Patent ID: 9301433
Filing Date: 2016-03-29
CPC Classification: F25B,H05K,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. An apparatus for facilitating cooling of an electronic component, the apparatus comprising: a refrigerant evaporator in thermal communication with the electronic component, the refrigerant evaporator comprising at least one channel therein for accommodating flow of refrigerant through the refrigerant evaporator; a refrigerant loop coupled in fluid communication with the at least one channel of the refrigerant evaporator for facilitating flow of refrigerant through the refrigerant loop; a compressor coupled in fluid communication with the refrigerant loop; an air-cooled heat sink distinct from and physically coupled to the refrigerant evaporator and providing backup cooling to the electronic component in a backup, air cooling mode; a controllable refrigerant heater coupled to the air-cooled heat sink and in thermal communication across the air-cooled heat sink with refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator, wherein the refrigerant evaporator, air-cooled heat sink, and controllable refrigerant heater are physically stacked together, with the air-cooled heat sink disposed, at least in part, between the controllable refrigerant heater and the refrigerant evaporator, the controllable refrigerant heater selectively applying a conductively transferred, auxiliary heat load across the air-cooled heat sink to refrigerant passing through the refrigerant evaporator to ensure in a primary, refrigeration cooling mode, that refrigerant in the refrigerant loop entering the compressor is in a superheated thermodynamic state; and wherein: