Method and apparatus for cooling with coolant at a subambient pressure

摘要

According to one embodiment, an apparatus (10) includes a fluid coolant and structure which reduces a pressure of the fluid coolant through a subambient pressure at which the coolant has a cooling temperature less than a temperature of the heat-generating structure (12). The apparatus also includes structure (22,24) that directs a flow of the fluid coolant in the form of a liquid at a subambient pressure in a manner causing the liquid coolant to be brought into thermal communication with the heat-generating structure. The heat from the heat-generating structure causes the liquid coolant to boil and vaporize so that the coolant absorbs heat from the heat-generating structure as the coolant changes state. The structure is configured to circulate the fluid coolant through a flow loop while maintaining the pressure of the fluid coolant within a range having an upper bound less than ambient pressure. The apparatus also includes a first heat exchanger (28) for exchanging heat between the fluid coolant flowing through the loop and a second coolant in an intermediary loop (160) so as to condense the fluid coolant flowing through the loop to a liquid. The apparatus also includes a second heat exchanger (146) for exchanging heat between the second coolant in the intermediary cooling loop and a body of water (148) on which the ship (100) is disposed.