Development and analysis of a simple structured and economic miniature vapor compression refrigerator for cooling electronics in harsh environment

Compared with the previous cooling technologies for electronics, the miniature refrigeration technology can effectively eliminate hot spots and ensure that the junction temperature is at a lower level to ensure that elec-tronics operate with better performance, especially in harsh environments. However, the high cost and low performance of the refrigeration system hinder its practical application. In this paper, based on a simple porous media evaporator, a simple structured and economic miniature vapor compression refrigeration system is pro-posed and developed. The overall size of the system is 380 mm x 350 mm x 58 mm and the total weight is only 2.0 kg. It can achieve a heat dissipation of 100 W with a total energy efficiency ratio (EER) of 2.25 and ensure that the chip temperature is approximately the ambient temperature (e.g., 30 celcius). The effects of the compressor speed and heat load on the cooling performance of the system under steady-state conditions are studied. Meanwhile, the transient processes of the system at different heat loads are systematically examined. The results show that the system can maintain a chip temperature lower than/close to the ambient temperature, which is critical for autonomous vehicle electronics in harsh environments.

Automated summary

Compared with previous cooling technologies, miniature refrigeration technology effectively eliminates hot spots and ensures lower junction temperature for better performance of electronics, especially in harsh environments. However, its high cost and low performance hinder practical application. This paper proposes and develops a simple and economic miniature vapor compression refrigeration system based on a simple porous media evaporator. The system achieves a heat dissipation of 100 W with an energy efficiency ratio of 2.25 and maintains chip temperature close to ambient temperature.