Patent ID: 8899052

Claim:
An apparatus for facilitating cooling of at least one electronic component, the apparatus comprising: a refrigerant evaporator coupled to the at least one electronic component, the refrigerant evaporator comprising at least one channel therein for accommodating flow of refrigerant therethrough, wherein the at least one electronic component applies a varying heat load to refrigerant flowing 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 therethrough; a compressor coupled to the refrigerant loop to compress refrigerant flowing therethrough; a thermoelectric array comprising at least one thermoelectric element, the thermoelectric array being coupled to the refrigerant evaporator, and being powered by a voltage and by a current of switchable polarity, the voltage and the current polarity being dynamically controlled to maintain heat load on refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant evaporator within a steady state range, notwithstanding varying of the heat load applied to the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant evaporator by the at least one electronic component; and a controller coupled to a power supply supplying the voltage and the current of switchable polarity to the thermoelectric array, the controller being configured to dynamically control, in at least one of a heating mode or a cooling mode, power supplied to the thermoelectric array to maintain heat load on refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant evaporator within the steady state range, notwithstanding the varying of the heat load applied to the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant evaporator by the at least one electronic component, and wherein the controller is configured to operate the thermoelectric array in the heating mode responsive to the refrigerant entering the compressor being superheated by less than a specified δT temperature threshold, and to operate thermoelectric array in the cooling mode responsive to the refrigerant entering the compressor being superheated by greater than the specified δT temperature threshold.