A liquid-cooled chassis and a cooling circulation system

Abstract

This invention provides a liquid-cooled chassis that, in an immersion system, utilizes jet cooling technology to disperse the coolant, thereby achieving uniform heat dissipation and improving heat dissipation efficiency. Specifically, the liquid-cooled chassis includes a cover plate; a main board, which includes a printed circuit board, heat-generating components, and heat sinks; a liquid inlet unit, which includes an inlet pipe and an inlet port, the inlet port being disposed on the chassis, with one end of the inlet pipe leading into the chassis through the inlet port; and a liquid outlet unit, which includes an outlet pipe and an outlet port, the outlet port being disposed on the chassis, with one end of the outlet pipe leading out of the chassis through the outlet port; characterized in that the liquid-cooled chassis further includes a flow guide block, which is disposed on the cover plate or the main board.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of heat dissipation technology, and more particularly to a liquid-cooled chassis and a cooling circulation system. Background Art

[0002] The rise of the data economy has fundamentally changed people's lifestyles, with almost every aspect of daily life—smart devices, homes, cities, and self-driving cars—relying on tasks running within data centers. However, operating these data centers incurs high costs in terms of energy consumption, water usage, and land area.

[0003] As the number of chips used for storing and processing data increases, significant heat is generated, impacting computer speed. Current technology often employs double-sided motherboards to increase chip density. However, this design requires complete chip removal for motherboard replacement, resulting in high maintenance costs. Furthermore, the cooling methods used are water or air cooling, which are insufficient to meet the heat dissipation needs of the components inside the computer case. Additionally, water-cooled cases pose a safety hazard due to direct contact between electronic components and water, reducing the safety of computer use.

[0004] To address the heat dissipation problem of electronic devices, a common technical approach is to immerse the electronic devices in a non-conductive liquid for heat dissipation, such as single-phase immersion liquid cooling technology. The heat generated by the electronic devices is directly and effectively transferred to the immersion liquid, reducing the need for thermal interface materials, heat sinks, fans, shields, sheet metal and other components commonly used in traditional cooling methods.

[0005] Chinese patent application CN114423264A discloses a single-phase immersion liquid cooling system and liquid cooling method. By setting a flow regulation unit on the liquid supply sub-pipe, the flow rate of the coolant can be reflected by the pressure difference. Thus, the flow rate of the coolant can be accurately known by measuring the pressure difference, and the flow rate of the coolant can be controlled according to the pressure difference. This not only realizes the on-demand adjustment of the coolant flow rate on each parallel branch in the circulation loop, but also has high adjustment accuracy and avoids the phenomenon of coolant flow imbalance.

[0006] Chinese patent application CN114364235A discloses a liquid cooling device and system, including at least one liquid cooling module. The liquid cooling module includes a cooling tank, an inlet branch, and an outlet branch. The cooling tank contains a cooling medium and a first heat-generating component. The inlet and outlet branches are connected to the cooling tank, with the inlet branch positioned higher than the outlet branch. The cooling module encapsulates the heat-generating component to be cooled within the cooling tank, and the inlet and outlet branches facilitate the circulation of the external cooling medium within the cooling tank, thereby cooling the heat-generating component. It is evident that each liquid cooling module in the aforementioned liquid cooling device can be a relatively independent immersion cooling system. Without requiring significant modifications to existing cabinets, immersion-cooled heat-generating components can be arranged within the cabinet, promoting the widespread use of high-power-density components.

[0007] Immersion liquid cooling systems, using coolants with low electrical insulation and viscosity, can improve heat dissipation efficiency. However, with the increasing density of electronic packaging, liquid circulation cooling is insufficient for cooling some high-power electronics. Jet cooling, due to its high efficiency, has become a cutting-edge technology in electronic cooling. It involves atomizing the cooling medium through nozzles and spraying it onto the electronic components or chips that need cooling. Chips are typically coated with an insulating film, and the liquid evaporates on the heat source, carrying away the latent heat of vaporization. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem solved by this invention is to utilize jet cooling technology in an immersion liquid cooling system to disperse the coolant, thereby achieving uniform heat dissipation and improving heat dissipation efficiency. To solve the above technical problem, embodiments of this invention provide a liquid-cooled chassis, comprising: a cover plate; a main board, the main board including a printed circuit board, heat-generating components, and heat sinks; a liquid inlet unit, the liquid inlet unit including an inlet pipe and an inlet, the inlet being disposed on the chassis, one end of the inlet pipe leading into the chassis through the inlet; and a liquid outlet unit, the liquid outlet unit including an outlet pipe and an outlet, the outlet being disposed on the chassis, one end of the outlet pipe leading out of the chassis through the outlet; characterized in that the liquid-cooled chassis further includes a flow guide block, the flow guide block being disposed on the cover plate or the main board.

[0009] According to certain specific embodiments of the present invention, the projection of the guide block on the cover plate is cosine, concave, cycloid, parabolic, square, or triangular.

[0010] According to certain specific embodiments of the present invention, the cosine shape satisfies the equation:

[0011]

[0012] According to certain specific embodiments of the present invention, the cycloid shape satisfies the equation:

[0013]

[0014] According to certain specific embodiments of the present invention, the parabolic shape satisfies the equation:

[0015]

[0016] According to certain embodiments of the present invention, the overall density of the guide block is less than 2.0 kg / m³. 3 .

[0017] According to certain specific embodiments of the present invention, the liquid inlet unit further includes a branch pipe, one end of which is connected in parallel to one end of the liquid inlet pipe and placed inside the chassis, and the other end is placed at the heating element.

[0018] According to certain specific embodiments of the present invention, the end of the branch pipe away from the inlet pipe is circular, duckbill-shaped, or square.

[0019] According to certain embodiments of the present invention, the chassis includes at least two motherboards that are centrally symmetrical with respect to the center of the chassis.

[0020] According to certain embodiments of the present invention, the heat sink includes fins, which are cylindrical or ribbed.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution of the embodiments of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] First, the present invention provides a flow guide block on the cover plate away from the printed circuit board, which can be used to guide the coolant to the heat-generating components mounted on the motherboard. Generally, it can be used to cool the vicinity of chips (such as central processing unit, graphics processor, sound card, graphics card), which not only saves coolant and reduces consumption, but also can evenly distribute the coolant.

[0023] Secondly, the liquid inlet unit is equipped with branch pipes. One end of the branch pipe is connected in parallel to one end of the liquid inlet pipe and placed inside the chassis, while the other end is placed at the heat-generating components. The liquid inlet pipe is connected to each branch pipe, and the branch pipes can spray coolant onto the surface of the heat-generating components, which can solve the problem of uneven heat dissipation.

[0024] Furthermore, because the motherboard is centrally and symmetrically mounted in the chassis, the density of electronic components is increased while also saving on processing and maintenance costs.

[0025] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a cooling circulation system, including a liquid-cooled chassis according to the present invention, wherein the liquid outlet pipe and liquid inlet pipe of the liquid-cooled chassis are connected in series with the cooling device and the circulation device in a closed loop to form a closed-loop circulation system. This cooling circulation system can provide an overall heat dissipation solution and reduce costs. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To make the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that the drawings are intended to schematically illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the various components in the drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an immersion liquid-cooled chassis according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2A-2B This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an immersion liquid-cooled chassis according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of an immersion liquid-cooled chassis according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a partial structural diagram of an immersion liquid-cooled chassis according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a cooling circulation system according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figures 6A-6F This is a schematic diagram of the shape of the guide block according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figures 7A-7C This is a simulation diagram of the heat dissipation effect of an immersion liquid-cooled chassis (cycloidal guide block) according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figures 8A-8B This is a simulation diagram of the heat dissipation effect of an immersion liquid-cooled chassis (concave guide block) according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figures 9A-9C This is a simulation diagram of the heat dissipation effect of an immersion liquid-cooled chassis (without flow guides).

[0036] Explanation of the reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0037] 1. Chassis; 11. Liquid inlet; 12. Liquid outlet;

[0038] 2. Cover plate; 21. Mainboard; 22. Heat sink; 23. Printed circuit board;

[0039] 3. Inlet pipe; 31. Main pipe; 32. Branch pipe;

[0040] 4. Liquid outlet pipe; 5. Flow guide block. Detailed Implementation

[0041] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, will provide a more detailed account of some specific embodiments according to the present invention. It should be understood that those skilled in the art can conceive of various other embodiments and make modifications thereto based on the teachings of this specification without departing from the scope or spirit of this disclosure. Therefore, the following specific embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive.

[0042] Unless otherwise specified, all figures used in this specification and claims to represent feature dimensions, quantities, and physical properties should be understood to be modified by the term "about". Therefore, unless stated to the contrary, the numerical parameters listed in this specification and the appended claims are approximations, and those skilled in the art can appropriately modify these approximations to obtain desired properties based on the teachings of the present invention. Numerical ranges indicated by endpoints include all words within that range; for example, 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, and 5, etc.

[0043] Unless otherwise specified, the accessories used in the embodiments are all commercially available industrial products that can be purchased through commercial channels.

[0044] Liquid-cooled chassis

[0045] like Figures 1 to 4 The liquid-cooled chassis structure shown includes a chassis 1 and cover plates 2 respectively sealed and connected to both sides of the chassis 1. The sealed cavity formed by the chassis 1 and the cover plates 2 is filled with a coolant for heat exchange. The coolant has the characteristics of electrical insulation and low viscosity.

[0046] Each side cover 2 is fixedly connected to a motherboard 21 located inside the chassis, and the two motherboards 21 are centrally symmetrical about the center of the chassis 1. Four printed circuit boards 23 perpendicular to the corresponding motherboard 21 are mounted on the motherboard 21. Each printed circuit board 23 is electrically connected to a graphics processor (i.e., a heat-generating component, not shown in the figure). A central processing unit (i.e., a heat-generating component, not shown in the figure) is electrically connected to a position on the motherboard 21 away from the printed circuit boards 23. Heat sinks 22 are mounted on each central processing unit and graphics processor. Although not shown in the figure, for better heat dissipation, the fins on the heat sinks can be cylindrical, ribbed, etc., to increase the heat dissipation area. Those skilled in the art should understand that, in order to achieve the same technical effect, the positional relationship between the printed circuit board 23 and the motherboard 21 can also be non-perpendicular, and the number of printed circuit boards 23 installed on the motherboard 21 can also be set according to actual needs, such as 1, 2, 3, etc.; the number of graphics processors on the printed circuit boards 23, central processing units on the motherboard 21, or other heat-generating components (such as sound cards, graphics cards, etc.) can be set according to needs, such as 2, 3, or 4 graphics processors on each printed circuit board 23, and 2, 3, or 4 central processing units on the motherboard 21. Not all feasible solutions are listed here.

[0047] A flow guide block 5 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the chassis 1 away from the printed circuit board 23. Each flow guide block 5 can compress the liquid sprayed from the branch pipe 32 to the location where the central processing unit is installed. Furthermore, the flow guide block 5 occupies space within the chassis, saving on coolant costs. The flow guide block can be made of insulating materials such as polycarbonate, silicone, polypropylene, or polyethylene. Alternatively, a material with an overall density of less than 2.0 kg / m³ can be selected. 3 Materials such as hollow metal with a central structure are used to ensure low overall density and lightweight design of the flow guide block. Figure 2B Two motherboards 21 are arranged symmetrically in the chassis 1, and two airflow guides 5 are arranged symmetrically in the chassis 1.

[0048] The chassis 1 has a liquid inlet 11 and a liquid outlet 12; the liquid outlet 12 is located above the liquid inlet 11. Inside the chassis 1, there is a liquid inlet pipe 3 that is sealed and fixedly connected to the liquid inlet 11. The liquid inlet pipe 3 includes a main pipe 31 and branch pipes 32 whose ends open towards each heat sink 22. The outlet of the branch pipe 32 can be circular, duckbill-shaped, square, or other shapes. The liquid inlet 11, the liquid inlet pipe 3, and the branch pipes 32 constitute a liquid inlet unit (not shown in the figure). Inside the chassis 1, there is a liquid outlet pipe 4 that is sealed and fixedly connected to the liquid outlet 12. The liquid outlet 12 and the liquid outlet pipe 4 constitute a liquid outlet unit (not shown in the figure).

[0049] Figures 1 to 4In this embodiment, a guide block 5 is provided on the cover plate 2. Those skilled in the art should understand that, to achieve the same technical effect, a guide block 5 can also be provided at a corresponding position on the motherboard 21, which can be used to disperse the coolant and serve as a guide. The inlet unit is provided with branch pipes 32. One end of the branch pipe 32 is connected in parallel to one end of the inlet pipe 3 and placed inside the chassis 1, while the other end is placed at the central processing unit or graphics processor. The inlet pipe 3 is connected to each branch pipe 32, which can spray coolant onto the surface of heat-generating components, thus solving the problem of uneven heat dissipation. Furthermore, since the motherboards 21 are centrally symmetrically mounted in the chassis 1, the density of electronic components is increased while also saving processing and maintenance costs. Those skilled in the art should understand that, in addition to a centrally symmetrical dual-motherboard chassis, a symmetrical triple-motherboard chassis can also be provided according to actual needs, along with the coolant distribution pipes. In large computer systems, multiple centrally symmetrical dual-motherboard chassis or multiple triple-motherboard chassis can also be provided.

[0050] Cooling circulation system

[0051] like Figure 5 As shown, a circulation device and a cooling device are installed outside the chassis 1, connected in series with the chassis to form a closed circulation system. The cooling circulation system includes a cooling device that is sealed to the outlet pipe 4 to cool the coolant to room temperature, and a circulation device that is sealed at one end to the cooling device and at the other end to the inlet pipe 3 to pump the coolant from the cooling device into the chassis 1. The circulation device and the cooling device can be commercially available equipment.

[0052] Before initial use, all equipment is not in operation, and there is no liquid inside chassis 1.

[0053] Upon initial use, the circulation and cooling systems are activated. Coolant is pumped into the chassis 1 through the inlet pipe 3. Once coolant flows out through the outlet pipe 4, power is supplied to the motherboard 21, and the chassis begins to operate. Chips such as the graphics processor and central processing unit (CPU) begin to generate heat, which is conducted to the coolant through the heat sink. Because ambient-temperature coolant is continuously sprayed horizontally from the branch pipe 32 onto the heat sink 22, the coolant temperature near the graphics processor, CPU, and other chips remains consistently low, greatly improving heat exchange efficiency. As the high-temperature liquid accumulates at the top of the chassis, the hotter coolant flows out through the outlet pipe 4 located above and enters the cooling system for subsequent circulation.

[0054] When not in use, turn off the equipment and wait for the liquid temperature inside the casing 1 to drop to room temperature before stopping the external circulation system. It can be restarted the next time it is used.

[0055] The inventors discovered through research that the shape of the heat dissipation block has a certain impact on the heat dissipation effect. When the projection of the heat dissipation block on the cover plate is cosine, cycloid, parabolic, or concave, the heat dissipation effect is better.

[0056] Specifically, the cosine shape satisfies the equation:

[0057]

[0058] Cycloidal shape satisfies the equation:

[0059]

[0060] The parabolic shape satisfies the equation:

[0061]

[0062] like Figures 6A-6F , is the projected shape of the guide block according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] Example 1: The projected shape of the guide block is square, such as... Figure 6A ;

[0064] Example 2: The projected shape of the guide block is a cycloid, such as... Figure 6B ;

[0065] Example 3: The projected shape of the guide block is cosine, such as... Figure 6C ;

[0066] Example 4: The projected shape of the guide block is concave, such as... Figure 6D ;

[0067] Example 5: The projected shape of the guide block is a parabola, such as... Figure 6E ;

[0068] Example 6: The projected shape of the guide block is a straight line, such as... Figure 6F .

[0069] Comparative example: without guide block.

[0070] Test methods

[0071] This invention evaluates the heat dissipation effect of heat-generating components in a computer chassis through simulation experiments. The chassis dimensions are 500mm × 450mm × 176mm, and the CPU dimensions are 75mm × 56.5mm × 2mm. The heatsink mounted on the CPU is a common pin-type heatsink with a base size of 65mm × 90mm × 3mm. The chip (heat-generating component) is made of silicon (Si) with a power rating of 240W, and the heatsink is made of copper (Cu). The mass flow rate of each branch pipe is 0.02kg / s (flow rate of 1.6L / min). The cooling medium used is the commonly available FC-40 fluorinated liquid. The test data are recorded in Table 1.

[0072] Table 1. Test results of Examples 1-6 and comparative examples.

[0073] Projected shape of the guide block CPU1 surface velocity (m / s) CPU2 surface velocity (m / s) Example 1 square 0.528 0.012 Example 2 Cycloidal 0.185 0.451 Example 3 cosine 0.193 0.475 Example 4 Concave 0.192 0.431 Example 5 parabola 0.185 0.462 Example 6 straight line 0.169 0.428 Comparative Example No guide block 0.063 0.433

[0074] Figures 7A-7C A simulation diagram of the heat dissipation effect of an immersion liquid-cooled chassis (cycloidal flow guide block); Figures 8A-8B A simulation diagram of the heat dissipation effect of an immersion liquid-cooled chassis (with concave guide blocks); Figures 9A-9C This is a simulation diagram of the heat dissipation effect of an immersion liquid-cooled chassis (without flow guides).

[0075] As shown in Table 1, the test results and heat dissipation simulation diagrams reveal that installing flow guides inside the chassis directs the coolant's vector direction toward the heatsink, thus dispersing the coolant, dissipating heat evenly, and improving heat dissipation efficiency. In contrast, immersion liquid-cooled chassis without flow guides exhibit lower surface velocities for CPU1 and CPU2, resulting in poor heat dissipation.

[0076] While the present invention has been disclosed above, it is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention; therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A liquid-cooled chassis, comprising, Cover plate; The motherboard includes a printed circuit board, heat-generating components, and a heat sink; The liquid inlet unit includes a liquid inlet pipe and a liquid inlet. The liquid inlet is disposed on the chassis, and one end of the liquid inlet pipe is introduced into the chassis through the liquid inlet. The liquid outlet unit includes a liquid outlet pipe and a liquid outlet. The liquid outlet is disposed on the chassis, and one end of the liquid outlet pipe leads out of the chassis through the liquid outlet. The liquid cooling chassis is characterized in that it further includes a flow guide block, which is disposed on the cover plate or the main board and is used to guide the liquid ejected by the liquid inlet unit to the heat-generating components mounted on the main board; the cover plate or the main board is also provided with heat sinks; The liquid inlet unit includes a liquid inlet pipe and branch pipes facing each heat sink. One end of the branch pipe is connected in parallel to one end of the liquid inlet pipe and placed inside the chassis, and the other end is placed at the heat-generating component. The branch pipe is used to spray the coolant horizontally toward the heat sink. The coolant passing through the heat sink is guided by the guide block to the surface of the heat-generating component below the guide block.

2. The liquid-cooled chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The projection of the guide block onto the cover plate can be cosine, cycloid, parabolic, concave, square, or triangular.

3. The liquid-cooled chassis according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cosine shape satisfies the equation: 。 4. The liquid-cooled chassis according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cycloid shape satisfies the equation: 。 5. The liquid-cooled chassis according to claim 2, characterized in that, The parabolic shape satisfies the equation: 。 6. The liquid-cooled chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The density of the flow guide block is less than 2.0 kg / m³. 3 .

7. The liquid-cooled chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The end of the branch pipe furthest from the inlet pipe is round, duckbill-shaped, or square.

8. The liquid-cooled chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that, The chassis includes at least two motherboards, which are centrally symmetrical with respect to the center of the chassis.

9. A cooling circulation system comprising a liquid-cooled chassis according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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