Pump-Less Cooling

Abstract

A method of cooling that accelerates a compressible working fluid without the use of a pump. The method accelerates the fluid to a velocity equal to or greater than the speed of sound in the compressible fluid selected to be used in the method. The fluid is accelerated to a supersonic velocity in a rotating evaporator tube. A phase change of the fluid due to a pressure differential may be utilized to transfer heat from an element to be cooled.

1 . A cooling method, the method comprising:
 rotating a portion of a fluid pathway whereby a compressible fluid contained in the pathway is accelerated to a velocity greater than or equal to the speed of sound in the compressible fluid, the acceleration of the compressible fluid establishing a low pressure region in the pathway;   forming a compression wave in the compressible fluid as the compressible fluid passes from a high pressure region to the low pressure region as the compressible fluid passes through an evaporator tube; and   exchanging heat introduced into the fluid pathway during a phase change of the compressible fluid to extract heat from an element to be cooled.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein exchanging heat further includes conducting heat through an interface plate in thermal communication with the fluid pathway. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein exchanging heat further includes exchanging heat through an air gap between the rotating portion of the fluid pathway and the element to be cooled. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising increasing the heat transfer rate of the air gap by filling the air gap with oil. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein rotating a portion of the fluid pathway includes rotating at least one evaporator tube. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein forming a compression wave further includes initiating cavitation in the evaporator tube to assist in the formation of the compression wave. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein during the phase change of the compressible fluid, a portion of the compressible fluid is introduced into a volume change compensation mechanism in fluid communication with the fluid pathway to compensate for the volume change associated with the phase change. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein exchanging heat further includes conducting heat through a solid metal in thermal communication with both the fluid pathway and the element to be cooled. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein acceleration of the compressible fluid creates a partial vacuum that urges the compressible fluid through the fluid pathway. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein acceleration of the compressible fluid causes a pressure change that leads to a phase change of the compressible fluid. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the pressure change of the compressible fluid occurs within a range of approximately 20 PSI to 100 PSI. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the pressure change of the compressible fluid involves a change to an excess of 100 PSI. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the pressure change of the compressible fluid involves a change to less than 20 PSI. 
     
     
         14 . A cooling system, the system comprising:
 an enclosure defining a fluid pathway, at least a portion of the fluid pathway being rotatable about a central axis, the rotatable portion of the fluid pathway including at least one evaporator tube; and   a driving mechanism to provide a motive force to drive the rotatable portion of the fluid pathway, wherein fluid in the at least one evaporator tube flows in the critical flow regime to generate a compression wave, the compression wave changing the pressure of the fluid so that the temperature of the fluid is reduced, thereby allowing heat to be exchanged with the fluid in the fluid pathway to remove heat from an element to be cooled.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising at least one heat conductive solid in thermal communication with both the fluid pathway and an element to be cooled. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising a volume change compensation mechanism in fluid communication with the fluid pathway. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising a gap between the rotatable portion and an element to be cooled. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the gap is filled with oil to improve heat conductivity. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the fluid pathway includes a region in which the fluid undergoes a phase change as the pressure of the fluid changes. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the pressure of the fluid changes within a range of approximately 20 PSI to 100 PSI. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the pressure of the fluid increases to a pressure greater than 100 PSI. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the pressure of the fluid decreases to a pressure less than 20 PSI. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the fluid is water.