Data center liquid cooling device with power estimation and associated fan and pump control

Abstract

A liquid cooling method and system for estimating power consumption of a cooling rack mounted process assembly and controlling corresponding fan and pump speeds is presented. The proposed method and system estimates power consumption of a rack-mounted data processing assembly by calculating a thermal load based on measured cooling liquid temperature, heated liquid temperature, ambient temperature of the dry cooler, and coolant volume, and controls fan speed based on the estimated power consumption. The proposed method and system also provide for controlling the pump speed based on the measured flow rate and a corresponding empirically derived pump head pressure value H.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present technology relates generally to the field of data center liquid cooling arrangements, and more particularly to power estimation for data center rack-mounted processing components and the associated control of cooling pumps and fans. Background Art

[0002] Data centers and many computer processing facilities have a large number of rack-mounted electronic processing equipment. In operation, such electronic processing equipment generates a large amount of heat, and this heat must be dissipated to avoid failure of electronic components and to ensure continued efficient processing operations.

[0003] To this end, a variety of liquid cooling measures have been implemented to facilitate the dissipation of heat generated by electronic processing equipment. One such measure is to use liquid block cooling technology to directly cool one or more heat-generating processing components. The technology utilizes liquid cooling blocks with internal channels, which receive cooling liquid from a cooling liquid source (e.g., a heat exchanger, a dry cooler, a municipal water supply, etc.) through a liquid cooling loop device, thereby circulating the cooling liquid throughout the device. In this way, the liquid cooling block is positioned in direct thermal contact with the heat-generating component, so that the received cooling liquid absorbs the generated heat and the heated liquid is circulated back to the cooling liquid source through the cooling loop device for re-cooling.

[0004] Another liquid cooling measure uses liquid immersion cooling (IC) technology, in which the electronic processing equipment is placed in an immersion housing containing a cooling dielectric fluid. In this way, the immersed electronic processing equipment dissipates heat, which is absorbed by the cooling dielectric fluid, and the heated dielectric fluid is circulated back to the cooling source through a cooling loop device for re-cooling.

[0005] In this regard, hybrid liquid cooling approaches have been introduced that employ a combination of both liquid block cooling technology and liquid IC technology and various cooling loop arrangements in an effort to maximize cooling of electronic processing equipment.

[0006] It will be appreciated that the extent to which this cooling effect can be achieved is related to the amount of electrical power consumed by the electronic processing device.

[0007] That being said, there is still interest in estimating the power consumed by electronic processing equipment to control the operation of various cooling circuit components, including dry cooler fan and pump operation, to optimize cooling efficiency.

[0008] The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be considered prior art simply because it is mentioned in the background section. Similarly, problems mentioned in the background section or problems related to the subject matter in the background section should not be considered to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches. Summary of the invention

[0009] Embodiments of the present technology were developed in light of certain shortcomings associated with conventional dry cooling techniques and implementations.

[0010] In one aspect of the inventive concept of the present technology, a liquid cooling method for rack-mounted processing components in a data center is provided, the liquid cooling having power estimation and associated dry cooler fan and pump control, the liquid cooling method comprising: providing a dry cooling unit to supply cooling liquid to the rack-mounted processing components and to receive heated liquid from the rack-mounted processing components, the dry cooling unit comprising a fan assembly and a heat exchanger unit; providing a first liquid distribution circuit for conveying the cooling liquid from the dry cooling unit to the rack-mounted processing components and a second liquid distribution circuit for conveying the heated liquid from the rack-mounted processing components to the dry cooling unit; A liquid distribution circuit, a first liquid distribution circuit includes at least one pump along the first liquid distribution circuit to provide a pressure flow when supplying cooling liquid from the dry cooling unit to the rack-mounted processing components, wherein each of the rack-mounted data processing components includes at least one heat-generating electronic processing element and at least one liquid cooling block and an intelligent control valve, the at least one liquid cooling block is arranged to be in thermal contact with the at least one heat-generating electronic processing element respectively and is fluidly connected to the first liquid distribution circuit, and the intelligent control valve is respectively arranged to be fluidly connected to the at least one liquid cooling block of the corresponding rack-mounted data processing component.

[0011] The liquid cooling method further provides: along the first liquid distribution circuit, for adjusting the temperature T of the supplied cooling liquid C A first temperature sensor for measuring the flow rate V of the supplied cooling liquid C along the second liquid distribution circuit, for the temperature T of the returning heated cooling liquid H A second temperature sensor for measuring the ambient temperature T of the dry cooling unit; and DC A third temperature sensor is used to perform the measurement.

[0012] Then, the liquid cooling method provides: by based on the measured T C Value, T H Value and T DCThe heat load Q of the first liquid distribution circuit is calculated to estimate the power consumption of the rack-mounted data processing component; the speed of the fan assembly is controlled based on the estimated power consumption and / or ambient thermal conditions; based on the measured V C a value to determine whether the flow rate has increased; and controlling a speed of at least one pump based on whether the flow rate has increased.

[0013] The liquid cooling method is characterized by: controlling the speed of the fan assembly by: controlling the ambient temperature T of the dry cooling unit DC , Current fan speed value n fan and the estimated fan power consumption Q fan-est Evaluate and use the current fan speed value n fan The operating fan assembly speed and the actual power consumed by the fan assembly Q fan-real Take measurements.

[0014] Another feature of the liquid cooling method includes controlling the speed of the fan assembly by determining the actual power Q consumed by the fan assembly fan-real Is it greater than the estimated fan power consumption value Q? fan-est and tolerance factor K factor , and in response to determining Q fan-real Greater than Q fan-est and K factor , issuing an alarm message that the fan assembly is consuming excessive power.

[0015] Additional features of the liquid cooling method include controlling the speed of at least one pump by: in response to determining that the flow rate has increased, gradually increasing the at least one pump speed n pump ; Determine that at least one pump speed n is increased pump whether the flow rate remains unchanged thereafter; and in response to determining that the flow rate has not increased, continuing to gradually increase at least one pump speed n pump .

[0016] Additional features of the liquid cooling method include controlling the speed of the at least one pump by applying a pump head H pressure value corresponding to the measured flow rate to the at least one pump in response to determining that the flow rate has increased.

[0017] Another feature of the liquid cooling method includes controlling the speed of at least one pump by determining whether the applied H pressure value is less than a specified minimum H pressure value H for the measured flow rate. min In response to determining that the applied H pressure value is less than H min , increase the speed of at least one pump n pump; and in response to determining that the applied H pressure value is not less than H min , maintaining the speed n of at least one of the previous pumps pump .

[0018] Additional features of the liquid cooling method include controlling the speed of at least one pump by: in response to determining that the measured flow rate has not increased, gradually reducing the pump speed n. pump ; Determine the pump speed n based on the reduction pump In response to determining that the flow rate has not decreased, continue to gradually reduce at least one pump speed n pump and in response to determining that the flow rate has decreased, gradually increasing the pump speed n pump .

[0019] Additional features of the liquid cooling method include controlling the speed of at least one pump by applying a pump head H pressure value corresponding to the measured flow rate to the at least one pump, determining whether the applied H pressure value is less than a specified minimum H pressure value H for the measured flow rate, and min In response to determining that the applied H pressure value is less than H min , increase the speed of at least one pump n pump ; and in response to determining that the applied H pressure value is not less than H min , maintaining the speed n of at least one of the previous pumps pump .

[0020] In a related aspect of the inventive concept, the present technology provides a liquid cooling device for estimating power consumption and controlling dry cooler fan operation, the liquid cooling device comprising: a dry cooling unit, the dry cooling unit being configured to supply cooling liquid to a rack-mounted processing component and receiving heated liquid from the rack-mounted processing component, the dry cooling unit comprising a fan assembly and a heat exchanger unit; a first liquid distribution circuit, the first liquid distribution circuit being configured to transfer cooling liquid from the dry cooling unit to the rack-mounted processing component, the first liquid distribution circuit comprising at least one pump along the first liquid distribution circuit to provide a pressure flow when supplying the cooling liquid from the dry cooling unit to the rack-mounted processing component; a second liquid distribution circuit, the second liquid distribution circuit being configured to The invention relates to a rack-mounted data processing component and a dry cooling unit configured to transfer the heated liquid from the rack-mounted processing components to the dry cooling unit, wherein each of the rack-mounted data processing components includes: at least one heat-generating electronic processing element; at least one liquid cooling block, the at least one liquid cooling block being arranged to be in thermal contact with the at least one heat-generating electronic processing element, respectively, the at least one liquid cooling block being fluidly connected to a first liquid distribution loop to receive and circulate cooling liquid therein; and an intelligent control valve, the intelligent control valve being respectively arranged to be fluidly connected to the at least one liquid cooling block of the corresponding rack-mounted data processing component, the intelligent control valve being configured to be pressure-independent and to control the flow rate of the cooling fluid of the corresponding rack-mounted data processing component based on the detected temperature and pressure flow.

[0021] The liquid cooling device further comprises a first temperature sensor configured to detect the temperature T of the supplied cooling liquid. C A volume sensor configured to measure the flow rate V of the supplied cooling liquid C a second temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature TH of the returned heated cooling liquid; a third temperature sensor configured to measure the ambient temperature T of the dry cooling unit; DC and a control module, the control module is communicatively coupled to the fan assembly and at least one pump, and the control module is configured to: receive the measured T C Value, V C Value, T H Value and T DC value; by based on the measured T C Value, T H Value and T DCThe heat load Q of the first liquid distribution circuit is calculated to estimate the power consumption of the rack-mounted data processing component; the speed of the fan assembly is controlled based on the estimated power consumption and / or ambient thermal conditions; based on the measured V C a value to determine whether the flow rate has increased; and controlling a speed of at least one pump based on whether the flow rate has increased.

[0022] Additional features of the liquid cooling device include: by using the current fan speed value n fan The fan assembly speed is operated to control the fan assembly speed; and the actual power Q consumed by the fan assembly fan-real Take measurements; determine the actual power Q consumed by the fan assembly fan-real Is it greater than the estimated fan power consumption value Q? fan-est and tolerance factor K factor ; and in response to determining Q fan-real Greater than Q fan-est and tolerance factor K factor , an alarm message is issued indicating that the fan assembly is consuming excessive power.

[0023] Another feature of the liquid cooling device further includes controlling the speed of the at least one pump by: in response to determining that the flow rate has decreased, reducing the speed of the at least one pump. pump ; Based on reduced pump speed n pump to determine whether the flow rate has decreased; in response to determining that the flow rate has not decreased, continuing to gradually decrease at least one pump speed n pump In response to determining that the flow rate has decreased, gradually increasing the pump speed n pump .

[0024] Another feature of the liquid cooling device includes controlling the speed of at least one pump by applying a pump head H pressure value corresponding to the flow rate to at least one pump, determining whether the applied H pressure value is less than a specified minimum H pressure value H for the measured flow rate. min In response to determining that the applied H pressure value is less than H min , increase the speed of at least one pump n pump ; and in response to determining that the applied H pressure value is not less than H min , maintaining the speed n of at least one of the previous pumps pump .

[0025] In the context of this specification, unless otherwise explicitly stated, a computer system may refer to but is not limited to an "electronic device", "operating system", "system", "computer-based system", "controller unit", "monitoring device", "control device" and / or any combination thereof suitable for the currently relevant task.

[0026] Furthermore, in the context of this specification, unless expressly provided otherwise, the expressions "computer-readable medium" and "memory" are intended to include media of any nature and kind, non-limiting examples of which include RAM, ROM, disks (CD-ROM, DVD, floppy disks, hard disk drives, etc.), USB keys, flash memory cards, solid-state drives, and tape drives. Still in the context of this specification, "a" computer-readable medium and "the" computer-readable medium should not be interpreted as the same computer-readable medium. On the contrary, where appropriate, "a" computer-readable medium and "the" computer-readable medium may also be interpreted as a first computer-readable medium and a second computer-readable medium.

[0027] Furthermore, in the context of this specification, unless expressly specified otherwise, words such as "first", "second", and "third" are used as adjectives merely to distinguish the nouns they modify from one another, rather than to describe any specific relationship between these nouns.

[0028] The implementations of the present technology each have at least one of the above-mentioned purposes and / or aspects, but not necessarily all of them. It should be understood that some aspects of the present technology generated to achieve the above-mentioned purposes may not meet the purposes and / or may meet other purposes not specifically described herein.

[0029] Additional and / or alternative features, aspects, and advantages of implementations of the present techniques will become apparent from the following description, drawings, and appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] For a better understanding of the present technology and other aspects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following description which will be used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0031] Figure 1 shows a high-level functional block diagram of a liquid cooling system for data center rack-mounted processing components with power estimation and associated control of dry cooler fans and pumps in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology;

[0032] Figure 2 A flow chart illustrating a power estimation and fan control process for a liquid cooling system for rack-mounted processing components in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology;

[0033] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating a pump control process for a liquid cooling system for rack-mounted processing components according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology;

[0034] Figure 4shows empirical curves of pump head values ​​versus flow rate for one pump and two pumps according to non-limiting embodiments of the present technology;

[0035] Figure 5 A flow chart illustrating an additional pump control process for a liquid cooling system for rack-mounted processing components in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology; and

[0036] Figure 6 A high-level functional block diagram of a controller for a liquid cooling system with power estimation and associated control of dry cooler fans and pumps is shown.

[0037] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale unless otherwise explicitly stated herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The examples and conditional language described herein are primarily intended to help readers understand the principles of the present technology, rather than to limit its scope to these specifically described examples and conditions. It should be understood that a person skilled in the art can design various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, still embody the principles of the present technology.

[0039] In addition, to aid understanding, the following description may describe a relatively simplified implementation of the present technology. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various implementations of the present technology may have greater complexity.

[0040] In some cases, useful examples that are considered to be modifications to the present technology may also be set forth. This is done solely to aid understanding and, again, is not intended to define the scope of the present technology or set forth its limits. These modifications are not an exhaustive list, and other modifications may be made by those skilled in the art while remaining within the scope of the present technology. Furthermore, if no examples of modifications are set forth, it should not be construed that modifications are impossible and / or that what is described is the only way to implement that element of the present technology.

[0041] In addition, all statements herein setting forth the principles, aspects, and implementations of the present technology and specific examples thereof are intended to encompass structural and functional equivalents thereof, whether currently known or developed in the future. Thus, for example, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that any block diagram herein represents a conceptual view of an illustrative circuit that embodies the principles of the present technology. Similarly, it should be understood that any flow chart, flow diagram, state transition diagram, pseudocode, etc. represent various processes that can be substantially represented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such a computer or processor is explicitly displayed.

[0042] The functions of the various elements shown in the figure, including any functional blocks marked as "processors", can be provided by using dedicated hardware and hardware capable of executing software in combination with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, these functions can be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by multiple separate processors (some of which can be shared). In some embodiments of the present technology, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), or it can also be a processor dedicated to a specific purpose, such as a digital signal processor (DSP). In addition, the explicit use of the term "processor" should not be interpreted as referring specifically to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include but are not limited to application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs) and non-volatile memories for storing software. Other conventional and / or customized hardware may also be included.

[0043] Software modules or simple modules implicitly being software may be represented herein as any combination of flow chart elements or other elements indicating the execution of process steps and / or textual descriptions. Such modules may be executed by hardware shown explicitly or implicitly. In addition, it should be understood that modules may include, for example, but not limited to, computer program logic, computer program instructions, software, stacks, firmware, hardware circuits, or combinations thereof that provide the desired functionality.

[0044] It is also worth noting that, although the various operations of the present invention can be represented by flow chart elements arranged in a particular order, it should be understood that these steps can be combined, subdivided, reordered or changed to operate simultaneously without departing from the teachings of the present technology. In fact, at least some of the processing steps can be performed in parallel or in series. Therefore, the order, sequence and grouping of the processing steps are not limited by the present technology.

[0045] Based on this basic understanding, the disclosed embodiments are directed to estimating the power consumed by an electronic processing device to control the operation of various cooling circuit components to optimize cooling efficiency, and more specifically, to control the operation of dry cooler fans and pumps.

[0046] Figure 1 A high-level functional block diagram of a liquid cooling system 100 for data center rack-mounted processing components with power estimation and associated control of dry cooler fans and pumps is shown in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology.

[0047] As shown, the system 100 includes a dry cooling unit 110, a plurality of rack-mounted processing components 120A to 120N, a plurality of “smart” valves 122A to 122N (where each smart valve is fluidly coupled to a respective processing component), a forward liquid distribution loop 115 including a pump 112 for supplying cooling liquid from the dry cooling unit 110, and a return liquid distribution loop 125 for returning heated liquid to the dry cooling unit 110.

[0048] The dry cooling unit 110 includes an outlet 110C configured to supply cooling liquid and an inlet 110D configured to receive heated liquid. The dry cooling unit 110 is used to dissipate thermal energy from heated liquid circulated therethrough to the surrounding environment. For example, in a data center or similar facility, the dry cooling unit 110 operates to receive heated liquid (e.g., water circulated through a water block in contact with a heat generating component) from rack-mounted processing components 120A to 120N and extract thermal energy from the heated liquid by dissipating the energy to the surrounding environment via at least one fan assembly 110A, thereby re-cooling the heated liquid. The dry cooling unit 110 then operates to supply the re-cooled liquid back to the rack-mounted processing components 120A to 120N.

[0049] As shown, the dry cooling unit 110 includes at least one heat exchanger 110B and at least one fan assembly 110A. The heat exchanger 110B can take on a variety of configurations, such as an air-liquid heat exchanger, etc., and can also include an evaporative pad or a cooling pad. For the purposes of this disclosure, the exact configuration of the dry cooling unit 110 and the heat exchanger 110B is not limited, as various configurations can be adopted without departing from the concept of this disclosure.

[0050] The cooling liquid / recooled liquid is supplied to the rack-mounted processing components 120A to 120N by the dry cooling unit 110 through the outlet 110C and the forward liquid distribution loop 115. The forward liquid distribution loop 115 includes at least two pumps 112A, 112B arranged in a parallel configuration to maintain the flow rate of the cooling liquid / recooled liquid supplied to the processing components 120A to 120N at a sufficient level. In some implementations, the two pumps 112A, 112B are configured to operate in a master-slave configuration unless the situation requires the use of both pumps simultaneously.

[0051] The heated liquid from the rack-mounted processing components 120A to 120N is returned to the dry cooling unit 110 for recooling via the inlet 110D and the return liquid distribution loop 125. As shown, the dry cooling unit 110 supplies the rack-mounted processing components 120A to 120N with cooling liquid / recooled liquid at a nominal temperature T, and the heated liquid returning to the dry cooling unit 110 is at a nominal temperature of T+ΔT, where ΔT represents the temperature difference between the cooling liquid / recooled liquid and the heated liquid.

[0052] Back to Figure 1 , the liquid cooling system 100 includes a plurality of rack-mounted processing components 120A to 120N that receive a supply of cooling liquid / recooled liquid via a forward liquid distribution loop 115, internally direct the liquid to heat-generating processing components (e.g., water circulated through a water block), and transfer the heated liquid from the heat-generating processing components to a return liquid distribution loop 125.

[0053] The rack-mounted processing components 120A-120N may or may not be configured with similar heat generating processing components. As such, each of the rack-mounted processing components 120A-120N may have different temperature and flow rate requirements for proper operation.

[0054] It should be understood that although the rack-mounted processing components 120A to 120N are shown as being arranged in a parallel configuration, this is not meant to be limiting, as the processing components 120A to 120N may also be arranged in a series configuration or a combination of parallel and series without departing from the concepts of the present disclosure.

[0055] As shown, each of the rack-mounted processing components 120A to 120N is fluidly coupled to a "smart" valve 122A to 122N that dynamically controls the flow rate of the corresponding processing component 120A to 120N based on the detected liquid temperature and / or flow rate. For the purposes of this disclosure, the term "smart" valve refers to a valve that is pressure-independent, temperature-responsive, and includes a differential pressure regulator to automatically adjust for changes in system pressure. Such smart valves may include PICVs, ABQMs, or other valves with similar functions.

[0056] The liquid cooling system 100 further includes a temperature sensor 126 for detecting the temperature T of the cooling liquid supplied along the forward liquid distribution loop 115. C volume sensor 128, which is used to supply the cooling liquid along the forward liquid distribution circuit 115 flow rate V C temperature sensor 140, which is used to return along the return liquid distribution circuit 125 of the heated liquid temperature TH and a temperature sensor 132 for measuring the ambient temperature T of the dry cooling unit DC Take measurements.

[0057] Then the measured T C Value, V C Value, T H Value and T DC Each of the values ​​is provided to the estimation and control module 150. As will be described in detail below, based on these measured values, the module 150 is used to determine the estimated power consumed by the rack mounted processing components 120A to 120N and dynamically control the pressure and flow rates of the pumps 112A, 112B and the rotational speed of the dry cooling unit fan assembly 110A to improve the cooling system efficiency.

[0058] That being said, Figure 2 A flow chart of a power estimation and fan control process 200 for a liquid cooling system for rack-mounted processing components is shown in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology. The power estimation and fan control process 200 may be performed by the control module 150. Execution of the module 150 may be performed by the controller 600.

[0059] For example, such a controller consists of Figure 6 6. As shown, the controller 600 includes a processor or multiple co-processors (represented as processor 610 for simplicity), a memory device or multiple memory devices (represented as memory device 630 for simplicity), and an input / output interface 620 (or separate input interface and output interface) that allows the controller 600 to communicate with certain components of the liquid cooling device 100. The processor 610 is operably connected to the memory device 630 and the input / output interface 620. The memory device 630 includes a storage device for storing parameters 634, which include, for example, but not limited to the predetermined conductivity threshold value described above. The memory device 630 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing code instructions 632, which can be executed by the processor 610 to allow the controller 600 to perform various tasks assigned to the controller 600.

[0060] The controller 600 is operably connected to the components of the liquid cooling device 100 through the input / output interface 620, for example, to monitor the temperature T of the cooling liquid. C The temperature sensor 126 is used to measure the temperature T of the cooling liquid. DC The temperature sensor 132 is used to measure the temperature T of the heated liquid. H The temperature sensor 130 for measuring the flow rate V of the cooling liquid CThe volume sensor 128 performs the measurement. The controller 600 executes code instructions 632 stored in the memory device 630 to implement the various functions of the control module 150 described above.

[0061] However, it should be understood that in other embodiments, the power estimation and fan control process 200 or portions thereof may be performed by related components, such as temperature sensors, volume sensors, pumps, etc. For purposes of this disclosure, the exact one or more entities that perform the process 200 are not limited to the inventive concepts presented herein.

[0062] Back to Figure 2 , process 200 begins at task block 202, where the heat load Q of the forward liquid distribution loop 115 is estimated. The heat load Q of the forward liquid distribution loop 115 corresponds to the power consumed by the rack-mounted processing components 120A to 120N. Thus, process 200 represents the heat load Q of the forward liquid distribution loop 115 as represented by T C The measured temperature of the supplied cooling liquid is compared with the temperature of the cooling liquid supplied by T H The temperature difference ΔT between the measured returned heated liquid temperatures is determined. The process 200 then calculates the estimated heat load Q of the forward liquid distribution circuit 115 based on the following relationship: Heat load Q = m·cp·ΔT, where m represents the mass flow rate of water and cp represents the specific heat calculated based on the average temperature of the fluid.

[0063] The process 200 then moves to task block 204 to calculate the measured ambient temperature T of the dry cooling unit 110. DC The evaluation is performed depending on whether a cooling pad is used. Then, at task block 206, process 200 evaluates the operating parameters of the dry cooling unit fan assembly 110A. These operating parameters may include, but are not limited to, fan speed n fan (in revolutions per minute: rpms), fan operating voltage U (approximately between 0V and 10V), fan efficiency parameter η (in %) and estimated fan power consumption Q fan-est It will be appreciated that these operating parameters may be affected by existing conditions, such as heat load Q, ambient dry cooling unit temperature T DC , outdoor humidity and other factors.

[0064] Process 200 proceeds to task block 208, where the fan The actual power Q consumed by the fan assembly 110A operating at speed (rpms) fan-real Then, at decision block 256, it is determined whether the actual power consumed by the fan assembly, Qfan-real, is greater than the estimated fan power consumption, Q fan-est Multiply by the tolerance K factor . Tolerance Kfactor The value may be based on a variety of desired operating parameters or values, such as partial power usage effectiveness (PPUE), acceptable power margin, etc., and in some implementations includes approximately ±10%.

[0065] If it is determined at decision block 210 that the actual power consumed by the fan assembly is Q fan-real Not greater than the estimated fan power consumption Q fan-est and K factor , then at task block 214, process 200 exits, instructing fan assembly 110A to operate at optimal efficiency. However, if Q fan-real Greater than Q fan-est and K factor , process 200 issues an alarm message at task block 212 indicating that fan assembly 110A is not operating efficiently due to excessive power consumption.

[0066] Figure 3 A flow chart of a pump control process 300 for a liquid cooling system for rack-mounted processing components is shown in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology. As described above, the liquid cooling system 100 implements at least two pumps 112A, 112B arranged in a parallel configuration to maintain a flow rate of cooling liquid / recooled liquid supplied to the processing components 120A to 120N at a sufficient level.

[0067] That being said, the process 300 begins at decision block 302 to determine the measured flow rate V of the supplied cooling liquid. C has increased, and if so, process 300 moves to task block 304 to gradually increase the pump speed n pump Then, at decision block 306, the flow rate V is determined. n Is it still equal to the previous flow rate V n-1 If not, process 300 returns to task block 304 to further step-up the pump speed n. pump .

[0068] However, if the flow rate V is determined at decision block 306 n Still equal to the previous flow rate V n-1 , then at task block 308 the pump speed n is reduced. pump , and after a waiting period t, the pump speed n is reduced again at task block 310 pump The waiting period t is based on operating parameters and in certain implementations may be set from about 20 seconds to about 45 seconds.

[0069] The process 300 then proceeds to decision block 312 to determine a new flow rate V n+1 Is it less than the previous flow rate V? n, and if not, the process 300 returns to task block 310 to further step down the pump speed n pump However, if the new flow rate V n+1 Less than the previous flow rate V n , then process 300 gradually increases the pump speed n at task block 314 pump .

[0070] The process 300 then proceeds to task block 316 to determine the Figure 4 The depicted empirically determined pump head H curve 400 according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology selects and applies an appropriate H value. Generally speaking, the pump head pressure value H is based on the output discharge pressure of the pump minus the input suction pressure of the pump. Therefore, the H curve represents the minimum head pressure value H required to provide the necessary pressure for a given flow rate for one pump and two pumps. min Thus, process 300 applies the appropriate H pressure value to the pump speed n based on the use of one pump or two pumps 112A, 112B. pump .

[0071] Then, after selecting and applying the appropriate H value, at decision block 318, process 300 determines whether the applied H pressure value is less than the minimum H for the measured flow rate V. min , and if so, process 300 steps up the pump speed n at task block 322 pump However, if the applied pressure value H is not less than the minimum value H for the measured flow rate V min , then determine the pump speed n pump Be efficient and maintain that speed at task block 320 .

[0072] Returning to decision block 302, if it is determined that the measured flow rate V of the supplied cooling liquid is C If no increase is made, the process 300 moves to decision block 324 to determine V n Is it still equal to the previous flow rate V n-1 , and if so, no further control action is required, as indicated by task block 326 .

[0073] However, if it is determined at decision block 324 that V n Not equal to the previous flow rate V n-1 , the process 300 moves to gradually reduce the pump speed n at task block 328 pump Then at decision block 330, process 300 determines a new flow rate V n+1 Is it less than the previous flow rate V? n , and if not, the process 300 returns to task block 328 to further step down the pump speed n pumpHowever, if a new flow rate V is determined at decision block 330 n+1 Less than the previous flow rate V n , the process 300 moves to task block 332 to gradually increase the pump speed n pump .

[0074] Process 300 proceeds to task block 334, which selects and applies the appropriate H pressure value to the pump speed n based on the use of one or both pumps 112A, 112B. pump The process 300 then moves to decision block 336 to determine whether the applied H pressure value is less than the minimum value H for the measured flow rate V. min , and if so, process 300 steps up the pump speed n at task block 338 pump However, if the applied pressure value H is not less than the minimum value H for the measured flow rate V min , then determine the pump speed n pump Be efficient and maintain that speed at task block 340 .

[0075] Figure 5 A flow chart of an additional pump control process 500 for a liquid cooling system for rack mounted processing components is shown in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present technology. The pump control process 500 involves checking and handling sudden flow rate V changes during operation.

[0076] Specifically, at decision block 502, process 500 checks to determine whether flow rate V has changed (i.e., increased or decreased) during operation. If it has not changed, then at task block 504, process 500 exits. However, if it is determined that flow rate V has changed, then at task block 506, process 500 increases pump speed n. pump increases to a predetermined maximum threshold level n max Then, at process block 508, process 500 gradually decreases the pump speed n pump , and at decision block 510 checks the new flow rate V n+1 Is it equal to the previous flow rate V n If not, process 500 returns to task block 508 to continue to gradually reduce pump speed n pump .

[0077] However, if a new flow rate V is determined at decision block 510 n+1 Equal to the previous flow rate V n , the process 500 continues at task block 512 to gradually increase the pump speed n pump .

[0078] The process 500 then moves to task block 514 to select and apply an appropriate H value, and at decision block 516, the process 500 determines whether the applied H pressure value is less than the minimum H for the measured flow rate V. min , and if so, process 500 steps up the pump speed n at task block 520 pump And return to decision block 516 for further checking. However, if the applied H pressure value is not less than the minimum value H for the measured flow rate V min , then determine the pump speed n pump Be efficient and maintain that speed at task block 518 .

[0079] In this manner, the disclosed configurations and processes are used to estimate the power consumed by an electronic processing device and control the operation of a dry cooler fan assembly and pump accordingly to optimize the cooling efficiency of a liquid cooling loop arrangement.

[0080] Although the above implementations have been described and illustrated with reference to specific processing steps performed in a particular order or sequence, it should be understood that these steps may be combined, subdivided, reordered, or altered to operate simultaneously without departing from the teachings of the inventive concepts presented herein. In fact, at least some of the processing steps may be performed alternately in parallel or in series. Therefore, the ordering, sequence, and grouping of the processing steps are not limited by the present technology.

[0081] Modifications and improvements to the above-described implementations of the present technology will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing description is intended to be exemplary rather than limiting. Therefore, the scope of the present technology is intended to be limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A liquid cooling method (200, 300) for a rack-mounted processing component (120A-120N), the liquid cooling method comprising: providing a dry cooling unit (110) for supplying cooling liquid to the rack-mounted processing components and receiving heated liquid from the rack-mounted processing components, the dry cooling unit comprising a fan assembly (110A) and a heat exchanger unit (110B); providing a first liquid distribution circuit (115) and a second liquid distribution circuit (125), the first liquid distribution circuit (115) being used to convey the cooling liquid from the dry cooling unit to the rack-mounted processing component, the second liquid distribution circuit (125) being used to convey the heated liquid from the rack-mounted processing component to the dry cooling unit, the first liquid distribution circuit (115) comprising at least one pump (112A, 112B) along the first liquid distribution circuit (115), the at least one pump (112A, 112B) being used to provide a pressure flow when supplying the cooling liquid from the dry cooling unit to the rack-mounted processing component; Each of the rack-mounted data processing components (120A-120N) comprises: at least one heat generating electronic processing element and at least one liquid cooling block, the at least one liquid cooling block being arranged to be in thermal contact with the at least one heat generating electronic processing element and being fluidly coupled to the first liquid distribution circuit (115); and an intelligent control valve (122A-122N) being respectively arranged to be fluidly coupled to the at least one liquid cooling block of the corresponding rack-mounted data processing component; A method for controlling the temperature T of the supplied cooling liquid is provided along the first liquid distribution circuit (115). C A first temperature sensor (126) for measuring the flow rate V of the supplied cooling liquid C a volume sensor (128) for performing measurements; A temperature T of the returning heated cooling liquid is provided along the second liquid distribution circuit (125). H a second temperature sensor (130) for performing measurements; Provides an ambient temperature T for the dry cooling unit (110) DC a third temperature sensor (132) for taking measurements; Based on the measured T C Value, T H Value and T DC Calculating a heat load Q of the first liquid distribution circuit to estimate the power consumption of the rack-mounted data processing component (202); controlling a speed of the fan assembly based on estimated power consumption and / or ambient thermal conditions; Based on the measured V C value to determine whether the flow rate has increased (302); and The speed of the at least one pump is controlled based on whether the flow rate has increased.

2. The liquid cooling method according to claim 1, wherein: Controlling the speed of the fan assembly also includes: controlling the ambient temperature T of the dry cooling unit DC , Current fan speed value n fan and the estimated fan power consumption Q fan-est Conduct assessment (204-206).

3. The liquid cooling method according to claim 1, wherein: Controlling the speed of the fan assembly further includes: using the current fan speed value n fan The speed at which the fan assembly is operated and the actual power consumed by the fan assembly Q fan-real A measurement is performed (208).

4. The liquid cooling method according to claim 2, wherein: Controlling the speed of the fan assembly further comprises: Determine the actual power Q consumed by the fan assembly fan-real Is it greater than the estimated fan power consumption value Q? fan-est and tolerance factor K factor (210), and In response to determining Q fan-real Greater than Q fan-est and K factor , issuing an alarm message (212) indicating that the fan assembly is consuming excessive power.

5. The liquid cooling method according to claim 1, wherein: Controlling the speed of the at least one pump further comprises: In response to determining that the flow rate has increased (302), gradually increasing the speed n of the at least one pump pump (304); Determine the speed n of the at least one pump when increasing pump whether the flow rate then remains unchanged (306); and In response to determining that the flow rate has not increased, continuing to gradually increase the speed of the at least one pump pump (304).

6. The liquid cooling method according to claim 1, wherein: Controlling the speed of the at least one pump further includes, in response to determining that the flow rate has not remained unchanged (306), reducing the pump speed (308) and after an operational wait period t, reducing the pump speed again (310).

7. The liquid cooling method according to claim 1, wherein: Controlling the speed of the at least one pump further comprises: determining whether the flow rate based on the reduced pump speed is less than a previous flow rate (312); and In response to determining that the flow rate based on the reduced pump speed is not less than the previous flow rate, the pump speed continues to be reduced (310).

8. The liquid cooling method according to claim 1, wherein: Upon determining that the flow rate based on the reduced pump speed is less than the previous flow rate, the pump speed is increased (314), and a pump head H pressure value corresponding to the measured flow rate is selected and applied to the at least one pump (316).

9. The liquid cooling method according to claim 1, further comprising: Determine whether the applied H pressure value is less than the specified minimum H pressure value H for the measured flow rate min (318); In response to determining that the applied H pressure value is less than H min , increasing the speed n of the at least one pump pump (322); as well as In response to determining that the applied H pressure value is not less than H min , maintaining the speed n of at least one of the previous pumps pump (320).

10. The liquid cooling method according to claim 1, wherein: Controlling the speed of the at least one pump further comprises: In response to determining that the measured flow rate has not increased (302), determining whether the flow rate has remained unchanged (324), and if the flow rate has not remained unchanged, gradually reducing the speed of the at least one pump. pump (328); In response to determining that the flow rate has not decreased (330), continuing to gradually decrease the speed of the at least one pump pump (328); In response to determining that the flow rate has decreased, gradually increasing the pump speed n pump (332).

11. The liquid cooling method according to claim 1, wherein: Controlling the speed of the at least one pump further comprises: applying a pump head H pressure value corresponding to the measured flow rate to the at least one pump (334); Determine whether the applied H pressure value is less than the specified minimum H pressure value H for the measured flow rate min (336); In response to determining that the applied H pressure value is less than H min , increasing the speed n of the at least one pump pump (338); and In response to determining that the applied H pressure value is not less than H min , maintaining the speed n of at least one of the previous pumps pump (330).

12. A liquid cooling system (100) for a rack-mounted processing component (120A-120N), the liquid cooling system comprising: a dry cooling unit (110) configured to supply cooling liquid to the rack-mounted processing components and receive heated liquid from the rack-mounted processing components, the dry cooling unit comprising a fan assembly (110A) and a heat exchanger unit (110B); a first liquid distribution circuit (115) configured to deliver the cooling liquid from the dry cooling unit to the rack-mounted processing components, the first liquid distribution circuit comprising at least one pump (112A, 112B) along the first liquid distribution circuit, the at least one pump (112A, 112B) being configured to provide a pressure flow when supplying the cooling liquid from the dry cooling unit to the rack-mounted processing components; a second liquid distribution circuit (125) configured to deliver heated liquid from the rack-mounted processing assembly to the dry cooling unit; Each of the rack-mounted data processing components (120A-120N) comprises: at least one heat generating electronic processing component, at least one liquid cooling block disposed in thermal contact with the at least one heat generating electronic processing element, the at least one liquid cooling block being fluidly coupled to the first liquid distribution circuit to receive the cooling liquid and circulate the cooling liquid through the at least one liquid cooling block, and smart control valves (122A-122N) respectively arranged to be fluidly coupled to at least one liquid cooling block of a corresponding rack-mounted data processing component, the smart control valves being configured to be pressure independent and to control a flow rate of a cooling fluid of the corresponding rack-mounted data processing component based on the detected temperature and pressure flow; The first liquid distribution circuit (115) includes a circuit configured to adjust the temperature T of the supplied cooling liquid. C A first temperature sensor (126) for measuring the flow rate V of the supplied cooling liquid C a volume sensor (128) for performing measurements; The second liquid distribution circuit (125) includes a second temperature sensor (130) configured to detect the temperature T of the returning heated cooling liquid. H Take measurements; A third temperature sensor (132) is configured to detect an ambient temperature T of the dry cooling unit (110). DC Taking measurements; and a control module (150) communicatively coupled to the fan assembly (110A) and the at least one pump (112A, 112B), the control module being configured to: Receive the measured T C Value, V C Value, T H Value and T DC value; Based on the measured T C Value, T H Value and T DC Calculating a heat load Q of the first liquid distribution circuit to estimate the power consumption of the rack-mounted data processing component (202); controlling the speed of the fan assembly based on the estimated power consumption and / or environmental conditions (208); Based on the measured V C value to determine whether the flow rate has increased (302); and The speed of the at least one pump is controlled based on whether the flow rate has increased (300).

13. The liquid cooling system according to claim 12, wherein: The control module (150) controls the speed of the fan assembly further comprising: The ambient temperature T of the dry cooling unit DC , Current fan speed value n fan And the estimated fan power consumption value Q fan-est Conduct assessments (204-206); With the current fan speed value n fan The fan assembly speed is operated, and the actual power consumed by the fan assembly is Q fan-real Taking measurements (208); Determine the actual power Q consumed by the fan assembly fan-real Is it greater than the estimated fan power consumption value Q? fan-est and tolerance factor K factor (210), and In response to determining Q fan-real Greater than Q fan-est and K factor , issuing an alarm message (212) indicating that the fan assembly is consuming excessive power.

14. The liquid cooling system according to claim 12, wherein: The control module controlling the speed of the at least one pump further comprises: In response to determining that the flow rate has increased (302), gradually increasing the speed n of the at least one pump pump (304); Determine the speed n of the at least one pump when increasing pump whether the flow rate remains unchanged thereafter (306); In response to determining that the flow rate has not increased, continuing to gradually increase the speed of the at least one pump pump (304); In response to determining that the flow rate has not remained unchanged (306), reducing the pump speed (308) and after an operational wait period t, reducing the pump speed again (310); determining whether the flow rate based on the reduced pump speed is less than a previous flow rate (312); In response to determining that the flow rate based on the reduced pump speed is not less than the previous flow rate, continuing to reduce the pump speed (310); After determining that the flow rate based on the reduced pump speed is less than the previous flow rate, increasing the pump speed (314), and selecting and applying the pump head H pressure value corresponding to the measured flow rate to the at least one pump (316); Determine whether the applied H pressure value is less than the specified minimum H pressure value H for the measured flow rate min (318); In response to determining that the applied H pressure value is less than H min , increasing the speed n of the at least one pump pump (322); and In response to determining that the applied H pressure value is not less than H min , maintaining the speed n of at least one of the previous pumps pump (320).

15. The liquid cooling system according to claim 12, wherein: The control module controlling the speed of the at least one pump further comprises: In response to determining that the measured flow rate has not increased (302), determining whether the flow rate has remained unchanged (324), and if the flow rate has not remained unchanged, gradually reducing the speed of the at least one pump. pump (328); In response to determining that the flow rate has not decreased (330), continuing to gradually decrease the speed of the at least one pump pump (328); In response to determining that the flow rate has decreased, gradually increasing the pump speed n pump (332); applying a pump head H pressure value corresponding to the measured flow rate to the at least one pump (334); Determine whether the applied H pressure value is less than the specified minimum H pressure value H for the measured flow rate min (336); In response to determining that the applied H pressure value is less than H min , increasing the speed n of the at least one pump pump (338); and In response to determining that the applied H pressure value is not less than H min , maintaining the speed n of at least one of the previous pumps pump (330).

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