Server with hybrid thermal management system

Abstract

A cooling system for cooling an assembly including at least one heat generating electronic device includes a heat sink thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device and a heat removal device having a surface thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device via the heat sink. The heat removal device includes an inlet region and at least one jet impingement feature fluidly coupled to the inlet region. The at least one jet impingement feature is positioned to direct a primary cooling fluid toward a surface thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronics.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary embodiments relate to the field of thermal management, and more particularly, to thermal management of servers within a data center. Background Art

[0002] "Data center" refers to the physical location of one or more servers. Data centers and the servers housed within the data centers typically consume considerable amounts of electrical power. Existing servers are designed to be cooled at least in part by air flow. Such servers often include one or more printed circuit boards having a plurality of operable heat generating devices mounted thereon. The printed circuit boards are typically housed in an enclosure having vents configured to direct outside air from the data center into, through, and out of the enclosure. The air absorbs the heat dissipated by the components and, after being exhausted from the enclosure, mixes with ambient air. Next, air conditioning is used to cool and recirculate the heated air in the data center, repeating the cooling process.

[0003] Higher performance server components typically dissipate more power. However, the amount of heat that conventional cooling systems can remove from a server is limited in part by the degree of air conditioning available in a data center. In general, lower air temperatures in a data center allow each server component cooled by the air flow to dissipate higher power, and therefore allow each server to operate at a correspondingly higher performance level. Summary of the invention

[0004] According to an embodiment, a cooling system for cooling an assembly including at least one heat generating electronic device includes a heat sink thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device and a heat removal device having a surface thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device via the heat sink. The heat removal device includes an inlet region and at least one jet impingement feature fluidly coupled to the inlet region. The at least one jet impingement feature is positioned to direct a primary cooling fluid toward the surface thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device.

[0005] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include: the heat removal device includes a heat exchanger having an outlet header. A surface thermally coupled to at least one heat generating electronic device is disposed within the outlet header. A primary cooling fluid and a secondary cooling fluid are disposed in heat transfer relationship within the at least one heat exchanger.

[0006] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include: the heat exchanger has an inlet header, and the inlet region is defined by the inlet header. A plurality of heat exchanger tubes extend between the inlet header and the outlet header. At least one jet impingement feature is separate from the plurality of heat exchanger tubes and fluidly coupled to the plurality of heat exchanger tubes.

[0007] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include: the heat exchanger has an inlet header, and the inlet region is defined by the inlet header. A plurality of heat exchanger tubes extend between the inlet header and the outlet header. At least one jet impingement feature is integrated with at least one of the plurality of heat exchanger tubes.

[0008] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include a fluid moving device operable to move a secondary cooling fluid through the heat removal device.

[0009] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include the fluid moving device being a fan and the secondary cooling fluid being air.

[0010] In addition or alternatively to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include the heat removal device comprising a plurality of heat exchangers, and each of the plurality of heat exchangers is located at and thermally coupled to a respective heat generating electronic device.

[0011] In addition or alternatively to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include at least some of the plurality of heat exchangers being arranged in series with respect to the flow of the primary cooling fluid.

[0012] In addition or alternatively to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include at least some of the plurality of heat exchangers being arranged in parallel with respect to the flow of the primary cooling fluid.

[0013] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include that the secondary heat exchanger is located upstream of the heat removal device relative to the flow of the primary cooling fluid.

[0014] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include that the secondary heat exchanger is arranged upstream of the heat removal device with respect to the flow of the secondary cooling fluid.

[0015] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include that the primary cooling fluid provided to the heat removal device is a single-phase liquid.

[0016] According to an embodiment, a method for cooling an assembly including at least one heat generating electronic device and at least one peripheral heat generating device includes cooling a secondary cooling fluid via a primary cooling fluid, flowing the cooled secondary cooling fluid over the at least one peripheral heat generating device, and discharging the primary cooling fluid at a surface of a heat removal device thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device via at least one jet impingement feature to cool the at least one heat generating electronic device.

[0017] In addition or alternatively to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include that the heat removal device is a heat exchanger, and cooling of the secondary cooling fluid via the primary cooling fluid occurs within a plurality of heat exchanger tubes of the heat exchanger.

[0018] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include providing a secondary cooling fluid to the heat exchanger via a fluid moving device.

[0019] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include providing the primary cooling fluid to a secondary heat exchanger located upstream of the heat exchanger relative to the flow of the primary cooling fluid.

[0020] In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include cooling the primary cooling fluid within the secondary heat exchanger.

[0021] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include providing the primary cooling fluid to another heat removal device located at and thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device. The another heat removal device is arranged downstream of the heat removal device with respect to the flow of the primary cooling fluid and arranged in series with the heat removal device.

[0022] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments may include providing the primary cooling fluid to another heat removal device located at and thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device. The another heat removal device is arranged in parallel with the heat removal device relative to the flow of the primary cooling fluid. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The following description should not be considered limiting in any way. Referring to the accompanying drawings, similar elements are similarly numbered:

[0024] Figure 1 is a front view of a data center rack having a plurality of servers installed therein;

[0025] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a server according to an embodiment;

[0026] Figure 3A is a top view of a server according to an embodiment;

[0027] Figure 3B According to the embodiment Figure 3A A cross-sectional side view of a server;

[0028] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger of a cooling system suitable for use with a server according to an embodiment;

[0029] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a heat sink with an integrated fluid circuit according to an embodiment;

[0030] Fig. 6A is a schematic diagram of a circuit of a primary cooling fluid of a cooling system according to an embodiment;

[0031] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of a circuit of a primary cooling fluid of a cooling system according to an embodiment;

[0032] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a circuit of a primary cooling fluid of a cooling system according to an embodiment;

[0033] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a circuit of a primary cooling fluid of a cooling system according to another embodiment;

[0034] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a circuit of a primary cooling fluid of a cooling system according to yet another embodiment; and

[0035] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of a heat removal device of a cooling system suitable for use with a server according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and methods is presented herein by way of example and not limitation with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0037] Now refer to Figure 1, an example of a data center 20 is shown. As shown, the data center 20 includes a cabinet 22 having at least one and in some embodiments a plurality of slots (not shown) formed therein. One or more server rack subassemblies (also referred to herein as servers 30) may be capable of being permanently or removably mounted within the cabinet 22, such as within one or more slots formed therein. The plurality of slots, and therefore at least one server 30 that may be received therein, may have a generally vertical orientation (shown), or alternatively, may have a horizontal orientation. In some embodiments, the data center 20 may include a combination of both horizontally oriented slots and vertically oriented slots. In addition, although only a single cabinet 22 is shown in the figure, it should be appreciated that the data center 20 may include several cabinets 22. In embodiments including a plurality of cabinets 22, the plurality of cabinets 22 may be arranged at the same location within a building, or alternatively, one or more of the cabinets 22 may be arranged at different locations within a single building or within multiple buildings.

[0038] Now refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3A , showing an example of a server 30 that can be received in a slot of a cabinet 22. As shown, the server 30 may include a frame or chassis 32 having at least one printed circuit board 34 mounted to the frame. Although only a single printed circuit board 34 is shown in the figure, it should be understood that in some embodiments, multiple printed circuit boards may be mounted to the chassis 32. The chassis 32 is designed to be insertable, such as being able to be slidably inserted into a slot of a server rack, and allows connection to power cables, data cables, and / or other connection cables provided at or by the cabinet 22.

[0039] The chassis 32 may include a plurality of walls 36, 38, 39, and 40 that are oriented at an angle to the printed circuit board 34 and extend around all or at least a portion of the periphery of the printed circuit board 34. In an embodiment, the chassis 32 includes at least one flat, generally planar panel connected to one or more of the peripheral walls 36, 38, 40 of the chassis 32. The at least one flat panel 42 may be disposed at a first side or a second side of the printed circuit board 34. When the server 30 is in a horizontal orientation as shown, such a flat panel 42 may be vertically offset from the printed circuit board 34 above or below the printed circuit board. Figure 3BIn some embodiments, best shown in FIG, the flat panel 42 may be disposed both above and below the printed circuit board. In an embodiment, the chassis 32 and the flat panel 42 combine to form an airtight container surrounding the server 30. However, embodiments are also contemplated herein in which a separate sheath or container is positioned around the server 30 to form an airtight assembly. Furthermore, embodiments involving exchange with ambient air are also within the scope, in which ambient air is drawn into the server (which extracts heat from the heat generating components), and then exhausted with or without thermal management.

[0040] At least one heat generating electronic device 50 may be mounted or electrically connected to the printed circuit board 34. Examples of heat generating electronic devices 50 include, but are not limited to, processors, such as central processing units and / or graphics processing units, memory, hard drives, and power modules. The server 30 may also include one or more components that are not mounted or electrically connected to the printed circuit board 34. In embodiments where the server 30 includes two or more of the same type of components (such as, for example, a central processing unit), the components may be aligned along an axis extending between the sides 36, 38 of the chassis 32, may be aligned along an axis extending between the front and rear of the chassis 32, or may be offset from each other in one or more directions. It should be appreciated that any heat generating electronic device 50 may be located anywhere within the chassis 32 or around the circuit board 34.

[0041] In an embodiment, one or more fluid moving devices 52 are mounted to the printed circuit board 34 and are operable to move a fluid flow (such as air) over the heat generating electronic devices 50. In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the at least one fluid moving device is a fan 52 that is disposed proximate a first end 54 of the printed circuit board 34 such that when the server 30 is mounted within the cabinet 22, the at least one fan 52 is positioned closer to the front of the cabinet 22 than the heat generating electronic devices 50. However, embodiments in which the one or more fluid moving devices 52 are disposed at another suitable location, such as, for example, proximate a second end 56 of the printed circuit board 34 or proximate a second end of the chassis 32 associated with the rear of the cabinet 22, are also within the scope of the present disclosure. It should be appreciated that servers 30 having any suitable configuration, including servers having full width or half width or chassis configurations, are within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0042] In an embodiment, the fluid moved by the at least one fluid moving device 52 is configured to make a single pass over the heat generating electronic devices 50. For example, cool air may be drawn into the fan 52 from a location adjacent to the front of the chassis 32 and, after removing heat from the heat generating electronic devices 50, may be exhausted at the back of the chassis 32. It should be appreciated that the air exhausted from the back of the cabinet 22 may be the same temperature as the ambient environment, warmer than the ambient environment, or even cooler than the ambient environment. In other embodiments, such as where the chassis 32 includes, for example, at least one flat panel 42, the fluid may be configured to circulate continuously within the server 30. For example, as in Figure 3B , the fluid moving device 52 can propel a fluid flow across the heat generating electronic devices 50 disposed at a first surface 58 of the printed circuit board 34. Upon reaching the second end 56 of the printed circuit board 34, the fluid can turn around and pass through one or more openings and make a second pass along a second opposing surface 60 of the printed circuit board 34. Upon reaching the first end 54 of the printed circuit board 34, the fluid can turn around again and be drawn back into the inlet of at least one fluid moving device 52.

[0043] The server 30 may include a cooling system 100 for removing heat from one or more of the heat generating electronic devices 50. In an embodiment, the cooling system 100 is operable to cool at least one of the heat generating electronic devices 50 using the primary cooling fluid C1. Other heat generating electronic devices 50 mounted to the printed circuit board 34 that are not directly cooled by the primary cooling fluid C1 may be considered "peripheral" heat generating devices. Although in the illustrated non-limiting embodiment, the selected heat generating electronic device is described as a central processing unit or a graphics processing unit, and at least one peripheral heat generating device is described as including other components, such as a memory, a hard drive, or a power module, it should be recognized that any of the components of the server 30 may be designed as at least one selected heat generating electronic device that is directly cooled by the primary cooling fluid C1, and any of the components of the server 30 may be designed as a peripheral heat generating device.

[0044] In an embodiment, the cooling system 100 includes a heat removal device 102, such as, for example, a heat exchanger, mounted in axially overlapping relationship with and thermally coupled to at least one heat generating electronic device. Figure 4, the heat exchanger 102 may be a microchannel heat exchanger having a plurality of substantially parallel microchannel heat exchanger tubes 104 extending between an inlet header 106 and an outlet header 108, each of the plurality of heat exchanger tubes 104 defining a plurality of fluid flow paths (not shown). However, examples of other types of heat exchangers that may be used include, but are not limited to, microtube, double tube, shell and tube, tube and fin, plate, plate and shell, insulated shell, plate fin, pillow plate, and fluid heat exchangers. The type of heat exchanger 102 selected may depend, at least in part, on the type of fluid provided thereto.

[0045] The primary cooling fluid C1 and the secondary cooling fluid C2 are arranged in a heat transfer relationship at the heat exchanger 102. Figure 4 In the non-limiting embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the heat exchanger 102 has a single pass configuration for both the primary cooling fluid C1 and the secondary cooling fluid C2. However, in other embodiments, at least one of the primary cooling fluid C1 and the secondary cooling fluid C2 may make multiple passes through the heat exchanger 102. Furthermore, the primary cooling fluid C1 and the secondary cooling fluid C2 may be arranged at the heat exchanger in any suitable flow configuration, such as cross flow, parallel flow, counter flow, or any combination thereof.

[0046] In an embodiment, at least one jet impingement feature, such as a nozzle, orifice or orifice, hole or opening formed in the plate 110, and in some embodiments, a plurality of jet impingement features 110 are arranged within the outlet header 108, and each nozzle 110 is fluidly coupled to at least one fluid flow path of one or more heat exchanger tubes 104. The outlet end of the jet impingement feature 110 is aligned with a surface of the outlet header 108 that is thermally coupled to at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50, such as, for example, the bottom surface of the outlet header 108. Although one or more jet impingement features 110 are shown and described herein as being separate from the heat exchanger tube 104, in an embodiment, the outlet end of the heat exchanger tube 104 may be contoured so that one or more jet impingement features 110 are integrated therewith. The jet impingement configuration may be a free surface type or an immersed type or a constrained immersed type. In addition, the jets emitted from the jet impingement feature 110 may be any geometric shape in cross-section, such as a circle, a polygon, a star, etc.

[0047] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger 102 is directly coupled to a surface of at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50. However, in other embodiments, such as Figure 4, the heat exchanger 102 is indirectly coupled to at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50. In server applications, the surface area of ​​the available heat generating electronic devices (i.e., CPUs, GPUs, etc.) is very small. Because the amount of heat to be dissipated from such heat generating devices 50 is typically very high, the surface area available to form an interface with the heat removal device is insufficient to meet the cooling needs of the heat generating electronic devices. Therefore, in the non-limiting embodiment shown, a heat sink 120 (such as, for example, formed of a conductive material like a metal sheet) is attached to the printed circuit board 34 adjacent to the selected heat generating electronic device 50. Although the heat sink 120 is shown as axially overlapping both the at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50 and the printed circuit board 34, embodiments are also contemplated herein in which the heat sink 120 is arranged at another position relative to the at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50.

[0048] The thermal interface material 122 may be disposed between a surface 124 of the at least one selected heat generating electronic device and an adjacent surface 126 of the heat sink 120 to facilitate heat transfer from the at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50 to the heat sink 120. The surface area of ​​the surface 126 of the heat sink 120 facing the at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50 may be greater than, equal to, or in some embodiments, even less than the surface area of ​​the surface 124 of the at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50.

[0049] The heat exchanger 102 is thermally coupled to a second opposing surface 128 of the heat sink 120. In an embodiment, the second opposing surface 128 of the heat sink 120 is larger than the surface 124 of the at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50 to facilitate heat transfer from the heat sink 120 to a fluid within the heat exchanger 102, such as, for example, the primary cooling fluid C1. For example, the surface area of ​​the surface 128 of the heat sink 120 may be at least 30% larger than the surface area of ​​the surface 124 of the at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50, and in some embodiments, at least 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%, or more than 100% larger than the surface 124 of the at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50. However, in other embodiments, the surface area of ​​the second surface 128 of the heat sink 120 may be the same as or even smaller than the surface area of ​​the at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50. In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the outlet header 108 is positioned directly adjacent to the heat sink 120 and may be thermally coupled to the heat sink 120 via a thermal interface material 130.

[0050] The inlet header 106 of the heat exchanger 102 may be fluidly connected to the first fluid inlet 132, and the outlet header 108 may be fluidly connected to the first fluid outlet 134 to form a first flow path of the primary cooling fluid C1. In operation, the primary cooling fluid C1 (such as, for example, a refrigerant) is provided from the first fluid inlet 132 to the inlet header 106 of the heat exchanger 102. The primary cooling fluid C1 provided to the inlet header 106 may be a single phase, such as, for example, a cooled or cold liquid. The primary cooling fluid C1 flows from the inlet header 106 toward the outlet header 108 through the plurality of heat exchanger tubes 104 of the heat exchanger 102.

[0051] The secondary cooling fluid C2 is configured to flow through the gaps 136 defined between adjacent heat exchanger tubes 104. In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the secondary cooling fluid C2 is an air flow moved (in a direction extending into the plane of the page) by at least one fluid moving device 52 associated with the server 30. However, it should be understood that any fluid, including a liquid, may be used as a secondary cooling fluid. In the non-limiting embodiment shown, a plurality of fins are arranged within the gaps 136 defined between adjacent heat exchanger tubes 104; however, embodiments that do not include such fins are also contemplated herein. Within multiple passages of the heat exchanger tubes 104, heat from the secondary cooling fluid C2 is transferred to the primary cooling fluid C1. The resulting cooled secondary cooling fluid C2 provided at the outlet of the heat exchanger 102 may be configured to flow over peripheral heat generating devices of the server 30.

[0052] At least a portion of the now slightly warmer primary cooling fluid C1 is output from the plurality of heat exchanger tubes 104 to one or more jet impingement features 110 disposed within the outlet header 108. In an embodiment, the primary cooling fluid C1 may be single-phase when provided to the one or more jet impingement features 110. Within the jet impingement features 110, the flow rate of the primary cooling fluid C1 is increased such that the primary cooling fluid C1 is discharged from the outlet of the jet impingement feature at a surface of the outlet header 108 that is vertically aligned with the selected heat generating electronic device 50. At least a portion of the heat transferred from the at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50 to the first surface 126 of the heat sink 120 is transferred from the second surface 128 of the heat sink 120 to the primary cooling fluid C1. The continuous impingement of the primary cooling fluid C1 on the surface of the outlet header 108 transfers heat from the surface of the outlet header 108 to the primary cooling fluid C1, thereby cooling the at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50. After contacting the surface of the outlet manifold, the resulting warmer primary cooling fluid C1 then exits the outlet header 108 of the heat exchanger 102 and flows toward the first fluid outlet 134 .

[0053] like Figure 4, at least one valve may be disposed within the first fluid inlet 132 and / or the first fluid outlet 134 to control the flow of the primary cooling fluid C1 to and from the heat exchanger 102. In an embodiment, the position of the one or more valves V, and therefore the flow through the heat exchanger 102, is actively managed based on the thermal load at the heat exchanger 102. The thermal load may be determined based on information collected by one or more sensors, schematically represented by T. In the non-limiting embodiment shown, a first sensor is operable to monitor the temperature of the radiator 120, and a second sensor is operable to monitor the temperature of the primary cooling fluid C1 at the outlet header 108. The at least one sensor T may be operable to measure the temperature directly, or may be configured to monitor another parameter that is related to or can be used to derive the temperature therefrom.

[0054] In an embodiment, the heat sink 120 of the cooling system 100 is a cold plate having an internal fluid circuit. An example of the internal fluid circuit 200 of the heat sink 120 is shown in FIG. Figure 5 . As shown, the fluid circuit 200 includes a fluid inlet 202 and a fluid outlet 204 formed in the body of the radiator 120. The fluid inlet 202 and the fluid outlet 204 may be any shape, such as in the depth dimension (e.g., in the zx plane of the drawing), including a circular, elliptical, triangular, square, rectangular, or any simple polygonal shape or portion thereof. In addition, in an embodiment, the fluid outlet 204 may have a much larger diameter than the fluid inlet 202, thereby helping to reduce the pressure drop of the cooling medium passing through the fluid outlet 204.

[0055] In an embodiment, the fluid circuit includes a single continuous flow path extending between a fluid inlet 202 and a fluid outlet 204. However, in other embodiments, the fluid circuit 200 includes a first or inlet manifold 206, a second or outlet manifold 208, and at least one fluid passage 210 connecting the first manifold 206 and the second manifold 208. In an embodiment, the at least one fluid passage 210 includes a plurality of fluid passages 210. The fluid inlet 202 may be configured to connect a source of the third cooling medium C3 to the inlet manifold 206 using any suitable mechanical connection. The third cooling medium C3 may be the same as the primary cooling fluid C1 or the secondary cooling fluid C2, or may be distinguishable or different therefrom.

[0056] In an embodiment, one or more fluid passages 210 of the fluid circuit 200 may be positioned to perform local cooling at an area of ​​the heat sink having the greatest heat flux, such as at an area of ​​the heat sink that is directly aligned with or arranged to overlap a heat generating electronic module. Thus, at least one fluid passage 210 may be associated with a heat generating electronic module 50. In an embodiment in which a heat sink is associated with a plurality of heat generating electronic modules, one or more fluid passages 210 may be associated with a respective heat generating electronic module and configured to remove heat from the respective heat generating electronic module. More specifically, at least one fluid passage 210 associated with a respective heat generating electronic module 50 may be physically located within the heat sink 120, aligned with the heat generating electronic module 50. Including the fluid circuit 200 within the heat sink 120 may reduce the size of the heat removal device 102 of the cooling system 100.

[0057] Now refer to Fig. 6A , shows an example of a circuit 150 of a primary cooling fluid C1 of a cooling system 100. In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the circuit 150 of the primary cooling fluid C1 of the cooling system 100 is a closed loop and includes a pump 152 for moving the primary cooling fluid C1 therethrough. A filter 154 may be located upstream of at least one heat removal device 102, which is positioned to directly cool a corresponding heat generating electronic device 50. Downstream of the one or more heat removal devices 102 is a cooling heat exchanger 156 configured to remove heat from the primary cooling fluid C1. The circuit 150 may additionally include a reservoir or accumulator 158 in which excess primary cooling fluid C1 is stored. As shown, the circuit 150 may include multiple valves (such as, arranged directly upstream of the heat removal device 102 (VC1), arranged directly downstream of the heat exchanger 102 (VC2), associated with a bypass conduit 160 for bypassing the cooling heat exchanger 156 (VC3), and associated with another bypass conduit 162 for bypassing both the heat removal device 102 and the cooling heat exchanger (VC4)).

[0058] Now refer to Figure 6B , showing that Fig. 6A Another loop similar to the one in Figure 1. However, Figure 6B The circuit shown in includes a plurality of heat exchangers 102 arranged in series with respect to the flow of the primary cooling fluid C1. The fluid moving devices 52 are schematically shown as being associated with each respective heat removal device 102. It should be appreciated that in embodiments, each heat removal device 102 is configured to receive a flow of the secondary cooling fluid C2 from all of the fluid moving devices 52. However, embodiments are also contemplated herein in which each heat removal device 102 is fluidly coupled and configured to receive a flow of the secondary cooling fluid C2 from a respective fluid moving device 52.

[0059] Reference Figure 7-9 It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the cooling system 100 may include a plurality of heat removal devices 102, each positioned to directly cool a respective heat generating electronic device 50. In such embodiments, the primary cooling fluid C1 may flow to the plurality of heat removal devices 102 in any suitable manner. For example, Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , each of the plurality of heat exchangers 102 may be fluidly connected in parallel with respect to the flow of the primary cooling fluid C1 between the first fluid inlet 132 and the first fluid outlet 134 . Figure 8 In another embodiment shown in , a plurality of heat removal devices 102 may be fluidly connected in series with respect to the flow of the primary cooling fluid C1 between the first fluid inlet 132 and the first fluid outlet 134. In yet another embodiment, a plurality of heat removal devices 102 may be fluidly connected in parallel and in series with respect to the flow of the primary cooling fluid C1 between the first fluid inlet 132 and the first fluid outlet 134. As shown, a plurality of flow paths extend between the first fluid inlet 132 and the first fluid outlet 134 and at least one of the flow paths, and in some embodiments, each flow path includes a plurality of heat exchangers 102.

[0060] like Figure 7-9 As shown in the figure, in an embodiment, the cooling system 100 additionally includes a secondary heat exchanger 170 for conditioning or cooling another medium (such as, for example, a secondary cooling fluid C2). The secondary heat exchanger 170 can be mounted to the chassis 32 and / or the printed circuit board 34, and is located away from both the one or more selected heat generating electronic devices 50 and the one or more peripheral heat generating devices. In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the secondary heat exchanger 170 is located upstream of at least one heat removal device 102 mounted in an overlapping arrangement with at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50 relative to the flow of the primary cooling fluid C1, and in some embodiments relative to the flow of the secondary cooling fluid C2. For example, the secondary heat exchanger 170 can be mounted near the first end 54 of the printed circuit board 34, at a position between the at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50 and the at least one fan 52. However, embodiments in which the secondary heat exchanger 170 is arranged at another position are also contemplated herein.

[0061] The secondary heat exchanger 170 may be any suitable type of heat exchanger. In an embodiment, the secondary heat exchanger 170 is a microchannel heat exchanger having a plurality of substantially parallel microchannel heat exchanger tubes each defining a plurality of fluid flow paths (not shown). However, examples of other types of heat exchangers that may be used include, but are not limited to, microtube, double tube, shell and tube, tube and fin, plate, plate and shell, insulated shell, plate fin, pillow plate, and fluid heat exchangers.

[0062] In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the secondary heat exchanger 170 has a primary inlet 172 and a primary outlet 174 defining a flow path for the primary cooling fluid C1, and a secondary inlet 176 and a secondary outlet 178 defining a flow path for the secondary cooling fluid C2. The primary cooling fluid C1 and the secondary cooling fluid C2 may each make a single pass through the secondary heat exchanger 170. However, in other embodiments, at least one of the primary cooling fluid C1 and the secondary cooling fluid C2 may make multiple passes through the heat exchanger 102. In addition, the primary cooling fluid C1 and the secondary cooling fluid C2 may be arranged at the heat exchanger in any suitable flow configuration, such as cross flow, parallel flow, counter flow, or any combination thereof.

[0063] In an embodiment, the secondary heat exchanger 170 is configured as a cooling coil, and the primary cooling fluid C1 provided to the secondary heat exchanger 170 is configured to absorb heat from the secondary cooling fluid C2. During operation, at least one fan 52 provides a flow of the secondary cooling fluid C2 (such as, for example, ambient air) to the secondary heat exchanger 170. Within the secondary heat exchanger 170, the cooled or cold primary cooling fluid C1 absorbs heat from the secondary cooling fluid C2. The primary cooling fluid C1 at both the primary inlet 172 and the primary outlet 174 may be a single phase, such as, for example, a liquid, so that the primary cooling liquid C1 provided to the heat exchanger 102 is single phase and is at a temperature capable of absorbing heat from one or more selected heat generating electronic devices 50. It should be appreciated that the secondary cooling fluid C2 output from the outlet 178 of the secondary heat exchanger 170 may pass over one or more peripheral heat generating electronic devices 50 before reaching the heat removal device 102 and thereby absorb heat from the one or more peripheral heat generating electronic devices 50.

[0064] In embodiments of the cooling system 100 that include a secondary heat exchanger 170 installed upstream of a plurality of heat generating devices, cooling of the secondary cooling fluid C2 need not be performed at the heat removal device 102. Thus, the heat removal device 102 installed in an overlapping arrangement with at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50 need not be a heat exchanger. In such embodiments, cooling of the selected heat generating device 50 may be performed primarily by the flow of the primary cooling fluid C1 through the heat removal device 102.

[0065] Reference Fig.10, an example of another heat removal device 102 suitable for use in combination with a secondary heat exchanger 170 in a cooling system 100 is shown. As shown, the heat removal device 102 includes an inlet region 300 and at least one jet impingement feature 310, and in some embodiments, a plurality of jet impingement features 310 fluidly coupled to the inlet region 300. Similar to the heat exchangers 102 previously described herein, the outlet end of the jet impingement feature 310 is aligned with a surface of the heat removal device 102 that is thermally coupled to at least one selected heat generating electronic device 50, such as, for example, a bottom surface 312 of the heat removal device 102. The jet impingement configuration may be a free surface type or an immersed type or a restricted immersed type. In addition, the jets emitted from the jet impingement feature 310 may have any geometric shape in cross-section, such as a circle, a polygon, a star, etc.

[0066] The cooling system 100 as shown and described herein provides an easily scalable solution for cooling heat generating components. Such cooling solutions can improve the sustainability and efficiency of heat generating components by rejecting the heat absorbed from the heat generating components to downstream heating applications. In addition, the air conditioning load for cooling the area containing the data center is reduced. The cooling system 100 can have a reduced cost compared to existing single-phase liquid cooling systems.

[0067] The term "about" is intended to include the degree of error associated with the measurement of the particular quantity based on the equipment available at the time the application was filed.

[0068] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to also include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that when used in this specification, the terms "include" and / or "comprise" specify the presence of narrated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, element components and / or groups thereof.

[0069] Although the present disclosure is described with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt particular circumstances or materials to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the basic scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present disclosure, but that the present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A cooling system for cooling an assembly comprising at least one heat generating electronic device, the cooling system comprising: a heat sink thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device; and A heat removal device comprising a surface thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device via the heat sink, the heat removal device comprising an inlet region and at least one jet impingement feature fluidly coupled to the inlet region, wherein the at least one jet impingement feature is positioned to direct a primary cooling fluid toward the surface thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device.

2. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein: The heat removal device includes a heat exchanger having an outlet header, the surface thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device being disposed within the outlet header, wherein the primary cooling fluid and the secondary cooling fluid are disposed in heat transfer relationship within the at least one heat exchanger.

3. The cooling system according to claim 2, wherein: The heat exchanger also includes: an inlet header, the inlet region being defined by the inlet header; and A plurality of heat exchanger tubes extend between the inlet header and the outlet header, the at least one jet impingement feature being separate from and fluidly coupled to the plurality of heat exchanger tubes.

4. The cooling system according to claim 2, wherein: The heat exchanger also includes: an inlet header, the inlet region being defined by the inlet header; and A plurality of heat exchanger tubes extend between the inlet header and the outlet header, the at least one jet impingement feature being integrated with at least one of the plurality of heat exchanger tubes.

5. A cooling system according to any preceding claim, further comprising a fluid moving device operable to move the secondary cooling fluid through the heat removing device.

6. The cooling system according to claim 5, wherein: The fluid moving device is a fan and the secondary cooling fluid is air.

7. A cooling system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The heat removal device also includes a plurality of heat exchangers, each of the plurality of heat exchangers being located at and thermally coupled to a corresponding heat generating electronic device.

8. The cooling system according to claim 7, wherein: At least some of the plurality of heat exchangers are arranged in series with respect to the flow of the primary cooling fluid.

9. The cooling system according to claim 7, wherein: At least some of the plurality of heat exchangers are arranged in parallel with respect to the flow of the primary cooling fluid.

10. A cooling system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a secondary heat exchanger located upstream of the heat removal device with respect to the flow of the primary cooling fluid.

11. The cooling system according to claim 10, wherein: The secondary heat exchanger is arranged upstream of the heat removal device with respect to the flow of the secondary cooling fluid.

12. The cooling system according to claim 1, wherein: The primary cooling fluid provided to the heat removal device is a single-phase liquid.

13. A method of cooling an assembly comprising at least one heat generating electronic device and at least one peripheral heat generating device, the method comprising: cooling a secondary cooling fluid via the primary cooling fluid; flowing a cooled secondary cooling fluid over the at least one peripheral heat generating device; as well as The primary cooling fluid is discharged via at least one jet impingement feature at a surface of a heat removal device thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device to cool the at least one heat generating electronic device.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The heat removal device is a heat exchanger, and cooling of the secondary cooling fluid via the primary cooling fluid occurs within a plurality of heat exchanger tubes of the heat exchanger.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising providing the secondary cooling fluid to the heat exchanger via a fluid moving device.

16. The method of any one of claims 13-15, further comprising providing the primary cooling fluid to a secondary heat exchanger located upstream of the heat exchanger relative to the flow of the primary cooling fluid.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising cooling the primary cooling fluid within the secondary heat exchanger.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13-17, further comprising providing the primary cooling fluid to another heat removal device located at and thermally connected to the at least one heat generating electronic device, the other heat removal device being arranged downstream of the heat removal device relative to the flow of the primary cooling fluid and arranged in series with the heat removal device.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13-18, further comprising providing the primary cooling fluid to another heat removal device located at and thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device, the other heat removal device being arranged in parallel with the heat removal device relative to the flow of the primary refrigeration fluid.

20. A cooling system for cooling an assembly including at least one heat generating electronic device, the cooling system comprising: a heat removal device comprising a surface thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device, the heat removal device comprising an inlet region and at least one jet impingement feature fluidly coupled to the inlet region, wherein the at least one jet impingement feature is positioned to direct a primary cooling fluid toward the surface thermally coupled to the at least one heat generating electronic device; Wherein, the primary cooling fluid is single-phase when provided to the inlet region.

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