Cooling element
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to a cooling element of an electronic device, comprising: an inlet opening, and outlet opening, and a flow channel. To achieve efficient cooling with as low costs as possible, the flow channel is designed to cause a pressure difference between the forward end and tail end of the flow channel. At the higher-pressure forward end, an inlet opening is arranged for a secondary cycle. At the lower-pressure tail end of the cooling element flow channel, an outlet opening is arranged for said secondary cycle.
1. A cooling element of an electronic device, comprising:
an inlet opening for receiving cooling fluid,
an outlet opening for discharging cooling fluid from the cooling element, and
a flow channel for directing cooling fluid from the cooling element inlet opening to the outlet opening, wherein
the flow channel comprises a section with a smaller cross-section as compared to the cross-section of other parts of the flow channel in order to generate a pressure difference between a forward end and a tail end of the flow channel,
at the higher-pressure forward end of the cooling element flow channel and before said section with a smaller cross-section in the direction of flow, an inlet opening is arranged for a secondary cycle, from which cooling fluid is directed to a secondary cycle that is external to the cooling element, and
at the lower-pressure tail end of the cooling element flow channel and after said section with a smaller cross-section in the direction of flow, an outlet opening is arranged for said secondary cycle, from which cooling fluid returning from the secondary cycle is directed to the flow channel of the cooling element.
2. The cooling element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inner surface of the flow channel has longitudinal fins protruding from the walls of the flow channel to increase the surface area of the inner surface.
3. The cooling element as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the fins are cut at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the flow channel.
4. The cooling element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the flow channel is shaped to wind back and forth, whereby the flow channel has several channel sections substantially parallel to each other, and
between at least two substantially parallel channel sections, a discharge channel is formed, having a substantially smaller cross-section than that of the flow channel, and having one end that opens in the vicinity of the inlet or outlet opening of he flow channel to enable the emptying of the flow channel.
5. The cooling element as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said cooling element is formed of a uniform piece, to which a flow channel is made by extrusion and/or drilling.
6. A cooling equipment of an electronic device comprising:
a first and second cooling element,
said first cooling element comprising:
an inlet opening for receiving cooling fluid,
an outlet opening for discharging cooling fluid from the first cooling element, and
a flow channel for directing cooling fluid from the first cooling element inlet opening to the outlet opening, wherein
the flow channel is shaped to generate a pressure difference between a forward end and a tail end of the flow channel,
at the higher-pressure forward end of the first cooling element flow channel, an inlet opening is arranged for a secondary cycle, said inlet opening for the secondary cycle being connected to said second cooling element for directing cooling fluid to said second cooling element that is external from the first cooling element, and
at the lower-pressure tail end of the first cooling element flow channel, an outlet opening is arranged for said secondary cycle, said outlet opening for the secondary cycle being connected to said second cooling element for receiving cooling fluid returning from the second cooling element.