Thermoelectric-enhanced, liquid-based cooling of a multi-component electronic system

摘要

Methods are provided for facilitating cooling of an electronic component. The methods include providing: a liquid-cooled structure, a thermal conduction path coupling the electronic component and the liquid-cooled structure, a coolant loop in fluid communication with a coolant-carrying channel of the liquid-cooled structure, and an outdoor-air-cooled heat exchange unit coupled to facilitate heat transfer from the liquid-cooled structure via, at least in part, the coolant loop. The thermoelectric array facilitates transfer of heat from the electronic component to the liquid-cooled structure, and the heat exchange unit cools coolant passing through the coolant loop by dissipating heat from the coolant to outdoor ambient air. In one implementation, temperature of coolant entering the liquid-cooled structure is greater than temperature of the outdoor ambient air to which heat is dissipated.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
providing a cooling apparatus, the cooling apparatus being a single-phase-coolant cooling apparatus, and coupling the cooling apparatus to a multi-component electronic system comprising at least one primary heat-generating component and at least one secondary heat-generating component, the at least one primary heat-generating component dissipating by design greater heat than the at least one secondary heat-generating component, the cooling apparatus comprising:
at least one liquid-cooled cold plate, each liquid-cooled cold plate being coupled to a respective primary heat-generating component of the at least one primary heat-generating component to be cooled;a liquid-cooled structure comprising a thermally conductive material with at least one coolant-carrying channel extending therein;a thermal conduction structure coupling a thermally conductive housing component comprising the multiple, removable, secondary heat-generating components operatively docked therein and the liquid-cooled structure, the thermal conduction structure comprising a thermal spreader and a thermoelectric array including at least one thermoelectric module, the thermoelectric array facilitating transfer of heat from the thermally conductive housing component comprising the multiple, removable, secondary heat-generating components through the thermal spreader to the liquid-cooled structure, and wherein the thermally conductive structure engages a side surface of the thermally conductive housing component to facilitate the transfer of heat from the side surface of the thermally conductive housing component to the liquid-cooled structure;a coolant loop coupled in fluid communication with the at least one coolant-carrying channel extending within the liquid-cooled structure and the at least one liquid-cooled cold plate;a single-phase liquid coolant within the coolant loop;an outdoor-air-cooled heat exchange unit coupled to facilitate single-phase heat transfer from the single-phase liquid coolant within the coolant loop to the outdoor-air-cooled heat exchange unit, wherein the outdoor-air-cooled heat exchange unit cools the single-phase coolant passing through the coolant loop by dissipating heat from the coolant to outdoor ambient air; andwherein temperature of single-phase coolant entering the at least one liquid-cooled cold plate and entering the liquid-cooled structure from the coolant loop is greater than temperature of the outdoor ambient air to which heat is dissipated.