A server device and a cooling system thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a server device and a cooling system thereof, relates to the technical field of liquid cooling heat exchange, and the cooling system comprises a cabinet-level heat exchange structure and a hierarchical heat exchange structure arranged in a cabinet. The cabinet-level heat exchange structure comprises a compressor, a fluorine pump and a refrigeration module. The compressor is arranged at the top of the cabinet, the fluorine pump is arranged at the bottom of the cabinet, and the refrigeration module supplies cold to the hierarchical heat exchange structure. The height difference between the compressor and the fluorine pump is utilized, so that only gas is sucked into the suction port of the compressor, and only liquid is introduced into the liquid inlet of the fluorine pump. The conditions that liquid is sucked back into the compressor to cause liquid impact and liquid is lacked in the fluorine pump to cause cavitation can be avoided, so that the heat exchange efficiency is improved. Meanwhile, the cooling system can cancel the liquid storage tank, so that the system structure is simplified, and the problems of difficult space arrangement and high complexity are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of liquid cooling heat exchange technology, and in particular to a cooling system. This application also relates to a server device incorporating the cooling system. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, with the increase in power density of server chips, the existing ordinary air cooling heat exchange method can no longer meet the heat exchange requirements of the chips. Liquid cooling, as an efficient heat exchange and energy-saving alternative, is gradually replacing the existing air cooling technology.

[0003] In the existing system, liquid cooling technology mainly uses cold plate liquid cooling. Cold plate liquid cooling mainly uses liquid cooling plates, which exchange heat with the server's high-heat-generating chips, and then quickly transfer the heat to the outside of the rack through a heat exchange system connected to them.

[0004] In the process of realizing this invention, the inventors discovered at least the following problems in the prior art:

[0005] Because the heat exchange system of liquid cooling plates needs to be laid out, installed, and connected to multiple pipelines in a small space, it will bring problems of difficult space layout and high complexity. At the same time, it is difficult to avoid situations such as compressor liquid return and refrigerant pump liquid shortage, which will lead to a decrease in heat exchange efficiency and fail to achieve the maximum efficiency.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary for those skilled in the art to provide a cooling system that can prevent compressor liquid return and refrigerant pump liquid shortage. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this application is to provide a cooling system that can solve the problems of compressor liquid return and refrigerant pump liquid shortage. Another purpose of this application is to provide a server device including the above-mentioned cooling system.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a cooling system, including a cabinet-level heat exchange structure and a layer-level heat exchange structure disposed within a cabinet. The cabinet-level heat exchange structure includes a compressor, a refrigerant pump, and a refrigeration module. The compressor is located at the top of the cabinet, the refrigerant pump is located at the bottom of the cabinet, and the refrigeration module supplies cooling to the layer-level heat exchange structure.

[0009] In some embodiments, the refrigeration module includes a first evaporator, ventilation openings are provided on two sides of the cabinet that are far apart from each other, the first evaporator is provided on at least one side where the ventilation opening is located, and the first evaporator is a coil evaporator.

[0010] In some embodiments, one side of the cabinet that is far apart is an air outlet and the other side is an air inlet. The air outlet is equipped with several exhaust fans, and the first evaporator is located on the side where the air inlet is located or the side where the air outlet is located.

[0011] In some embodiments, the refrigeration module further includes a second evaporator connected in parallel with the first evaporator, the second evaporator being located at the top of the cabinet and being a plate heat exchanger evaporator.

[0012] In some embodiments, a housing frame is also included, and the compressor and the second evaporator are disposed within the housing frame.

[0013] In some embodiments, a partition is provided inside the insert frame housing, which divides the internal space of the insert frame housing into a first cavity and a second cavity. The second evaporator is located in the first cavity, and the compressor is located in the second cavity.

[0014] In some embodiments, a condenser is also included, which is disposed in the second housing or outside the cabinet.

[0015] In some embodiments, the tiered heat exchange structure includes a plurality of liquid-cooled cold plates attached to heat source devices on the cabinet, the plurality of liquid-cooled cold plates being connected in series or in parallel, and each liquid-cooled cold plate exchanging heat through a second evaporator.

[0016] This application also provides a server device, including the cooling system and cabinet of any of the above, wherein the cabinet is formed by a bottom plate, a top plate and several side plates, a compressor is installed on the top plate and a refrigerant pump is installed on the bottom plate.

[0017] In some embodiments, a cooling tower device is also included for supplying cooling to the tiered heat exchange structure.

[0018] Compared to the aforementioned background technology, the cooling system provided in this application includes a cabinet-level heat exchange structure and a layer-level heat exchange structure disposed within a cabinet. The cabinet-level heat exchange structure includes a compressor, a refrigerant pump, and a refrigeration module. The compressor is located at the top of the cabinet, the refrigerant pump at the bottom, and the refrigeration module supplies cooling to the layer-level heat exchange structure, enabling the layer-level heat exchange structure to dissipate heat from the heat source components on the cabinet. In this way, the compressor provides power for the refrigeration cycle. The compressor draws in low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas, compresses it, and discharges high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas. The refrigerant pump draws in the condensed refrigerant, which, under the action of the pump, enters the refrigeration module to cool the working components. After completing the cooling process, the refrigerant is converted back into refrigerant gas and enters the compressor, thus realizing the refrigeration cycle. In this embodiment, the compressor is located at the top of the cabinet, and the refrigerant pump is located at the bottom of the cabinet. This arrangement utilizes the principle that gas rises and liquid sinks. On the one hand, by using the height difference between the compressor and the refrigerant pump, the compressor's suction port is only for gas, and the refrigerant pump's liquid inlet is only for liquid. This avoids liquid backflow from the compressor causing liquid slugging and refrigerant pump shortage causing cavitation, thereby improving heat exchange efficiency. On the other hand, since the refrigerant pump is located at the bottom of the cabinet, it will not run out of liquid, thus eliminating the need for a liquid storage tank in the cooling system. This simplifies the system structure and solves the problems of difficult space layout and high complexity. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cooling system in an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the first and second evaporators connected in parallel in the cooling system of this application embodiment;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first and second evaporators connected in series in the cooling system of this application embodiment.

[0023] in:

[0024] 1-Rack, 2-Compressor, 3-Condenser, 4-Freon pump, 5-Refrigeration module, 51-First evaporator, 52-Second evaporator, 521-Evaporation channel, 522-Condensation channel, 6-Expansion valve, 7-Circulation pump, 8-Water distributor, 9-Liquid cooling plate, 10-Water collector, 11-Exhaust fan, 12-Bypass valve. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0027] It should be noted that the directional terms such as "upper end," "lower end," "left side," and "right side" mentioned below are defined based on the accompanying drawings in the instruction manual.

[0028] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 The cooling system provided in this application embodiment includes a cabinet-level heat exchange structure and a layer-level heat exchange structure disposed within a cabinet 1. The cabinet-level heat exchange structure includes a compressor 2, a refrigerant pump 4, and a refrigeration module 5. The compressor 2 is located at the top of the cabinet 1, the refrigerant pump 4 is located at the bottom of the cabinet 1, and the refrigeration module 5 supplies cooling to the layer-level heat exchange structure, thereby enabling the layer-level heat exchange structure to dissipate heat from the working components (or heat source devices) on the cabinet 1.

[0029] In this way, compressor 2 provides power for the refrigeration cycle, compressor 1 draws in low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas, and after compression, discharges high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas. Refrigerant pump 4 draws in the refrigerant formed after condensation. Under the action of refrigerant pump 4, the refrigerant enters the refrigeration module 5 to complete the refrigeration of the working parts. After completing the refrigeration work, the refrigerant is converted back into refrigerant gas and enters compressor 2, thus realizing the refrigeration cycle.

[0030] In this embodiment, the compressor 2 is located at the top of the cabinet 1, and the refrigerant pump 4 is located at the bottom of the cabinet 1. With this arrangement, based on the principle that gas rises and liquid falls, on the one hand, the height difference between the compressor 2 and the refrigerant pump 4 ensures that the suction port of the compressor 2 contains only gas, while the liquid inlet of the refrigerant pump 4 contains only liquid. This avoids liquid backflow in the compressor 2, which could cause liquid slugging, and liquid shortage in the refrigerant pump 4, which could cause cavitation. This improves heat exchange efficiency. On the other hand, since the refrigerant pump is located at the bottom of the cabinet, it will not run out of liquid. This allows the cooling system to eliminate the need for a liquid storage tank, thereby simplifying the system structure and solving the problems of difficult space layout and high complexity.

[0031] In addition, the cooling system also includes a condenser 3. The condenser 3 can be located inside or outside the cabinet 1.

[0032] Specifically, the outlet of compressor 2 is connected to the inlet of condenser 3, the outlet of condenser 3 is connected to the inlet of refrigerant pump 4, the outlet of refrigerant pump 4 is connected to the inlet of refrigeration module 5, and the outlet of refrigeration module 5 is connected to the inlet of compressor 2.

[0033] In this way, compressor 2 and refrigerant pump 4 provide power for the refrigeration cycle. Compressor 2 draws in low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas, and after compression, discharges high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas. Condenser 3 converts the refrigerant gas into refrigerant liquid, thereby continuously supplying refrigerant liquid to refrigerant pump 4. Under the action of refrigerant pump 4, the refrigerant liquid enters refrigeration module 5 to complete the cooling of the working parts. After completing the cooling work, the refrigerant liquid is converted back into refrigerant gas and enters compressor 2, thus realizing the refrigeration cycle.

[0034] Please refer to the following: Figure 2 The refrigeration module 5 includes a first evaporator 51. Ventilation openings are provided on two opposite sides of the cabinet 1, and the first evaporator 51 is provided on at least one side where a ventilation opening is located.

[0035] In other words, the first evaporator 51 can be installed in one of the two vents on the two sides of the cabinet 1 that are far apart, or the first evaporator 51 can be installed in both vents.

[0036] In some embodiments, one of the two sides of the cabinet 1 that are far apart is an air outlet and the other side is an air inlet. The air inlet is used to allow outside air to enter the cabinet 1 to dissipate heat from the working components inside the cabinet 1, and the air outlet is used to allow the dissipated air to leave the cabinet 1.

[0037] Furthermore, the air outlet is equipped with several exhaust fans 11, and the first evaporator 51 is located on the side where the air inlet is located or on the side where the air outlet is located.

[0038] In this way, the exhaust fan 11 provides power so that external air enters through the air inlet and is blown out through the air outlet. During the process of external air entering the cabinet 1 and being blown out of the cabinet 1, heat exchange occurs through the first evaporator 51 located on the side where the air inlet or the air outlet is located, which can greatly improve the heat dissipation efficiency.

[0039] Of course, depending on actual needs, the first evaporator 51 is a coil evaporator.

[0040] It can be seen that the combined cooling system of the coil evaporator and the exhaust fan 11 can further improve the heat exchange efficiency of the rack server equipment. At the same time, the heat from auxiliary components and the heat leakage from the liquid cooling plate or main chip inside the rack server equipment can also be removed by the exhaust fan 11.

[0041] In some embodiments, the refrigeration module 5 further includes a second evaporator 52, which is connected in parallel with the first evaporator 51, and the second evaporator 52 is located at the top of the cabinet 1.

[0042] Specifically, the first evaporator 51 and the second evaporator 52 are connected in parallel between the refrigerant pump 4 and the compressor 2. One of the outlet pipes of the refrigerant pump 4 is connected to the inlet of the first evaporator 51, and the other is connected to the inlet of the second evaporator 52. The outlets of the first evaporator 51 and the second evaporator 52 are respectively connected to the inlet of the compressor 2 through pipes.

[0043] In this way, compressor 2 draws in low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas from the first evaporator 51 and the second evaporator 52, and after compression, discharges high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas. Condenser 3 converts the refrigerant gas into refrigerant liquid, thereby continuously supplying refrigerant liquid to refrigerant pump 4. Under the action of refrigerant pump 4, the refrigerant liquid enters the first evaporator 51 and the second evaporator 52 respectively, thereby cooling the corresponding working parts. After completing the cooling work in evaporator 51 and the second evaporator 52, the refrigerant liquid is converted back into refrigerant gas and enters compressor 2.

[0044] Of course, depending on actual needs, the second evaporator 52 is a plate heat exchanger evaporator.

[0045] It is understandable that the first evaporator 51 can be used to cool and heat exchange high heat density devices (such as CPUs and GPUs) in server equipment, and the second evaporator 52 can be used as an auxiliary heat exchange device to cool and heat exchange auxiliary devices (such as switching chips) in server equipment.

[0046] In order to facilitate the control of the refrigerant flow rate into the first evaporator 51 and the second evaporator 52, an expansion valve 6 is provided in the branch where the evaporator 51 is located and the branch where the second evaporator 52 is located. The expansion valve 6 is used to control the refrigerant flow rate of the corresponding branch.

[0047] When exchanging heat with high heat density devices and auxiliary devices in server equipment, it is necessary to control the flow rate of refrigerant entering the first evaporator 51 and the second evaporator 52 according to the heat exchange requirements of the high heat density devices and auxiliary devices. Therefore, expansion valves 6 are respectively installed in the branch where the first evaporator 51 is located and the branch where the second evaporator 52 is located, so as to control the flow rate of refrigerant entering the first evaporator 51 and the second evaporator 52 respectively. This can make reasonable use of the cold source and improve the utilization rate of the cold source.

[0048] In some embodiments, please refer to the following: Figure 3 The refrigeration module 5 includes a first evaporator 51 and a second evaporator 52 connected in series. The second evaporator 52 is located at the top of the cabinet 1, and the first evaporator 51 is located on the side of the cabinet 1.

[0049] Specifically, the first evaporator 51 and the second evaporator 52 are connected in series between the refrigerant pump 4 and the compressor 2. The outlet of the refrigerant pump 4 is connected to the inlet of the second evaporator 52, the outlet of the second evaporator 52 is connected to the inlet of the first evaporator 51, and the outlet of the first evaporator 51 is connected to the inlet of the compressor 2.

[0050] In this way, compressor 2 draws in low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant gas from the first evaporator 51, and after compression, discharges high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant gas. Condenser 3 converts the refrigerant gas into refrigerant liquid, thereby continuously supplying refrigerant liquid to refrigerant pump 4. Under the action of refrigerant pump 4, the refrigerant liquid first enters the second evaporator 52 for heat exchange, and then enters the first evaporator 51 for heat exchange, thereby cooling the corresponding working parts. After completing the cooling work in the first evaporator 51, the refrigerant liquid is converted back into refrigerant gas and enters compressor 2.

[0051] In this embodiment, the first evaporator 51 can be used to cool and heat exchange high heat density devices (such as CPU, GPU, etc.) in the server equipment, and the second evaporator 52 can be used as an auxiliary heat exchange device to cool and heat exchange auxiliary devices (such as switching chips, etc.) in the server equipment.

[0052] To facilitate the installation of components in the cabinet-level heat exchange structure, the cooling system also includes a frame housing, in which the compressor 2 and the second evaporator 52 are both housed.

[0053] Specifically, a partition is provided inside the insert frame housing, which divides the internal space of the insert frame housing into a first cavity and a second cavity. The second evaporator 52 is located in the first cavity, the compressor 2 is located in the second cavity, and the condenser 3 can also be located in the second cavity.

[0054] Furthermore, the second evaporator 52 has an evaporation channel 521 and a condensation channel 522. The cooling capacity of the evaporation channel 521 can be transferred to the condensation channel 522 so that the refrigerant in the condensation channel 522 is cooled and condensed.

[0055] In some embodiments, the tiered heat exchange structure includes a plurality of liquid-cooled cold plates 9, which are attached to heat source devices on the cabinet 1. The plurality of liquid-cooled cold plates 9 are connected in series or in parallel, and each liquid-cooled cold plate 9 exchanges heat through a second evaporator 52.

[0056] Specifically, the tiered heat exchange structure also includes a circulating pump 7, a water distributor 8, and a water collector 10. The outlet of the circulating pump 7 is connected to the inlet of the water distributor 8, each outlet of the water distributor 8 is connected to the inlet of each liquid-cooled plate 9, each outlet of the liquid-cooled plate 9 is connected to the inlet of each water collector 10, the outlet of the water collector 10 is connected to the inlet of the condensation channel 522, and the outlet of the condensation channel 522 is connected to the inlet of the circulating pump 7.

[0057] In this way, the heat generated by the main chip in the server equipment is absorbed by the refrigerant in the liquid cooling plate 9. Under the power of the circulation pump 7, the refrigerant flows through the water collector 10 to the condensation channel 522 of the second evaporator 52, where it exchanges heat with the evaporation channel 521 of the second evaporator 52. The cooled refrigerant is then distributed to each liquid cooling plate 9 by the water distributor 8 for heat absorption, thus completing the refrigeration cycle.

[0058] The second evaporator 52 removes heat from the outdoor unit section of the condenser 3, and the liquid-cooled plate 9 is attached to the high-heat-generating components. The refrigerant in the liquid-cooled plate 9 can be water.

[0059] In some embodiments, the cooling system further includes a bypass valve 12, which is connected in parallel with the compressor 2.

[0060] Of course, depending on actual needs, the bypass valve 12 can be a one-way check valve. The one-way check valve is connected to the inlet and outlet of the compressor 2, so that the compressor 2 can be bypassed under certain operating conditions.

[0061] The server equipment provided in this application includes a cabinet 1 and the cooling system described in the above specific embodiments.

[0062] The cabinet 1 is formed by a base plate, a top plate and several side plates. The compressor 2 is installed on the top plate and the refrigerant pump 4 is installed on the base plate.

[0063] In addition, the server equipment also includes a cooling tower unit, which is used to supply cooling to the tiered heat exchange structure.

[0064] It should be noted that in this specification, relational terms such as first and second are used only to distinguish one entity from several other entities, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities.

[0065] The server equipment and its cooling system provided in this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the solution and core ideas of this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications to this application without departing from the principles of this application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A cooling system, characterized by, It includes a cabinet-level heat exchange structure and a layer-level heat exchange structure installed in the cabinet (1). The cabinet-level heat exchange structure includes a compressor (2), a refrigerant pump (4) and a refrigeration module (5). The compressor (2) is located at the top of the cabinet (1), the refrigerant pump (4) is located at the bottom of the cabinet (1), and the refrigeration module (5) supplies cooling to the layer-level heat exchange structure. The refrigeration module (5) includes a first evaporator (51) and a second evaporator (52) connected in parallel with the first evaporator (51). Ventilation openings are provided on two sides of the cabinet (1) that are far apart from each other. The first evaporator (51) is provided on at least one side where the ventilation opening is located. The second evaporator (52) is located on the top of the cabinet (1).

2. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein, The first evaporator (51) is a coil evaporator.

3. The cooling system of claim 2, wherein, One side of the cabinet (1) is an air outlet and the other side is an air inlet. The air outlet is equipped with several exhaust fans (11). The first evaporator (51) is located on the side where the air inlet is located or on the side where the air outlet is located.

4. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein, The second evaporator (52) is a plate heat exchanger evaporator.

5. The cooling system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a housing, in which the compressor (2) and the second evaporator (52) are disposed.

6. The cooling system as described in claim 5, characterized in that, A partition is provided inside the insert frame housing, which divides the internal space of the insert frame housing into a first cavity and a second cavity. The second evaporator (52) is located in the first cavity, and the compressor (2) is located in the second cavity.

7. The cooling system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, It also includes a condenser (3), which is located in the second shell cavity or is located outside the cabinet (1).

8. The cooling system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The hierarchical heat exchange structure includes several liquid-cooled cold plates (9) attached to the heat source device on the cabinet (1). The several liquid-cooled cold plates (9) are connected in series or in parallel, and each liquid-cooled cold plate (9) exchanges heat through the second evaporator (52).

9. A server device, characterized in that, Includes the cooling system as described in any one of claims 1-8 and the cabinet (1), the cabinet (1) being formed by a base plate, a top plate and a plurality of side plates, the compressor (2) being mounted on the top plate and the refrigerant pump (4) being mounted on the base plate.

10. The server device as described in claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes a cooling tower device for supplying cooling to the tiered heat exchange structure.

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