Fluid connector, modular liquid cooling system and assembly method thereof

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a fluid connector, a modular liquid cooling system and an assembly method thereof. A fluid connector includes an adapter panel, the adapter panel defines at least two mounting holes, and the at least two mounting holes are configured to be fixed to the mounting rails of the server chassis. The fluid connector also includes an internal connector configured to communicate with the cooling module of the server in a fluidic manner, and a blind-mate connector extending from the adapter panel and configured to be fluidically connected to a port of a rack manifold.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to electronic equipment and server thermal management. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to a blind-mate interface for liquid cooling of electronic equipment and servers. Background Art

[0002] Reliability is one of the challenges for deploying liquid cooling solutions in electronic equipment and server cooling systems. Connectors are one of the key components in liquid cooling systems, and they are the part that often has a high failure rate. Proper design and implementation of fluid connectors in liquid cooling systems is important. Server and data center thermal system designers have gradually adopted various types of quick disconnects because they bring several benefits to the system. Examples of the benefits provided by quick disconnects include: ease of server installation and no need for manual operation of the fluid connectors. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present disclosure provides a fluid connector, a modular liquid cooling system having a blind-mate connector, and a method of assembling a modular liquid cooling system having a blind-mate connector.

[0004] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a fluid connector is provided, comprising: an adapter panel, the adapter panel defining at least two mounting holes, the at least two mounting holes being configured to be fixed to a mounting rail of a server chassis to host a server, wherein the server chassis is one of a plurality of server chassis installed in an electronics rack of a data center; an internal connector, the internal connector being configured to fluidly communicate with a cooling module of the server; and a blind-mate connector extending from the adapter panel and being configured to fluidly connect to a port of a rack manifold of the electronics rack, wherein the rack manifold is configured to provide coolant to the plurality of server chassis.

[0005] In some embodiments, the adapter panel further comprises an adapter body integrally formed with the adapter panel.

[0006] In some embodiments, the fluid connector further includes a gasket positioned to engage the adapter body and surround a portion of the blind-mate connector.

[0007] In some embodiments, the fluid connector further includes a spring positioned to engage the adapter body and surround a portion of the blind-mate connector.

[0008] In some embodiments, the blind-mate connector is a male fluid connector configured to engage with a female fluid port of the rack manifold.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the blind-mate connector is secured to the mounting rail of the server chassis, the blind-mate connector is positioned within the adapter panel at a predetermined height relative to a frame of the server chassis.

[0010] In some embodiments, an adapter panel is secured to the mounting rails of the server chassis to align with the ports of the rack manifold.

[0011] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a modular liquid cooling system with a blind-mate connector is provided, comprising: at least one server chassis, wherein the at least one server chassis is configured to accommodate a server with at least one cooling module; at least one fluid connector, wherein the at least one fluid connector is fixed to the at least one server chassis, wherein the fluid connector comprises an internal connector and a blind-mate connector, wherein the internal connector is configured to communicate fluidically with the at least one cooling module, wherein the blind-mate connector extends from an adapter panel; and a rack manifold, wherein the rack manifold has at least one port, wherein the at least one port is configured to be fluidically connected to the blind-mate connector extending from the adapter panel.

[0012] In some embodiments, the adapter panel is configured to be secured to mounting rails of the at least one server chassis.

[0013] In some embodiments, the at least one server chassis includes a plurality of server chassis, and each server chassis includes at least one fluid connector having the adapter panel secured to the mounting rail.

[0014] In some embodiments, the height of each of the plurality of server chassis is a multiple of a standard server height.

[0015] In some embodiments, the rack manifold includes a plurality of ports positioned relative to multiples of the standard server height to align with blind-mate connectors of the plurality of server chassis.

[0016] In some embodiments, at least one server chassis is configured to house a plurality of cooling modules, and the at least one server chassis includes a plurality of fluid connectors mounted on the at least one server chassis.

[0017] In some embodiments, the cooling system further comprises at least one latch mounted on the server chassis and configured to be secured to at least one latch of the rack.

[0018] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for assembling a modular liquid cooling system with a blind-mate connector is provided, comprising: fixing at least one fluid connector to at least one server chassis, the fluid connector comprising an internal connector configured to communicate fluidically with at least one cooling module, and a blind-mate connector extending from an adapter panel; and utilizing the blind-mate connector extending from the adapter panel to fluidly connect the at least one fluid connector to at least one port of a rack manifold.

[0019] In some embodiments, securing the at least one fluid connector to at least one server chassis includes securing the adapter panel to a mounting rail of the at least one server chassis.

[0020] In some embodiments, the method further includes fluidly connecting a plurality of server chassis to the plurality of ports of the rack manifold, wherein each server chassis includes at least one fluid connector having the adapter panel secured to the mounting rail.

[0021] In some embodiments, the method further comprises engaging at least one latch mounted on the server chassis to at least one latch of the rack.

[0022] In some embodiments, at least one server chassis is configured to house a plurality of cooling modules, and wherein fluidly connecting the at least one fluid connector to at least one port of the rack manifold comprises fluidly connecting a plurality of fluid connectors to a plurality of ports of the rack manifold. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements.

[0024] Figure 1 A side view of a blind-mate adapter is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 2 The embodiment according to the present disclosure is shown Figure 1 Front view of the blind-mate adapter.

[0026] Figure 3 Two blind-mate adapters are shown secured to mounting rails of a server chassis according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0027] Figure 4 A side view of a server chassis with a blind-mate adapter and a rack manifold is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 5Two blind-mate adapters are shown secured to mounting rails of a server chassis according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0029] Figure 6 A flow chart illustrating an example method for assembling a modular liquid cooling system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 7 An electronics rack is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] References in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The phrase "in one embodiment" appearing in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0032] In the description of the embodiments provided herein, the terms "coupled" and "connected" and their derivatives may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended to be synonymous with each other. "Coupled" is used to indicate that two or more elements cooperate or interact with each other, and the two or more elements may or may not be in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. "Connected" is used to indicate that communication is established between two or more elements coupled to each other. Additionally, the terms "server" and "device" are generally intended to refer to a data processing system, rather than specifically to a specific form factor for a server and / or device.

[0033] As used herein, a blind-mate connector describes a connector with a self-aligning feature that allows the connectors to be secured together without the use of hand tools. A blind-mate connector includes male and / or female portions that can be connected by simply pushing the server into the rack. In contrast, in a non-blind-mate design, an operator needs to manually complete the connection after the server is installed in the rack. A key feature of blind-mate connectors is that they allow a certain degree of tolerance in the axial alignment of the male and female portions.

[0034] The embodiments described herein provide solutions for developing and deploying cooling solutions for servers or IT hardware equipment. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides compatibility of different servers and IT equipment with facility infrastructure (such as data centers, racks, and other deployment environments). For example, data centers and servers are usually not designed at the same time, or are not designed by the same group of people. In addition, the lifespans of data centers and servers are different. Therefore, even if there are multiple design standards to follow, a data center may not be able to support the operation of multiple types of servers. The changes and generational updates of servers and IT equipment are much faster than the generational updates of data center facility infrastructure. For example, a data center cooling design may not be able to support a specific type of server. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an adaptation module that can be used to solve these compatibility issues.

[0035] In a liquid cooling infrastructure, cooling liquid can be supplied to a rack manifold and then supplied to the cooling modules of the server. However, in a modular server design, it may be difficult to ensure that the liquid ports of the rack manifold and the liquid ports of the server are compatible and easily connected. Blind-mate connectors can solve many failures caused by human error when connecting the fluid ports of the server cooling modules with the rack manifold. However, a complete system design of the connector along with the server chassis is required, and includes comprehensive consideration of both the rack manifold side and the server cooling module / chassis side. Increased component reliability as well as more mature design methods are needed.

[0036] According to one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a design method for implementing a blind-mate connector on a server chassis, and a structural design for enhancing the reliability of using a blind-mate connector in server liquid cooling. In one embodiment, a modular design of a blind-mate interface for a liquid cooling port provides a method for connecting a cooling module in a server to a rack manifold via blind-mate.

[0037] In one embodiment, the blind-mate interface is designed as a fluid adapter module that is compatible with the original design of any cooling module within the server chassis and does not require impacting the design or installation of the cooling module.

[0038] System Overview

[0039] Figure 1A side view of a blind-mate adapter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In this embodiment, the blind-mate adapter includes an adapter panel 101, a blind-mate connector 103 configured to connect to a port of a rack manifold, and an internal connector 105 configured to connect to a cooling module of a server. In some embodiments, the blind-mate adapter also includes an adapter body 107, from which the blind-mate connector 103 and the internal connector 105 extend. The blind-mate adapter may also include a washer 109 or a spring that may relieve stress when the blind-mate connector 103 is connected to the port of the rack manifold. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the blind-mate connector 103 and the internal connector 105 may have different designs, and that the blind-mate adapter may be designed to have any combination of male and / or female connectors.

[0040] Figure 2 The embodiment according to the present disclosure is shown Figure 1 1. A front view of a blind-mate adapter of FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the adapter panel 101 defines a plurality of mounting holes 111 that can be used to secure the adapter panel 101 to the server chassis. Once secured to the server chassis, the blind-mate adapter can help mate a connector or port on a rack manifold to a fluid circuit inside the server chassis.

[0041] In some embodiments, blind-mate connector 103 may be fastened to adapter body 107, for example, via threads. Internal connector 105 may also be fixed to the adapter body in this manner and configured to connect to a fluid circuit inside the server. The specifications of internal connector 105 should be designed to match a circuit inside the server, such as a fluid circuit of a cooling module. For example, internal connector 105 may have a barbed fitting to connect to a tube directly inside the server chassis.

[0042] In some embodiments, liquid should be able to flow from the internal connector 105 to the blind-mate connector 103, or in the opposite direction, depending on whether the adapter is operating as an inlet or an outlet. In some embodiments, the adapter body 107 is attached to the adapter panel 101, while in other embodiments, the adapter body 107 and the adapter panel 101 are integral to each other. The function of the adapter panel 101 is to mount the adapter to the server chassis. In some embodiments, the adapter panel 101 can be fixed to a cooling module inside the server chassis, or fixed to a mounting rail attached to the server chassis.

[0043] Figure 3Two blind-mate adapters 301, 309 are shown fixed to the mounting rail 307 of the server chassis 305 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the inlet adapter 301 and the outlet adapter 309 are fixed to the mounting rail 307 via the mounting hole 311. The inlet adapter 301 and the outlet adapter 309 are configured to be connected to the cooling module 309 in the server chassis. In some embodiments, the cooling module 309 may include all cold plates and related structures, such as frames, rods, etc. In this way, the cooling module 309 and the adapter can be fully assembled and tested outside the service chassis (such as on some dedicated machine or equipment). Once assembled and tested, the cooling module 309 can be simply installed on IT equipment, such as an AI accelerator card, and the adapter allows easy connection to the rack manifold used as a cooling fluid source. No additional plumbing or assembly operations are required inside the server chassis with IT equipment. This design can improve the reliability and quality of the liquid cooling loop, as well as reduce the amount of assembly operations inside the chassis, and thus reduce the risk of damaging IT equipment.

[0044] Figure 4 A side view of a server chassis 405 and a rack manifold 401 with a blind-mate adapter 403 is shown according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the blind-mate adapter 403 is secured to the server chassis 405 and is configured to connect with one of the ports 407 of the rack manifold 401. This modular design allows for easy compatibility between the server chassis 405 and the rack manifold 401. In some embodiments, the blind-mate interface is designed based on the specifications of the cooling modules and the rack manifold 401. Therefore, the spacing distance of the ports or blind-mate connectors on the rack manifold should match and align with the spacing distance of the blind-mate adapters mounted on the cooling modules of the server chassis, with a certain degree of tolerance in the X and Y directions.

[0045] In one embodiment, a standard server height "U" is defined as a unit of measurement. For example, 1U = 46.5 mm. The specific height value of 1U may vary slightly depending on the industry standard used. In some embodiments, the height information U is typically marked on the rack manifold. Figure 4 The embodiment shown in shows a 4U server that fills the rack space from the mth U to the (m+3)th U. In this embodiment, the connector distribution on the rack manifold should meet the above-mentioned height standards. For example, there is one connector per U height, and it is located exactly at the center line between the mth U and the (m+1)th U. Similarly, the adapter on the cooling module should meet the same standards. After the adapter is installed on the mounting rail, its blind mate connector is located exactly at the center line between the mth U and the (m+1)th U.

[0046] In one embodiment, for a liquid-cooled server, first, its cooling module and adapter are assembled outside the chassis. In some embodiments, the cooling module and adapter are assembled by some special equipment. The mounting position of the adapter follows the compliance discussed in the previous paragraph. Then, the cooling module is mounted on the server board. In some embodiments, some fastening methods can be used to fix the position of the cooling module and adapter. Blind mating of the server with the rack manifold can be accomplished by pushing the server into the rack.

[0047] In one embodiment, latches may be located on the server chassis and / or rack manifold to ensure matching depth of connection. Figure 1 As shown, washers can also be used to ensure the mating depth (along the Z axis). Latches can be used on the front panel and rack frame of the server to ensure that the mating pair is fully engaged along the Z axis when the server is installed. In some embodiments, a polymer ring can be placed at the bottom of the male connector to act as a cushion to relieve stress on the Z axis. In an alternative embodiment, a spring can be used instead of a washer. In such an embodiment, the spring can be wrapped around the male connector.

[0048] In this example embodiment, the connector 403 of the server chassis 405 is a male connector, and the connector port 407 of the rack manifold 401 is a female connector. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the connectors can have different designs, and the blind-mate adapter can be designed with any combination of male and / or female connectors.

[0049] Figure 5 Two blind-mate adapters 501, 503 are shown secured to mounting rails 507 of a server chassis 505 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the inlet adapter 501 and the outlet adapter 503 are secured to the mounting rails 507 via mounting holes 511. The inlet adapter 501 and the outlet adapter 503 are configured to fluidly connect a cooling module within the server chassis. In some embodiments, the adapters 501, 503 may not be mounted to the mounting rails of the cooling module, but may be mounted to the mounting rails of the cooling module. Figure 5 505 using mounting rails 507. Figure 4 The adapter can be mounted on the back side of the server if it is mounted on the back side of the rack. In this embodiment, a 4U high server chassis 505 is shown, wherein four mounting channels are defined on the back side with mounting rails 507, wherein each channel corresponds to each U position.

[0050] Figure 6A flow chart of an exemplary method 600 for assembling a modular liquid cooling system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In this embodiment, the method 600 begins by securing 601 at least one fluid connector to a server chassis. The fluid connector includes an internal connector that can communicate fluidically with a cooling module of a server or an electronic component within the server chassis. The fluid connector also includes an adapter panel and a blind-mate connector extending from the adapter panel. In some embodiments, the adapter panel defines one or more mounting holes, and the adapter panel can be secured to the server chassis using mounting rails located on the server chassis.

[0051] At operation 603, a fluid connector secured to the server chassis is fluidly connected to a port of a rack manifold using a blind-mate connector extending from an adapter panel. In some embodiments, the server chassis includes a plurality of cooling modules, and a plurality of blind-mate connectors are fluidly connected to the ports of the rack manifold. In some embodiments, each cooling module requires two blind-mate connectors to serve as a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet.

[0052] At operation 605, a plurality of server chassis are fluidly connected to a rack manifold. In some embodiments, a plurality of server chassis may be mounted within a server rack, and the server chassis may vary in height, as described above. In some embodiments, each server chassis includes one or more fluid connectors having an adapter panel secured to mounting rails of the server chassis. In some embodiments, one or more of the server chassis may include a latch that may engage with the rack manifold to secure the server chassis relative to the rack manifold.

[0053] Figure 7 2 is a block diagram showing a side view of an electronic rack according to one embodiment of the present invention. The electronic rack 200 may represent any of the electronic racks described above. Figure 7 In one embodiment, the electronic rack 200 includes a coolant distribution unit (CDU) 201, a rack management unit (RMU) 202, and one or more blade servers 203A-203D, collectively referred to as blade servers 203. The blade servers 203 can be inserted into an array of server slots or a server chassis from a front end 204 of the electronic rack 200. Note that although Figure 2Only four blade servers 203A-203D are shown in the electronic rack 200, but more or fewer blade servers may be maintained within the electronic rack 200. It should also be noted that the specific locations of the CDU 201, RMU 202, and blade servers 203 are shown for illustration purposes only; other arrangements or configurations of the CDU 201, RMU 202, and blade servers 203 may also be implemented. In addition, the front door provided on the front end 204 and the rear door provided on the rear end 205 are optional. In some cases, there may be no doors on the front end 204 and / or the rear end 205.

[0054] In one embodiment, the CDU 201 includes a heat exchanger 211, a liquid pump 212, and a pump controller 210. The heat exchanger 211 may be a liquid-liquid heat exchanger. The heat exchanger 211 includes a first tube having a first pair of liquid connectors coupled to external liquid supply / return lines 131-132 to form a main loop, wherein the connectors coupled to the external liquid supply / return lines 131-132 may be disposed or mounted on the rear end 205 of the electronic rack 200. In addition, the heat exchanger 211 also includes a second tube having a second pair of liquid connectors coupled to a liquid manifold 225, which may include a supply manifold that supplies cooling liquid to the blade servers 203 and a return manifold that returns warmer liquid to the CDU 201. The processor may be mounted on a cold plate, wherein the cold plate includes a liquid distribution channel embedded therein to receive cooling liquid from the liquid manifold 225 and return cooling liquid carrying heat exchanged from the processor to the liquid manifold 225. Each of blade servers 203 may be coupled to liquid manifold 225 via one or more liquid connectors as described above.

[0055] Each of the blade servers 203 may include one or more IT components (e.g., CPU, GPU, memory, and / or storage device). Each IT component may perform data processing tasks, wherein the IT component may include software installed in a storage device, loaded into a memory, and executed by one or more processors to perform data processing tasks. The blade server 203 may include a host server (referred to as a host node) coupled to one or more computing servers (also referred to as computing nodes). The host server (having one or more CPUs) typically interfaces with a client over a network (e.g., the Internet) to receive requests for specific services, such as storage services (e.g., cloud-based storage services such as backup and / or recovery), executing applications to perform specific operations (e.g., image processing, deep data learning algorithms or modeling, etc. as part of a software as a service or SaaS platform). In response to the request, the host server assigns the task to one or more of the computing servers (having one or more GPUs) managed by the host server. The computing server may perform actual computing tasks that may generate heat during operation.

[0056] The electronics rack 200 also includes an RMU 202 configured to provide and manage power supplied to the blade servers 203 and the CDU 201. The RMU 202 may be coupled to a power supply unit (not shown) to manage the power consumption of the power supply unit, as well as other thermal management of the power supply unit (e.g., cooling fans). The power supply unit may include necessary circuitry (e.g., alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) or DC to DC power converters, batteries, transformers or regulators, etc.) to provide power to the remaining components of the electronics rack 200.

[0057] In one embodiment, the RMU 202 includes an optimal control logic 221 and a rack management controller (RMC) 222. The optimal control logic 221 is coupled to at least some of the blade servers 203 to receive the operating status of each of the blade servers 203, such as the processor temperature of the processor, the current pump speed of the liquid pump 212, and the liquid temperature of the coolant. Based on this information, the optimal control logic 221 determines the optimal pump speed of the liquid pump 212 by optimizing a predetermined objective function so that the output of the objective function reaches a maximum value while satisfying a set of predetermined constraints. Based on the optimal pump speed, the RMC 222 is configured to send a signal to the pump controller 210 to control the pump speed of the liquid pump 212 based on the optimal pump speed.

[0058] Those skilled in the art will recognize that various adjustments may be made to the system within the scope of the present disclosure. The following clauses and / or examples relate to specific embodiments or examples thereof. In one or more embodiments, the details in the examples may be used anywhere. The various features of different embodiments or examples may be combined differently with some features included and other features excluded to suit a variety of different applications. Examples may include methods such as those according to the embodiments and examples described herein, devices for performing the actions of the methods, or the subject matter of devices or systems. The various components may be devices for performing the described operations or functions.

[0059] One embodiment provides a fluid connector. The fluid connector includes an adapter panel, the adapter panel defines at least two mounting holes, and the at least two mounting holes are configured to be fixed to the mounting rail of the server chassis. The fluid connector also includes an internal connector, and the internal connector is configured to communicate with the cooling module of the server in a flow-through manner. The fluid connector also includes a blind-mate connector, which extends from the adapter panel and is configured to be connected to the port of the rack manifold in a flow-through manner. In some embodiments, the adapter panel also includes an adapter body formed integrally with the adapter panel. In some embodiments, the fluid connector also includes a gasket, which is positioned to engage with the adapter body and surround a portion of the blind-mate connector. In some embodiments, the fluid connector also includes a spring, which is positioned to engage with the adapter body and surround a portion of the blind-mate connector. In some embodiments, the blind-mate connector is a male fluid connector configured to engage with the female fluid port of the rack manifold. In some embodiments, when the blind-mate connector is fixed to the mounting rail of the server chassis, the blind-mate connector is positioned within the adapter panel at a predetermined height relative to the frame of the server chassis. In some embodiments, the adapter panel is fixed to the mounting rail of the server chassis to align with the port of the rack manifold.

[0060] Another embodiment provides a modular liquid cooling system with a blind-mate connector. The system includes at least one server chassis, the server chassis being configured to accommodate a server having at least one cooling module. The system also includes at least one fluid connector fixed to the server chassis, the fluid connector including an internal connector configured to communicate with the cooling module in a flow-through manner, and a blind-mate connector extending from an adapter panel. The system also includes a rack manifold having at least one port, the at least one port being configured to be connected in a flow-through manner to a blind-mate connector extending from the adapter panel. In some embodiments, the adapter panel is configured to be fixed to a mounting rail of the server chassis. In some embodiments, the server chassis includes a plurality of server chassis, and each server chassis includes at least one fluid connector having an adapter panel fixed to the mounting rail. In some embodiments, the height of each server chassis is a multiple of a standard server height. In some embodiments, the rack manifold includes a plurality of ports positioned relative to a multiple of a standard server height to align with a blind-mate connector of the server chassis. In some embodiments, the server chassis is configured to accommodate a plurality of cooling modules, and the server chassis includes a plurality of fluid connectors mounted thereon. In some embodiments, the cooling system further includes a door latch mounted on the server chassis and configured to be secured to a door latch of the rack.

[0061] Another embodiment provides a method of assembling a modular liquid cooling system with a blind-mate connector. The method includes securing a fluid connector to a server chassis. The fluid connector includes an internal connector configured to communicate fluidically with at least one cooling module, and a blind-mate connector extending from an adapter panel. The method also includes fluidically connecting the fluid connector to a port of a rack manifold using the blind-mate connector extending from the adapter panel. In some embodiments, securing the fluid connector to the server chassis includes securing the adapter panel to a mounting rail of the server chassis. In some embodiments, the method also includes fluidically connecting a plurality of server chassis to ports of the rack manifold, wherein each server chassis includes at least one fluid connector and an adapter panel secured to the mounting rail. In some embodiments, the method also includes engaging a latch mounted on the server chassis to a latch of a rack. In some embodiments, the server chassis is configured to accommodate a plurality of cooling modules. In such embodiments, a plurality of fluid connectors are fluidly connected to a plurality of ports of the rack manifold.

[0062] In the foregoing description, the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments of the present invention. However, various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the description and drawings should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

Claims

1. A fluid connector, comprising: A plurality of mounting rails with different heights located on the server chassis; an adapter panel defining at least two mounting holes configured to be secured to at least one mounting rail of a plurality of mounting rails of a server chassis to host a server, wherein the server chassis is one of a plurality of server chassis mounted within an electronics rack of a data center; an internal connector configured to fluidly communicate with a cooling module of the server; as well as A blind-mate connector extends from the adapter panel and is configured to fluidly connect with a port of a rack manifold of the electronics rack, wherein the rack manifold is configured to provide coolant to the plurality of server chassis.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the adapter panel further comprises an adapter body integrally formed with the adapter panel.

3. The connector of claim 2, further comprising a gasket positioned to engage the adapter body and surround a portion of the blind-mate connector.

4. The connector of claim 2, further comprising a spring positioned to engage the adapter body and surround a portion of the blind-mate connector.

5. The connector of claim 1, wherein the blind-mate connector is a male fluid connector configured to engage with a female fluid port of the rack manifold.

6. The connector of claim 1, wherein the blind-mate connector is positioned within the adapter panel at a predetermined height relative to a frame of the server chassis when the blind-mate connector is secured to the mounting rail of the server chassis.

7. The connector of claim 1, wherein the adapter panel is secured to the mounting rails of the server chassis to align with the ports of the rack manifold.

8. A modular liquid cooling system with a blind-mate connector, comprising: at least one server chassis configured to house a server having at least one cooling module; at least one fluid connector secured to the at least one server chassis, the fluid connector comprising an internal connector and a blind-mate connector, the internal connector configured to fluidly communicate with the at least one cooling module, the blind-mate connector extending from an adapter panel, the adapter panel configured to be secured to at least one mounting rail of a plurality of mounting rails having different heights of the at least one server chassis; as well as A rack manifold having at least one port configured to fluidly connect with the blind-mate connector extending from the adapter panel.

9. The cooling system of claim 8, wherein the at least one server chassis comprises a plurality of server chassis, and each server chassis comprises at least one fluid connector having the adapter panel secured to a mounting rail.

10. The cooling system of claim 9, wherein the height of each of the plurality of server chassis is a multiple of a standard server height.

11. The cooling system of claim 10, wherein the rack manifold includes a plurality of ports positioned relative to multiples of the standard server height to align with blind-mate connectors of the plurality of server chassis.

12. The cooling system of claim 8, wherein the at least one server chassis is configured to house a plurality of cooling modules, and the at least one server chassis includes a plurality of fluid connectors mounted on the at least one server chassis.

13. The cooling system of claim 8, further comprising at least one latch mounted on the server chassis and configured to be secured to at least one latch of the rack.

14. A method of assembling a modular liquid cooling system having a blind-mate connector, comprising: securing at least one fluid connector to at least one server chassis, the fluid connector comprising an internal connector configured to fluidly communicate with at least one cooling module, and a blind-mate connector extending from an adapter panel; as well as fluidly connecting the at least one fluid connector to at least one port of a rack manifold using the blind-mate connector extending from the adapter panel; The step of fixing the at least one fluid connector to at least one server chassis comprises fixing the adapter panel to at least one mounting rail of a plurality of mounting rails having different heights of the at least one server chassis.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising fluidly connecting a plurality of server chassis to the plurality of ports of the rack manifold, wherein each server chassis includes at least one fluid connector having the adapter panel secured to a mounting rail.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising engaging at least one latch mounted on the server chassis to at least one latch of the rack.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one server chassis is configured to accommodate a plurality of cooling modules, and wherein fluidly connecting the at least one fluid connector to at least one port of the rack manifold comprises fluidly connecting a plurality of fluid connectors to a plurality of ports of the rack manifold.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, the computer instructions being used to cause the computer to execute the method of any one of claims 14-17.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 14 to 17 is implemented.

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