Hybrid Oil-Immersed Server and Associated Computer Rack

Abstract

A hybrid oil-immersed server and an associated computer rack. A computing system includes a liquid cooling section and an air cooling section, both of which are removably received and secured within a chassis in a fixed physical arrangement relative to each other. The fluid cooling section includes a housing that forms an enclosed space for placement of one or more high heat-generating components. The enclosed space is in fluid communication with an inlet pipe for receiving a cooling fluid and an outlet pipe for discharging the cooling fluid that has been used to cool the high heat-generating components. The housing includes a leak-proof connector disposed on the housing. The air cooling section includes one or more heat-reducing components. The heat-reducing components are electrically coupled to the high heat-generating components through the leak-proof connector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to computing systems, and more particularly, to systems and methods for hybrid oil-immersed servers and associated computer racks. Background Art

[0002] As the value and use of information continue to grow, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option is an information handling system (IHS). An IHS typically processes, compiles, stores, and / or communicates information or data for commercial, personal, or other purposes. Since the technology and information processing needs and requirements may vary among different applications, an IHS may also vary in terms of what information is processed, how the information is processed, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information can be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in an IHS allow the IHS to be general-purpose or configured for a particular user or particular use (such as financial transaction processing, airline reservation, enterprise data storage, global communication, etc.). Additionally, an IHS may include a variety of hardware and software components that can be configured to process, store, and communicate information, and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.

[0003] In recent years, as the clock speeds and power consumption of IHS components such as processors, graphics cards, random access memory (RAM), etc. have increased, the heat generated by such components during normal operation has also increased. Generally, the temperatures of these components need to be kept within a selected range to prevent overheating, instability, failures, and damage that can lead to a shortened lifespan of the components. Therefore, cooling systems are typically implemented in an IHS to cool certain high-heat-generating components.

[0004] To control the temperature of the components of an IHS, one approach is to implement a "passive" cooling system that is used to remove the heat of the components through an air flow driven by one or more system-level air boosters (such as fans, blowers, etc.). A different approach may include using an "active" cooling system in which a heat exchange cold plate is thermally coupled to one or more parts of the IHS while passing a cooled liquid through ducts inside the cold plate to remove the heat from those components. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to one embodiment, a computing system includes a liquid cooling section and an air cooling section, both of the liquid cooling section and the air cooling section being removably received and secured inside a chassis in a physically fixed arrangement relative to each other. The fluid cooling section includes a housing that forms an enclosed space for placement of one or more high heat generating components. The enclosed space is in fluid communication with an inlet pipe for receiving a cooling fluid and an outlet pipe for discharging the cooling fluid that has been used to cool the high heat generating components. The housing includes a leak-proof connector disposed on the housing. The air cooling section includes one or more heat reducing components that are electrically coupled to the high heat generating components through the leak-proof connector.

[0006] According to another embodiment, a computer rack includes a frame structure configured to mount one or more chassis. Each chassis is configured to be removably inserted into a fluid cooling section and an air cooling section. The fluid cooling section includes a housing that forms an enclosed space for placement of one or more high heat generating components. The enclosed space is in fluid communication with an inlet pipe for receiving a cooling fluid and an outlet pipe for discharging the cooling fluid that has been used to cool the high heat generating components. A leak-proof connector is provided on the housing. The air cooling section includes one or more heat reducing components. The heat reducing components are electrically coupled to the high heat generating components through the leak-proof connector.

[0007] According to yet another embodiment, a method includes the step of mounting a chassis of a computing system such that an opening of the chassis is oriented in a lateral direction. After mounting, a fluid cooling section and an air cooling section of the computing system are inserted into the chassis through the opening. The fluid cooling section includes a housing that forms an enclosed space for placement of one or more high heat generating components. The enclosed space is in fluid communication with an inlet pipe for receiving a cooling fluid and an outlet pipe for discharging the cooling fluid that has been used to cool the high heat generating components. A leak-proof connector is provided on the housing. The air cooling section includes one or more heat reducing components, wherein the heat reducing components are electrically coupled to the high heat generating components through the leak-proof connector. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and is not limited to the drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements. The elements in the drawings are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0009] Figure 1 An exemplary hybrid oil-immersed server that may be implemented in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0010] Figure 2A and Figure 2B An exemplary physical arrangement of the various elements of another embodiment of a hybrid oil-immersed server in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0011] Figure 3A and Figure 3B illustrates an exemplary physical arrangement of various elements of another embodiment of a hybrid oil-immersed server in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 4A and Figure 4B illustrates an exemplary physical arrangement of various elements of another embodiment of a hybrid oil-immersed server in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 5 is a partial perspective view of an exemplary computer rack that can be used to mount one or more hybrid oil-immersed servers in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a liquid-cooling section cooling system that can be implemented on a computer rack in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 7 illustrates a hybrid oil-immersed server installation process that can be executed to install a hybrid oil-immersed server in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 8 illustrates a hybrid oil-immersed server repair process that can be executed to repair one or more components of a hybrid oil-immersed server in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a hybrid oil-immersed server and an associated computer rack structure that can be used to house the hybrid oil-immersed server. The inventors of the present disclosure have determined during the development of the cooling system that a certain portion of the components of a computing system, such as an information processing system (IHS), is primarily responsible for the total heat generated by the computing system. Thus, a hybrid oil-immersed server is provided that includes a liquid-cooling section and an air-cooling section. The liquid-cooling section is configured to house and cool high-heat-generating components, that is, those components that generate relatively high heat during normal operation, while the air-cooling section is configured to house and cool reduced-heat-generating components that generate relatively low heat. A computer rack that can be used to house and operate one or more of the hybrid oil-immersed servers is also provided.

[0018] In current server product designs, system integration is continuously achieving higher component densities, and as a result, the heat dissipation problem, which was not traditionally difficult, has now become increasingly challenging. Therefore, optimizing system cooling has become a difficult task. For example, the power consumption of central processing units (CPUs) implemented in current mainstream computing systems (e.g., Intel Cascade Lake, AMD Rome, etc.) now typically exceeds 200 watts. Additionally, it is estimated that the power consumption may be even higher in future product iterations. Similarly, the power consumption of various Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) devices is growing rapidly. For example, it is expected that devices of PCIe version 4.0 will be specified to consume more than 300 watts of total power. Given these figures, traditional fan cooling solutions may no longer be able to meet the heat dissipation requirements of devices such as these, and thus the use of liquid cooling may become a suitable solution.

[0019] Conventionally, two main types of liquid cooling have been developed, namely oil immersion and direct contact liquid cooling (DCLC). However, when either of these two solutions is used to provide cooling at a sufficient level of cooling, it will have a negative impact on product design.

[0020] Generally, immersion cooling involves a technique in which components and other electronics (including entire servers) are submerged in a thermally conductive dielectric liquid or coolant. Heat is removed from the system by circulating the dielectric liquid that is in direct contact with the heat-generating components and then cooling the heated dielectric liquid using a heat exchanger. The liquids suitable for immersion cooling should have relatively good insulating properties to ensure that they can safely meet the operating requirements of energized electronic components. Although this cooling method can solve the problem of effective heat dissipation, it typically results in high system design costs and difficult maintenance issues.

[0021] For example, certain components of some computing systems (such as servers), which can be easily damaged (e.g., hard drives, etc.), typically require the entire computing system to be powered off and removed from the liquid during maintenance. This problem is further exacerbated because it is usually necessary to completely remove (e.g., drain) the cooling liquid from the computing system before repairing and / or replacing any faulty components. This typically results in an excessive amount of time during which the computing system is unavailable. Another problem with this conventional oil immersion technique is that since the liquid is kept in an open barrel or container, it is usually necessary to vertically insert the computing system into the container, which is incompatible with the conventional computing system enclosures, and in a specific computer rack, the computing systems are inserted and removed horizontally.

[0022] The DCLC method utilizes the thermal conductivity of a liquid to provide intensive focused cooling for a specific surface area of a computing system. Although this method can address heat dissipation issues, it typically requires a relatively large amount of the overall system space. Additionally, due to the cooling effect being applied to a relatively small area, certain heat dissipation limitations can and often do exist.

[0023] Figure 1 An exemplary hybrid oil-immersed server 100 that can be implemented according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The hybrid oil-immersed server 100 can include any computing system, such as a rack-mounted server, a blade server, a bare-metal computing device, or any other device that processes instructions stored in a memory. In one embodiment, the hybrid oil-immersed server 100 can include an information processing system (IHS), which includes any tool or collection of tools that can be operated to compute, measure, determine, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, initiate, switch, store, display, communicate, indicate, detect, record, reproduce, dispose of, or utilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for commercial, scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, the IHS can be a personal computer (e.g., a desktop computer or a laptop computer), a tablet computer, a mobile device (e.g., a personal digital assistant (PDA) or a smartphone), a server (e.g., a blade server, a rack-mounted server, etc.), a network storage device, or any other suitable device, and the size, shape, performance, function, and price may vary. The IHS can include random access memory (RAM), one or more processing resources (such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardware or software control logic), read-only memory (ROM), and / or other types of non-volatile memory. Additional components of the IHS can include one or more disk drives, one or more network ports for communicating with external devices, and various I / O devices (such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, and / or a video display). The IHS can also include one or more buses that can be operated to transfer communications between the various hardware components.

[0024] In particular, the hybrid oil-immersed server 100 can include means, components, or modules that embody one or more systems and / or execute one or more methods described herein. As shown, the hybrid oil-immersed server 100 includes one or more central processing units 102, a chipset 110, a memory 120, a basic input and output system / extensible firmware interface (BIOS / EFI) module 140, a disk controller 150, a disk emulator 160, an input / output (I / O) interface 170, and a network interface 180.

[0025] Memory 120 is connected to chipset 110 via memory bus 122. In a particular embodiment, IHS 100 may include separate memory dedicated to each of the plurality of central processing units 102 via a separate memory interface. Examples of memory 120 include random access memory (RAM) (such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), non-volatile RAM (NV-RAM), etc.), read only memory (ROM), another type of memory, or a combination thereof. Hybrid oil-immersed server 100 may also include a fan 132 that may be coupled to and controlled by chipset 110 to cool air-cooled section 216.

[0026] BIOS / EFI module 140, disk controller 150, and I / O interface 170 are connected to chipset 110 via I / O channel 112. Examples of I / O channel 112 include a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) interface, an Extended PCI (PCI-X) interface, a High-Speed PCI-Express (PCIe) interface, another industry standard or proprietary communication interface, or a combination thereof. Chipset 110 may also include one or more other I / O interfaces, including an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) interface, a Small Computer Serial Interface (SCSI) interface, an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) interface, a System Packet Interface (SPI), a Universal Serial Bus (USB), another interface, or a combination thereof. BIOS / EFI module 140 includes BIOS / EFI code that is operable to, among other things, detect resources within IHS 100, provide drivers for the resources, initialize the resources, and access the resources.

[0027] Disk controller 150 may include a disk interface 152 that connects disk controller 150 to hard disk drive (HDD) 154 and disk emulator 160. Examples of disk interface 152 include an Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) interface, an Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) such as a Parallel ATA (PATA) interface or a Serial ATA (SATA) interface, a SCSI interface, a USB interface, a proprietary interface, or any combination thereof. Disk emulator 160 may allow solid state drive 164 to be connected to IHS 100. Examples of external interface 162 include a USB interface, an IEEE 1194 (FireWire) interface, a proprietary interface, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, solid state drive 164 may be disposed within IHS 100.

[0028] The I / O interface 170 may include a peripheral interface 172 that connects the I / O interface to an additional resource 174 and a network interface 180. The peripheral interface 172 may be the same type of interface as the I / O channel 112 or may be a different type of interface. Thus, when the peripheral interface 172 and the I / O channel 112 are of the same type, the I / O interface 170 extends the capabilities of the I / O channel 112, and when they are of different types, the I / O interface 170 converts information from a format suitable for the I / O channel 112 to a format suitable for the peripheral channel. The additional resource 174 may include a data storage system, an additional graphics interface, a network interface card (NIC), a sound / video processing card, another additional resource, or a combination thereof. The additional resource 174 may be located on the main circuit board, on a separate circuit board or an additional card disposed within the IHS 100, on a device external to the information processing system, or a combination thereof.

[0029] The network interface 180 represents a NIC disposed within the IHS 100 on the main circuit board of the IHS 100, which is integrated onto another component such as the chipset 110, in another suitable location, or a combination thereof. The network interface device 180 includes network channels 182 and 184 that provide an interface to devices external to the IHS 100. In a particular embodiment, the network channels 182 and 184 are of a different type than the peripheral channel, and the network interface 180 converts information from a format suitable for the peripheral channel to a format suitable for the external device. Examples of the network channels 182 and 184 include InfiniBand channels, Fibre Channel channels, Gigabit Ethernet channels, proprietary channel architectures, or a combination thereof. The network channels 182 and 184 may be connected to an external network resource (not shown). The network resource may include another IHS, a data storage system, another network, a grid management system, another suitable resource, or a combination thereof.

[0030] In accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, certain high heat generating components of the hybrid oil-immersed server 100 may be disposed in the liquid cooling section 114, while other reduced heat generating components are disposed in the air cooling section 116 of the hybrid oil-immersed server 100. For example, certain components of the computing system 100 (e.g., CPU 102, graphics processing unit (GPU) 104, general purpose computing on graphics processing unit (GPGPU) 106, and RAID controller 108) typically generate relatively more heat during operation compared to their reduced heat generating component counterparts (e.g., memory 120, disk emulator 160, hard disk drive 154, disk controller 150, BIOS / EFI 140, I / O interface 170, network interface 180, and additional resources 174). In fact, in some cases, certain high heat generating components as described above may not operate properly when cooled only using conventional air cooling techniques. Thus, the high heat generating components are disposed in the liquid cooling section 114, while the reduced heat generating components are disposed in the air cooling section 116.

[0031] The hybrid oil-immersed server 100 further includes a chassis 118 configured to removably receive and secure the air cooling section 116 and the liquid cooling section 114 in a generally fixed physical arrangement relative to each other. The liquid cooling section 114 includes a leak-proof connector 124 that can mate with a complementary connector 126 disposed on the air cooling section 116 such that the high heat generating components disposed in the liquid cooling section 114 can be electrically coupled to the reduced heat generating components disposed in the air cooling section 116. As will be described in detail below, the liquid cooling section 114 provides an enclosed space for immersing the high heat generating components in a cooling liquid, while the air cooling section 116 provides air cooling for other reduced heat generating components that dissipate relatively less heat compared to their high heat generating component counterparts.

[0032] High heat generating components generally refer to those components of a computing system (e.g., IHS) that generate relatively high heat during their operation, while reduced heat generating components generally refer to other components that generate relatively low heat during their operation. In the specific example embodiment shown, the high heat generating components may include the CPU 102, GPU 104, GPGPU 106, and RAID controller 108. However, it should be understood that other high heat generating components may include any components of a computing system that may not be adequately cooled using traditional air flow cooling techniques.

[0033] On the other hand, the heat - generating component reduction generally refers to those components that generate relatively low heat and can thus be sufficiently cooled using traditional air - cooling techniques. In the specific exemplary embodiment shown, the heat - generating component reduction may include the chipset 110, the memory 120, the disk emulator 160, the hard disk drive 154, the disk controller 150, the BIOS / EFI 140, the I / O interface 170, the network interface 180, and the additional resources 174. However, it should be understood that the heat - generating component reduction may include any component of the computing device that can be sufficiently cooled using air - cooling techniques.

[0034] The inventors have found during the development process that certain portions of the components of a computing device are mainly responsible for heat generation during the operation of the computing device. To address this problem, traditional oil - immersion techniques have been implemented, where the entire computing device is immersed in a liquid (e.g., cooling oil). However, this traditional technique brings another problem, that is, some other components that are relatively more maintenance - intensive (such as hard disk drives) may not be easily accessible for regular maintenance. The inventors have found a solution to this problem: forming a computing device in which its components are arranged in two segments (i.e., an air - cooling segment 116 and a liquid - cooling segment 114), such that the high - heat - generating components disposed in the liquid - cooling segment 114 can utilize the enhanced cooling effect of liquid immersion, while other heat - generating component reduction components can be disposed in the air - cooling segment 116, such that the air - cooling segment 116 can be maintained separately and / or accessed independently of the liquid - cooling segment 114.

[0035] Figure 2A and Figure 2B shows an exemplary physical arrangement of the various elements of another embodiment of a hybrid oil - immersion server 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. And Figure 2A is a front perspective view of the hybrid oil - immersion server 200, Figure 2B is a plan view taken along Figure 2A line 2B - 2B of. The hybrid oil - immersion server 200 includes an air - cooling segment 216 and a liquid - cooling segment 214. The air - cooling segment 216 includes components similar to those included in the air - cooling segment 116, while the liquid - cooling segment 214 includes components similar to those included in the liquid - cooling segment 114. The air - cooling segment 216 and the liquid - cooling segment 214 are removably received and fixed in a chassis 218. Figure 2A shows the air - cooling segment 216 and the liquid - cooling segment 214 physically removed from the chassis, while Figure 2B shows the air - cooling segment 216 and the liquid - cooling segment 214 operatively engaged inside the chassis 218.

[0036] As shown in the figure, the chassis 218 includes a top plate 220, a bottom plate 222, two side plates 224, and a rear plate 226, forming a cavity for removably receiving the air cooling section 216 and the liquid cooling section 214. Additionally, since the chassis 218 does not have any front plate, an opening 250 is formed along the front side of the chassis 218 for inserting and removing the air cooling section 216 and the liquid cooling section 214. Although the exemplary chassis 218 is shown having solid panels forming a box-like shape, it should be understood that the chassis 218 can have any form that removably receives and secures the air cooling section 216 and the liquid cooling section 214 in a physical arrangement that is generally fixed relative to each other. In one embodiment, the chassis 218 is sized to fit within a standard-sized computer rack. Other details of how the chassis 218 can be installed in a computer rack will be described in detail below. However, it should be understood that if it is not necessary or desirable to install it in a computer rack, the chassis 218 can have other dimensions.

[0037] The liquid cooling section 214 includes a housing 228 that forms an enclosed space for accommodating the high heat-generating components of the hybrid oil-immersed server 200. The liquid cooling section 214 also includes an inlet pipe 230 and an outlet pipe 232 that are in fluid communication with the enclosed space of the housing 228. In operation, the cooled liquid is introduced into the enclosed space of the housing 228 through the inlet pipe 230, and the heated liquid that has been heated to cool the high heat-generating components is recovered from the outlet pipe 232.

[0038] Access to the electrical nodes of the high heat-generating components can be provided through a leak-proof connector 234 configured on one of the side plates 224 of the chassis 218. The leak-proof connector 234 can be of any type that provides an electrical connection to the high heat-generating components disposed inside the housing 228 while providing a liquid seal between the enclosed space and the surrounding environment. In one embodiment, the leak-proof connector 234 includes a type of connector that is certified to be continuously immersed in liquid. An example of such a device can include a USB Type-C connector, such as the USB Type-C connector that can be implemented on a waterproof mobile phone. In another embodiment, the leak-proof connector 234 is of a type that complies with and is compatible with the PCIe bus standard. That is, the leak-proof connector 234 can have a structure suitable for transmitting signals compliant with the PCIe bus or other similar high-speed computer expansion bus standards.

[0039] The air cooling section 216 may include a grille structure 240, or other combinations of apertures, for receiving or discharging air through its internal chamber. The air cooling section 216 may also include one or more sockets 242 for providing electrical connection to a suitable power source or other computing device via one or more communication cables such as USB cables, Ethernet cables, IEEE 1394 cables, etc. The air cooling section 216 further includes a complementary connector 244 adapted to mate with a leak-proof connector 234 disposed on the liquid cooling section 214. The complementary connector 244 is coupled to the air cooling section 216 via a cable arm 246 including an elongated cable assembly configured with a connector such that the complementary connector 244 can remain connected to the leak-proof connector 234 when the air cooling section 216 is at least partially or fully removed from the chassis 218. In this manner, the housing of the air cooling section 216 can be opened to service and / or replace certain components (e.g., HDD, SSD, OCP, etc.) included in the air cooling section 216 while the server 200 remains operational (e.g., still running).

[0040] Figure 3A and Figure 3B An exemplary physical arrangement of various elements of another embodiment of a hybrid oil-immersed server 300 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3A and 3B Both show a top view of the hybrid oil-immersed server 300, where the top plate of the chassis 318 is removed to show the positions and orientations of the air cooling section 316 and the liquid cooling section 314 in the chassis 318. In Figure 3A , the air cooling section 316 and the liquid cooling section 314 are partially removed from the chassis 318, while in Figure 3B , both the air cooling section 316 and the liquid cooling section 314 are fully inserted into the interior of the chassis 318.

[0041] The chassis 318, the air cooling section 316, and the liquid cooling section 314 are similar in design and construction to Figure 2A and Figure 2B the chassis 218, the air cooling section 216, and the liquid cooling section 214 of Figure 2A and Figure 2B the hybrid oil-immersed server 200. However, the liquid cooling section 314 differs in that a forward leak-proof connector 334 is provided in place of Figure 2A and Figure 2B the leak-proof connector 234 of the hybrid oil-immersed server 200. Additionally, the air cooling section 316 differs in that a rearward connector 344 is provided in place of Figure 2A and Figure 2B the complementary connector 244, cable arm 246 assembly of the hybrid oil-immersed server 200.

[0042] From Figure 3AIt can be seen that by moving in the connector insertion direction 350, the rear connector 344 configured on the air cooling section 316 can engage or otherwise connect with the front leak - proof connector 334 configured on the liquid cooling section 314. Since the connector insertion direction 350 is substantially parallel to the insertion direction 352 of the air cooling section 316, when the air cooling section 316 is moved to be operatively engaged inside the chassis 318, the rear connector 344 can engage with the front leak - proof connector 334. Thus, an advantage that the hybrid oil - immersed server 300 can provide is that in some embodiments, the step of manually engaging complementary connectors on the leak - proof connector configured on the liquid cooling section 314 before inserting the air cooling section 316 can be reduced or eliminated.

[0043] Figure 4A and Figure 4B shows an exemplary physical arrangement of various elements of another embodiment of a hybrid oil - immersed server 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The hybrid oil - immersed server 400 includes a chassis 418, an air cooling section 416, and a liquid cooling section 414, which are similar in design and construction to Figure 2A and Figure 2B the chassis 218, the air cooling section 216, and the liquid cooling section 214 of. However, the chassis 418 is different in that the bottom plate 420 is provided with two front connectors 422, 424, and this bottom plate 420 is used to electrically interconnect the air cooling section 416 and the liquid cooling section 414. Additionally, the air cooling section 416 and the liquid cooling section 414 are different in that rear leak - proof connectors 434 and 444 are provided to replace Figure 2A and Figure 2B the leak - proof connector 234 and the complementary connector 244, the cable arm 246 assembly of the hybrid oil - immersed server 200 of.

[0044] Figure 4A and 4B both show top views of the hybrid oil - immersed server 400, where the top plate of the chassis 418 is removed to show the positions and orientations of the air cooling section 416 and the liquid cooling section 414 in the chassis. In Figure 4A the air cooling section 416 and the liquid cooling section 414 are partially removed from the chassis 418, while in Figure 4B both the air cooling section 416 and the liquid cooling section 414 are fully inserted inside the chassis 418.

[0045] From Figure 4AIt can be seen that by moving in the connector insertion direction 450, the rear connector 444 disposed on the air cooling section 416 can engage or otherwise connect with the front connector 424 disposed on the base plate 420. Additionally, by moving in the connector insertion direction 450, the rear connector 434 disposed on the liquid cooling section 414 can engage or otherwise connect with the front connector 422 disposed on the base plate 420. Since the connector insertion direction 450 of the air cooling section 416 is substantially parallel to the insertion direction 452 of the air cooling section 416, when the air cooling section 416 is moved to be operatively engaged inside the chassis 418, the rear connector 444 can engage with the front connector 424. Additionally, since the connector insertion direction 450 of the liquid cooling section 414 is substantially parallel to the insertion direction 452 of the liquid cooling section 414, when the air cooling section 416 is moved to be operatively engaged inside the chassis 418, the rear leak - proof connector 434 can engage with the front connector 422.

[0046] Accordingly, some embodiments of the hybrid oil - immersed server 400 can provide the advantage that, in some embodiments, the step of manually engaging complementary connectors on the leak - proof connectors disposed on the air cooling section 416 or the liquid cooling section 414 before inserting the air cooling section 416 can be reduced or eliminated. Additionally, some embodiments of the air cooling section 416 or the liquid cooling section 414 can be inserted into or removed from the chassis 418 independently of each other. That is, the liquid cooling section 414 is configured to be removably inserted in a manner independent of the removably inserted manner of the air cooling section 416, and the air cooling section 416 is configured to be removably inserted in a manner independent of the removably inserted manner of the liquid cooling section 414.

[0047] Figure 5 FIG. is a partial perspective view of an exemplary computer rack 500 that can be used to install one or more hybrid oil - immersed servers according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The computer rack 500 includes a frame structure 502 for installing a plurality of hybrid oil - immersed servers 200, 300, 400. The frame structure 502 can also be used to install a liquid recirculation system 504 that pumps cooled liquid through the liquid cooling sections 214, 314, 414 and cools the heated liquid returned from the liquid cooling sections 214, 314, 414.

[0048] The chassis 218, 318, 418 of each hybrid oil-immersed server 200, 300, 400 can be sized to fit any suitable type and size of computer rack. Examples of suitable computer racks for which the chassis 218, 318, 418 can be sized include those commonly referred to as 19-inch racks or 23-inch racks. A 19-inch rack can be constructed according to various specifications such as the Electronic Industries Alliance 310-D (EIA 310D) specification. Although 23-inch racks are often used in the telecommunications industry, 19-inch racks may be relatively more common in other computing system implementations. Generally, these computer racks typically include a structure in which one or more chassis 218, 318, 418 and other equipment modules can be installed.

[0049] The computer rack 500 includes an inlet manifold 506 and an outlet manifold 508. The inlet manifold 506 fluidly couples the outlet of the liquid recirculation system 504 to the inlet pipes of each liquid cooling section 214, 314, 414. On the other hand, the outlet manifold 508 fluidly couples the inlet of the liquid recirculation system 504 to the outlet pipes of each liquid cooling section 214, 314, 414. Thus, the inlet manifold 506 and the outlet manifold 508 enable cooling of multiple liquid cooling sections 214, 314, 414 to be provided by a single cooling source (e.g., the liquid recirculation system 504). Although all the hybrid oil-immersed servers configured in the computer rack 500 are shown to be provided by a single liquid recirculation system 504, it should be understood that in other embodiments, each liquid cooling section 214, 314, 414 can be provided individually by a corresponding number of multiple cooling sources, or some liquid cooling sections 214, 314, 414 can be provided by a first cooling source while other liquid cooling sections 214, 314, 414 are provided by a second cooling source.

[0050] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a liquid cooling section cooling system 600 that can be implemented on a Figure 5 computer rack 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system 600 generally includes a liquid recirculation system 504 having a pump 602 and a heat exchanger 604 coupled together as shown. Although the liquid recirculation system 504 is shown having a pump 602 and a heat exchanger 604 as shown, it should be understood that the liquid recirculation system 504 can include additional elements or fewer elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, the liquid recirculation system 504 can include a thermostat that monitors the temperature of the liquid returning from the liquid cooling sections configured on each hybrid oil-immersed server 200, 300, 400 and modifies the flow rate of the liquid via the pump 602 based on the monitored temperature.

[0051] The pump 602 pumps the coolant flow 606 from the heat exchanger 604 to the inlet manifold 506, which distributes the coolant flow 606 to each of a plurality of liquid cooling sections disposed on each of the hybrid oil-immersed servers 200, 300, 400. The coolant flow 606 is then conveyed through each liquid cooling section to remove heat from their respective high heat-generating components, thereby forming a heated liquid flow 608. The heated liquid flow 608 is then collected in the outlet manifold 508 and sent to the heat exchanger 604. The heated liquid flow 608 is cooled in the heat exchanger 604 to form the coolant flow 606, which is again directed through the liquid cooling sections via the pump 602.

[0052] The heat exchanger 604 is used to cool the heated liquid flow 608 received from the liquid cooling sections of each of the hybrid oil-immersed servers 200, 300, 400. The secondary pump 610 provides cooling for the heated liquid flow 608, which pumps a second liquid (such as water) to form a second coolant flow 612, which is conveyed through the heat exchanger 604 to cool the primary coolant flow 606. The heat exchanger 604 generates a secondary heated liquid flow 614, which is forced by the secondary pump 610 to be cooled in the cooling tower 618 to form the coolant flow 612, which is again sent to the heat exchanger 604 to provide further cooling.

[0053] Figure 5 The liquid recirculation system 504 is provided as an exemplary system that can be used to cool the plurality of liquid cooling sections 214, 314, 414, and it should be understood that without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure, the system can include more, fewer, or different elements than those shown and described herein. For example, if the primary coolant is directly cooled via the cooling tower 618, the heat exchanger 604 and the secondary pump 610 can be omitted. Additionally, if a regulated temperature of the liquid cooling sections is desired or required, the system can include a thermostat. As yet another additional example, a plurality of thermostats can be provided for each of the plurality of liquid cooling sections, where each thermostat controls the actuation of a valve based on the measured temperature of its corresponding liquid cooling section to control the flow rate of the main liquid to its corresponding liquid cooling section.

[0054] Figure 7 A hybrid oil-immersed server installation process 700 that can be executed to install a hybrid oil-immersed server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0055] At step 702, the chassis of the hybrid oil-immersed server is installed such that the opening of the chassis is oriented in a horizontal or lateral direction. When installing or otherwise mounting multiple chassis in a standard computer rack, it is particularly useful to install the chassis with its opening in the lateral direction. However, it should be understood that the hybrid oil-immersed server can be configured such that its opening is in any suitable direction, such as vertically or diagonally. At step 704, the liquid cooling section is inserted into the chassis, and then at step 706, the inlet and outlet tubes are coupled to a source of cooling liquid. In one embodiment, the source of cooling liquid is a heat exchanger and cooling tower combination that uses a second cooling liquid to cool the working liquid.

[0056] At step 708, the air cooling section is inserted into the chassis. Thereafter, at step 710, the air cooling section is electrically coupled to the liquid cooling section. That is, the heat-reducing components of the air cooling section are electrically coupled to the high heat-generating components of the liquid cooling section via connectors disposed on each of the air cooling section and the liquid cooling section. From this point forward, the hybrid oil-immersed server can operate in a normal manner. For example, in addition to any other required electrical connections (such as Ethernet cables, USB cables, IEEE 1394 cables, etc.), the hybrid oil-immersed server can be connected to a power source, then the hybrid oil-immersed server is turned on, and operations are performed on the hybrid oil-immersed server as needed or desired. Thereafter, at step 712, the computing system is operated in a normal manner.

[0057] Thus, from the foregoing process, it can be seen that the hybrid oil-immersed server can utilize the enhanced cooling provided by using liquid cooling while using standard computer rack installation techniques. Additionally, since the hybrid oil-immersed server is horizontally installed, a higher space savings rate is achieved compared to traditional oil-immersed techniques in which each server needs to be vertically inserted into a container or barrel.

[0058] Figure 8 A hybrid oil-immersed server repair process 800 is shown that can be executed to service one or more components of a hybrid oil-immersed server. In a particular example, the hybrid oil-immersed server repair process can be executed to service or maintain one or more maintenance-intensive components, such as a hard disk drive or other mechanical devices that require regular maintenance.

[0059] First, the hybrid oil-immersed server can be installed in a manner such as that referenced above Figure 7Installed in a horizontal or any suitable orientation or otherwise installed. At step 802, optionally, stop the operation of the hybrid oil-immersed server. For example, all applications and operating systems running on the hybrid oil-immersed server are stopped, and the power switch is turned off. Additionally, any electrical connections coupled to the hybrid oil-immersed server can be removed. However, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the operation of the server does not need to be stopped. For example, the server can include cable arms such as those referenced above Figure 2A and Figure 2B such that the air-cooling section can be partially or fully removed while the server remains operable.

[0060] At step 804, determine whether to repair the air-cooling section or the liquid-cooling section. If the air-cooling section is to be repaired, the process continues at step 806. Otherwise, if the liquid-cooling section is to be repaired, the process continues at step 810.

[0061] At step 806, remove the air-cooling section from its associated rack. Since the chassis is installed with its opening in a lateral orientation, the air-cooling section can be one of a plurality of air-cooling sections in a corresponding plurality of chassis mounted on a standard computer rack. At this point, it must be noted that the liquid-cooling section can remain inside the chassis, and its inlet and outlet pipes are connected to its associated liquid-cooling source.

[0062] At step 808, repair the air-cooling section in a normal manner. For example, one or more components configured on the air-cooling section can be repaired or replaced as needed. To further describe this example, components such as newer components with enhanced performance (e.g., HDDs with larger storage capacity) are used to replace older components configured on the air-cooling section. For another example, the air-cooling section itself can be replaced with another air-cooling section. Thereafter, at step 810, optionally replace the air-cooling section inside the chassis. Additionally, the air-cooling section can be electrically coupled to the liquid-cooling section through a leak-proof connector. At this time, the hybrid oil-immersed server can start running in its normal manner. It should be understood that in some embodiments, there is no need to replace the air-cooling section. For example, certain components (e.g., HDDs, SSDs, OCDs, etc.) of the air-cooling section can be repaired and / or replaced while the server remains operable (if the server includes cable arms such as those referenced above Figure 2A and Figure 2B ). At step 812, start the operation of the computing system.

[0063] If the liquid cooling section is to be serviced, steps 814 through 820 are performed. At step 814, the inlet and outlet tubes are disconnected from the liquid recirculation system. At step 816, any liquid present in the housing is drained, and the liquid cooling section is removed from the chassis. The liquid can be drained in any suitable manner. In one example, the liquid can be drained by blowing compressed gas into either the inlet or outlet tube and collecting the liquid exiting the other tube into a bottle or other suitable type of container. In another example, a plug can be inserted into one or both of the inlet or outlet tubes such that the liquid is retained in the housing and the liquid drains as the liquid cooling section is removed from the chassis.

[0064] At step 818, the liquid cooling section is serviced in a normal manner. For example, one or more components configured on the liquid cooling section can be repaired or replaced as needed. As another example, the entire liquid cooling section can be replaced with another liquid cooling section. At step 820, the liquid cooling section is optionally replaced inside the chassis; and then, at step 812, the calculation of the system operation starts again.

[0065] Thus, from the foregoing description, it can be seen that certain heat generation reducing components can be serviced and / or maintained without cleaning any residual coolant from those components. Accordingly, maintenance or repair procedures can be performed in a more timely manner relative to their conventional oil-immersed system counterparts. Additionally, in some embodiments, only those components that would best benefit from the enhanced cooling effect of oil immersion are immersed in the coolant.

[0066] It should be understood that the various operations described herein can be implemented in software executed by a processing circuit, hardware, or a combination thereof. The order of each operation of a given method can be changed, and various operations can be added, reordered, combined, omitted, modified, etc. One or more of the inventions described herein are intended to encompass all such modifications and variations, and accordingly, the foregoing description should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0067] As used herein, the terms "tangible" and "non-transitory" are intended to describe a computer-readable storage medium (or "memory") that does not include propagating electromagnetic signals; but are not intended to otherwise limit the type of physical computer-readable storage devices covered by the phrase computer-readable medium or memory. For example, the term "non-transitory computer-readable medium" or "tangible memory" is intended to encompass types of storage devices that do not necessarily store information permanently, including for example RAM. Program instructions and data stored in a non-transitory form on a tangible computer-accessible storage medium can subsequently be transmitted by a transmission medium or signal such as an electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signal, which can be delivered via a communication medium such as a network and / or a wireless link.

[0068] Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments, various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as set forth in the following claims. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. Any benefits, advantages, or solutions to problems described herein with respect to particular embodiments are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims.

[0069] Unless otherwise specified, terms such as "first" and "second" are used arbitrarily to distinguish elements so described. Thus, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate a temporal or other precedence of such elements. The term "coupled" or "operably coupled" is defined as connected, however not necessarily directly and not necessarily mechanically. Unless otherwise specified, the terms "a" and "an" are defined as one or more. The terms "comprise" (and any form of comprise, such as "comprises" and "comprising"), "have" (and any form of have, such as "has" and "having"), "include" (and any form of include, such as "includes" and "including"), or "contain" (and any form of contain, such as "contains" and "containing") are open-ended linking verbs. Thus, a system, apparatus, or device that "comprises", "has", "includes", or "contains" one or more elements possesses those one or more elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements. Similarly, a method or process that "comprises", "has", "includes", or "contains" one or more operations possesses those one or more operations, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more operations.

Claims

1. A computing system, comprising: A fluid cooling section, the fluid cooling section comprising a housing forming an enclosed space for placement of one or more high heat generating components, the enclosed space being in fluid communication with an inlet pipe for receiving a cooling fluid and an outlet pipe for discharging the cooling fluid that has been used to cool the high heat generating components, wherein a leak-proof connector is provided on the housing; An air cooling section, the air cooling section comprising one or more heat reducing components, wherein the heat reducing components are electrically coupled to the high heat generating components through the leak-proof connector; And A chassis for removably receiving and securing the fluid cooling section and the air cooling section in a physically fixed arrangement relative to each other, wherein the chassis comprises a base plate, and the base plate comprises: A fluid cooling section connector for mating with the leak-proof connector when the fluid cooling section is removably inserted into the chassis; and An air cooling section connector for mating with a complementary connector disposed on the air cooling section when the air cooling section is removably inserted into the chassis, wherein the fluid cooling section can be inserted into or removed from the chassis at a time independent of the insertion or removal time of the air cooling section, and wherein the fluid cooling section and the air cooling section together form a computing server.

2. The computing system according to claim 1, wherein the heat reducing components are electrically coupled to the high heat generating components through a cable arm disposed on the air cooling section.

3. The computing system according to claim 2, wherein the leak-proof connector is oriented on the housing to have an insertion direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the air cooling section.

4. The computing system according to claim 1, wherein the leak-proof connector is oriented on the housing to have an insertion direction parallel to the insertion direction of the air cooling section, and wherein the air cooling section comprises a complementary connector configured to mate with the leak-proof connector when the air cooling section is inserted into the chassis.

5. The computing system according to claim 1, wherein the fluid comprises a thermally conductive and electrically insulating dielectric oil.

6. The computing system according to claim 1, wherein the leak-proof connector is configured to be continuously immersed in the fluid.

7. The computing system according to claim 1, wherein the fluid cooling section is configured to be removably inserted in a manner independent of the removably inserted manner of the air cooling section, and wherein the air cooling section is configured to be removably inserted in a manner independent of the removably inserted manner of the fluid cooling section.

8. The computing system according to claim 1, wherein the size of the chassis is set to be placed in a standard-sized computer rack, and wherein the chassis is configured to be removably inserted into the computer rack in a horizontal direction.

9. The computing system according to claim 1, further comprising a pump configured to generate a flow of the fluid from the outlet pipe to the inlet pipe.

10. The computing system according to claim 9, further comprising a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the pump and the outlet pipe, the heat exchanger being fluidly coupled to a second fluid configured to cool the fluid heated by the high heat generating component.

11. A computer rack, comprising: A frame structure configured to mount one or more chassis, each chassis being configured to be removably inserted into: A fluid cooling section including a housing forming an enclosed space for placing one or more high heat generating components, the enclosed space being in fluid communication with an inlet pipe for receiving a cooling fluid and an outlet pipe for discharging the cooling fluid that has been used to cool the high heat generating components, wherein a leak-proof connector is provided on the housing; An air cooling section including one or more heat reducing components, wherein the heat reducing components are electrically coupled to the high heat generating components through the leak-proof connector, wherein the fluid cooling section and the air cooling section together form a computing server, and wherein the chassis includes a bottom plate, and the bottom plate includes: A fluid cooling section connector for mating with the leak-proof connector when the fluid cooling section is removably inserted into the chassis; and An air cooling section connector for mating with a complementary connector disposed on the air cooling section when the air cooling section is removably inserted into the chassis, wherein the fluid cooling section can be inserted into or removed from the chassis independently of the air cooling section.

12. The computer rack according to claim 11, further comprising an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold, the inlet manifold fluidly coupling the outlet of the pump to each of the inlet pipes of each fluid cooling section, and the outlet manifold fluidly coupling the inlet of the pump to each of the outlet pipes of each fluid cooling section.

13. The computer rack according to claim 11, further comprising a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the pump and the outlet pipe, the heat exchanger being fluidly coupled to a second fluid configured to cool the fluid heated by the high heat generating component.

14. The computer rack according to claim 13, wherein the cooling fluid includes a thermally conductive and electrically insulating dielectric oil, and wherein the second fluid includes water.

15. A method for cooling a computing system, comprising: Installing a chassis of the computing system such that the opening of the chassis is oriented in a lateral direction; Inserting the fluid cooling section of the computing system through the opening into the chassis, the fluid cooling section including a housing forming an enclosed space for placing one or more high heat generating components, the enclosed space being in fluid communication with an inlet pipe for receiving a cooling fluid and an outlet pipe for discharging the cooling fluid that has been used to cool the high heat generating components, wherein a leak-proof connector is provided on the housing; When removably inserting the fluid cooling section into the chassis, mating the fluid cooling section connector with the leak-proof connector; inserting an air cooling section of the computing system into the chassis through the opening, the air cooling section including one or more heat generation reducing components, wherein the heat generation reducing components are electrically coupled to the high heat generation components through the leak-proof connector; And When removably inserting the air cooling section into the chassis, mating the air cooling section connector with a complementary connector disposed on the air cooling section, wherein the fluid cooling section can be inserted into or removed from the chassis at a time independent of the insertion or removal time of the air cooling section.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising mounting the chassis in a computer rack.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising fluidly coupling the inlet pipe to an outlet of a cooling fluid source and fluidly coupling the outlet pipe to an inlet of the cooling fluid source.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising removing the air cooling section without removing the fluid cooling section.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising removing the air cooling section without disconnecting the inlet pipe from the outlet of the cooling fluid source or without fluidly disconnecting the outlet pipe from the inlet of the cooling fluid source.

Images