Self-pumping liquid and gas cooling system for the cooling of solar cells and heat-generating elements

Abstract

A self-pumping liquid and gas cooling system for the cooling of solar cells and heat generating elements. A method for the self-pumping of liquid and gas coolants utilizes the cooling system. The essentially closed coolant system incorporates a heat exchanger having a length meandering tubing passing therethrough the opposite ends of which are, respectively, in communication with a driving pump and a return pump that are interconnected by a shaft. Hereby, tubing intermediate the circuit formed by the pumps extends through an evaporator structure containing the chip or heat-generating solar cell or cells.

1 . A self-pumping liquid and gas coolant circulating system for the cooling of heat-generating elements, said system comprising:
 a heat exchanger unit;   a tubing arrangement containing said coolant and having undulating tubing portions winding through said heat exchanger unit, inlet and outlet ends of said tubing arrangement extending outwardly from said heat exchanger unit;   a first circulating drive pump for conveying said coolant through said system having an inlet connected to the outlet end of said tubing arrangement;   a second circulating return pump for conveying said coolant through said system having an outlet connected to the inlet end of said tubing arrangement, said pumps being interconnected for mutual operation;   an evaporator containing at least one said heat-generating element being located intermediate said pumps, wherein a tubing section connects an inlet of said evaporator with an outlet of said first circulating pump, and a further tubing section connects said outlet of said evaporator with an inlet of said second circulating pump, wherein there is formed a closed circulating path for said coolant through said cooling system.   
     
     
         2 . A system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said first and second circulating pumps are operatively interconnected by a shaft for rotation in unison with each other. 
     
     
         3 . A system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said first and second circulating pumps are magnetically interconnected for rotation in unison with each other. 
     
     
         4 . A system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said first circulating pump has a larger flow volume than said second circulating pump. 
     
     
         5 . A system as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein said flow volume of said first circulating pump is in a range of about 4:1 to 10:1 that of the second circulating pump. 
     
     
         6 . A system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said first and second circulating pump are impeller vane pumps. 
     
     
         7 . A system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said first circulating pump is a turbine and said second circulating pump is an impeller vane pump. 
     
     
         8 . A system as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein said impeller vane pumps have, selectively, flexible vanes or radially oscillatable vanes. 
     
     
         9 . A system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said coolant is selectively constituted of water, or methanol, or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         10 . A system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said coolant is constituted of ammonia. 
     
     
         11 . A method for the cooling of heat-generating elements by self-pumping liquid and as coolant circulating system, said method comprising:
 providing a heat exchanger unit having a tubing arrangement containing said coolant and having undulanting tubing portions winding through said heat exchanger unit inlet and outlet ends of said tubing arrangement extending outwardly from said heat exchanger unit:   having a first circulating drive pump conveying said coolant from the outlet end of said tubing arrangement;   conveying said cooling from said first circulating pump to a second circulating pump operatively and interconnecting said first and second pumps;   interconnecting an evaporator containing at least one said heat-generating element intermediate said pumps, wherein a tubing section connects said evaporator with said first circulating pump, and a further tubing section connects evaporator with said second circulating, so as to form a closed circulating path for propagating said coolant through said cooling system, whereby coolant heated to a gaseous state by said at least one heat-generating element in said evaporator is conducted by said second pump to said heat exchanger and cooled into a liquid state therein, and conveyed to said first pump and recirculated through said evaporator for absorption of heat from said at least one heat-generating element.   
     
     
         12 . A method claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said first and second circulating pumps are operatively interconnected by a shaft for rotation in unison with each other. 
     
     
         13 . A method as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said first and second circulating pumps are magnetically interconnected for rotation in unison with each other. 
     
     
         14 . A method as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said first circulating pump possesses a larger flow volume then said second circulating pump. 
     
     
         15 . A method as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said first and second circulating pump are impeller vane pumps. 
     
     
         16 . A method as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said first circulating pump is a turbine and said second circulating ump is an impeller vane pump. 
     
     
         17 . A method as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said coolant is constituted of selectively water or methanol, or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         18 . A method as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein said coolant comprises ammonia.