Liquid cooling test equipment, method and cooling liquid recovery device

Abstract

Disclosed are a liquid cooling test device, method and cold liquid recovery device. The device includes: a heat generating device, used to simulate the heat generation of a server device; a cold liquid passage, used to provide a passage for the flow of cold liquid in the test device to achieve heat exchange of the heat generated by the heat generating device; a liquid inlet, connected to the cold liquid passage and used for the inflow of externally injected cold liquid; a liquid outlet, connected to the cold liquid passage and used for the outflow of cold liquid through heat exchange; and a cold liquid recovery module, used to recover the cold liquid in the cold liquid passage after the test is completed. The test device of the present invention can be connected to a liquid cooling system and a matching CDU to achieve heat exchange of the test load using cold liquid, and to recover the residual cold liquid after the test is completed, so as to avoid waste and pollution of special cold liquid.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of data centers, and in particular to a liquid cooling test device, a method and a cooling liquid recovery device. Background Art

[0002] With the explosive growth of data volume, the high computing power demand requires massive servers to support it. Limited by the construction area of ​​data centers and environmental protection requirements, increasing the power density of a single rack has become the key to reconciling the growing computing power demand and the limited data center carrying capacity. Large amounts of data throughput and computing have caused data centers that support emerging technologies such as AI and big data to face huge energy consumption and heat dissipation challenges. In order to overcome the above problems, liquid cooling data centers that use liquid cooling technology and equipment such as liquid cooling servers have emerged, providing a new solution for data center cooling.

[0003] However, the prior art lacks methods and equipment for testing liquid cooling systems and supporting CDUs. Summary of the invention

[0004] A technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a liquid cooling test device, which can be connected to a liquid cooling system and a matching CDU, utilizes cold liquid to perform heat exchange on a test load, and recovers residual cold liquid after the test is completed, so as to avoid waste and pollution of special cold liquid.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a liquid-cooling test device is provided, comprising: a heat generating device for simulating heat generation of a server device; a cold liquid passage for providing a passage for the flow of cold liquid in the test device to achieve heat exchange of the heat generated by the heat generating device; a liquid inlet, connected to the cold liquid passage and used for the inflow of externally injected cold liquid; a liquid outlet, connected to the cold liquid passage and used for the outflow of cold liquid through heat exchange; and a cold liquid recovery module, used for recovering the cold liquid in the cold liquid passage after the test is completed.

[0006] Optionally, the device further comprises: a control module for controlling the heating of the heating device and the injection, discharge and recovery of the cold liquid based on user settings.

[0007] Optionally, the device also includes: a sensor for monitoring the operating status of the liquid cooling test equipment, the sensor including at least one of the following: a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the cold liquid during the test; a flow sensor for measuring the flow of the cold liquid during the test; a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure of the cold liquid passage during the test; and a liquid level sensor for measuring the height of the cold liquid in the cold liquid passage during the test.

[0008] Optionally, the control module obtains detection parameters based on the readings of the sensor, and controls the operation of the valve based on the detection parameters.

[0009] Optionally, the cold liquid recovery module includes: a liquid storage tank; and a liquid extraction valve, which is used to send the cold liquid in the cold liquid passage into the liquid storage tank after the test is completed, and to send the cold liquid in the liquid storage tank into the cold liquid passage during the test.

[0010] Optionally, the cooling liquid recovery module is located below the cooling liquid passage and is arranged at an inclined angle to the ground.

[0011] Optionally, the cold liquid passage comprises: a liquid separator connected to the liquid inlet; a liquid collector connected to the liquid outlet; and a parallel sub-passage connected in parallel between the liquid separator and the liquid collector.

[0012] Optionally, the cold liquid passage includes a main filter for filtering externally injected cold liquid; and / or the cold liquid recovery module includes a recovery cold liquid filter for filtering and recovering cold liquid.

[0013] Optionally, the heating device includes a thermal resistor in indirect contact with the cold liquid.

[0014] Optionally, the device further comprises: an air cooling module, configured to be turned on when the temperature of the liquid outlet exceeds a threshold value.

[0015] Optionally, the device further comprises: an exhaust device, configured to open when the pressure in the cooling liquid passage exceeds a threshold value.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a liquid cooling test method is provided, wherein the method uses the liquid cooling test device according to the first aspect to perform a liquid cooling test.

[0017] According to the third aspect of the present disclosure, a cold liquid recovery device is provided for recovering cold liquid in a liquid-cooled test device, the cold liquid recovery device comprising: a control module for triggering a recovery / liquid inlet operation based on predetermined conditions; a liquid pumping valve for operating according to a recovery / liquid inlet operation command to recover cold liquid or pump liquid into the liquid-cooled test device; and a liquid storage tank for storing recovered cold liquid.

[0018] Optionally, the device also includes: a liquid level sensor for detecting the liquid level in the liquid storage tank. Once the level is too low, the control module will sound an alarm to remind manual replenishment of liquid; and a test alarm module, which is used to remind when the liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level is too low, and to trigger a recovery operation when a failure of the liquid cooling test equipment is detected.

[0019] Therefore, the test equipment, method and recovery device provided by this scheme can realize dynamic adjustment of the power of the heating device (i.e., dummy load) through the control system during the actual immersion liquid cooling test, and can detect the key parameters such as the inlet and outlet water temperature and flow rate of the cooling system during the test through the intelligent sensor module, and can immediately alarm and cut off the system when the monitoring parameters are abnormal, so as to ensure the stability of the fluorinated liquid cooling system. Furthermore, through the liquid storage tank, the overpressure and underpressure adjustment of the test load and the fluorinated liquid system can be realized, the stability of the system can be maintained, and a high recovery rate for special cold liquids (fluorinated liquids or ethylene glycol) can be achieved, reducing the cost of cold liquid consumption and avoiding environmental pollution. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent through a more detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals generally represent like components in the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the composition of the liquid cooling system is shown.

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the modular composition of a liquid cooling test device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0023] Figure 3A -E shows a multi-angle view of a liquid-cooled test device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 The connection sequence of the core components of the cold liquid test equipment is shown.

[0025] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of component modules of a cold liquid recovery device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0027] A data center is a place built according to unified standards to provide a stable and reliable operating environment for IT application systems with computing, storage, and information exchange capabilities. The data center consists of buildings, temperature control equipment, IT equipment (such as servers, storage systems, communication equipment, network equipment, etc.), power supply and distribution equipment (UPS, HVDC, generators, distribution cabinets, batteries, and rack power distribution units, etc.), and other power-consuming equipment (lighting equipment, sensors, and other related data center building management systems). At this stage, the energy consumed by the cooling system accounts for about 40% of the total energy consumption of the data center.

[0028] With the explosive growth of data volume, the high computing power demand requires massive servers to support it. Limited by the construction area of ​​data centers and environmental protection requirements, increasing the power density of a single rack has become the key to reconciling the growing computing power demand and the limited data center carrying capacity. Large amounts of data throughput and computing have caused data centers that support emerging technologies such as AI and big data to face huge energy consumption and heat dissipation challenges. In order to overcome the above problems, liquid cooling data centers that use liquid cooling technology and equipment such as liquid cooling servers have emerged, providing a new solution for data center cooling.

[0029] Liquid cooling refers to the technology of using liquid instead of air as a refrigerant to exchange heat for heat-generating components and take away heat. Compared with air cooling, the cooling capacity of liquid cooling technology is greatly improved, the heat dissipation effect is better and more energy-saving, and the power usage efficiency (PUE) can be reduced to 1.10 or even below 1.05. The efficient cooling effect of liquid cooling technology effectively improves the efficiency and stability of server use, while allowing data centers to arrange more servers in a unit space and improve the computing efficiency of data centers. Liquid conducts heat better and can achieve efficient cooling of IT equipment. At the same time, due to the large specific heat capacity of liquid, its own temperature will not change significantly after absorbing a large amount of heat, so it can stabilize the CPU temperature. Even if the server encounters sudden operations and the operating power surges, it will not cause a significant increase in the internal temperature of the CPU, ensuring that the CPU will not overheat when overclocking within a certain range.

[0030] Liquid-cooled data centers do not require air conditioning systems and corresponding infrastructure, saving a lot of space and being able to accommodate more servers. Since only a circulation pump is added, construction costs are saved and the noise is lower than that of traditional air conditioning systems. In addition, the specific heat capacity of liquids is not affected by altitude and air pressure, and a high heat dissipation efficiency can be maintained, allowing liquid-cooled servers to ignore differences in altitude and location, ensuring the operating efficiency and performance of data centers in high-altitude areas.

[0031] In data centers that use liquid cooling technology, there are a large number of liquid-cooled servers. Liquid-cooled servers are servers that inject liquid into the server and remove the heat from the server through heat exchange. Generally speaking, the industry divides liquid cooling into direct cooling and indirect cooling. At present, direct cooling is mainly based on immersion liquid cooling technology. Indirect cooling is mainly based on cold plate liquid cooling technology. Immersion liquid cooling is a method of directly immersing hardware in non-conductive liquid and relying on the flow and circulation of liquid to remove the heat generated by the operation of servers and other equipment. Since the heat generated by electronic components is directly and effectively transferred to the immersion liquid, this reduces the need for thermal interface materials, radiators, fans, shields, sheet metal and other components commonly used in traditional cooling methods, and can meet the heat dissipation requirements of ultra-high heat flux density devices. These liquids used for liquid cooling can be called coolants or cold liquids (coolant). The cold liquids used for immersion cooling mainly include mineral oil, silicone oil, soybean oil and some fluorides. Among them, fluorinated liquids are favored because of their suitable dielectric constant, specific heat capacity, stability, safety and excellent cooling effect.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the composition of a liquid cooling system is shown. As shown in the figure, the liquid cooling system may include a closed cooling tower usually located outdoors, and the cooled medium-temperature (or low-temperature) liquid in the closed cooling tower may flow into the data center room, for example, into the computer room, via an injection pipe and corresponding valve control. The supporting CDU (cold liquid distribution unit) in the computer room may control the cold liquid flowing through the pipeline of the closed cooling tower, and distribute and recycle the cold liquid for each rack (i.e., rack server) shown in the figure. The recovered high-temperature liquid may then be returned to the closed cooling tower through the outflow pipe and corresponding valve control for natural or artificial cooling. The closed cooling tower may be connected to a cold liquid treatment system to treat, for example, filter, the used cold liquid.

[0033] In order to be able to utilize cold liquids such as electronic fluorinated liquids for immersion liquid cooling in actual use in data centers, it is necessary to conduct a thorough heat dissipation test on the liquid cooling system. During the test, traditional test equipment cannot meet the needs of liquid cooling testing because it relies solely on air cooling to dissipate heat. Therefore, the present invention provides a new test device that can perform liquid cooling performance tests on cold liquids such as fluorinated liquids. The test equipment includes a "dummy load" that replaces the actual liquid cooling load, and a cold liquid passage for dissipating heat for the dummy load, which is used to simulate the actual heat generation and power consumption of the real servers in the computer room, detect the liquid cooling effect of the computer room and the safety of the line power consumption, and provide a data basis and testing means for the availability of the computer room system. The equipment can be used to perform pressure tests on the cooling system and the supporting CDU. In one embodiment, the device can be regarded as Figure 1The dummy load is a "dummy load" of the rack (i.e., rack server) shown in the figure, and can be used to replace the actual equipment in the gray box to test the performance of the cooling system and CDU during the test process. The dummy load is a component, part or device that replaces the terminal to receive electrical power at the output port of a certain circuit or electrical equipment (for example, the server equipment in the present disclosure). The most basic requirement for the dummy load is to match the power impedance that can be tolerated, and the dummy load is usually used as an informal load temporarily used when debugging or testing the performance of the machine. The dummy load can be divided into a resistive load, an inductive load, a capacitive load, etc.

[0034] In one embodiment, the present invention can be implemented as a liquid cooling test device, which is particularly suitable for connecting with a liquid inlet pipe and a liquid outlet pipe of a CDU to test the performance of a cooling system and its corresponding CDU.

[0035] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the modular composition of a liquid cooling test device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. As shown in the figure, the liquid cooling test device 200 may include a heating device 210, a cold liquid passage 220, a liquid inlet 230 and a liquid outlet 240, and a cold liquid recovery module 250.

[0036] Specifically, the heating device 210 can be used to simulate the heating of the server equipment; the cold liquid passage 220 can be used to provide a passage for the flow of cold liquid in the test equipment (and also serve as a container for the cold liquid) to achieve heat exchange of the heat generated by the heating device; the liquid inlet 230 is connected to the cold liquid passage 220 and is used for the inflow of externally injected cold liquid; the liquid outlet 240 is also connected to the cold liquid passage 220 and is used for the outflow of cold liquid through heat exchange; the cold liquid recovery module 250 is used to recover the cold liquid in the cold liquid passage after the test is completed.

[0037] The liquid cooling test equipment disclosed in the present invention is used to test the immersion cooling system. The cold liquid used for immersion cooling needs to be a non-conductive liquid such as a fluorinated liquid (or ethylene glycol). When using special liquids such as fluorinated liquid as a heat exchange medium, it is necessary not only to consider efficient heat exchange, but also to achieve a high recovery rate to avoid waste and pollution. The liquid cooling test equipment of the present invention can recover the cold liquid remaining in the cold liquid passage after the test is completed through the provision of a special cold liquid recovery module, thereby avoiding waste.

[0038] In one embodiment, the cold liquid recovery module 250 may include a liquid storage tank for storing the recovered residual cold liquid. The cold liquid recovery module may be located below the cold liquid passage, for example, at the bottom of the test equipment, so that the cold liquid remaining in the cold liquid passage after the test is completed can flow into the liquid storage tank under gravity. The liquid storage tank can be set at an inclined angle to the ground, so that the drain valve located on one side of the liquid storage tank is at the lowest point of the entire equipment, and the liquid accumulated at the lowest point is discharged when the pipeline system is cleaned. In addition to using gravity, electricity can also be used to ensure the transportation of cold liquid. At this time, the cold liquid recovery module may also include a liquid extraction valve, which is used to send the cold liquid in the cold liquid passage into the liquid storage tank after the test is completed, and send the cold liquid in the liquid storage tank into the cold liquid passage during the test.

[0039] In order to control the liquid cooling test device of the present disclosure, the device 200 may further include a control module, such as Figure 2 The control module 260 can control the heating of the heating device 210 and the operation of the cold liquid. Specifically, the control module can control the heating of the heating device based on user settings, and realize the injection, discharge and recovery of the cold liquid under the operation of the user or the connected CDU.

[0040] Furthermore, the device may also include a sensor module 270 for monitoring the operating status of the liquid cooling test device. The sensor module 270 includes at least one of the following: a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the cooling liquid during the test; a flow sensor for measuring the flow of the cooling liquid during the test; a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure of the cooling liquid passage during the test; and a liquid level sensor for measuring the height of the cooling liquid in the cooling liquid passage during the test. Figure 2 The modular sensors are shown in FIG. 2 , but it should be understood that in actual equipment, the sensors can be dispersedly arranged at various suitable positions of the equipment. The control module 260 can obtain detection parameters based on the readings of the sensors and control the operation of the valve based on the detection parameters.

[0041] Specifically, the control module can be implemented as a control box or a panel control box with a control panel. The control box can serve as the core of the system, used for sensor information processing; to judge and switch the supply / return liquid mode; to obtain the core parameters of the system (flow rate, temperature, etc.) and control the valve action accordingly. Specifically, electric valves can be provided at the liquid inlet and outlet, and the control box can determine the switch of the electric valve based on the current mode of the device (for example, liquid supply mode, liquid return mode, circulation filtration mode, etc.) to achieve the injection, outflow or internal circulation filtration of the cold liquid). Furthermore, a pressure reducing valve (also known as an exhaust valve or exhaust device 280) can be provided on the cold liquid passage, which is used to open when the reading of the relevant sensor exceeds the threshold value to buffer the water inlet pressure and avoid system decompression; during the heating process, it can be opened when the liquid temperature rises too high and the gas pressure is too high, thereby protecting the system.

[0042] Furthermore, the device 200 may also include an air cooling module, such as the fan 290 shown in the figure, which is configured to be turned on when the temperature of the liquid outlet exceeds a threshold value.

[0043] As mentioned above, the liquid cooling test equipment of the present invention is mainly used to test the performance of the immersion cooling system using non-conductive cold liquid of fluorinated liquid and its supporting CDU. Therefore, in one embodiment, the cold liquid passage can be realized as a cabinet box, and the heating device can be realized as a thermal resistor directly arranged in the cabinet box, so that during the test process, the thermal resistor is immersed in the cold liquid to achieve direct contact. In another embodiment, considering that the equipment is mainly used to test the performance of the cooling system and its supporting CDU, it can be considered to use indirect contact to realize the cooling of the heating device by the cold liquid passage. At this time, the cold liquid passage can be realized as a pipeline, and the heating device can be realized as a chip resistor arranged on the pipeline.

[0044] To this end, the cold liquid passage 220 may include a liquid distributor connected to the liquid inlet 230; a liquid collector connected to the liquid outlet 240; and a parallel sub-passage connected in parallel between the liquid distributor and the liquid collector. Figure 2 In the schematic diagram shown, the dotted line can represent the piping system of the entire cold liquid passage 220, the liquid distributor can correspond to the liquid distributor pipe through which the lower arrow flows, and the liquid collector can correspond to the liquid collector pipe through which the upper arrow flows. The multiple rectangles and arrows in the dotted frame are used to represent the parallel same-pass pipes and the flow direction of the cold liquid therein, and the outside of the same-pass pipe may include a patch of a heating device implemented as a thermal resistor.

[0045] The following will be combined Figure 3A -E is used to illustrate a typical implementation structure of a liquid-cooled test device in the present disclosure. Figure 3A -E shows a multi-angle view of a liquid cooling test device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3A A front view of a liquid-cooled test rig is shown.

[0046] As shown in the figure, the control panel of the panel control box 360 may include a human-machine interface 361 for the user to set the device operation mode and display various parameters. The control panel may also include multiple air switches 363 and corresponding indicator lights for implementing overheat protection and power-off indication for the heating device. From the opening of the front panel, the liquid storage box 351 of the cold liquid recovery module 350 and the recovery module drain valve 355 extending from the side can be seen. In addition, the side also shows the liquid inlet 330 and the liquid outlet 340, each of which is implemented as a double inlet and a double outlet. The black part of the liquid inlet 330 and the liquid outlet 340 is used to represent a soft shock absorber. In addition, the device may also be provided with a handle on the front panel and a roller at the bottom.

[0047] Figure 3B A top perspective view of a liquid cooling test device is shown. The figure shows the pipeline structure of the cooling liquid passage. For the convenience of explanation, Figure 3C The top perspective view with the device housing removed is shown. As shown in the figure, the liquid inlet 330 can be connected to the liquid distributor 321 of the cold liquid passage, and the liquid distributor 321 is connected to multiple (8 in the figure) lower sub-tubes 322 extending in the horizontal direction, and each lower sub-tube is further connected to multiple (10 in the figure) middle sub-tubes 323 extending in the vertical direction, and the other end of the middle sub-tube 323 is connected to the upper sub-tube 324 symmetrically arranged with the lower sub-tube 322, and the upper sub-tube 324 is further connected to the liquid outlet pipe 325. Here, the flow of the liquid in each branch of the cold liquid passage can be made the same through clever settings, so as to realize the same-path pipe, thereby achieving uniform distribution of the cold liquid.

[0048] Further, as shown in the figure, the liquid distributor 321 and the liquid outlet pipe 325 may be provided with an exhaust device (pressure reducing valve) 380, which is used to open when the pressure of the cold liquid passage exceeds a threshold value. The exhaust device is usually kept closed to avoid volatilization and leakage of the cold liquid in the passage. The liquid distributor 321 and the liquid outlet pipe 325 may also be provided with a sensor module 370. As shown in the figure, a sensor module 370 may be provided at the tail of each lower sub-pipe 322 and upper sub-pipe 324, and each sensor module 370 may include at least one temperature sensor (T), one flow sensor (F) and one pressure sensor (P) to monitor the branch cold liquid temperature, flow rate and pressure.

[0049] The heating device can be implemented as a chip thermal resistor 310 located outside the middle sub-tube 323 (80 middle sub-tubes are shown in the figure). The thermal resistor to be powered can be selected according to the power setting, and when using constant power resistors, some resistors can be reserved as redundancy and replacement. If a constant resistance resistor is used, since the battery voltage gradually decreases during discharge, the unchanged resistance will cause the actual power to decrease and the thermal resistor capacity to decrease. At this time, for the constant resistance resistor, when the voltage decreases, the resistance can be gradually and automatically increased to ensure that the set power is reached.

[0050] Figure 3D A side perspective view with the device housing removed is shown. As shown in the figure, the liquid recovery device may include a liquid storage tank inlet pipe 352, and a liquid inlet valve is arranged on the liquid storage tank inlet pipe 352. The liquid storage tank may be arranged at a certain angle to facilitate the recovery of residual liquid to flow to the liquid storage tank discharge pipe 353.

[0051] Figure 3E A rear perspective view with the device housing removed is shown. The cold liquid passage may include a main filter (shown as a large dashed line frame) on its liquid distribution pipe 321 for filtering the externally injected cold liquid. Similarly, the cold liquid recovery module may also include a recovery cold liquid filter (shown as a small dashed line frame) on its discharge pipe 353 for filtering and recovering the cold liquid. The cold liquid recovery module may also include a liquid extraction valve 354.

[0052] As above combined Figure 3A -E describes a specific implementation example of the cold liquid test equipment of the present invention. The internal structure of the cold liquid test equipment includes the following core components:

[0053] (1) Liquid extraction valve 354 (may include a liquid extraction pump and an electric valve): operates according to the test command, is closed under normal circumstances, and opens at the end of the system test to recover the liquid inside the load to the liquid storage tank below. When in use, the liquid can be pumped back into the system through the liquid extraction pump.

[0054] (2) Exhaust port (also called exhaust device or pressure reducing valve) 380: used to discharge gas when supplying and returning liquid to avoid resistance during liquid filling and discharging. The exhaust port can be completely closed when the load is not in use to prevent liquid evaporation.

[0055] (3) Control box 360: The core of the system, mainly used for sensor information processing, liquid supply / return mode judgment and switching, system core parameters (flow rate, temperature, etc.) acquisition and valve operation control based on them.

[0056] (4) Liquid storage tank 351: When the test load does not need to bear the test task, the system liquid is temporarily stored in the tank to facilitate liquid addition and liquid processing.

[0057] (5) Sensor module 370: measures the cooling water temperature during the actual process.

[0058] (6) Flow sensor (not shown in the figure, located inside the pipeline): measures the flow rate of cooling water in the actual process.

[0059] (7) Pressure sensor (not shown in the figure, located inside the pipeline): measures the pressure of the pipeline during the actual process.

[0060] (8) Dual inlet / outlet (330 and 340): Two CDU systems can be connected at the same time to complete the test task.

[0061] (9) Pressure reducing valve (not shown in the figure, located inside the pipeline): It is used to buffer the water inlet pressure to avoid system pressure loss. At the same time, during the heating process, if the gas pressure is high due to excessive liquid temperature rise, it can also protect the system.

[0062] (10) Thermal resistor module 310: used to generate a resistor with a load power required by the test, the power may be, for example, 12 kW, 6 kW, 2 kW, 1 kW, etc.

[0063] (11) Drain valve 355: Located at the lowest point of the system, it is mainly used to discharge the liquid accumulated at the lowest point and is used for discharge when cleaning the pipeline system.

[0064] (12) Fan 380: When the temperature at the water outlet exceeds a certain limit, the fan turns on to cool the system and prevent overheating. The normal outlet liquid temperature range is 30-45°C. Once it exceeds the dangerous set value of 45°C, the fan will start quickly to cool the liquid cooling and dummy load, and an alarm will be sounded at the same time.

[0065] (13) Water distributor 321 / water collector 325: ensure that the water inlet and outlet flow at the same rate to avoid uneven flow rate resulting in poor heat dissipation and temperature rise in some areas.

[0066] Figure 4The connection sequence of the core components of the cold liquid test equipment is shown. As shown in the figure, after the cold liquid enters the rear cold liquid passage through the liquid inlet (e.g., 230, 330) and the shock absorber at the import, the temperature (T), flow (F) and pressure (P) sensors arranged inside the passage can collect the temperature, flow and pressure of the liquid inlet, and then the pressure of the water inlet is buffered by the pressure reducing valve. The liquid distributor of the cold liquid passage distributes the cold liquid through the same-pass pipe, and performs indirect contact heat exchange with the heat generated by 1-N thermal resistor modules (e.g., the 1st to the 80th chip resistors) outside the middle sub-tube, and the fan can be turned on to fan the heat when necessary. The collecting pipe on the upper part of the same-pass pipe can also be provided with temperature (T), flow (F) and pressure (P) sensors to measure the temperature, flow and pressure of the liquid outlet, and can flow out through the outlet shock absorber and the liquid outlet. An exhaust valve can be provided on the same-pass pipe to discharge gas when the liquid is returned. After the test is completed, the electric valve of the liquid recovery module (ie, the liquid extraction valve 354) can be opened to extract the cold liquid remaining in the cold liquid passage into the liquid storage tank for use in the next test.

[0067] The present invention can also be implemented as a method for performing a liquid cooling test using the liquid cooling test device disclosed above. In one embodiment, the detailed steps of using the liquid cooling test device include:

[0068] (1) Connect the cables of the electrical system through the reserved interface set in the figure.

[0069] (2) Turn on the maximum dummy load switch required for the system to be fully loaded, and set the limit value on the operation interface.

[0070] (3) Connect the inlet and outlet pipes of the test system and the dummy load through the flexible joint and the shock-absorbing interface, and check to ensure that the pipe connections are tight and leak-free.

[0071] (4) Check the startup conditions of each system and confirm that the dummy load system alarm threshold is set correctly.

[0072] (5) Check whether the liquid storage tank is full of liquid (if full, drain it) to ensure that the tank can accommodate the liquid stored in the dummy load. The valve above the liquid storage tank is in normal condition, open, and the exhaust port is unobstructed.

[0073] (6) Start the dummy load, observe that the exhaust valve exhausts air, the system valve operates as required, and the liquid in the liquid storage tank is injected into the system through the pipeline.

[0074] (7) When the liquid level in the load pipe reaches the outlet and the uppermost liquid level sensor receives information, the electric valve is closed, and the system has completed the liquid inflow. After the liquid inflow is completed, when the electrical switch is turned off, the system circulates and filters for 15-20 minutes.

[0075] (8) After the filtration is completed, the filter is switched to bypass mode. Check the electrical wiring and make sure the dummy load is correctly connected to the switch and the output cabinet.

[0076] (9) Turn on the switch, the test starts, and the dummy load is automatically loaded according to the set load power, and the power, voltage and current, liquid temperature and flow parameters are displayed in real time.

[0077] (10) During the test, the system status will be monitored in real time according to the set time and requirements. If an abnormality occurs, an alarm will be issued, the power will be cut off, and the system will automatically return the liquid to the storage tank.

[0078] (11) During the test, if the thermal resistor capacity drops, compensation will be automatically performed according to the power parameters set by the system, and the test will stop when the specified power is reached.

[0079] (12) After the test, turn off the dummy load power supply, close the inlet and outlet valves, and recover the liquid through the liquid return module, so that all the liquid is recovered from the load into the liquid storage tank.

[0080] (10) After the system liquid is recovered, remove all electrical connection cables, disconnect the water pipe soft connectors and other interfaces, and the dummy load test is completed.

[0081] The present invention can also be implemented as a cold liquid recovery device, which is used for recovering cold liquid in the liquid cooling test equipment disclosed above, not limited to the present invention. The cold liquid recovery device includes: a control module, which is used to trigger a recovery / liquid inlet operation based on a predetermined condition; a liquid pumping valve, which is used to operate according to the recovery / liquid inlet operation command to recover cold liquid or pump liquid into the liquid cooling test equipment; and a liquid storage tank, which is used to store the recovered cold liquid.

[0082] Specifically, the liquid extraction valve may include a liquid extraction pump and an electric valve. The liquid extraction pump is used to rotate forward or reverse according to a command to recover liquid or pump liquid into the system. The electric valve is used as a valve for recovering the liquid inlet pipeline, and can open and close the pipeline valve according to a command.

[0083] Furthermore, the device may also include: a liquid level sensor for detecting the liquid level of the liquid storage tank. Once the level is too low, the control module will give an alarm to remind manual replenishment of the liquid; and a test alarm module for giving an alarm when the liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level is too low, and starting a triggering recovery operation when a failure of the liquid cooling test equipment is detected. Specifically, the test alarm module can monitor the internal conditions of the entire test equipment. Once a pipeline leak or pressure loss occurs, as well as other emergencies, the liquid can be quickly returned in the first place to avoid the loss of fluorinated liquid and harm to the environment. Figure 5 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the components of a cold liquid recovery device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5However, the cold liquid recovery device of the present invention may also include a drain pipe, a drain valve and a recovery filter as shown above. Figure 3A -E described components.

[0084] In order to avoid liquid loss, the liquid cooling test equipment and the cold liquid recovery device of the present invention realize the following core functions when recovering liquid:

[0085] (1) The system is airtight. The exhaust port is opened only when liquid is being introduced or recovered to ensure smooth return of liquid. The exhaust port is closed immediately after the function is completed to avoid loss of special liquids such as fluorinated liquid.

[0086] (2) Pipeline inclination: In a preferred implementation, all transverse pipes in the device can be set to have a certain inclination angle (0-10°) to facilitate the recovery of special liquids such as fluorinated liquid or ethylene glycol.

[0087] (3) Recovery at the lowest point. The liquid pump and liquid storage tank in the coolant recovery device are preferably located at the lowest point of the entire cooling system. Not only can the liquid in the test load itself be recovered, but also the fluorinated liquid in the pipeline and CDU can be recovered.

[0088] (4) Filtration and recovery: Based on the addition of a special filter such as a 50um filter, impurities in the fluorinated liquid system can be filtered out to improve the recovery rate of the fluorinated liquid.

[0089] The test equipment, method and recovery device provided by this solution can achieve the following functions through the control system during the actual immersion liquid cooling test:

[0090] (1) The power of the heating device (i.e., the dummy load) is dynamically adjustable. The power value can be independently selected and set through the operation panel and the switch. After the switch is turned on, the dummy load power can be dynamically adjusted through the threshold setting of the operation panel. The minimum adjustment granularity can be, for example, 0.5 kW and the maximum granularity can be 180 kW.

[0091] (2) Dual monitoring of temperature and flow rate. Through the intelligent sensor module, key parameters such as the inlet and outlet water temperature and flow rate of the cooling system can be detected during the test, and the actual cooling capacity can be further calculated. Compared with the offline data recording and calculation of traditional tests, it is simpler and more intelligent.

[0092] (3) Rich alarm functions. The test scheme of the present invention realizes safe use in thermal resistor testing through functions such as threshold setting and upper limit reminder. In the actual test process, once a fault is detected, the power supply can be cut off and the alarm can be issued at any time to effectively ensure safety. Especially for the fluorinated liquid cooling system, once abnormalities such as temperature rise, low flow, and high pressure occur, the alarm can be issued and the system can be cut off in the first time to ensure the stability of the fluorinated liquid cooling system.

[0093] (4) Automatic pressure regulation function of the system. Through the liquid storage tank, the overpressure and underpressure adjustment of the test load and the fluorinated liquid system can be achieved to maintain the stability of the system.

[0094] (5) A higher recovery rate can be achieved for special cold liquids (fluorinated liquid or ethylene glycol), avoiding waste and environmental pollution. Furthermore, the fluorinated liquid system can be automatically circulated and filtered, liquid recovered and liquid fed, significantly improving the recovery rate of the fluorinated liquid.

[0095] The present invention provides a special cooling liquid (for example, fluorinated liquid or ethylene glycol) recovery device. Through the liquid recovery device and the intelligent control system, the liquid in the dummy load can be recovered and utilized to avoid waste or pollution problems.

[0096] The test device of the present invention uses modular load dynamic adjustment, and can perform manual or automatic compensation. Specifically, for example, it can support 180kW power adjustment to achieve full load testing of the liquid cooling system, and the modular load can be flexibly replaced and split, which is suitable for various types of liquid cooling systems. When the load fluctuates and decreases during the test, automatic power compensation can be achieved to match the test requirements.

[0097] In addition, by monitoring water temperature and flow through smart devices, various functions such as real-time data display, dynamic alarm, threshold protection, etc. can be realized.

[0098] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, and the above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein are selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or improvements to the technology in the market, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A liquid cooling test device, comprising: A heating device, used to simulate the heating of server equipment; A cooling liquid passage, used to provide a passage for cooling liquid to flow in the test device to achieve heat exchange with the heat generated by the heating device; A liquid inlet, connected to the cold liquid passage and used for the inflow of externally injected cold liquid; a liquid outlet, connected to the cold liquid passage and used for the cold liquid to flow out after heat exchange; and The cold liquid recovery module is used to recover the cold liquid in the cold liquid passage after the test is completed; the cold liquid recovery module is located below the cold liquid passage and is set at an inclined angle to the ground.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising: The control module is used to control the heating of the heating device and the injection, discharge and recovery of the cold liquid based on user settings.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising: A sensor for monitoring the operating status of a liquid cooling test device, the sensor comprising at least one of the following: Temperature sensor, used to measure the temperature of the cooling liquid during the test; Flow sensor, used to measure the flow rate of the cooling liquid during the test; A pressure sensor is used to measure the pressure of the cooling fluid passage during the test; as well as Liquid level sensor, used to measure the height of the coolant in the coolant passage during the test.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein: The control module obtains a detection parameter based on the reading of the sensor and controls the operation of the valve based on the detection parameter.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein: The cold liquid recovery module comprises: Fluid storage tank; and The liquid extraction valve is used to deliver the cold liquid in the cold liquid passage into the liquid storage tank after the test is completed, and to deliver the cold liquid in the liquid storage tank into the cold liquid passage during the test.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein: The cooling liquid passage comprises: a liquid distributor connected to the liquid inlet; a liquid collector connected to the liquid outlet; and A parallel sub-passage is connected in parallel between the liquid distributor and the liquid collector.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein: The cooling liquid passage comprises a main filter for filtering externally injected cooling liquid; and / or The cold liquid recovery module includes a cold liquid recovery filter for filtering and recovering cold liquid.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein: The heat generating device comprises a thermal resistor which is in indirect contact with the cold liquid.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: The air cooling module is used to be turned on when the temperature of the liquid outlet exceeds a threshold value.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: The exhaust device is used to open when the pressure of the cooling liquid passage exceeds a threshold value.

11. A liquid cooling test method, wherein the method uses the liquid cooling test device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 to perform a liquid cooling test.

12. A cooling liquid recovery device for recovering cooling liquid in a liquid cooling test device; the cooling liquid recovery module is located below the cooling liquid passage and is arranged at an inclined angle to the ground; the cooling liquid recovery device comprises: A control module for triggering a recovery / liquid injection operation based on predetermined conditions; A liquid extraction valve, used to operate according to a recovery / liquid injection operation command to recover cold liquid or inject liquid into the liquid-cooled test equipment; as well as Liquid storage tank, used to store recovered coolant.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising: The liquid level sensor is used to detect the liquid level of the liquid storage tank. Once the level is too low, the control module will give an alarm to remind manual replenishment. as well as The test alarm module is used to give a reminder when the liquid level sensor detects that the liquid level is too low, and to start triggering a recovery operation when a failure of the liquid cooling test equipment is detected.

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