Cooling systems incorporating heat exchangers and thermoelectric layers
View Patent ↗A system for cooling a heat source includes a fluid heat exchanger, a pump, a thermoelectric device and a heat rejector. The thermoelectric device includes a cooling portion and a heating portion. The heat rejector is configured to be in thermal contact with at least a portion of the heating portion of the thermoelectric device. The pump is coupled with the fluid heat exchanger and configured to pass a fluid therethrough. The thermoelectric device is configured along with the heat exchanger in the cooling system.
1. A system for cooling a heat source, comprising:
a. a fluid heat exchanger;
b. a pump, coupled with the fluid heat exchanger and configured to pass a fluid therethrough;
c. a thermoelectric device having a cooling portion and a heating portion and configured so that at least a portion of the cooling portion is in direct conductive thermal contact with the fluid heat exchanger to cool the fluid heat exchanger; and,
d. a heat rejector configured to be in direct conductive thermal contact with at least a portion of the heating portion of the thermoelectric device.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric device and the fluid heat exchanger are integrally formed.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric device and the fluid heat exchanger are modularly formed and coupled with one another.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises a manifold region for fluid delivery and a microscaled region.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the microscaled region comprises one of the following: microchannels, micropillars, a microlattice, and a microporous region.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric device and the heat rejector are integrally formed.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric device and the heat rejector are modularly formed and coupled with one another.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric device, the heat rejector, and the fluid heat exchanger are integrally formed.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pump is one of the following: an ionic pump and an electromechanical pump.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric device is positioned so the fluid heat exchanger is between it and the heat source, when the system is configured to cool the heat source.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid heat exchanger, the thermoelectric device and the heat rejector form a stacked assembly where the thermoelectric device is positioned between the fluid heat exchanger and the heat rejector.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein heat from the heat source flows into the fluid heat exchanger to the heat rejector via the thermoelectric device.
13. A system for cooling an electronic device, comprising:
a. a fluid heat exchanger;
b. a pump, coupled with the fluid heat exchanger and configured to pass a fluid therethrough;
c. a first thermoelectric device having a cooling portion and a heating portion and configured so that at least a portion of the cooling portion is in direct conductive thermal contact with the fluid heat exchanger to cool the fluid heat exchanger;
d. a heat rejector configured to be in direct conductive thermal contact with at least a portion of the heating portion of the first thermoelectric device; and
e. a second thermoelectric device having a cooling portion and a heating portion and configured so that at least a portion of the heating portion is in direct conductive thermal contact with the fluid heat exchanger to heat the fluid heat exchanger and so that at least a portion of the cooling portion is in contact with a portion of the electronic device to cool the portion of the electronic device.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first thermoelectric device and the fluid heat exchanger are integrally formed.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first thermoelectric device and the fluid heat exchanger are modularly formed and coupled with one another.
16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the second thermoelectric device and the fluid heat exchanger are integrally formed.
17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the second thermoelectric device and the fluid heat exchanger are modularly formed and coupled with one another.
18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first thermoelectric device and the heat rejector are integrally formed.
19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first thermoelectric device and the heat rejector are modularly formed and coupled with one another.
20. The system of claim 13 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises a manifold region for fluid delivery and a microscaled region.
21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the microscaled region comprises one of the following: microchannels, micropillars, microlattice, and a microporous region.
22. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first thermoelectric device, the second thermoelectric device, the heat rejector, and the fluid heat exchanger are integrally formed.
23. The system of claim 13 , wherein the pump is on of the following: an ionic pump and an electromechanical pump.
24. The system of claim 13 , wherein the thermoelectric device is positioned between the fluid heat exchanger and the electronic device, when the system is configured to cool an electronic device.
25. The system of claim 13 , wherein the fluid heat exchanger is positioned between the thermoelectric device and the heat rejector.
26. A system for cooling an electronic device, comprising:
a. a fluid heat exchanger;
b. a fluid conduit structure, coupled with the fluid heat exchanger;
c. a pump, coupled with the fluid conduit structure and configured to pass a fluid therethrough and further through the fluid heat exchanger;
d. a heat rejector, coupled with the fluid conduit structure and thermally coupled with the fluid contained therein; and
e. a thermoelectric device coupled to the fluid conduit structure such that a first conduit of the fluid conduit structure is coupled between the fluid heat exchanger and the thermoelectric device and a second conduit of the fluid conduit structure is coupled between the thermoelectric device and the heat rejector, wherein the thermoelectric device is thermally coupled with the fluid heat exchanger and thermally coupled with the fluid contained therein.
27. The system of claim 26 , wherein the thermoelectric device and the conduit structure are integrally formed.
28. The system of claim 26 , wherein the thermoelectric device and the conduit structure are modularly formed and coupled with one another.
29. The system of claim 26 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises a manifold region for fluid delivery and a microscaled region.
30. The system of claim 29 , wherein the microscaled region comprises one of the following: microchannels, micropillars, a microlattice, and a microporous region.
31. The system of claim 26 , wherein the pump is one of the following: an ionic pump and an electromechanical pump.
32. The system of claim 26 , wherein the thermoelectric device is thermally coupled to a heat-rejecting structure.
33. The system of claim 26 , wherein the thermoelectric device is thermally coupled to a heat exchanger.
34. A microprocessor cooling system, comprising:
a. a fluid heat exchanger directly and conductively thermally coupled with a microprocessor;
b. a thermoelectric device directly and conductively thermally coupled with the fluid heat exchanger and thermally coupled with the microprocessor via the fluid heat exchanger;
c. a heat rejector thermally coupled with both the fluid heat exchanger and with the thermoelectric device;
d. a pump configured to pass fluid through the fluid heat exchanger; and
e. a heat transmitting path extending from the microprocessor to the fluid heat exchanger before extending towards the thermoelectric device.
35. The microprocessor cooling system of claim 34 , wherein the fluid heat exchanger, the heat rejector and the thermoelectric device are integrally formed.
36. The microprocessor cooling system of claim 34 , wherein the fluid heat exchanger, the heat rejector and the thermoelectric device are modularly formed and coupled with one another.
37. The microprocessor cooling system of claim 34 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises a manifold region for fluid delivery and a microscaled region.
38. The microprocessor cooling system of claim 37 , wherein the microscaled region comprises one of the following: microchannels, micropillars, a microlattice, and a microporous region.