KR20060033321A - Loop type heat pipe having TID-PCM storage module with condensation unit and cooling device using same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a looped heat pipe with a TD-PCM accumulator module for cooling the condensate. In addition, the present invention provides a cooling apparatus capable of cooling the heating object by allowing the working fluid to circulate naturally without receiving power from the outside by using the loop-type heat pipe.

The cold storage module is composed of a double side wall. A plurality of diaphragms for forming a plurality of sealed spaces are fixed in the space between the inner wall and the outer wall provided at a predetermined distance from the inner wall. In the sealed space formed by the plurality of diaphragms, the height of the portion close to the outer wall is higher than the height of the portion close to the inner wall. Therefore, the air inside the sealed space heated by the outer wall during the day is blocked from flowing to the inner wall by the partition wall, so that heat cannot be transferred to the inner wall by convection. On the other hand, the air inside the enclosed space cooled by the outer wall at night moves to the inner wall by the partition wall, and is heated by receiving heat from the inner wall and is heated to the outer wall by the partition wall, thereby convection, thereby causing the phase change material inside the cold storage module. Cold heat is stored.

Refrigerant Cooling Module, Loop Heat Pipe, Mobile Repeater, Cooling

Description

LOOP-TYPE HEAT PIPE HAVING TD-PCM COLD STORAGE MODULE CONTAINING CONDENSER AND COOLING APPARATUS USING THE HEAT PIPE}

1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a loop type heat pipe and a cooling device using the same according to the present invention;

2 is a schematic view of another embodiment of a loop type heat pipe and a cooling device using the same according to the present invention;

3 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of a loop type heat pipe and a cooling apparatus using the same according to the present invention;

4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of the TD-PCM storage module for explaining the operation principle of the TD-PCM storage module of the cooling device of the present invention.

5 is an explanatory diagram of a communication apparatus enclosure cooling apparatus using a conventional loop heat pipe.

<Short description of symbols>

10 Heating element 20 Evaporation part

30 Meteorological flow pipe 40 Storage module

45 Condensation unit 50 Liquid flow pipe

60 Enclosure 70 Cooling Fin Condenser

One aspect of the present invention relates to a loop type heat pipe having a TD-PCM accumulator module for cooling the condenser, and capable of circulating a working fluid without receiving a separate power for cooling the condenser from the outside. In addition, another aspect of the present invention relates to a cooling apparatus capable of cooling a heating element (object to be cooled) by allowing the working fluid to circulate naturally without receiving power from the outside by using the loop-type heat pipe.

The loop type heat pipe circulates the evaporator and the condenser while the working fluid enclosed in the annular hermetic pipe circulates through the evaporator and the working fluid absorbs heat and evaporates at the evaporator. By moving the heat from the evaporator to the condensation unit, there is an advantage that can transport a large amount of heat. The loop type heat pipe has a merit that it can transport a large amount of heat and does not require power to circulate the working fluid when the condenser is located at a higher position than the evaporator, so that a heating element such as an electric or electronic device ( It is widely used as a cooling device for maintaining the operating temperature of the object).

Korea Utility Model Model No. 20-319217, entitled Designated Communication Device Enclosure Cooling Device by Separate Heat Pipe, discloses a cooling device for cooling the inside of the enclosure using the loop type (separate type) heat pipe as described above. It is. As shown in FIG. 5, the cooling apparatus using a loop type (separate type) heat pipe includes an evaporator 20 having a cooling fin installed inside the enclosure 60, and cooling installed on the upper portion of the enclosure 60. Consists of a condensation unit 70 having a fin, and a gas phase flow passage 30 and a liquid phase flow passage 50 connecting the evaporator 20 and the condensation unit 70, respectively. If the cooling device configured as described above has a large temperature difference between the inside and the outside of the enclosure, the working fluid can be circulated smoothly to cool the inside of the enclosure without providing additional power, but the temperature outside the enclosure is increased due to the high temperature outside the enclosure as in summer. If the internal temperature difference is small, there is a problem that the cooling effect is lowered. Therefore, a separate fan must be installed in the condenser outside the enclosure to force the working fluid to pass through the condenser.

On the other hand, the name of the invention 'natural heat storage device', the invention filed by the applicant of the Korean Patent Office dated September 30, 2002 (Publication No. 10-2004-0020767) in the cold storage using the latent heat of the phase change material A description of the module is available. The cold storage module accommodates a known phase change material (hereinafter abbreviated as PCM) therein, and from the inside of the module rather than heat transfer by convection from the outside to the inside of the module as shown in FIG. 4. Dual sidewalls 42 and 43 formed to have excellent heat transfer by convection to the outside, and a plurality of partition walls 44 for partitioning the dual sidewalls are provided. Therefore, when the cold storage module is installed in the air, when the temperature outside the cold storage module becomes lower than the temperature of the PCM inside the cold storage module such as at night, heat transfer to the outside is smoothly performed by convection of air between the PCM and the double side walls. When the temperature outside the cold storage module is higher than the temperature of the PCM inside the cold storage module as in the daytime, heat transfer from the outside of the cold storage module to the PCM by the convection of air between the double side walls is blocked. That is, the double sidewall of the cold storage module functions as a heat diode (THERMAL DIDOE) to allow heat transfer by air convection in only one direction. Hereinafter, a natural storage device having a double wall as described above is called a TD-PCM storage module. All technical details of the natural heat storage device described in the above patent specification are incorporated as part of the present invention.

Most of the cooling system for absorbing heat from the object to be cooled from the object to be cooled by the loop heat pipe and dissipating heat from the condenser to maintain the temperature of the object to be cooled in a certain range is forced to condense the condenser to increase the cooling efficiency. Cool to. If a cooling fan or refrigeration system is installed to forcibly cool the condensate, additional power must be provided. However, it is difficult to supply power depending on the installation location, such as an enclosure equipped with a mobile communication repeater or an unmanned branch station, or even when the supply of power is interrupted, such as in a room where electronic devices such as a computer are stored. When cooling is required to maintain the temperature, it is difficult to use a cooling device using a heat pipe that requires power for forcibly cooling the condensation unit as described above.

The present invention provides a loop type heat pipe, in which a condenser installed at a position higher than the evaporator is cooled by a TD-PCM storage module so that the working fluid can be circulated smoothly without receiving power for cooling the condenser separately. It is a first object to provide a looped heat pipe. In particular, when the external temperature is lower than the temperature inside the cold storage module, the cold storage module stores external cold air in the cold storage module, and when the external temperature is higher than the temperature inside the cold storage module, the cold storage module is stored outside the cold air stored in the cold storage module. It has a side wall that acts as a thermal diode (THERMAL DIODE) that can block the transmission of electrons. Therefore, when the cold storage module is installed in the air, cold heat is stored according to one crossing, and the cold heat is blocked from being transferred to the atmosphere during the day.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device capable of naturally cooling a heating object without receiving power for cooling the heating object from the outside by using the loop-type heat pipe as described above. .

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a loop type heat pipe in which a condensation unit is accommodated inside the heat storage module. The loop type heat pipe according to the present invention includes an evaporator which receives heat from the outside and evaporates the working fluid in the liquid phase, a condenser that transmits heat to the outside and condenses the working fluid in the gas phase, and from the evaporator to the condenser. One end is connected to the evaporator so that the working fluid of the gas phase flows, and the other end is connected to the condenser and the other end is connected to the condenser so that the working fluid flows from the condenser to the evaporator. In a loop type heat pipe including a liquid flow channel connected to the evaporator, further comprising a storage module containing a coolant made of a phase change material therein, wherein the cool storage module is formed by convection from the outside to the inside of the cool storage module. Positioned higher than the evaporation portion, having a side wall formed so that heat transfer by convection from the inside to the outside of the module is better than the heat transfer Installed, and further characterized in that accommodated in the interior of the module chuknaeng the condensing unit.

The cold storage module is composed of a double side wall. In addition, a plurality of diaphragms for forming a plurality of sealed spaces are fixed in the space between the inner wall of the cold storage module and the outer wall provided at a predetermined distance from the inner wall. The diaphragm is preferably used to block heat transfer by conduction using insulation. In the sealed space formed by the plurality of diaphragms, the height of the portion close to the outer wall is higher than the height of the portion close to the inner wall. That is, the diaphragm forms an enclosed space of at least one parallelogram shape inclined upward from the inner side to the outer side. Therefore, when the temperature outside the cold storage module is higher than the temperature inside the cold storage module, the air inside the sealed space heated by the outer wall blocks the flow to the inner wall by the partition wall, thereby preventing heat transfer to the inner wall by convection. In addition, when the outside temperature of the cold storage module is lower than the temperature inside the cold storage module, the air inside the sealed space cooled by the outer wall moves to the inner wall through the partition wall and receives heat from the inner wall and is heated to the outer wall through the partition wall. It does not interfere with heat transfer from the inner wall to the outer wall by convection. Therefore, the cold heat is stored in the phase change material inside the cold storage module. Each enclosed space formed by the plurality of diaphragms is such that heat is transferred only from the outside to the inside of the cold storage module by the convection of air. Therefore, when the cold storage module is installed in the air, it absorbs and stores cold heat from the atmosphere at night by day crossing and prevents the stored cold heat from being transferred to the outside during the day, condensing using the cold heat stored in the phase change material (PCM). Cool the working fluid to the negative supply. In addition, since the cold storage module is installed at a higher position than the evaporator, the cooled working fluid falls into the evaporator by gravity. Therefore, even without a separate fan or cooling device for cooling the condensation unit, the working fluid evaporated in the evaporator is repeated in the cooling process in the condensation unit, the working fluid is naturally circulated.

In the loop type heat pipe according to the present invention, it is preferable to install a separate cooling fin condensing unit for cooling the working fluid evaporated by the cooling fins in the gas phase flow passage tube in front of the storage cooling module. The cooling fin condensing unit is installed at a position higher than the cold storage module so that the working fluid first cooled in the cooling fin condensing unit naturally falls by gravity to flow into the condensation unit inside the cold storage module. In the case of installing the cold storage module and the cooling fin condensing unit in duplicate, there is an advantage that the capacity of the cold storage module can be reduced because the working fluid evaporated in the evaporator is cooled and supplied first in the cooling fin condensing unit. In addition, when the working fluid is supercooled in the cooling fin condensation unit, heat is transferred from the heat storage module to the working fluid, thereby maintaining the temperature fluctuation range of the evaporation unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cooling apparatus using a loop type heat pipe in which a condensation part is accommodated in a heat storage module. The cooling apparatus according to the present invention is installed in such a way that at least one side of the heating object is in contact with the inside of the housing in which the object to be cooled, such as a heating element, is evaporated to receive heat by conduction from the heating element to evaporate the liquid working fluid. And a condenser that is installed outside the enclosure and transfers heat to the outside to condense the working fluid on the gas, and one end is connected to the evaporator so that the working fluid in the gas phase flows from the evaporator to the condenser. A gas phase flow passage connected to the condensation unit, a liquid phase flow passage connected at one end to the condensation unit and the other end connected to the evaporation unit so that a liquid working fluid flows from the condensation unit to the evaporation unit, and a phase change material therein. A cold storage module containing the stored coolant, wherein the cool storage module has an inner side of the module rather than heat transfer by convection from the outside to the inside of the module. From having a side wall formed so as to be excellent in heat transfer by convection to the outside and are installed at a position higher than the evaporator, the condenser unit may accommodated in the interior of the module chuknaeng. The object to be cooled is preferably an electronic device installed in a mobile communication repeater, an unmanned branch office, or indoors, but is not limited thereto. Any heating element that must maintain a constant temperature range during operation may be used.

The refrigeration module of the present invention uses the same as the refrigeration module of the loop-type heat pipe, and in order to increase the cooling effect, it is preferable to install a cooling fin condensation unit in the gas phase flow passage tube in front of a separate heat storage module. In addition, it is possible to increase the cooling capacity by connecting a plurality of evaporation unit, condensation unit and the storage cooling module in parallel. In the case where a plurality of evaporation units are connected in parallel, it is preferable to alternately arrange the plurality of heat generators in order to increase the cooling efficiency.

The cooling device of the present invention has a cooling effect because the evaporator is installed in direct contact with the heating element, and condenses the working fluid evaporated using the storage cooling module that naturally stores cold air by temperature change, thereby condensing the working fluid. There is provided a cooling apparatus capable of cooling an object to be cooled, such as a heating element, without requiring separate power. In addition, the condenser is arranged higher than the evaporator so that the working fluid is naturally circulated by the heat energy of the heating element.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a loop type heat pipe and a cooling device using the same according to the present invention.

In the loop type heat pipe of the present embodiment, the evaporator 20 receives heat from the heating element 10 and the working fluid WF is heated and evaporates, and the condensation part 45 in which the evaporated working fluid is cooled and condensed. ), And a gas phase flow path tube 30 having one end connected to the evaporator 20 and the other end connected to the condenser 45 so that the working fluid in the gas phase flows from the evaporator 20 to the condenser 45. One end is connected to the condenser 45 and the other end is connected to the evaporator 20 so that the working fluid of the liquid condensed from the 45 to the evaporator 20 includes a liquid flow passage 50.

The condensation unit 45 is accommodated in the heat storage module 40 filled with the coolant. The side wall of the heat storage module 40 is composed of an inner wall 43 and an outer wall 42 spaced apart from the inner wall 43 by a predetermined distance and doubled. The inner wall 43 and the outer wall 42 are made of a material having good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum. The upper and lower walls 41 of the heat storage module 40 are made of heat insulating material. In the space between the inner wall 43 and the outer wall 42, a plurality of diaphragms 44 for forming a plurality of closed spaces are fixed. The diaphragm 44 is configured to block heat transfer by conduction if possible between the inner wall 43 and the outer wall 42 using a heat insulating material. The evaporator 20 of the present embodiment is a box-shaped cylinder in which a working fluid is accommodated, but is not limited thereto. The evaporator 20 may be formed by passing an evaporator tube through a metal block such as aluminum.

4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of the TD-PCM storage module for explaining the operation principle of the TD-PCM storage module of the cooling device of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the sealed space 47 formed by the plurality of diaphragms 44 has a height of a portion near the outer wall 42 higher than a height of a portion near the inner wall 43. have. In this embodiment, the diaphragm 44 is shown to be inclined upward from the inner side to the outer side so as to form a parallelogram-shaped closed space 47. However, the diaphragm 44 is not limited thereto, and the air heated by the outer wall faces the inner wall. Any shape can be used so long as it does not flow and prevents air cooled by the inner wall from flowing toward the outer wall. Various shapes of the enclosed space by the diaphragm 44 are shown in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2004-0020767 filed by the applicant of the present invention.

FIG. 4A shows that air in the sealed space 47 heated by the outer wall 42 that is hot is blocked from flowing to the inner wall that is cold by the partition, and convection into the inner wall 43. It is shown to prevent the heat transfer by. 4B shows that the air inside the sealed space cooled by the low temperature outer wall 42 moves to the inner wall 43 by the partition wall, and the air heated in the inner wall 43 moves to the outer wall 42 by the partition wall. By the convection shows the phenomenon that the cold heat is stored in the phase change material (PCM) inside the cold storage module. That is, the plurality of sealed spaces 47 are formed on the double side wall of the cold storage module so that the height of the plurality of sealed spaces 47 is increased toward the outside, so that the inner wall of the outer wall 42 of the cold storage module is caused by convection of air. Only heat is transmitted to (43). Therefore, when the external temperature is lower than the internal temperature, the cold storage module 40 absorbs and stores cold heat from the outside. When the external temperature is higher than the internal temperature, the cold storage module 40 stores the cold heat stored inside the cold storage module 40. The heat transfer to the outside of the container 40 is prevented and the cold heat is preserved. Cold heat stored in the phase change material (PCM) of the cold storage module is transferred to the condensation unit 54 to cool the working fluid of the condensation unit to make a liquid phase.

In addition, since the cold storage module 40 is installed at a position higher than the evaporator 20 as shown in FIG. 1, the cooled working fluid WF falls into the evaporator 20 by gravity. Therefore, in the loop type heat pipe of the present embodiment, the working fluid evaporated in the evaporator is cooled and dropped in the condensation unit without the need for a separate fan or cooling device for cooling the condenser 45 to circulate the working fluid. do.

Inside the enclosure 60, a heating element 10 such as an electronic device constituting a mobile communication repeater is accommodated. Since the heating element 10 such as the electronic device must be maintained at an appropriate temperature, it must be cooled in summer. 1 is an embodiment in which one side of the evaporator 20 of the loop heat pipe is installed to directly contact the heating element 10 installed inside the enclosure 60 and used as a cooling device. In general, heat transfer by conduction is better than heat transfer by convection. In the cooling apparatus of the present embodiment, the evaporator 20 is in direct contact with the heating element 10, so that the heating element can be effectively cooled.

2 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a loop type heat pipe and a cooling apparatus using the same according to the present invention.

2 is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, in which a cooling fin condensation unit 70 is additionally installed in front of the cold storage module 40 and the outer wall 42 of the cold storage module 40. Cooling fin 46 is installed to ensure good heat transfer. The cooling fin condensing unit 70 is installed at a higher position than the cold storage module so that the working fluid cooled first flows down to the condensation unit 45 inside the cold storage module 40 by gravity. The cooling fin condensation unit 70 can be manufactured simply by fixing the plurality of cooling fins 71 to the gas phase flow passage 30. When the cooling fin condensation unit 70 is additionally installed, the temperature of the working fluid condensed in the heat storage module 40 can be kept more constant, thereby reducing the temperature fluctuation range of the heating element 10. That is, when the working fluid is supercooled in the cooling fin condensation unit 70, heat is transferred from the storage cooling module 40 to the working fluid, and when the working fluid is cooled less in the cooling fin condensation unit 70, the working fluid is reduced from the working fluid. Heat is transferred to the cold storage module 40 to maintain the temperature fluctuation range of the condensed working fluid within a certain range. In particular, when the capacity of the TD-PCM storage module is appropriately selected and the range of the temperature fluctuation range of the working fluid is reduced, the temperature fluctuation range of the object to be cooled 10 such as the electronic device cooled by the evaporator 20 can be reduced. Thus, the failure rate can be reduced and the reliability can be improved.

Although not shown, cooling fins may be additionally installed on the outer circumference of the condensation unit in order to increase the heat transfer effect from the PCM inside the heat storage module 40 to the condensation unit 45. In addition, in order to increase the heat transfer effect between the inner wall 43 of the cold storage module 40 and the PCM, heat transfer promoting means such as cooling fins may be further installed on the inner wall.

3 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of a loop heat pipe and a cooling apparatus using the same according to the present invention.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 in that a plurality of evaporators 10 for cooling the plurality of heating elements 10 are installed in parallel, and in order to increase the cooling capacity. A plurality of cooling fin condensation unit 70 and the cooling module 40 is installed in parallel.

According to the present invention, the condenser installed at a position higher than the evaporator is cooled by the TD-PCM storage module so that the loop type heat pipe can smoothly circulate the working fluid without receiving power for cooling the condenser separately. Is provided.

In addition, according to the present invention there is provided a cooling apparatus using a loop type heat pipe having a TD-PCM storage module. The cooling device of the present invention has a cooling effect because the evaporator is installed in direct contact with the heating element, and condenses the working fluid evaporated using the storage cooling module that naturally stores cold air by temperature change, thereby condensing the working fluid. It is possible to cool the heating element without the need for additional power. Therefore, it is useful for cooling a heating element such as an electronic device that requires cooling even when power cannot be supplied or power supply is interrupted.

In addition, the cooling apparatus according to the present invention can reduce the failure rate and improve the reliability by reducing the temperature fluctuation range of the object to be cooled, such as an electronic device. In other words, if the temperature fluctuation range of the working fluid condensed using the TD-PCM storage module is small, the temperature fluctuation range of the evaporator is small, and if the temperature fluctuation range of the evaporator is small, the temperature fluctuation of the object to be cooled, such as the electronic device, is also reduced. This reduces the failure rate of the device and improves reliability.

An embodiment of the present invention described above and illustrated in the drawings should not be construed as limiting the technical spirit of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is limited only by the matters described in the claims, and those skilled in the art can change and change the technical idea of the present invention in various forms. Therefore, such improvements and modifications will fall within the protection scope of the present invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims (12)

An evaporation unit for receiving the heat from the outside to evaporate the working fluid in the liquid phase, a condensation unit for transferring the heat to the outside to condense the working fluid in the gas phase, and one end of the gaseous working fluid to flow from the evaporator to the condensation unit A gas phase flow passage tube connected to the evaporator and the other end connected to the condenser, and a liquid flow channel connected to the condenser and the other end connected to the evaporator so that a liquid working fluid flows from the condenser to the evaporator. In the loop type heat pipe, The storage device further includes a storage cooling module containing a coolant made of a phase change material, wherein the storage cooling module has a sidewall formed so that heat transfer by the convection from the inside to the outside of the module is better than heat transfer by the convection from the outside to the inside of the module. It is provided, and is installed at a position higher than the evaporation unit, The condensation unit is a loop type heat pipe, characterized in that accommodated inside the storage module. The method of claim 1, The side wall of the cold storage module is a double side wall formed of an inner wall and an outer wall provided at a predetermined distance from the inner wall, and a plurality of diaphragms are fixed to form a closed space between the inner wall and the outer wall. The sealed space formed by the diaphragm is a loop type heat pipe, characterized in that the height of the portion close to the outer wall is formed higher than the height of the portion close to the inner wall. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The working fluid flowing into the condenser is first installed in the gas phase flow path between the evaporator and the condenser so that the coolant flows into the condenser, and includes a plurality of cooling fins and condensing the cooling fins disposed at a higher position than the storage module. Loop type heat pipe further comprises a portion. The method of claim 3, The condensation unit and the refrigeration module are a plurality, loop type heat pipe, characterized in that connected in parallel. The method of claim 4, wherein The cooling fin condensation unit is a plurality of, loop type heat pipe, characterized in that connected in parallel. An evaporator which is installed to contact at least one side surface with the heating object in the housing in which the heating object is accommodated and receives heat from the heating object by conduction to evaporate the liquid working fluid; A condensation unit installed outside the enclosure and transferring heat to the outside to condense the working fluid in the gas phase; A gas phase flow passage tube having one end connected to the evaporator and the other end connected to the condensation unit such that a working fluid of the gas phase flows from the evaporator to the condenser; A liquid flow path tube having one end connected to the condenser and the other end connected to the evaporator so that a working fluid of the liquid flows from the condenser to the evaporator; It includes a cold storage module containing a coolant made of a phase change material therein, The cold storage module has a side wall formed so that heat transfer due to convection from the inside to the outside of the module is better than heat transfer due to the convection from the outside to the inside of the module, and is installed at a position higher than the evaporation unit. The condenser is a cooling device, characterized in that accommodated in the storage module. The method of claim 6, The side wall of the cold storage module is a double side wall formed of an inner wall and an outer wall provided at a predetermined distance from the inner wall, and a plurality of diaphragms are fixed to form a closed space between the inner wall and the outer wall. The closed space formed by the diaphragm is a cooling device, characterized in that the height of the portion close to the outer wall is formed higher than the height of the portion close to the inner wall. The method according to claim 6 or 7, A cooling fin condensation unit is installed in the gas phase flow path between the evaporator and the condensation unit so that the working fluid flowing into the condensation unit is cooled, and further includes a plurality of cooling fins and is disposed at a position higher than the storage container. Cooling apparatus, characterized in that. The method of claim 8, The condensation unit and the cold storage container is a plurality, Cabinet device characterized in that connected in parallel. The method of claim 9, The cooling fin condensation unit is a plurality, the cooling device, characterized in that connected in parallel. The method of claim 8, The heating material is a plurality, The evaporator is a plurality, the parallel is connected, the cooling device, characterized in that arranged alternately between the plurality of heating objects. The method of claim 8, Cooling apparatus further comprises a cooling fin fixed to the inner wall of the cold storage module.

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