, and has to comply with strict rules of dimensions. Further, cooling devices with evaporators able to operate at a high pressure may be desirable in order to increase the selection of suitable cooling fluids.
  • an evaporator has a first connection port and defining a cavity, and the evaporator comprising a body member having a first end, a second end, a first side, and a second side, wherein the body member defines a plurality of flow channels in fluid communication with the first connection port.
  • the plurality of flow channels in the body member includes a first flow channel and a second flow channel extending from the first end to the second end of the body member, the body member defining at least one passageway including a first passageway between the first flow channel and the second flow channel.
  • a cooling device comprising an evaporator.
  • the cooling device comprises an evaporator having a first connection port and a second connection port, and a heat emitting part, the cooling device forming a closed cooling fluid loop enabling cooling fluid flow from the heat emitting part to the first connection port, through the cavity to the second connection port and back to the heat emitting part.
  • a method for manufacturing an evaporator comprising providing a body member having a first end and a second end and comprising a plurality of flow channels extending from the first end and the second end by extrusion and forming at least one passageway between the plurality of flow channels.
  • the method further comprises forming a first connection port in at least one sealing element, positioning the at least one sealing element at the first end and at the second end of the plurality of flow channels, and melting together the body member and the at least one sealing element.
  • the evaporator of the present invention is simple and cheap to manufacture due to the low number of components and processing steps required for the manufacture.
  • the evaporator is in particular advantageous for applications where a thin high performance evaporator is desirable, e.g. for flat screens, e.g. plasma screen or LCD screens, computers, e.g. all-in-one (AIO) computers, or servers, game consoles, and the like.
  • flat screens e.g. plasma screen or LCD screens
  • computers e.g. all-in-one (AIO) computers, or servers, game consoles, and the like.
  • Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an evaporator of the present invention
  • Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a side view of a body member
  • Fig. 3 schematically illustrates an end view of the body member of Fig. 2,
  • Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the body member of Fig. 2,
  • Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a side view of a body member
  • Fig. 6 schematically illustrates an end view of the body member of Fig. 5
  • Fig. 7 illustrates cross sections of exemplary body members
  • Fig. 8 illustrates exemplary connection ports
  • Fig. 9 schematically illustrates a side view of a body member
  • Fig. 10 schematically illustrates an evaporator of the present invention
  • Fig. 11 schematically illustrates an evaporator of the present invention
  • Fig. 12 schematically illustrates an evaporator of the present invention
  • Fig. 13 schematically illustrates a cooling device of the present invention
  • Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a body member.
  • the figures are schematic and simplified for clarity, and they merely show details which are essential to the understanding of the invention, while other details have been left out. Throughout, the same reference numerals are used for identical or corresponding parts.
  • the evaporator according to the present invention is in particular useful in applications where a high pressure is required, e.g. more than 1500 kPa, such as about 10,000 kPa.
  • the evaporator defines a cavity including a plurality of flow channels, where cooling fluid at least during use enters the cavity and is heated or evaporated by heat from the body member.
  • the evaporator comprises one or more connection ports for allowing liquid and/or gaseous cooling fluid to enter and/or leave the cavity of the evaporator.
  • the evaporator comprises a first connection port.
  • the evaporator may comprise a second connection port and/or a third connection port.
  • the connection ports are adapted for connection and attachment to an end of a tube, e.g. a flat tube or other tube having a suitable cross section, preferably circular, oval, rectangular with rounded edges or polygonal.
  • An evaporator with a single connection port may be used in applications where separate input and output ports are not desired or necessary, e.g. for a thermosiphon application.
  • An evaporator having a plurality of connection ports may be desired in cooling devices having a cooling fluid circulating in a closed loop.
  • the body member of the evaporator has a first end with a first end surface and a second end with a second end surface and defines a plurality of flow channels including a first flow channel and a second flow channel extending from the first end to the second end.
  • the plurality of flow channels may include any number of flow channels, such as two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more flow channels.
  • the body member may define a third flow channel, a fourth flow channel and/or a fifth flow channel.
  • the flow channels extend from the first end to the second end along a first axis in the direction of extrusion of the body member.
  • Cross sections of the flow channels perpendicular to the first axis may have any suitable shape and size. Different flow channels may have different sizes and/or shapes.
  • the flow channels are parallel.
  • the body member comprises a plurality of side walls including a first side wall defining a first side and having a first side surface.
  • the body member comprises a second side wall defining a second side and having a second side surface.
  • the body member may comprise a third side wall defining a third side and having a third side surface.
  • the body member may comprise a fourth side wall defining a fourth side and having a fourth side surface.
  • the first side surface is mounted in contact with a heat emitting element, e.g. a processor, chipset, LED panel, transistor or other element generating heat.
  • the first side surface may have any suitable width, e.g. a width about 45 mm for a processor application.
  • the body member may have a length, i.e. distance between the first end and the second end, in the range from about 10 mm to about 1 ,000 mm, such as from about 20 mm to about 100 mm, preferably about 45 mm.
  • the body member may have a height less than 30 mm, e.g. less than 15 mm.
  • the body member has a height in the range from 4 mm to about 10 mm, preferably about 6 mm or about 8 mm.
  • the body member may have a suitable width in the range from about 10 mm to about 200 mm, such as in the range from about 30 mm to about 100 mm, e.g. about 65 mm.
  • the body member defines at least one passageway including a first passageway or a first set of passageways, e.g. including a first primary passageway and a first secondary passageway, between the first flow channel and the second flow channel.
  • the at least one passageway may comprise a second passageway or a second set of passageways, e.g. including a second primary passageway and a second secondary passageway, between the second flow channel and a third flow channel if present.
  • a passageway establishes a fluid communication between two flow channels. Any number of passageways may be formed in the body member.
  • a passageway may comprise a bore or a groove.
  • the bore may extend from an outer surface of the body member.
  • the bore may extend from an end surface of the body member. Accordingly, a passageway may be formed at an end of the body member.
  • the bore may extend from a side surface thereby forming an opening in the side surface of the body member.
  • the bore may be a through bore, i.e. extend from an outer surface of the body member through the body member to an outer surface of the body member.
  • the body member may comprise a first primary passageway and/or a first secondary passageway between the first flow channel and the second flow channel.
  • the first primary passageway may be formed near or at the first end of the body member.
  • the first secondary passageway may be formed near or at the second end of the body member.
  • the body member may comprise a second primary passageway and/or a second secondary passageway between the second flow channel and if present the third flow channel.
  • the second primary passageway may be formed near or at the first end of the body member.
  • the second secondary passageway may be formed near or at the second end of the body member.
  • a passageway may have a cross-sectional area in the range from about 1 mm 2 to about 200 mm 2 , such as in the range from about 5 mm 2 to about 100 mm 2 , e.g. about 6 mm 2 , about 8 mm 2 , about 10 mm 2 , about 15 mm 2 , about 20 mm 2 , about 40 mm 2 , about 60 mm 2 , about 80 mm 2 .
  • a passageway may have a suitable cross-sectional shape, e.g. substantially circular, oval, squared, or rectangular.
  • the body member comprises a number of inner walls, each inner wall separating two flow channels. Passageways are formed by removing inner wall material from the body member, e.g. by drilling and/or milling. In combination or alternatively, passageways may be formed by cutting and/or sawing. Inner wall material may be removed from the end surface of the body member and/or through one or more side surfaces, e.g. the second side surface of the body member. Inner walls including a first inner wall between the first flow channel and the second flow channel may have a minimum thickness less than 5 mm, such as less than 2 mm, preferably in the range from 0.2 mm to about 1.5, such as about 0.5 mm, about 0.8 mm, or about 1 mm.
  • the evaporator comprises at least one sealing element for sealing at least an end of a flow channel.
  • a sealing element may seal an end of one or more flow channels.
  • the sealing element(s) is/are made of a sheet of metal, e.g. aluminium material, e.g. having a thickness in the range from about 0.1 to about 2 mm, preferably in the range from about 0.5 to about 1.2 mm, more preferably about 1 mm. If the evaporator is assembled by furnace brazing, e.g. NOKOLOC or vacuum brazing, the sheet of aluminium may be a cladded aluminium sheet.
  • the at least one sealing element may comprise a first sealing element with a primary part having a primary inner surface attached to the first end of the body member.
  • the first sealing element may comprise a support part with an inner surface attached to a side surface, e.g. the second side surface, of the body member.
  • the support part of a sealing element may seal one or more openings in a side surface of the body member, e.g. resulting from the making of one or more passageways in the body member.
  • the first sealing element may have a secondary part with a secondary inner surface attached to the second end of the body member.
  • the at least one sealing element may comprise a second sealing element with a primary part having a primary inner surface attached to the second end of the body member.
  • the second sealing element may have a support part with an inner surface attached to a side surface, e.g. the second side surface, of the body member.
  • a single sealing element evaporator may be preferred to reduce the number of manufacturing steps.
  • An evaporator having a plurality of sealing elements may be preferred to reduce material consumption.
  • sealing elements are attached to the end surfaces of the body member by brazing or soldering.
  • Connection port(s) may be formed in a sealing element.
  • a connection port may comprise an opening, preferably circular, oval, or rectangular with rounded corners, wherein the opening is adapted in size and shape for attachment to an end of a tube.
  • a connection port may comprise a flange facilitating attachment of a tube to the connection port.
  • the first connection port is formed in the first sealing element, e.g. in the primary part of the sealing element.
  • the second connection port may be formed in the first sealing element, e.g. in the primary part or, if present, in the secondary part.
  • a third connection port may be formed in the primary part, in the secondary part or in the support part of a sealing element, e.g. in the first sealing element.
  • the second connection port may be formed in the second sealing element.
  • connection ports may be formed in a support part of a sealing element, e.g. the first connection port may be formed in a support part of the first sealing element.
  • the evaporator may have a height less than 15 mm to meet the requirements of the electronics industry. Preferably, the evaporator has a height between 4 mm and 10 mm. In an embodiment, the evaporator may have a height less than 30 mm such as about 20 or about 25 mm.
  • the evaporator may be adapted to facilitate mounting the evaporator on a heat generating device, such as a processor. Accordingly, the evaporator may comprise one or more protrusions extending from the body member. For example, a first mounting protrusion may protrude from a third side surface of the body member and/or a second mounting protrusion may protrude from a fourth side surface of the body member. The protrusions may also facilitate manufacture and assembly of the evaporator. A protrusion may have one or more openings to enable or assist mechanical assembly or mounting of the evaporator/cooling device.
  • the body member comprises a secondary channel or groove adapted for accommodating a heat emitting part of a secondary device.
  • the secondary channel may be adapted to accommodate and receive heat from a heat pipe mounted in the secondary channel in contact with the body member.
  • the body member is made of a material suitable for extrusion, e.g. a material comprising aluminium or an aluminium alloy.
  • the sealing element(s) may be made of any material suitable for brazing to the body member.
  • the sealing element(s) is/are made of a material comprising aluminium or an aluminium alloy.
  • Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the evaporator, the evaporator 2 comprising a body member 4 and a first sealing element 6.
  • the first sealing element is formed of cladded aluminium sheet having a thickness about 1 mm.
  • a first connection port 8 is formed in a primary part 10 of the first sealing element.
  • the first connection port 8 has a circular opening having a diameter about 6 mm; however other shapes and sizes of the opening may be employed as explained below.
  • Fig. 2, Fig. 3, and Fig. 4 show an exemplary body member of the evaporator 2 from different sides.
  • the body member 4 has a first end 12 with a first end surface 12', a second end 14 with a second end surface 14', a first side 16 with a first side wall 16" having a first side surface 16', and a second side 18 with a second side wall 18" having a second side surface 18'.
  • the body member 4 defines a first flow channel 20, a second flow channel 22, and a third flow channel 24 extending from the first end 12 to the second end 14 of the body member 4.
  • a first set of passageways comprising five passageways including first passageway 26 is defined in the body member between the first flow channel 20 and the second flow channel 22.
  • the first passageway 26 is positioned near or at the first end 12.
  • a bore in the second side wall 18" extending from the second side surface 18' into the body element constitutes the first passageway 26.
  • a second set of passageways comprising five passageways including second passageway 27 is defined in the body member between the second flow channel 22 and the third flow channel 24.
  • the passageways are formed by bores in the second side wall 18" extending from the second side surface 18' into the body element.
  • the first flow channel 20, the second flow channel 22, and the third flow channel 24 has a substantially oval cross section and extend from the first end 12 to the second end 14 along a first axis X in the direction of extrusion of the body member.
  • Grooves parallel to the first axis may be formed in the flow channels in order to enhance the effective cooling surface area of the flow channels.
  • Other means for cooling surface enhancement in the flow channels such as threading, enhanced boiling surface (EBS) by e.g. bead, sand or glass blasting, or flame deposit, may be employed.
  • EBS enhanced boiling surface
  • the body member 4 of Fig. 2 has a third side 28 with a third side wall 28" having a third side surface 28' and a fourth side 30 with a fourth side wall 30" having a fourth side surface 30'.
  • the body member 4 comprises a first mounting protrusion 32 extending from the third side surface 28' and a second mounting protrusion 34 extending from the fourth side surface 30'.
  • the body member 4 has a length d 1 t i.e. the distance from the first end to the second end, of about 45 mm.
  • the height d 2 of the body member 4, i.e. the distance from the first side to the second side, is about 7 mm.
  • the width d 3 of the first side surface of the body member is about 45 mm.
  • Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 illustrate an exemplary body member 4'.
  • the body member 4' defines three flow channels 20, 22, 24.
  • the first flow channel 20 and the second flow channel 22 are separated by a first inner wall 32' having a minimum thickness in the range from about 0.25 mm to about 2 mm, preferably about 1 mm
  • the second flow channel 22 and the third flow channel 24 are separated by a second inner wall 34' having a minimum thickness in the range from about 0.25 mm to about 2 mm, preferably about 1 mm.
  • the first side wall 16" has a minimum thickness in the range from about 1 mm to about 5 mm, preferably about 2 mm.
  • First bores 26, 26' extend from the second surface 18' forming first passageways and second bores 27, 27' extend from the second surface 18' forming second passageways.
  • the first bores 26, 26' and second bores 27, 27' each form a circular opening in the second surface having a diameter of 3 mm.
  • Fig. 7 A), B), C) and D) illustrate cross sections of exemplary body members.
  • the body member in Fig. 7A) comprises five flow channels 20, 22, 24, 40, 42 with an oval cross section.
  • the body member in Fig. 7B) comprises four flow channels 20, 22, 24, 40 with a circular cross section.
  • the body member in Fig. 7C) comprises three flow channels 20, 22, 24 with a rectangular cross section with rounded corners.
  • Different flow channel cross sections may be provided as illustrated in Fig. 7D).
  • Fig. 8 A) 1 B), and C) show sealing elements with exemplary connection ports formed in the sealing element.
  • a connection port may have any suitable size and shape to accommodate tubes of different size and shape.
  • connection port 52 has a connection port 52 with an oval cross section measuring 4mm x 8mm.
  • a flange may extend, e.g. about 1 mm, from the surface of the sealing element 50 in order to provide sufficient material or area for brazing.
  • a sealing element without flange may be provided if the thickness of the sealing element sheet is sufficient to provide the necessary area for brazing.
  • the sealing element in Fig. 8B) has a connection port 54 with a circular cross section having an inner diameter, preferably in the range from about 3 mm to about 12 mm, such as about 6 mm to accommodate tubes with a circular outer cross section.
  • the sealing element in Fig. 8C) has a connection port 56 with a rectangular cross section with rounded corners to accommodate a flat tube.
  • connection port 56 may have any suitable height and width to accommodate a flat tube.
  • the connection port 56 may have a height ranging from about 1 mm to about 10 mm and a width ranging from about 10 mm to about 100 mm.
  • the connection port 56 has a height about 2 mm and a width about 16 mm or about 22 mm.
  • a connection port of the evaporator may be formed in a primary part of a sealing element.
  • a connection port may be formed in a secondary part of a sealing element and/or in a support part of a sealing element.
  • a sealing element may comprise a plurality of connection ports.
  • a body member of an evaporator according to the present invention has small openings in the outer surface and provides large attachment area, e.g. for brazing, which reduces the required thickness and area of a sealing element.
  • the cavity of the evaporator is mainly defined by inner surfaces of the body member which enables a reduction in the thickness and size of a sealing element. Further, the extruded body member of the evaporator enables the use of a sealing element that is simple in manufacture and structure.
  • the area of flow channels and bores in the body member are small, and accordingly the sealing area of the sealing element contacting cooling fluid in the cavity of the evaporator part is small, which enables a reduction in material thickness of a sealing element.
  • each flow channel may be less than 100 mm 2 , preferably less than 50 mm 2 , such as in the range from about 1 mm 2 to about 30 mm 2 .
  • a bore extending from a side surface of the body member may form an opening in the side surface, the opening having an area less than 200 mm 2 , preferably less than 50 mm 2 , such as in the range from about 1 mm 2 to about 30 mm 2 , e.g. about 7 mm 2 .
  • a sealing element has a number of sealing areas and a number of attachment areas on the inner surface.
  • a sealing area is an area covering an opening in the body member, and an attachment area is an area attached to a side surface and/or an end surface of the body member.
  • the total sealing area being a sum of the sealing areas of sealing elements of the evaporator is less than 2,000 mm 2 .
  • the total sealing area may be less than 1 ,000 mm 2 , preferably less than 500 mm 2 , more preferably in the range from about 20 mm 2 to about 300 mm 2 , and even more preferably, from about 50 mm 2 to about 250 mm 2 .
  • Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary body member 4" having the same cross section perpendicular to the first axis X as body member 4' illustrated in Fig. 6.
  • the body member 4" has a first set of passageways comprising first passageways 26, 26' connecting the first flow channel 20 and the second flow channel 22. Further, the body member 4" has a second set of passageways comprising second passageways 27, 27' connecting the second flow channel 22 and the third flow channel 24.
  • the passageways 26, 26', 27, 27' are formed by milling a set of bores 60, 62 extending from the second side surface 18' into the body element, thereby removing parts of the first inner wall and the second inner wall to form passageways 26, 26', 27, 17'.
  • Fig. 10 illustrates an embodiment of an evaporator according to the invention.
  • the evaporator comprises a body member 4'" having three flow channels and first bores and second bores as illustrated in Fig. 5 or as illustrated in Fig. 9.
  • the evaporator comprises a first sealing element 70 comprising a first primary part 72 with a primary inner surface attached to the first end surface of the body member 4'", and a support part 74 with an inner surface attached to the second side surface 18' of the body member 4'".
  • a first connection port is formed in the first primary part 72 and an end of a tube 76 is attached to the first connection port.
  • the evaporator comprises a second sealing element 70 comprising a first primary part 82 with a primary inner surface attached to the second end surface of the body member 4'", and a support part 84 with an inner surface attached to the second side surface 18' of the body member 4'".
  • a second connection port is formed in the first primary part 82 and an end of a tube 86 is attached to the first connection port.
  • Fig. 11 illustrates an embodiment of an evaporator according to the invention.
  • the evaporator 2" comprises a body member 100, e.g. body member 4, 4', 4", 4'", 104. Exemplary cross sections of the body member 100 are illustrated in Fig. 7.
  • the evaporator comprises a first sealing element 70 comprising a first primary part 72 with a primary inner surface attached to the first end surface of the body member 100, a support part 74 with an inner surface attached to the second side surface 18' of the body member 100, and a first secondary part 102 with a secondary inner surface attached to the second end surface of the body member 100.
  • a first connection port is formed in the first primary part 72 and an end of a tube 76 is attached to the first connection port.
  • a second connection port is formed in the first secondary part 102 and an end of a tube 86 is attached to the first connection port.
  • Fig. 12 illustrates an embodiment of an evaporator according to the present invention.
  • the evaporator 2'" comprises a body member 104 without bores in the side surfaces of the body member. Exemplary cross sections of the body member 104 are illustrated in Fig. 7.
  • the passageways between the flow channels are formed by drilling or milling passageways from the ends 12, 14 of the body member 104 prior to assembly.
  • a passageway may be formed by drilling in the plane defined by the first axis and the third axis at a suitable angle from the first axis, e.g. at an angle in the range from about -85° to about 85°, e.g. from about -45° to about 45°, e.g about 10°.
  • Different passageways may be formed by drilling at different angles.
  • one or more slits extending from the first end to the second end may be formed in a side wall, e.g. the second side wall, of the body member.
  • the one or more slits have a small width to reduce the required sealing area of sealing element(s).
  • the width of a slit may be less than 3 mm, preferably less than 2 mm, more preferably less than 1 mm.
  • Fig. 13 illustrates a cooling device of the present invention.
  • the cooling device 200 comprises an evaporator 202 as described herein, e.g.
  • Tubes 206, 208, 210 connect the heat emitting part 204 and the connection ports of the evaporator 202.
  • the cooling device forms a closed cooling fluid loop enabling cooling fluid flow from the heat emitting part 204, where cooling fluid is cooled, to the first connection port 214 via tubes 206, 208 and evaporator 216, through the cavity of the evaporator, where the cooling fluid is heated, and to the second connection port 218 via tube 210 and back to the heat emitting part 204.
  • Fig. 14 illustrates an exemplary body member 104 for an evaporator as described herein, e.g. evaporator 2, 2', 2", 2'".
  • the body member 104 has flow channels 20, 22, 24 extending from the first end 12 to the second end 14 of the body member.
  • the first end surface 12' forms contact surface for attaching, e.g. by brazing or gluing one or more sealing elements to the body member.
  • the body member 104 comprises at the first end a first primary passageway 106 or groove between the first channel 20 and the second channel 22, and optionally a second primary passageway 108 between the second channel 22 and the third channel 24.
  • the body member 104 comprises at the second end 14 a first secondary passageway (not shown) between the first channel 20 and the second channel 22, and optionally a second secondary passageway (not shown) between the second channel 22 and the third channel 24.
  • the passageways 106, 108 are formed by removing inner wall material from the first end, which may be advantageous in avoiding formation of openings in the side surfaces of the body member, which may lead to improved mechanical strength of the evaporator and facilitate production of the evaporator.
  • the cooling fluid in the cooling device may comprise one or more of water, ethanol, methanol, CO 2 , propane, isobutane, ammonia, fluorine compounds, such as 3M® FC72 and 3M® FC82, or other fluids having suitable thermal and physical properties.
  • cooling fluids include but are not limited to HydroFluoroEther (HFE) cooling fluids, such as 3M® HFE-7000, HFE-7100, HFE-72DA, or other cooling fluids, e.g. 1 ,1 ,1 ,2-Tetrafluoroethane (also known as R134A), 1 ,1 ,1 ,3-tetrafluoro-2-propene (also known as HFO 1234 ZE), trans-1 ,3,3,3-Tetraflouroprop-1-ene (HFO-1234ze, HBA-1 ) and the like.
  • HFE HydroFluoroEther

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
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  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Condensed Matter Physics & Semiconductors (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Cooling Or The Like Of Semiconductors Or Solid State Devices (AREA)
  • Heat-Exchange Devices With Radiators And Conduit Assemblies (AREA)

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an evaporator, a cooling device, and a method for manufacture of an evaporator. The evaporator has a first connection port and defines a cavity, the evaporator comprising a body member having a first end, a second end, a first side, and a second side, wherein the body member defines a plurality of flow channels in fluid communication with the first connection port and including a first flow channel and a second flow channel extending from the first end to the second end of the body member, the body member defining at least one passageway including a first passageway between the first flow channel and the second flow channel.

Description

EVAPORATOR, COOLING DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE
The present invention relates to an evaporator and a cooling device, in particular an evaporator for operating with a high pressure. Further, the present invention relates to a method for manufacture of an evaporator. In the electronics industry, there is a growing demand for small/flat and effective cooling devices for cooling of electronic devices comprising processors due to the desire for small or flat electronic devices and the increasing power consumption and consequently increased heat emission from such devices. Cooling devices for electronic devices are often limited in space due to e.g. cabinets and other units in the electronic device, and has to comply with strict rules of dimensions. Further, cooling devices with evaporators able to operate at a high pressure may be desirable in order to increase the selection of suitable cooling fluids.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an evaporator capable of operating at a high pressure, e.g. up to 10,000 kPa, without significant deformation of outer surfaces.
Further, it is an object to provide a low height evaporator and a method for manufacture of an evaporator at low cost.
In an aspect of the present invention, an evaporator is provided. The evaporator has a first connection port and defining a cavity, and the evaporator comprising a body member having a first end, a second end, a first side, and a second side, wherein the body member defines a plurality of flow channels in fluid communication with the first connection port. The plurality of flow channels in the body member includes a first flow channel and a second flow channel extending from the first end to the second end of the body member, the body member defining at least one passageway including a first passageway between the first flow channel and the second flow channel.
In a further aspect, a cooling device comprising an evaporator is provided. The cooling device comprises an evaporator having a first connection port and a second connection port, and a heat emitting part, the cooling device forming a closed cooling fluid loop enabling cooling fluid flow from the heat emitting part to the first connection port, through the cavity to the second connection port and back to the heat emitting part.
Further, a method for manufacturing an evaporator is provided, the method comprising providing a body member having a first end and a second end and comprising a plurality of flow channels extending from the first end and the second end by extrusion and forming at least one passageway between the plurality of flow channels. The method further comprises forming a first connection port in at least one sealing element, positioning the at least one sealing element at the first end and at the second end of the plurality of flow channels, and melting together the body member and the at least one sealing element.
The evaporator of the present invention is simple and cheap to manufacture due to the low number of components and processing steps required for the manufacture.
Further, the evaporator is in particular advantageous for applications where a thin high performance evaporator is desirable, e.g. for flat screens, e.g. plasma screen or LCD screens, computers, e.g. all-in-one (AIO) computers, or servers, game consoles, and the like. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art by the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an evaporator of the present invention, Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a side view of a body member,
Fig. 3 schematically illustrates an end view of the body member of Fig. 2,
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the body member of Fig. 2,
Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a side view of a body member,
Fig. 6 schematically illustrates an end view of the body member of Fig. 5, Fig. 7 illustrates cross sections of exemplary body members,
Fig. 8 illustrates exemplary connection ports,
Fig. 9 schematically illustrates a side view of a body member,
Fig. 10 schematically illustrates an evaporator of the present invention,
Fig. 11 schematically illustrates an evaporator of the present invention, Fig. 12 schematically illustrates an evaporator of the present invention,
Fig. 13 schematically illustrates a cooling device of the present invention, and
Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a body member.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The figures are schematic and simplified for clarity, and they merely show details which are essential to the understanding of the invention, while other details have been left out. Throughout, the same reference numerals are used for identical or corresponding parts. The evaporator according to the present invention is in particular useful in applications where a high pressure is required, e.g. more than 1500 kPa, such as about 10,000 kPa.
The evaporator defines a cavity including a plurality of flow channels, where cooling fluid at least during use enters the cavity and is heated or evaporated by heat from the body member.
The evaporator comprises one or more connection ports for allowing liquid and/or gaseous cooling fluid to enter and/or leave the cavity of the evaporator. The evaporator comprises a first connection port. The evaporator may comprise a second connection port and/or a third connection port. Preferably, the connection ports are adapted for connection and attachment to an end of a tube, e.g. a flat tube or other tube having a suitable cross section, preferably circular, oval, rectangular with rounded edges or polygonal.
An evaporator with a single connection port may be used in applications where separate input and output ports are not desired or necessary, e.g. for a thermosiphon application. An evaporator having a plurality of connection ports may be desired in cooling devices having a cooling fluid circulating in a closed loop.
The body member of the evaporator has a first end with a first end surface and a second end with a second end surface and defines a plurality of flow channels including a first flow channel and a second flow channel extending from the first end to the second end. The plurality of flow channels may include any number of flow channels, such as two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, or more flow channels. The body member may define a third flow channel, a fourth flow channel and/or a fifth flow channel. The flow channels extend from the first end to the second end along a first axis in the direction of extrusion of the body member. Cross sections of the flow channels perpendicular to the first axis may have any suitable shape and size. Different flow channels may have different sizes and/or shapes. Preferably, the flow channels are parallel.
The body member comprises a plurality of side walls including a first side wall defining a first side and having a first side surface. Preferably, the body member comprises a second side wall defining a second side and having a second side surface. The body member may comprise a third side wall defining a third side and having a third side surface. The body member may comprise a fourth side wall defining a fourth side and having a fourth side surface. Typically, the first side surface is mounted in contact with a heat emitting element, e.g. a processor, chipset, LED panel, transistor or other element generating heat. The first side surface may have any suitable width, e.g. a width about 45 mm for a processor application. The body member comprises a first side and a second side having a first side surface and a second side surface, respectively. The first side surface may comprise a substantially plane surface for contacting and receiving heat from one or more heat emitting elements, e.g. processor(s). Further, the body member may comprise a third side having a third side surface and/or a fourth side having a fourth side surface. The body member comprises two or more side walls including a first side wall with the first side surface and a second side wall with the second side surface.
The body member may have a length, i.e. distance between the first end and the second end, in the range from about 10 mm to about 1 ,000 mm, such as from about 20 mm to about 100 mm, preferably about 45 mm. The body member may have a height less than 30 mm, e.g. less than 15 mm. In an embodiment, the body member has a height in the range from 4 mm to about 10 mm, preferably about 6 mm or about 8 mm.
The body member may have a suitable width in the range from about 10 mm to about 200 mm, such as in the range from about 30 mm to about 100 mm, e.g. about 65 mm. The body member defines at least one passageway including a first passageway or a first set of passageways, e.g. including a first primary passageway and a first secondary passageway, between the first flow channel and the second flow channel. The at least one passageway may comprise a second passageway or a second set of passageways, e.g. including a second primary passageway and a second secondary passageway, between the second flow channel and a third flow channel if present. A passageway establishes a fluid communication between two flow channels. Any number of passageways may be formed in the body member. A passageway may comprise a bore or a groove. The bore may extend from an outer surface of the body member. The bore may extend from an end surface of the body member. Accordingly, a passageway may be formed at an end of the body member. The bore may extend from a side surface thereby forming an opening in the side surface of the body member. The bore may be a through bore, i.e. extend from an outer surface of the body member through the body member to an outer surface of the body member.
The body member may comprise a first primary passageway and/or a first secondary passageway between the first flow channel and the second flow channel. The first primary passageway may be formed near or at the first end of the body member. The first secondary passageway may be formed near or at the second end of the body member. The body member may comprise a second primary passageway and/or a second secondary passageway between the second flow channel and if present the third flow channel. The second primary passageway may be formed near or at the first end of the body member. The second secondary passageway may be formed near or at the second end of the body member.
A passageway may have a cross-sectional area in the range from about 1 mm2 to about 200 mm2, such as in the range from about 5 mm2 to about 100 mm2, e.g. about 6 mm2, about 8 mm2, about 10 mm2, about 15 mm2, about 20 mm2, about 40 mm2, about 60 mm2, about 80 mm2. A passageway may have a suitable cross-sectional shape, e.g. substantially circular, oval, squared, or rectangular.
The body member comprises a number of inner walls, each inner wall separating two flow channels. Passageways are formed by removing inner wall material from the body member, e.g. by drilling and/or milling. In combination or alternatively, passageways may be formed by cutting and/or sawing. Inner wall material may be removed from the end surface of the body member and/or through one or more side surfaces, e.g. the second side surface of the body member. Inner walls including a first inner wall between the first flow channel and the second flow channel may have a minimum thickness less than 5 mm, such as less than 2 mm, preferably in the range from 0.2 mm to about 1.5, such as about 0.5 mm, about 0.8 mm, or about 1 mm.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the evaporator comprises at least one sealing element for sealing at least an end of a flow channel. A sealing element may seal an end of one or more flow channels. Preferably, the sealing element(s) is/are made of a sheet of metal, e.g. aluminium material, e.g. having a thickness in the range from about 0.1 to about 2 mm, preferably in the range from about 0.5 to about 1.2 mm, more preferably about 1 mm. If the evaporator is assembled by furnace brazing, e.g. NOKOLOC or vacuum brazing, the sheet of aluminium may be a cladded aluminium sheet. The at least one sealing element may comprise a first sealing element with a primary part having a primary inner surface attached to the first end of the body member. The first sealing element may comprise a support part with an inner surface attached to a side surface, e.g. the second side surface, of the body member. The support part of a sealing element may seal one or more openings in a side surface of the body member, e.g. resulting from the making of one or more passageways in the body member. The first sealing element may have a secondary part with a secondary inner surface attached to the second end of the body member.
The at least one sealing element may comprise a second sealing element with a primary part having a primary inner surface attached to the second end of the body member. The second sealing element may have a support part with an inner surface attached to a side surface, e.g. the second side surface, of the body member.
A single sealing element evaporator may be preferred to reduce the number of manufacturing steps. An evaporator having a plurality of sealing elements may be preferred to reduce material consumption. Preferably, sealing elements are attached to the end surfaces of the body member by brazing or soldering.
Connection port(s) may be formed in a sealing element. A connection port may comprise an opening, preferably circular, oval, or rectangular with rounded corners, wherein the opening is adapted in size and shape for attachment to an end of a tube. A connection port may comprise a flange facilitating attachment of a tube to the connection port.
Preferably, the first connection port is formed in the first sealing element, e.g. in the primary part of the sealing element. The second connection port may be formed in the first sealing element, e.g. in the primary part or, if present, in the secondary part. A third connection port may be formed in the primary part, in the secondary part or in the support part of a sealing element, e.g. in the first sealing element.
For an evaporator having a second sealing element, the second connection port may be formed in the second sealing element.
One or more connection ports may be formed in a support part of a sealing element, e.g. the first connection port may be formed in a support part of the first sealing element.
The evaporator may have a height less than 15 mm to meet the requirements of the electronics industry. Preferably, the evaporator has a height between 4 mm and 10 mm. In an embodiment, the evaporator may have a height less than 30 mm such as about 20 or about 25 mm. The evaporator may be adapted to facilitate mounting the evaporator on a heat generating device, such as a processor. Accordingly, the evaporator may comprise one or more protrusions extending from the body member. For example, a first mounting protrusion may protrude from a third side surface of the body member and/or a second mounting protrusion may protrude from a fourth side surface of the body member. The protrusions may also facilitate manufacture and assembly of the evaporator. A protrusion may have one or more openings to enable or assist mechanical assembly or mounting of the evaporator/cooling device.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the body member comprises a secondary channel or groove adapted for accommodating a heat emitting part of a secondary device. For example, the secondary channel may be adapted to accommodate and receive heat from a heat pipe mounted in the secondary channel in contact with the body member.
The body member is made of a material suitable for extrusion, e.g. a material comprising aluminium or an aluminium alloy. The sealing element(s) may be made of any material suitable for brazing to the body member. Preferably, the sealing element(s) is/are made of a material comprising aluminium or an aluminium alloy.
In the following, the present invention is described in relation to a conventional three dimensional Cartesian coordinate system with mutually perpendicular first axis X, second axis Y and third axis Z.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the evaporator, the evaporator 2 comprising a body member 4 and a first sealing element 6. The first sealing element is formed of cladded aluminium sheet having a thickness about 1 mm. A first connection port 8 is formed in a primary part 10 of the first sealing element. The first connection port 8 has a circular opening having a diameter about 6 mm; however other shapes and sizes of the opening may be employed as explained below.
Fig. 2, Fig. 3, and Fig. 4 show an exemplary body member of the evaporator 2 from different sides. The body member 4 has a first end 12 with a first end surface 12', a second end 14 with a second end surface 14', a first side 16 with a first side wall 16" having a first side surface 16', and a second side 18 with a second side wall 18" having a second side surface 18'. The body member 4 defines a first flow channel 20, a second flow channel 22, and a third flow channel 24 extending from the first end 12 to the second end 14 of the body member 4. A first set of passageways comprising five passageways including first passageway 26 is defined in the body member between the first flow channel 20 and the second flow channel 22. The first passageway 26 is positioned near or at the first end 12. A bore in the second side wall 18" extending from the second side surface 18' into the body element constitutes the first passageway 26. A second set of passageways comprising five passageways including second passageway 27 is defined in the body member between the second flow channel 22 and the third flow channel 24. The passageways are formed by bores in the second side wall 18" extending from the second side surface 18' into the body element. The first flow channel 20, the second flow channel 22, and the third flow channel 24 has a substantially oval cross section and extend from the first end 12 to the second end 14 along a first axis X in the direction of extrusion of the body member. Grooves parallel to the first axis may be formed in the flow channels in order to enhance the effective cooling surface area of the flow channels. Other means for cooling surface enhancement in the flow channels, such as threading, enhanced boiling surface (EBS) by e.g. bead, sand or glass blasting, or flame deposit, may be employed. Further, the body member 4 of Fig. 2 has a third side 28 with a third side wall 28" having a third side surface 28' and a fourth side 30 with a fourth side wall 30" having a fourth side surface 30'. The body member 4 comprises a first mounting protrusion 32 extending from the third side surface 28' and a second mounting protrusion 34 extending from the fourth side surface 30'. The body member 4 has a length d1 t i.e. the distance from the first end to the second end, of about 45 mm. The height d2 of the body member 4, i.e. the distance from the first side to the second side, is about 7 mm. The width d3 of the first side surface of the body member is about 45 mm.
Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 illustrate an exemplary body member 4'. The body member 4' defines three flow channels 20, 22, 24. The first flow channel 20 and the second flow channel 22 are separated by a first inner wall 32' having a minimum thickness in the range from about 0.25 mm to about 2 mm, preferably about 1 mm, and the second flow channel 22 and the third flow channel 24 are separated by a second inner wall 34' having a minimum thickness in the range from about 0.25 mm to about 2 mm, preferably about 1 mm. The first side wall 16" has a minimum thickness in the range from about 1 mm to about 5 mm, preferably about 2 mm. First bores 26, 26' extend from the second surface 18' forming first passageways and second bores 27, 27' extend from the second surface 18' forming second passageways. The first bores 26, 26' and second bores 27, 27' each form a circular opening in the second surface having a diameter of 3 mm.
Fig. 7 A), B), C) and D) illustrate cross sections of exemplary body members. The body member in Fig. 7A) comprises five flow channels 20, 22, 24, 40, 42 with an oval cross section. The body member in Fig. 7B) comprises four flow channels 20, 22, 24, 40 with a circular cross section. The body member in Fig. 7C) comprises three flow channels 20, 22, 24 with a rectangular cross section with rounded corners. Different flow channel cross sections may be provided as illustrated in Fig. 7D). Fig. 8 A)1 B), and C) show sealing elements with exemplary connection ports formed in the sealing element. A connection port may have any suitable size and shape to accommodate tubes of different size and shape. The sealing element 50 in Fig. 8A) has a connection port 52 with an oval cross section measuring 4mm x 8mm. A flange may extend, e.g. about 1 mm, from the surface of the sealing element 50 in order to provide sufficient material or area for brazing. A sealing element without flange may be provided if the thickness of the sealing element sheet is sufficient to provide the necessary area for brazing. The sealing element in Fig. 8B) has a connection port 54 with a circular cross section having an inner diameter, preferably in the range from about 3 mm to about 12 mm, such as about 6 mm to accommodate tubes with a circular outer cross section. The sealing element in Fig. 8C) has a connection port 56 with a rectangular cross section with rounded corners to accommodate a flat tube. The connection port 56 may have any suitable height and width to accommodate a flat tube. For example, the connection port 56 may have a height ranging from about 1 mm to about 10 mm and a width ranging from about 10 mm to about 100 mm. In an embodiment, the connection port 56 has a height about 2 mm and a width about 16 mm or about 22 mm.
A connection port of the evaporator may be formed in a primary part of a sealing element. A connection port may be formed in a secondary part of a sealing element and/or in a support part of a sealing element. A sealing element may comprise a plurality of connection ports.
A body member of an evaporator according to the present invention has small openings in the outer surface and provides large attachment area, e.g. for brazing, which reduces the required thickness and area of a sealing element. The cavity of the evaporator is mainly defined by inner surfaces of the body member which enables a reduction in the thickness and size of a sealing element. Further, the extruded body member of the evaporator enables the use of a sealing element that is simple in manufacture and structure.
The area of flow channels and bores in the body member are small, and accordingly the sealing area of the sealing element contacting cooling fluid in the cavity of the evaporator part is small, which enables a reduction in material thickness of a sealing element.
The cross sectional area of each flow channel may be less than 100 mm2, preferably less than 50 mm2, such as in the range from about 1 mm2 to about 30 mm2. A bore extending from a side surface of the body member may form an opening in the side surface, the opening having an area less than 200 mm2, preferably less than 50 mm2, such as in the range from about 1 mm2 to about 30 mm2, e.g. about 7 mm2.
A sealing element has a number of sealing areas and a number of attachment areas on the inner surface. A sealing area is an area covering an opening in the body member, and an attachment area is an area attached to a side surface and/or an end surface of the body member. Preferably, the total sealing area being a sum of the sealing areas of sealing elements of the evaporator is less than 2,000 mm2. The total sealing area may be less than 1 ,000 mm2, preferably less than 500 mm2, more preferably in the range from about 20 mm2 to about 300 mm2, and even more preferably, from about 50 mm2 to about 250 mm2.
Fig. 9 illustrates an exemplary body member 4" having the same cross section perpendicular to the first axis X as body member 4' illustrated in Fig. 6. The body member 4" has a first set of passageways comprising first passageways 26, 26' connecting the first flow channel 20 and the second flow channel 22. Further, the body member 4" has a second set of passageways comprising second passageways 27, 27' connecting the second flow channel 22 and the third flow channel 24. The passageways 26, 26', 27, 27' are formed by milling a set of bores 60, 62 extending from the second side surface 18' into the body element, thereby removing parts of the first inner wall and the second inner wall to form passageways 26, 26', 27, 17'.
Fig. 10 illustrates an embodiment of an evaporator according to the invention. The evaporator comprises a body member 4'" having three flow channels and first bores and second bores as illustrated in Fig. 5 or as illustrated in Fig. 9. The evaporator comprises a first sealing element 70 comprising a first primary part 72 with a primary inner surface attached to the first end surface of the body member 4'", and a support part 74 with an inner surface attached to the second side surface 18' of the body member 4'". A first connection port is formed in the first primary part 72 and an end of a tube 76 is attached to the first connection port. Further, the evaporator comprises a second sealing element 70 comprising a first primary part 82 with a primary inner surface attached to the second end surface of the body member 4'", and a support part 84 with an inner surface attached to the second side surface 18' of the body member 4'". A second connection port is formed in the first primary part 82 and an end of a tube 86 is attached to the first connection port.
Fig. 11 illustrates an embodiment of an evaporator according to the invention. The evaporator 2" comprises a body member 100, e.g. body member 4, 4', 4", 4'", 104. Exemplary cross sections of the body member 100 are illustrated in Fig. 7. The evaporator comprises a first sealing element 70 comprising a first primary part 72 with a primary inner surface attached to the first end surface of the body member 100, a support part 74 with an inner surface attached to the second side surface 18' of the body member 100, and a first secondary part 102 with a secondary inner surface attached to the second end surface of the body member 100. A first connection port is formed in the first primary part 72 and an end of a tube 76 is attached to the first connection port. A second connection port is formed in the first secondary part 102 and an end of a tube 86 is attached to the first connection port.
Fig. 12 illustrates an embodiment of an evaporator according to the present invention. The evaporator 2'" comprises a body member 104 without bores in the side surfaces of the body member. Exemplary cross sections of the body member 104 are illustrated in Fig. 7. The passageways between the flow channels are formed by drilling or milling passageways from the ends 12, 14 of the body member 104 prior to assembly. A passageway may be formed by drilling in the plane defined by the first axis and the third axis at a suitable angle from the first axis, e.g. at an angle in the range from about -85° to about 85°, e.g. from about -45° to about 45°, e.g about 10°. Different passageways may be formed by drilling at different angles. The omission of bores in the side surfaces of the body member provides for sealing elements optionally without support part. In an embodiment of the present invention, one or more slits extending from the first end to the second end may be formed in a side wall, e.g. the second side wall, of the body member. In such case, the one or more slits have a small width to reduce the required sealing area of sealing element(s). For example, the width of a slit may be less than 3 mm, preferably less than 2 mm, more preferably less than 1 mm. Fig. 13 illustrates a cooling device of the present invention. The cooling device 200 comprises an evaporator 202 as described herein, e.g. 2, 2', 2", 2'" and a heat emitting part 204. Tubes 206, 208, 210 connect the heat emitting part 204 and the connection ports of the evaporator 202. The cooling device forms a closed cooling fluid loop enabling cooling fluid flow from the heat emitting part 204, where cooling fluid is cooled, to the first connection port 214 via tubes 206, 208 and evaporator 216, through the cavity of the evaporator, where the cooling fluid is heated, and to the second connection port 218 via tube 210 and back to the heat emitting part 204.
Preferably, the evaporator is assembled by brazing; however gluing, soldering or welding methods may be employed. Fig. 14 illustrates an exemplary body member 104 for an evaporator as described herein, e.g. evaporator 2, 2', 2", 2'". The body member 104 has flow channels 20, 22, 24 extending from the first end 12 to the second end 14 of the body member. The first end surface 12' forms contact surface for attaching, e.g. by brazing or gluing one or more sealing elements to the body member. The body member 104 comprises at the first end a first primary passageway 106 or groove between the first channel 20 and the second channel 22, and optionally a second primary passageway 108 between the second channel 22 and the third channel 24. Further, the body member 104 comprises at the second end 14 a first secondary passageway (not shown) between the first channel 20 and the second channel 22, and optionally a second secondary passageway (not shown) between the second channel 22 and the third channel 24. The passageways 106, 108 are formed by removing inner wall material from the first end, which may be advantageous in avoiding formation of openings in the side surfaces of the body member, which may lead to improved mechanical strength of the evaporator and facilitate production of the evaporator.
The cooling fluid in the cooling device may comprise one or more of water, ethanol, methanol, CO2, propane, isobutane, ammonia, fluorine compounds, such as 3M® FC72 and 3M® FC82, or other fluids having suitable thermal and physical properties.
Examples of cooling fluids include but are not limited to HydroFluoroEther (HFE) cooling fluids, such as 3M® HFE-7000, HFE-7100, HFE-72DA, or other cooling fluids, e.g. 1 ,1 ,1 ,2-Tetrafluoroethane (also known as R134A), 1 ,1 ,1 ,3-tetrafluoro-2-propene (also known as HFO 1234 ZE), trans-1 ,3,3,3-Tetraflouroprop-1-ene (HFO-1234ze, HBA-1 ) and the like.
It should be noted that in addition to the exemplary embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. Evaporator having a first connection port and defining a cavity, the evaporator comprising a body member having a first end, a second end, a first side, and a second side, wherein the body member defines a plurality of flow channels in fluid communication with the first connection port and including a first flow channel and a second flow channel extending from the first end to the second end of the body member, the body member defining at least one passageway including a first passageway between the first flow channel and the second flow channel.
2. Evaporator according to claim 1 , comprising a second connection port in fluid communication with the flow channels.
3. Evaporator according to any of claims 1-2, comprising at least one sealing element for sealing at least an end of a flow channel.
4. Evaporator according to claim 3, wherein the at least one sealing element comprises a first sealing element with a primary part having a primary inner surface attached to the first end of the body member.
5. Evaporator according to claim 4, wherein the first sealing element has a support part with an inner surface attached to a side surface of the body member.
6. Evaporator according to any of the claims 4-5, wherein the first connection port is formed in the first sealing element.
7. Evaporator according to any of the claims 4-6, wherein the second connection port is formed in the first sealing element.
8. Evaporator according to any of the claims 4-7, wherein the first sealing element has a secondary part with a secondary inner surface attached to the second end of the body member.
9. Evaporator according to any of the claims 3-8, wherein the at least one sealing element comprises a second sealing element with a primary part having a primary inner surface attached to the second end of the body member.
10. Evaporator according to claim 9, wherein the second sealing element has a support part with an inner surface attached to a side surface of the body member.
11. Evaporator according to any of the claims 9-10, wherein the second connection port is formed in the second sealing element.
12. Evaporator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the body member comprises a first bore extending from a side surface of the body member and forming the first passageway.
13. Evaporator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the body member comprises a first set of bores extending from a side surface of the body member and forming a first set of passageways between the first flow channel and the second flow channel.
14. Evaporator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first bore or each of the first set of bores form an opening in a side surface of the body member, wherein the opening has a cross sectional area less than 100 mm2' preferably less than 50 mm2, such as in the range from about 1 mm2 to about 30 mm2, more preferably about 7 mm.
15. Evaporator according to any of the preceding claims, the evaporator having a height less than 15 mm.
16. Evaporator according to claim 14, the evaporator having a height between 4 mm and 10 mm.
17. Evaporator according to any of the preceding claims, comprising one or more protrusions extending from the body member.
18. Evaporator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the evaporator is made of a material comprising aluminium or an aluminium alloy.
19. Evaporator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of flow channels comprising a third flow channel extending from the first end to the second end of the body member.
20. Evaporator according to claim 19, wherein the body member comprises a second bore extending from a side surface of the body member and forming a second passageway from the second flow channel to the third flow channel.
21. Evaporator according to any of the claims 19-20, wherein the body member comprises a second set of bores extending from a side surface of the body member and forming a second set of passageways between the second flow channel and the third flow channel.
22. Evaporator according to any of the claims 19-21 , wherein the first bore forming a second passageway between the second flow channel and the third flow channel.
23. Evaporator according to any of the claims 19-22, wherein the second bore or each of the second set of bores form an opening in a side surface of the body member, wherein the opening has a cross sectional area less than 100 mm2, preferably less than 50 mm2, such as in the range from about 1 mm2 to about 30 mm2, more preferably about 7 mm.
24. Evaporator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the flow channels are parallel.
25. Evaporator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a first inner wall between the first flow channel and the second flow channel has a minimum thickness less than 5 mm, such as less than 2 mm, preferably in the range from 0.2 mm to about 1.5, such as about 0.5 mm, about 0.8 mm, or about 1 mm.
26. Evaporator according to any of the claims 3-25, wherein the total sealing area of the at least one sealing element is less than 2,000 mm2, such as less than 500 mm2, preferably in the range from about 50 mm2 to about 250 mm2.
27. Evaporator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the cross sectional area of each flow channel is less than 100 mm2, preferably less than 50 mm2, such as in the range from about 1 mm2 to about 30 mm2.
28. Cooling device comprising an evaporator according to any of the preceding claims and a heat emitting part, the cooling device forming a closed cooling fluid loop enabling cooling fluid flow from the heat emitting part to the first connection port, through the cavity to the second connection port and back to the heat emitting part.
29. Method for manufacturing an evaporator, the method comprising
- providing a body member having a first end and a second end and comprising a plurality of flow channels extending from the first end and the second end by extrusion,
- forming at least one passageway between the plurality of flow channels,
- forming a first connection port in at least one sealing element,
- positioning the at least one sealing element at the first end and at the second end of the plurality of flow channels, and - melting together the body member and the at least one sealing element.
30. Method according to claim 19, wherein forming at least one passageway between the plurality of flow channels comprises milling or drilling a bore in the body member.
PCT/DK2010/000006 2009-01-13 2010-01-13 Evaporator, cooling device and method of manufacture WO2010081475A2 (en)

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Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1035398A1 (en) * 1999-03-05 2000-09-13 Denso Corporation Cooling apparatus using boiling and condensing refrigerant
US20030079863A1 (en) * 2001-09-14 2003-05-01 Hajime Sugito Cooling apparatus boiling and condensing refrigerant with improved tunnel structure
US20050241806A1 (en) * 2004-04-30 2005-11-03 I-Ming Liu Radiator plate rapid cooling apparatus
US20070070600A1 (en) * 2005-09-28 2007-03-29 Kentaro Tomioka Electronic apparatus

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1035398A1 (en) * 1999-03-05 2000-09-13 Denso Corporation Cooling apparatus using boiling and condensing refrigerant
US20030079863A1 (en) * 2001-09-14 2003-05-01 Hajime Sugito Cooling apparatus boiling and condensing refrigerant with improved tunnel structure
US20050241806A1 (en) * 2004-04-30 2005-11-03 I-Ming Liu Radiator plate rapid cooling apparatus
US20070070600A1 (en) * 2005-09-28 2007-03-29 Kentaro Tomioka Electronic apparatus

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