Fluid-cooled electronic system
View Patent ↗A fluid-cooled electronic assembly including a base having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet therein, a cap attached to the base to form a fluid containment chamber therebetween, wherein the fluid containment chamber is in fluid communication with the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, and an electronic device disposed within the fluid containment chamber and connected to the base, the electronic device having a plurality of microchannels adapted to receive a cooling fluid flow therethrough, wherein the cap is shaped to direct a fluid flow from the fluid inlet to the microchannels such that a pressure drop between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet is reduced.
1. A fluid-cooled electronic system comprising:
a base including a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;
an electronic device connected to said base between said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet, said electronic device including a plurality of microchannels extending substantially parallel to a fluid line between said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet;
a cap attached to said base about said electronic device, said fluid inlet, and said fluid outlet to form a fluid containment chamber that receives cooling fluid through said fluid inlet for cooling said electronic device and exhausts said cooling fluid through said fluid outlet, said cap being peripherally spaced from said electronic device to define a fluid inlet volume between said fluid inlet and an inlet of said microchannels, a fluid outlet volume between said fluid outlet and an outlet of said microchannels, side gaps between said cap and each side of said electronic device, and a top gap between said cap and a top surface of said electronic device; and
a first baffle material disposed in said top gap, said first baffle material having a contracted state when not exposed to said cooling fluid and a swollen state when exposed to said cooling fluid for restricting a flow of said cooling fluid through said top gap and thereby increasing a proportion of said cooling fluid that flows through said microchannels.
2. The fluid-cooled electronic assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second baffle material disposed in said side gaps for restricting a flow of said cooling fluid through said side gaps and thereby increasing a proportion of said cooling fluid that flows through said microchannels.
3. The fluid-cooled electronic assembly of claim 2 , wherein said second baffle material is a curable material that is dispensed into said side gaps.
4. The fluid-cooled electronic assembly of claim 2 , wherein said second baffle material is a swellable material that has a contracted state when not exposed to said cooling fluid and an expanded state when exposed to said cooling fluid for restricting the flow of said cooling fluid through said side gaps.
5. The fluid-cooled electronic assembly of claim 1 , wherein said first baffle material is a sheet of material that is attached to the top surface of said electronic device.
6. The fluid-cooled electronic assembly of claim 1 , wherein said first baffle material is a sheet of material that is attached to an inside surface of said cap.
7. The fluid-cooled electronic assembly of claim 1 , wherein a periphery of said cap is contoured such that said fluid inlet volume bulges outwardly in a direction away from said base and then inwardly toward said electronic device to direct said cooling fluid into said microchannels.
8. The fluid-cooled electronic assembly of claim 1 , wherein a periphery of said cap is contoured such that said fluid inlet volume angles between said base and a top edge of said electronic device to direct said cooling fluid into said inlet of said microchannels.