Cooling liquid distribution system and backup method thereof

Abstract

A cooling liquid distribution system is used for solving the problems that an existing cooling liquid distribution device is limited in heat dissipation capacity, and fault emergency standby equipment needs to be additionally arranged. Comprising a plurality of liquid cooling modules, each liquid cooling module is provided with a heat exchange unit connected with a plurality of conveying units, and the output ends of the conveying units of the adjacent liquid cooling modules are communicated with one another; the plurality of liquid cooling modules are arranged in a one-to-one mode, the plurality of control modules are arranged on the plurality of liquid cooling modules in a one-to-one mode, the plurality of control modules are in communication connection with one another, one sensing unit is located at the output ends of the plurality of conveying units, and one electromagnetic valve is located on a pipeline through which the corresponding liquid cooling module is communicated with another adjacent liquid cooling module. The invention further discloses a backup method of the cooling liquid distribution system. Therefore, the effects of improving the heat dissipation capability and maintaining the stable heat dissipation efficiency can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a high-density heat dissipation technology, and more particularly to a coolant distribution system and a backup method thereof for improving heat dissipation capability and quickly resolving emergency failure conditions. Background Art

[0002] Computer rooms, which house high-density racks and computing devices such as data centers and cloud servers, consume significant amounts of electricity to maintain robust computing power. However, this power consumption also generates waste heat. If this heat cannot be dissipated immediately, the room temperature may exceed safety limits, disrupting efficient computing operations. Existing Cooling Distribution Units (CDUs) evenly distribute liquid to each rack to remove heat and regulate the liquid flow based on temperature monitoring, ensuring stable liquid cooling operation.

[0003] However, with the increasing demand for cloud services and the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, the scale of computer rooms has expanded, and the computing power and power consumption of computing systems have increased simultaneously. Consequently, the heat dissipation burden has also increased significantly. Existing coolant distribution devices have limited heat dissipation capacity, and can only be installed in the computer room with multiple coolant distribution devices to cool different cabinets. However, the operating power of each cabinet is usually different, resulting in inconsistent heat dissipation efficiency controlled by each coolant distribution device. In addition, considering the possibility of coolant distribution device failure, multiple backup cooling devices are also required in the computer room to provide emergency cooling backup in the event of a sudden failure to maintain heat dissipation capacity and normal server operation. Therefore, existing coolant distribution devices cannot provide higher cooling efficiency, and require the installation of more equipment, which takes up more computer room space and is difficult to configure.

[0004] In view of this, the existing coolant distribution device still needs to be improved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a coolant distribution system that can provide instant heat dissipation backup.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a coolant distribution system that can improve heat dissipation capacity.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a coolant distribution system that does not require a separate backup module.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a redundancy method for a coolant distribution system, which can immediately detect a failure or an increase in heat dissipation demand and arrange heat dissipation redundancy.

[0009] The use of the quantifier "a" or "an" in the elements and components described throughout the present invention is only for convenience of use and to provide a general meaning of the scope of the present invention; in the present invention, it should be interpreted as including one or at least one, and the concept of a single one also includes multiple cases, unless it is obvious that it means otherwise.

[0010] The term "coupling connection" as used throughout this disclosure refers to a state in which energy can be transferred between two objects. For example, two circuits can transmit current signals by being electrically connected via metal wires, or can transmit optical signals by being connected via optical fibers, etc. This is understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure relates.

[0011] The cooling liquid distribution system of the present invention includes: a plurality of liquid cooling modules, each liquid cooling module has a heat exchange unit connected to a plurality of delivery units, and the output ends of the plurality of delivery units of adjacent liquid cooling modules are interconnected, a working liquid is converted from high temperature to low temperature in the heat exchange unit, the low-temperature working liquid is pressurized by at least one of the delivery units and delivered to a heat source, the working liquid absorbs the heat energy of the heat source and is converted into the high-temperature working liquid, and then returns to the heat exchange unit; and a plurality of control modules, which are one-to-one configured to the plurality of liquid cooling modules, and the plurality of control modules are communicatively connected to each other, a sensing unit of each control module is located between the output ends of the plurality of delivery units and the heat source, and a processing unit is respectively coupled to the sensing unit and an electromagnetic valve, and the electromagnetic valve is located on the pipeline that connects the corresponding liquid cooling module and another adjacent liquid cooling module.

[0012] The backup method of the coolant distribution system of the present invention is applied to a coolant distribution system having multiple liquid cooling modules. The method includes: starting one of the liquid cooling modules to provide low-temperature working liquid; determining whether the liquid cooling module is operating normally. If it is determined that the liquid cooling module cannot operate normally, connecting the working liquid pipeline between the liquid cooling module and the adjacent liquid cooling module; if it is determined that the liquid cooling module is operating normally, detecting the temperature, pressure and / or flow of the working liquid; and continuing to determine whether the temperature, pressure and / or flow of the working liquid meets a preset standard. If it does not meet the standard, connecting the working liquid pipeline between the liquid cooling module and the adjacent liquid cooling module.

[0013] Therefore, the coolant distribution system and its backup method of the present invention use multiple liquid cooling modules, and the output ends of the multiple delivery units of each are interconnected and equipped with solenoid valves. When the cooling efficiency of each liquid cooling module is insufficient or the delivery unit fails, the solenoid valves are opened to connect the adjacent liquid cooling modules, and the adjacent liquid cooling modules are shared to deliver the working liquid, thereby achieving instant backup heat dissipation, having the effects of improving heat dissipation capacity and maintaining stable heat dissipation efficiency.

[0014] The high-temperature working fluid is returned from the heat source to the heat exchange unit via a hot water pipe. The two ends of each hot water pipe in the multiple liquid-cooling modules are connected by two loop pipes. This allows the high-temperature working fluid generated by the multiple heat sources corresponding to the multiple liquid-cooling modules to be collected and redistributed to the multiple heat exchange units, improving heat exchange efficiency.

[0015] The output ends of the multiple delivery units of the multiple liquid cooling modules are connected by a loop pipeline, and the input ends of the multiple delivery units are connected by another loop pipeline. In this way, the multiple liquid cooling modules can share the flow rate of the working fluid delivered by the multiple delivery units, providing instant backup and centralized delivery flow in the event of a failure.

[0016] The input and output ends of the plurality of delivery units each have a manifold, so that the working fluid can be distributed into the running delivery units and the pressurized working fluid can be collected at the output end, thereby achieving the effect of using multiple delivery units simultaneously.

[0017] The output end of each delivery unit is connected to a check valve. In this way, when each delivery unit stops operating, the working fluid can be blocked and the backflow of the working fluid can be prevented, thereby ensuring that the working fluid circulates along the correct path.

[0018] The sensing unit detects the temperature, pressure, and / or flow rate of the working fluid in the corresponding liquid cooling module. Changes in the detected data can be used to determine the cooling efficiency and operating status of the delivery unit, enabling immediate detection of anomalies and activation of backup measures.

[0019] The plurality of control modules are connected via wired and / or wireless communication, so that information on whether the plurality of liquid cooling modules need backup can be quickly shared, thereby facilitating instant startup and allocation of backup requirements.

[0020] If the temperature, pressure, and / or flow rate of the working fluid meet the required standards, the system will re-evaluate whether the liquid cooling module is operating normally. This allows the system to assess the status of the liquid cooling module and determine whether to deactivate backup after the cooling efficiency stabilizes, thus avoiding wasting backup cooling capacity.

[0021] If the working fluid's temperature, pressure, and / or flow rate continue to fall below the specified level, the system connects to other liquid cooling modules. This allows for more liquid cooling modules to be integrated for backup when the backup cooling capacity is insufficient, increasing maximum cooling capacity and stabilizing cooling efficiency.

[0022] When the working liquid pipeline between the liquid cooling module and the adjacent liquid cooling module is connected, a warning message is issued to indicate that the liquid cooling module has an abnormality. This can alert the user to possible failure of the delivery unit or excessive heat generation due to high efficiency of the heat source, providing a warning and timely remediation of the emergency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 : Pipeline configuration diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 :like Figure 1 The enlarged view of the part shown; Figure 3 : Schematic diagram of pipeline circulation and communication connection of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 : Flowchart of the backup method of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Description of reference numerals: 1: Liquid cooling module 11: Heat exchange unit 11a: Input port 11b: Output port 12: Conveying unit 12a: Input 12b: Output 13: Distribution pipeline 14: Manifold 15: Stop valve 16: Check valve 2: Control Module 21: Sensing unit 22: Processing Unit 23: Solenoid valve D1,D2,D3,D4: loop lines H: Heat Source T: Hot water pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are specifically cited below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings; in addition, the same symbols in different drawings are regarded as the same and their descriptions are omitted.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, it is a preferred embodiment of the coolant distribution system of the present invention, including multiple liquid cooling modules 1 and multiple control modules 2. The multiple liquid cooling modules 1 can be connected through multiple loop pipes D1, D2, D3, and D4. The multiple control modules 2 are one-to-one configured on the multiple liquid cooling modules 1.

[0027] Each liquid cooling module 1 has a heat exchange unit 11 and multiple delivery units 12. The heat exchange unit 11 receives high-temperature working liquid through an input port 11a, so that the working liquid releases heat energy in the heat exchange unit 11 and is converted into low-temperature working liquid. The multiple delivery units 12 then receive low-temperature working liquid from an output port 11b of the heat exchange unit 11. Each delivery unit 12 can pressurize the working liquid into a distribution pipeline 13. The distribution pipeline 13 passes through a heat source H, so that the low-temperature working liquid absorbs the heat energy of the heat source H and is converted into high-temperature working liquid. The liquid then returns to the heat exchange unit 11 through a hot water pipe T to achieve a circulating cooling effect. In this embodiment, the heat exchange unit 11 can be a plate heat exchanger, in which high-temperature working fluid flows through multiple metal plates, which can accelerate heat transfer efficiency by increasing the contact area. The heat energy absorbed by each metal plate is carried to the outside by another set of exchange fluid for heat dissipation; the multiple delivery units 12 can be multiple pumps, and the number of pumps to be activated can be selected according to the heat dissipation requirements; the heat source H can be a server rack used to arrange and place multiple servers, which accumulate a large amount of heat energy when the servers are operating. The distribution pipeline 13 can evenly distribute the low-temperature working fluid to each rack to stabilize the efficiency of the heat absorption process. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned equipment and configuration.

[0028] Specifically, during normal operation of each liquid cooling module 1, it is preferred that only a portion of the delivery units 12 be activated, and the remaining delivery units 12 be disabled as backup. When the heat energy generated by the heat source H increases significantly (for example, when the server is overclocked) or at least one of the delivery units 12 fails, the backup delivery units 12 can be activated, allowing each liquid cooling module 1 to provide stable cooling efficiency.

[0029] The heat exchange unit 11 can also be connected to a liquid storage tank (not shown), which can be a water tower. The cooled low-temperature working liquid can be temporarily stored in the liquid storage tank and replenished with working liquid according to the operating conditions of the multiple delivery units 12; the input end 12a and the output end 12b of the multiple delivery units 12 can also each have a manifold 14 for distributing the working liquid into the operating delivery units 12 at the input end 12a of the multiple delivery units 12, and for collecting the pressurized working liquid at the output end 12b of the multiple delivery units 12; in addition, the output end 12b of each delivery unit 12 can also be connected to a stop valve 15 and a check valve 16 for blocking the working liquid and preventing backflow of the working liquid when each delivery unit 12 stops operating.

[0030] In this embodiment, the plurality of liquid cooling modules 1 are interconnected through the plurality of loop pipes D1, D2, D3, and D4. Figure 1As shown, the loop pipes D1 and D4 are connected to both ends of each hot water pipe T, which can collect and redistribute the high-temperature working liquid generated by the multiple heat sources H corresponding to the multiple liquid cooling modules 1 to the multiple heat exchange units 11. The loop pipe D2 is connected to the output end 12b of the multiple delivery units 12, and the loop pipe D3 is connected to the input end 12a of the multiple delivery units 12. In this way, the multiple liquid cooling modules 1 can share the flow rate of the working liquid delivered by the multiple delivery units 12 through the loop pipes D2 and D3. In this embodiment, the multiple loop pipes D1, D2, D3, and D4 are all circular in shape. However, depending on the number and arrangement of the multiple liquid cooling modules 1, the multiple loop pipes D1, D2, D3, and D4 can also form other geometric shapes, such as quadrilaterals, pentagons, etc., but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0031] Each control module 2 includes a sensing unit 21, a processing unit 22 and a solenoid valve 23. The processing unit 22 is coupled to the sensing unit 21 and the solenoid valve 23 respectively. The sensing unit 21 is used to detect the temperature, pressure and / or flow rate and other state parameters of the working fluid in the corresponding liquid cooling module 1. The sensing unit 21 is preferably arranged between the output end 12b of the conveying unit 12 of the liquid cooling module 1 and the distribution pipeline 13, and can instantly detect the pressure of the pressurized working fluid, and the temperature and flow rate of the working fluid when it is distributed to the heat source H; the processing unit 22 can receive and judge the working condition and cooling efficiency of the liquid cooling module 1 based on the state parameters of the working fluid. For example, an increase in the temperature of the working fluid indicates insufficient heat dissipation capacity, which may be due to an increase in the energy generated by the heat source H. A decrease in the pressure and flow of the working fluid may indicate a failure of the delivery unit 12. The judgment result of the processing unit 22 is used to determine whether to activate the backup. The solenoid valve 23 is located on the pipeline connecting the corresponding liquid-cooling module 1 and another adjacent liquid-cooling module 1, and the solenoid valve 23 is preferably located on the loop pipeline D2, that is, near the detection point of the sensing unit 21. Specifically, the solenoid valve 23 is usually closed. When the processing unit 22 decides to activate the backup, it controls the solenoid valve 23 to open, allowing the working fluids in the two adjacent liquid-cooling modules 1 to circulate with each other. The sensing unit 21 can instantly detect changes in the temperature, pressure, and / or flow of the working fluid after the backup is activated, and then the processing unit 22 determines whether to close the solenoid valve 23 and when to stop the backup.

[0032] In this embodiment, the processing unit 22 is integrated into the solenoid valve 23, which can save installation space and reduce the risk of control signal transmission failure. However, the processing unit 22 can also be integrated into the sensing unit 21. In addition, each control module 2 can also be integrated with the corresponding liquid cooling module 1 in a chassis, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 3 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the pipeline flow and communication connection between the multiple liquid cooling modules 1 and the multiple control modules 2 of the coolant distribution system of the present invention. Each liquid cooling module 1 switches or cuts off the flow of working liquid between the adjacent liquid cooling modules 1 through the adjacent control module 2; each control module 2 only detects the working liquid state parameters in the corresponding liquid cooling module 1. In addition, the multiple control modules 2 are connected through wired and / or wireless communication. When the wired or wireless communication is interrupted or abnormal, backup information and switching commands can be transmitted in another communication method. Polling and / or broadcasting commands can also be performed on the multiple liquid cooling modules 1 to share information on whether the multiple liquid cooling modules 1 need backup, and to instantly switch the corresponding control module 2 to open the flow of working liquid. The order of starting backup is preferably started from the adjacent control module 2. If the supporting control module 2 also has a backup requirement, the relatively distant control module 2 is started.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 4 As shown, it is a preferred embodiment of the backup method of the coolant distribution system of the present invention, including the following process: starting a liquid cooling module to provide cooled low-temperature working liquid; judging whether the liquid cooling module is operating normally; if it is judged that the liquid cooling module cannot operate normally, connecting the working liquid pipeline between the liquid cooling module and the adjacent liquid cooling module; if it is judged that the liquid cooling module is operating normally, detecting the temperature, pressure and / or flow and other state parameters of the working liquid; continuing to judge whether the temperature, pressure and / or flow and other state parameters of the working liquid meet the preset standards; if the standards are not met, connecting the working liquid pipeline between the liquid cooling module and the adjacent liquid cooling module; if the standards are met, re-judging whether the liquid cooling module is operating normally; after connecting the working liquid pipeline between the liquid cooling module and the adjacent liquid cooling module, re-detecting and judging the temperature, pressure and / or flow and other state parameters of the working liquid. In addition, when the working liquid pipeline between the liquid cooling module and the adjacent liquid cooling module is connected, a warning message can also be issued to prompt that an abnormality has occurred in the liquid cooling module. The warning message can be presented in the form of text, images, voice, alarm sound effects, flashing lights, etc., but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, when the cooling demand of each liquid cooling module 1 increases (the heat source H generates additional heat energy) or the delivery unit 12 fails, the corresponding control module 2 will open the solenoid valve 23 to share the multiple delivery units 12 of the adjacent liquid cooling module 1. Each liquid cooling module can also notify other control modules 2 through the corresponding control module 2 to open their solenoid valves 23, allowing each liquid cooling module 1 to share the delivery units 12 of other liquid cooling modules 1. Therefore, when the coolant distribution system of the present invention activates redundancy but the working fluid state parameters still cannot meet the preset standards, more liquid cooling modules 1 can be connected to maintain cooling efficiency.

[0036] In summary, the coolant distribution system and its backup method of the present invention utilize multiple liquid cooling modules, interconnecting the output ends of their respective multiple delivery units and providing solenoid valves. When the cooling efficiency of each liquid cooling module is insufficient or a delivery unit fails, the solenoid valves are opened to connect adjacent liquid cooling modules, allowing the adjacent liquid cooling modules to be shared to deliver working liquid, thereby achieving instant backup heat dissipation, improving heat dissipation capacity, and maintaining stable heat dissipation efficiency.

[0037] Although the present invention has been disclosed using the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. These changes and modifications still fall within the technical scope protected by the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be based on the definition of the claims.

Claims

1. A coolant distribution system, characterized in that: include: Multiple liquid cooling modules, each having a heat exchange unit connected to multiple delivery units, and the output ends of the multiple delivery units of adjacent liquid cooling modules are interconnected. A working fluid is converted from high temperature to low temperature in the heat exchange unit. The low-temperature working fluid is pressurized by at least one of the delivery units and then delivered to a heat source. The working fluid absorbs heat energy from the heat source and is converted to high-temperature working fluid before returning to the heat exchange unit. and Multiple control modules are configured one-to-one with the multiple liquid cooling modules, and the multiple control modules are communicatively connected to each other. A sensing unit of each control module is located between the output end of the multiple delivery units and the heat source, and a processing unit is coupled to the sensing unit and a solenoid valve respectively. The solenoid valve is located on the pipeline that connects the corresponding liquid cooling module and another adjacent liquid cooling module.

2. The coolant distribution system according to claim 1, wherein: The high-temperature working liquid returns from the heat source to the heat exchange unit through a hot water pipe, and both ends of the hot water pipes of the multiple liquid cooling modules are connected by two loop pipelines.

3. The coolant distribution system according to claim 1, wherein: The output ends of the multiple delivery units of the multiple liquid cooling modules are connected by a loop pipeline, and the input ends of the multiple delivery units are connected by another loop pipeline.

4. The coolant distribution system according to claim 1, wherein: The input end and the output end of each of the plurality of delivery units have a manifold.

5. The coolant distribution system according to claim 1, wherein: The output end of each delivery unit is connected to a check valve.

6. The coolant distribution system according to claim 1, wherein: The sensing unit detects the temperature, pressure and / or flow rate of the working fluid in the corresponding liquid cooling module.

7. The coolant distribution system according to claim 1, wherein: The multiple control modules are connected via wired and / or wireless communication.

8. A redundancy method for a coolant distribution system, applied to a coolant distribution system having multiple liquid cooling modules, the method comprising: Starting one of the liquid cooling modules to provide low-temperature working liquid; Determining whether the liquid cooling module is operating normally, and if it is determined that the liquid cooling module is not operating normally, connecting the working liquid pipeline between the liquid cooling module and the adjacent liquid cooling module; If it is determined that the liquid cooling module is operating normally, the temperature, pressure and / or flow rate of the working fluid are detected; and Then, it is determined whether the temperature, pressure and / or flow of the working liquid meet the preset standards. If not, the working liquid pipeline between the liquid cooling module and the adjacent liquid cooling module is connected.

9. The redundancy method for a coolant distribution system according to claim 8, wherein: If the temperature, pressure and / or flow rate of the working fluid meet the standards, it is re-determined whether the liquid cooling module is operating normally.

10. The redundancy method for a coolant distribution system according to claim 8, wherein: If the temperature, pressure and / or flow of the working fluid continues to fail to meet the standards, connect to other liquid cooling modules.

11. The redundancy method for a coolant distribution system according to claim 8, wherein: When the working liquid pipeline between the liquid cooling module and the adjacent liquid cooling module is connected, a warning message is issued to prompt that an abnormality has occurred in the liquid cooling module.

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