Heat exchanger device and method for heat removal or transfer
| DWPI Title: Heat removing apparatus e.g. freezer, for use in e.g. power plant, has heat transfer structure movable relative to heat conducting structure, and gas filled gap region comprising low thermal resistance |
| Abstract: Systems and methods for a forced-convection heat exchanger are provided. In one embodiment, heat is transferred to or from a thermal load in thermal contact with a heat conducting structure, across a narrow air gap, to a rotating heat transfer structure immersed in a surrounding medium such as air. |
| Use: Apparatus e.g. heater, air conditioner, refrigerator, freezer, absorption chiller, evaporative cooler, thermal reservoir, condenser, radiator, heat pump, heat engine, motor and generator, for removing heat from a high-thermal-density region i.e. CPU chip, of a desktop personal computer and laptop computer and for thermal management of active and/or passive electronic component such as a resistor, capacitor, inductor, transformer, diode, rectifier, thyristor, transistor, amplifier, integrated circuit, display driver, line driver, buffer, microprocessor, CPU, graphics processing unit, coprocessor, transducer, sensor, actuator, power supply, alternating current to direct current converter, direct current to alternating current converter, direct current to direct current converter, alternating current to alternating current converter, printed circuit assembly and use in a temperature control apparatus for transferring heat between a thermal load and a surrounding medium in a building, enclosure, power plant, factory, computer data center, computer server farm, commercial building, laboratory, office, public space, residential dwelling, transport vehicle, instrument or machine (all claimed). |
| Advantage: The apparatus includes forced-air heat exchangers with reduced size, weight, energy consumption, and noise of the heat exchanger, so that the energy efficiency of the apparatus is improved significantly by lowering the thermal resistance of the heat exchanger. The apparatus includes radial grooves in a top surface of a heat conducting structure i.e. base plate, thus resulting in a small reduction in the area for the narrow air gap region, and hence ensuring that the turbulence generated in the grooved hydrodynamic air bearing structure enhances convective heat transfer between the base plate and heat transfer structure. The apparatus circulates air through the heat exchanger fins, thus reducing the boundary layer thickness, so that the electrical power consumption and cost of air-jet-impingement cooling is reduced. |
| Novelty: The apparatus e.g. freezer, has a heat conducting structure i.e. base plate (11), adaptable to be in thermal contact with a thermal load. A heat transfer structure i.e. heat-sink-impeller structure (13), immersed in a surrounding medium is coupled to the heat conducting structure to form a gas filled gap region sandwiched between the heat conducting structure and the heat transfer structure. The gas filled gap region comprises a low thermal resistance, and the heat transfer structure is movable relative to the heat conducting structure. |
| Filed: 8/4/2008 |
| Application Number: US2008185570A |
| Tech ID: SD 10948.1 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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