Immersion cooling arrangements for electronic devices

{
  "publication_number": "US10020242B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Immersion cooling arrangements for electronic devices",
  "abstract": "An electronics cooling arrangement includes a housing configured to contain a coolant and an electronic device disposed within the housing. The electronic device has a passageway with at least one inlet and at least one outlet and is configured to allow fluid flowing between the inlet and the outlet to cool the electronic device.",
  "claims": [
    "1. An electronics cooling arrangement, comprising: a housing configured to contain a coolant; a dielectric coolant sealed within the housing; and an electronic device with a printed circuit board (PCB) having a chip package coupled thereto, the electronic device disposed within the housing and submerged within the coolant, wherein the PCB defines an inlet, wherein the chip package defines an outlet, wherein the PCB and the chip package define within their interiors a passageway fluidly coupling the inlet with the outlet to allow fluid flowing between the inlet and the outlet to cool the electronic device, wherein the inlet and the outlet are in fluid communication with one another externally of the passageway through an interior of the housing, wherein the outlet opens directly to the interior of the housing.",
    "2. The electronics cooling arrangement as recited in claim 1, further including a pump in fluid communication with the passageway.",
    "3. The electronics cooling arrangement as recited in claim 2, wherein the pump is configured to urge fluid through the passageway.",
    "4. The electronics cooling arrangement as recited in claim 2, wherein the pump is contained within the housing.",
    "5. The electronics cooling arrangement as recited in claim 2, further including a control module operatively connected with the pump and configured to selectively operate the pump according to heat generated by the electronic device.",
    "6. The electronics cooling arrangement as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic component being submerged within a liquid phase of the dielectric coolant.",
    "7. The electronics cooling arrangement as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic device includes an integrated circuit exposed to an interior of the housing.",
    "8. The electronics cooling arrangement as recited in claim 1, wherein the chip package includes a microchannel cooler in fluid communication with the passageway.",
    "9. The electronics cooling arrangement as recited in claim 1, wherein the chip package includes an integrated circuit.",
    "10. An electronics cooling arrangement, comprising: a housing configured to contain a coolant; an electronic device disposed within the housing having a passageway with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, the passageway configured to allow fluid flowing between the inlet and the outlet to cool the electronic device; and a hypodermic needle segment fluidly coupling the inlet with the passageway.",
    "11. An immersion cooling arrangement, comprising: a sealed housing; a dielectric coolant disposed within the housing; an electronic device disposed within the housing having a passageway with at least one inlet and at least one outlet, wherein the inlet is submerged within the dielectric coolant, wherein the outlet is submerged within the dielectric coolant, and wherein the inlet and the outlet are in fluid communication with one another externally of the passageway through an interior of the housing; and a hypodermic needle segment fluidly coupling the inlet with the passageway.",
    "12. A method of cooling an electronic device, comprising: introducing fluid from an interior of a housing into a passageway defined by the electronic device, the electronic device including a printed circuit board (PCB) with a chip package coupled to by the PCB, wherein the coolant enters the passageway through an inlet defined by PCB, flowing fluid through the passageway; transferring heat from the electronic device to the fluid flowing through the passageway; and flowing heated coolant through an outlet defined by the chip package, wherein the outlet opens directly to the interior of the housing.",
    "13. The method of cooling an electronic device as recited in claim 12, further comprising flowing heated coolant from the passageway into the interior of the housing.",
    "14. The method of cooling an electronic device as recited in claim 12, further comprising pumping coolant through the passageway."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This invention was made with government support with the National Security Agency under Contract No. H98230-13-C-1037. The government has certain rights in the invention.\n\nThe present disclosure relates to electrical systems, and more particularly to heat removal from electronic devices using immersion cooling.\n\nVehicular electrical systems, such as aircraft electrical systems, commonly include power-consuming electronic devices like battery charging modules, power converters, and motor controllers. Electrical power applied to such electronic devices generates heat, generally from resistive heating of current-carrying components like windings, conductive traces, and power electronics. In some electrical systems the heat generated can require cooling provisioning selected according to the amount of heat generated by the electronic device during operation, examples of common cooling provisioning including conduction cooling, natural convection cooling, radiation cooling, forced-air cooling, and liquid cooling.\n\nAs the power density of electronic devices increases from parts becoming smaller and/or increased speed, heat removal through liquid cooling has received attention. Liquid cooling generally entails coupling a coolant source to an electronic device through input and return conduits, coolant typically flowing to and from the coolant source in a closed loop arrangement to cool the electronic device. The input and return conduits typically require sealing at the electronic device to retain the coolant in the closed loop coolant circuit.",
  "cpc": [
    "H10W 40/30",
    "H01L 23/44",
    "H01L 23/473",
    "H05K 1/0203",
    "H05K 7/20236",
    "H05K 7/203",
    "H05K 7/20327",
    "H05K 7/20881",
    "H05K 7/20936",
    "H10W 40/47"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "H05K 7/20",
    "H10W 40/30",
    "H10W 40/47"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Hamilton Sundstrand Corp"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Shin Katsumata",
    "Charles Shepard"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2016-04-14",
  "publication_date": "2018-07-10",
  "grant_date": "2018-07-10",
  "priority_date": "2016-04-14",
  "application_number": "US-201615098810-A",
  "family_id": "58671337",
  "cited_by_count": 43,
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}