Refrigeration – Refrigeration producer – With refrigerant treater
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-31
2002-03-26
Bennett, Henry (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Refrigeration producer
With refrigerant treater
C062S259200, C165S104330, C361S689000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06360559
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cooling system for cooling a heat-generating element in electronic equipment, for example, and particularly to such system designed for enhancement of the rate of moisture adsorption as well as downsizing of the system.
2. The Prior Art
FIG. 1
illustrates the configuration of a cooling system which may be conceived from the prior art. By way of example, a component
10
being cooled may be a heat-generating semiconductor integrated circuit element mounted on a printed-circuit board and covered by a water jacket cover into and through which cooling liquid or coolant J is passed to cool the heat-generating element.
The component
10
being cooled is chilled by the coolant supplied by a coolant circulating system
20
. In the coolant circulating system
20
, the coolant J from a coolant storage tank
22
is supplied by a pump
23
into a moisture eliminating filter
24
from where the coolant having moisture removed therefrom is passed through a supply piping
27
having a moisture detecting sensor
25
disposed therein into a water jacket cover (not shown) around the component
10
being cooled. The coolant having flowed through the jacket cover is then passed through a return piping
26
back to the coolant circulating system
20
where it is chilled through a heat exchanger
21
prior to being returned to the coolant storage tank
22
. The moisture detecting sensor
25
comprises a pair of electrodes disposed in the piping
27
, the arrangement being such that upon moisture depositing between the pair of electrodes, a contact signal will be generated.
The heat exchanger
21
, coolant storage tank
22
, pump
23
, moisture eliminating filter
24
and moisture detecting sensor
25
are successively connected by the pipings
26
and
27
to constitute a circulating fluid circuit. Through this fluid circuit is circulated an insulating coolant such as perfluorocarbon so that the heat produced in the component
10
being cooled is dissipated through the heat exchanger
21
to the atmosphere to thereby suppress a rise in temperature in the component
10
.
Where the component
10
being cooled is a semiconductor integrated circuit element as exemplified above, the cooling liquid is flowed in direct contact with the semiconductor integrated circuit element. It is for this reason that the coolant must be an insulating coolant. Should moisture be entrained in the coolant, the moisture would possibly create the risk of an accidental short-circuit between the terminals of the semiconductor integrated circuit element.
In order to avoid such situation, it is conceivable to dispose the moisture eliminating filter
24
which may comprise zeolite-based adsorbent, for example in the coolant circulating circuit so that any moisture entrained in the coolant may be adsorbed by the moisture eliminating filter
24
to prevent ingress of moisture into the component
10
being cooled. In addition, it is preferable that the moisture detecting sensor
25
be located adjacent the coolant inlet to the component
10
through which the coolant from the circulating circuit is introduced into the component
10
and that a function be added for generating an alarm to indicate instantly when any moisture is trapped in the coolant before flowing into the component
10
.
As discussed above, since the moisture eliminating filter
24
is for eliminating moisture contained in the coolant, all of the coolant to be supplied to the component
10
being cooled must be passed through the moisture eliminating filter
24
.
In general, since the moisture eliminating filter
24
is contained in a relatively small-sized filter housing
24
A, the filter is correspondingly small in size. While it is depicted in an exaggerated size in
FIG. 1
for the benefit of illustrating the construction, the volume of the filter housing
24
A is actually on the order of one-tenth of that of the coolant storage tank
22
. The moisture eliminating filter
24
which is generally cylindrical in shape is configured such that as the coolant is introduced into the filter
24
via one end thereof and passed therethrough and exuded therefrom into the interior of the filter housing
24
A, the moisture in the coolant is adsorbed by the filter. Flowing a large amount of coolant through the small-sized moisture eliminating filter
24
necessitates a higher flow rate, resulting undesirably in reducing the rate of moisture adsorption. In addition, an increase in the flow rate creates a greater pressure loss across the moisture eliminating filter
24
, which in turn requires a larger capacity pump.
Furthermore, disposing the moisture eliminating filter
24
and the moisture detecting sensor
25
independently from each other in the circulating circuit imposes the disadvantage of oversizing the entire coolant circulating system
20
.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a cooling system which provides for downsizing of the system.
It is another object of this invention to provide a cooling system which allows for enhancing the rate of moisture adsorption.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to this invention, the moisture eliminating filter is contained in the coolant storage tank. Specifically, the moisture eliminating filter is disposed in the coolant storage tank such that it covers an outlet from the tank. In an alternate embodiment, the moisture eliminating filter is located in the coolant storage tank with its outer periphery in contact with the inner periphery of the coolant storage tank.
It will thus be appreciated that this construction eliminates the need for provision of an outer filter housing, leading to downsizing of the system. Additionally, the coolant storage tank is increased in volume, which allows for a relatively lower flow rate of coolant as well as increasing the volume of the moisture eliminating filter, whereby the rate of moisture adsorption may be improved. It is thus to be understood that this construction introduces the additional advantage of providing a highly stable cooling system which does not permit moisture to migrate into a component being cooled.
Moreover, if the moisture detecting sensor is also disposed in the coolant storage tank, it contributes to further downsizing of the system.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4141224 (1979-02-01), Alger et al.
patent: 4437082 (1984-03-01), Walsh et al.
patent: 4897762 (1990-01-01), Daikoku et al.
patent: 734633 (1943-04-01), None
patent: 72828 (1969-11-01), None
patent: 118193 (1975-06-01), None
patent: 4033172 (1990-10-01), None
patent: 4008486 (1991-09-01), None
patent: 0524757 (1993-01-01), None
Advantest Corporation
Bennett Henry
Gallagher & Lathrop
Jiang Chen-Wen
Lathrop, Esq. David N.
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