Protection apparatus and methods

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing environmental protection to electronic systems, particularly data storage systems, in order to permit such systems to survive severe environmental changes such as those that occur during a fire.

1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a container including a cavity, the container including a first fiber based material loaded with a second material which endothermically decomposes above a pre-determined temperature T degrees Celsius where T is greater than 150 and less than 500.   
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising an electronic device within the cavity. 
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein T is greater than 200 and less than 400. 
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the first material is loaded with at least 0.1 percent by weight of carbon. 
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the first material is loaded with at least five percent by weight of the second material, and the second material consists essentially of Mg(OH) 2  and/or Ca(OH) 2 . 
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the second material has an enthalpy of decomposition between 250 Cal/g and 400 Cal/g. 
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the first material is also loaded with at least 0.1 percent by weight of carbon. 
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the fiber based material is an alumina-silica ceramic fiber based material. 
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the first material is bio-soluble. 
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the first material is vacuum formable. 
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the distance between a point on an exterior surface of the container and a point on a surface of the cavity that is nearest to the point on the exterior surface is less than W inches for any point on at least thirty percent of the exterior surface, where W is 3.5. 
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 11  where W is between 1.5 and 3. 
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the container comprises at least two pieces compressed against each other within a second container. 
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a thermal mass within the cavity in fluid communication with a thermal mass outside of the container. 
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 14  further comprising:
 a working fluid flowing between the thermal mass within the cavity and the thermal mass outside of the container; and   at least two flow paths passing through the container, the at least two flow paths providing a route for the working fluid to flow into the cavity, and providing a route for the working fluid to flow out of the cavity.   
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 15  wherein:
 the thermal mass inside the cavity comprises a plate having a plurality of flow paths within it; and   the working fluid flows into, through, and back out of the plurality of plate flow paths.   
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the plate is part of an enclosure within the cavity. 
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein open areas within the enclosure are filled with a dry gas that contains less than 0.5% gaseous water by volume. 
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 14  wherein the thermal mass outside the container is actively cooled. 
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the thermal mass outside the container is actively cooled by at least one Peltier cooler sandwiched between a heat-sink and the thermal mass outside the container.