Liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control for servers and other electronic devices

Abstract

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes: an electronics chassis in which an electronics is mounted; a thermoelectric module disposed adjacent a front portion of the electronics chassis, a heat exchanger module disposed adjacent a rear portion of the electronics chassis, and at least a first carrier liquid conduit and a second carrier liquid conduit, at least first and second carrier liquid conduits are coupled between the thermoelectric module and the heat exchanger module and pass through at least a portion of the electronics chassis. The thermoelectric module, the heat exchanger module, and the carrier fluid conduit are collectively configured to provide temperature control of one or more components of the electronic device. The electronic device installed in the electronic device chassis may include at least one server. The thermoelectric module illustratively includes a thermoelectric cooler, a cold plate coupled to a first side of the thermoelectric cooler, and a heat sink coupled to a second side of the thermoelectric cooler opposite the first side.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The field relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly to temperature control arrangements for such electronic devices. BACKGROUND

[0002] A given set of electronic devices configured to provide a desired system functionality is typically installed in a chassis. Such devices can include, for example, various arrangements of processors such as central processing units (CPUs) and / or graphics processing units (GPUs), memory modules, circuit boards, storage devices, interface cards, and power supplies used to implement at least a portion of a server system, storage system, or other type of information processing system.

[0003] Chassis are typically compliant with established height, width, and depth standards to facilitate installation of the chassis in a device rack or other type of electronic device rack. For example, standard chassis heights such as 1U, 2U, 3U, 4U, etc. are commonly used, where U represents a 1.75 inch (1.75”) unit height compliant with the well-known EIA-310-D industry standard.

[0004] For example, as the number and power consumption of CPUs, GPUs, and / or other related components continue to increase, temperature control of electronic devices installed in electronic device chassis is an increasingly important issue. Unfortunately, conventional approaches can require a significant increase in the size of the device chassis, such as requiring an increase in the chassis height from 1U to 2U in order to accommodate various types of temperature control components. Moreover, such approaches are often difficult to provide adequate temperature control for edge computing devices, which can be subject to significant external temperature variations due to their typical installation location outside of a data center environment. Accordingly, there is a need for improved temperature control of servers, edge computing devices, and other types of electronic devices. SUMMARY

[0005] Illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques for liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control of electronic devices in electronic device chassis. These and other arrangements disclosed herein can provide enhanced temperature control for a variety of different types of electronic devices without requiring a significant increase in the size of the devices.

[0006] For example, in some embodiments, a single air channel is utilized to implement liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control of one or more components of at least one server or other type of electronic device arranged in a chassis. These and other embodiments can advantageously avoid the need to increase the size of the device chassis of the server, such as from a 1U chassis height to a 2U chassis height, when implementing liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control as disclosed herein.

[0007] Additionally, some embodiments are configured to utilize a single thermoelectric module and associated heat exchanger module to provide temperature control in both cooling and heating operational modes in order to accommodate potentially wide external temperature variations for edge computing devices and other types of electronic equipment.

[0008] In one embodiment, an apparatus includes an electronic equipment chassis having an electronic equipment mounted therein, a thermoelectric module disposed adjacent a front of the electronic equipment chassis, a heat exchanger module disposed adjacent a rear of the electronic equipment chassis, and at least first and second liquid carrier conduits coupled between the thermoelectric module and the heat exchanger module and passing through at least a portion of the electronic equipment chassis. The thermoelectric module, the heat exchanger module, and the liquid carrier conduits are collectively configured to provide temperature control to one or more components of the electronic equipment.

[0009] The electronic equipment mounted in the electronic equipment chassis illustratively includes at least one server, but a variety of other types of electronic equipment can additionally or alternatively be used in other embodiments.

[0010] In some embodiments, the thermoelectric module illustratively includes a thermoelectric cooler, a cold plate coupled to a first side of the thermoelectric cooler, and a heat sink coupled to a second side of the thermoelectric cooler opposite the first side.

[0011] The thermoelectric module may, for example, be coupled to an outer surface of the front of the electronic equipment chassis or to a front of an electronic equipment rack in which the electronic equipment chassis is mounted. In other embodiments, the thermoelectric module can be at least partially implemented within the electronic equipment chassis.

[0012] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger module illustratively includes a heat exchanger and a pump, where the pump is configured to circulate a liquid through the thermoelectric module, the heat exchanger, and the liquid carrier conduits.

[0013] The heat exchanger module may, for example, be coupled to an outer surface of the rear of the electronic equipment chassis or to a rear of an electronic equipment rack in which the electronic equipment chassis is mounted. In other embodiments, the heat exchanger module can be at least partially implemented within the electronic equipment chassis.

[0014] In some embodiments, each of the liquid carrier conduits is connected at a first end thereof to a cold plate of the thermoelectric module and at a second end thereof to the heat exchanger module.

[0015] In an example cooling mode of operation, a control current is applied to a thermoelectric cooler of the thermoelectric module to configure a first side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to the cold plate of the thermoelectric module as a hot side of the thermoelectric cooler and to configure a second side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to a heat sink of the thermoelectric cooler as a cold side of the thermoelectric cooler, wherein the heat exchanger module moves hot water from the hot side of the thermoelectric cooler via the cold plate and the first liquid-carrying conduit into the heat exchanger module and moves cold water from the heat exchanger module via the second liquid-carrying conduit and the cold plate back to the hot side of the thermoelectric cooler. Cool air generated from the cold side of the thermoelectric cooler is illustratively drawn from the front of the electronics chassis to the back of the electronics chassis to cool the one or more components of the electronic device.

[0016] In an example heating mode of operation, a control current is applied to a thermoelectric cooler of the thermoelectric module to configure a first side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to the cold plate of the thermoelectric module as a cold side of the thermoelectric cooler and to configure a second side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to a heat sink of the thermoelectric cooler as a hot side of the thermoelectric cooler, wherein the heat exchanger module moves cold water from the cold side of the thermoelectric cooler via the cold plate and the first liquid-carrying conduit into the heat exchanger module and moves hot water from the heat exchanger module via the second liquid-carrying conduit and the cold plate back to the cold side of the thermoelectric cooler. Warm air generated from the hot side of the thermoelectric cooler is illustratively drawn from the front of the electronics chassis to the back of the electronics chassis to heat the one or more components of the electronic device.

[0017] In an example additional mode of operation, an amount of control current applied to a thermoelectric cooler of the thermoelectric module is illustratively adjusted such that neither a first side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to the cold plate nor a second side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to a heat sink is configured as a cold side or a hot side, and neither cooling nor heating is provided.

[0018] These and other illustrative embodiments include, but are not limited to, methods, apparatus, networks, systems, and processor-readable storage media. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is a side view of an illustrative electronic device apparatus of liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control of a server in an illustrative embodiment.

[0020] Figure 2A and Figure 2Bis a side view showing respective cooling and heating operational modes of electronic equipment devices in illustrative embodiments for liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control of servers.

[0021] Figure 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary process in illustrative embodiments for liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control.

[0022] Figure 4 is a side view of an exemplary rack arrangement in illustrative embodiments including multiple servers or other devices provided with liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Illustrative embodiments will be described herein with reference to exemplary chassis configurations for electronic equipment such as servers, storage systems, and the like. It should be understood, however, that embodiments of the present application are not limited to the particular illustrative configurations shown. Thus, terms such as "electronic equipment chassis" as used herein are intended to be interpreted broadly so as to encompass various other arrangements of other types of computing devices or other electronic equipment that can be arranged, for example, with other types of electrical equipment in a common housing of an electronic equipment chassis.

[0024] Information technology (IT) equipment such as various computing, networking, and storage hardware or other electronic equipment is often installed in electronic equipment chassis. The electronic equipment chassis can form part of an electronic equipment cabinet (e.g., a computer cabinet) or other electronic equipment rack (e.g., a computer or server rack, also referred to herein simply as a "rack") installed in a data center, computer room, or other facility. The equipment cabinet or other type of electronic equipment rack provides or has physical electronic equipment chassis that can house multiple pieces of equipment such as multiple computing devices (e.g., servers, storage systems, network devices, etc.). As noted above, the electronic equipment chassis often conforms to established height, width, and depth standards so as to facilitate installation of the electronic equipment in the equipment cabinet or other type of electronic equipment rack. For example, standard chassis heights such as 1U, 2U, 3U, 4U, etc. are often used, where U represents a 1.75" unit height that conforms to the well-known EIA-310-D industry standard.

[0025] As IT modernization continues to evolve, data centers and other types of information processing systems provide support for IT assets having greater processing capabilities, increased network bandwidth, and the like. Such IT assets can include, but are not limited to, various physical computing hardware such as servers, storage systems, networking devices, other types of processing and computing devices, and the like. The IT assets are examples of what are more generally referred to herein as "electronic equipment" that is installed in electronic equipment chassis that form or provide part of an electronic equipment rack.

[0026] To support such higher processing power, increased network bandwidth, and other features, electronic devices face numerous thermal challenges. Cooling requirements for electronic devices (and the enclosures that house them, and the data centers or other facilities within them) are becoming increasingly critical. Various types of cooling methods can be utilized, including air cooling, liquid cooling, and liquid immersion cooling. Most (if not all) electronic devices in a typical data center employ air cooling methods by utilizing redundant hot-swappable fans. Liquid cooling is also possible, but it is more expensive than air cooling. However, air and liquid cooling methods may be insufficient for certain use cases.

[0027] Furthermore, edge computing deployments are becoming increasingly prevalent, and many edge computing environments have potentially wide ambient temperature ranges, ranging from high ambient temperatures of approximately 50°C to approximately 60°C to low ambient temperatures of approximately -40°C. However, it should be understood that other ambient temperature ranges may exist in other electronic device deployments. Traditional design solutions are not specifically optimized for edge deployments and their associated ambient temperature ranges.

[0028] As technology advances, server CPUs and / or GPUs are designed to include a greater number of processing cores with correspondingly higher thermal design power (TDP), making them increasingly difficult to cool with conventional air cooling.

[0029] Some existing solutions employ specialized temperature control equipment, such as precision air conditioners, which results in additional costs and space requirements, and limits the possible deployment range.

[0030] Other existing solutions use a single heater to preheat servers or other electronic devices at low ambient temperatures, limiting the flexibility for cooling requirements at high ambient temperatures.

[0031] Semiconductor cooling technology is based on the principle of the thermoelectric effect. It provides a highly controllable, simple, and low-cost cooling method. Commercially available semiconductor cooling pads, also known as "semiconductor coolers," exist, which can be considered examples of what this paper more generally refers to as thermoelectric coolers or TECs.

[0032] In conventional practice, a radiator is attached to the hot side of a thermoelectric cooler, the cold side of the thermoelectric cooler is attached to the component to be cooled, and electricity is applied to the thermoelectric cooler to cool the component. However, due to its typically low power efficiency, the heat generated by the thermoelectric cooler is completely wasted in this arrangement.

[0033] Another solution involves building a modular data center and applying air conditioning to individual modules of the modular data center. This is an effective cooling method, but even very small or "micro" modular data centers require a large amount of rack space, which can be an excessive footprint for edge applications.

[0034] Other existing solutions require additional air passageways to exhaust heat. This can increase the size of the server, for example, by requiring a server that would otherwise be a 1U server to be implemented as a 2U server.

[0035] Illustrative embodiments provide a very advantageous solution to these and other problems of conventional approaches, as will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 in more detail.

[0036] Figure 1 An illustrative embodiment of an electronic device apparatus 100 implementing liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control as disclosed herein is shown. The electronic device apparatus 100 includes a server 102 having a front and a back as shown. The electronic device apparatus 100 also includes a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) module 104 arranged at the front of the server 102 and a rear heat exchanger module (RHXM) 106 arranged at the back of the server. The large horizontal arrows in the figure show the direction of airflow from the front of the server 102 to the back of the server 102.

[0037] The server 102 is assumed to be deployed in the form of an electronic device chassis and includes liquid-carrying tubes 105-1 and 105-2, illustratively denoted as respective "hot" and "cold" tubes, although these designations change depending on whether the apparatus is in cooling mode or heating mode, as will be described in more detail elsewhere herein.

[0038] The liquid-carrying tubes 105-1 and 105-2 (collectively referred to herein as liquid-carrying tubes 105) are coupled to the respective TEC module 104 and RHXM 106 via corresponding quick disconnect (QD) interfaces 107 and 108 at the respective front and back of the server 102. The QD interfaces 107 and 108 are merely examples, and other types of connectors and interfaces can be used in other embodiments.

[0039] The TEC module 104 more specifically includes a TEC 110 disposed between a cold plate 112 and a heat sink 114. The TEC 110 has two main sides, illustratively a "cold" side and a "hot" side, respectively, with a first side of the TEC 110 coupled to the cold plate 112 and a second, opposite side of the TEC 110 coupled to the heat sink 114. The TEC 110 is illustratively implemented as a solid-state, actively powered heat pump device controlled by electrical current that utilizes the Peltier effect to transfer heat from one side of the heat pump device to the other, depending on the direction of electrical current applied to the TEC 110. Other types and arrangements of TEC components can be used in other embodiments.

[0040] The RHXM 106 illustratively includes a heat exchanger and a pump, which are not explicitly shown in the figure, although other arrangements are possible. For example, another type of "heat exchanger module" as that term is used broadly herein can include at least one of a plurality of pumps and a plurality of heat exchangers.

[0041] The liquid carrier tube 105 is illustratively coupled at a front of the server 102 to the cold plate 112 of the TEC module 104 via a QD interface 107, and similarly at a back of the server 102 to the RHXM 106 via a QD interface 108. Other types and arrangements of connectors or other interfaces can be used to couple the liquid carrier tube 105 between the TEC module 104 and the RHXM 106.

[0042] The liquid carrier tube 105 is an example of what is more generally referred to herein as a "liquid carrier conduit," and other types and arrangements of conduits can be used in other embodiments. In the illustrative embodiment, such conduits carry water, although other types of fluids can additionally or alternatively be used, including for example various coolants or other thermally conductive dielectric fluids. The pump of the RHXM 106 is used to circulate water and / or other fluids through the TEC module 104, the liquid carrier tube 105, and the heat exchanger of the RHXM 106.

[0043] For example, the RHXM 106 illustratively utilizes its pump to move hot water away from the TEC module 104 via a hot tube corresponding to the liquid carrier tube 105-1, to cool the hot water in its heat exchanger, and to return cold water to the TEC module 104 via a cold tube corresponding to the liquid carrier tube 105-2. It should be noted that terms such as "hot" and "cold" as used herein are intended to be interpreted broadly as indicating relative temperatures of liquids carried by different ones of the liquid carrier tubes 105, for example, and should not be taken as requiring any particular temperature levels. Similar terms such as "warm" and "cold" are similarly intended to indicate relative temperatures rather than any particular temperature levels, and should also be interpreted broadly.

[0044] The TEC module 104 may, for example, be coupled to an exterior surface of a front portion of an electronic equipment chassis of the server 102 or to a front portion of an electronic equipment rack in which the electronic equipment chassis of the server 102 is installed. In other embodiments, the TEC module 104 can be implemented at least partially within the electronic equipment chassis of the server 102.

[0045] Similarly, the RHXM 106 may, for example, be coupled to an exterior surface of a rear portion of an electronic equipment chassis of the server 102 or to a rear portion of an electronic equipment rack in which the electronic equipment chassis of the server 102 is installed. In other embodiments, the RHXM 106 can be implemented at least partially within the electronic equipment chassis of the server 102.

[0046] Furthermore, although the TEC module 104 and the RHXM 106 are illustratively shown as being external to the server 102 in the figures, this is merely by way of illustrative example, and in other embodiments at least one of the TEC module 104 and the RHXM 106 can be implemented at least partially within the electronic equipment chassis of the server 102.

[0047] All of the above-described example placement arrangements of the TEC module 104 and the RHXM 106 relative to the respective front and rear portions of the server 102, including arrangements in which such components are at least partially disposed within the electronic equipment chassis of the server 102, are intended to be encompassed by the term“adjacent” as used herein in the broad sense with respect to the TEC module 104 being disposed adjacent to the front portion of the server 102 and the RHXM 106 being disposed adjacent to the rear portion of the server 102.

[0048] Other arrangements of the TEC module 104, the RHXM 106, and the carrier liquid tube 105 relative to the electronic equipment chassis of the server 102 can be used. For example, in some embodiments the positions of the TEC module 104 and the RHXM 106 relative to the respective front and rear portions of the server 102 can be reversed. One or more of such components can also be disposed inside the chassis, possibly at an intermediate portion between the front and rear portions of the chassis. These and many other arrangements are possible in other embodiments.

[0049] The TEC module 104, the RHXM 106, and the carrier liquid tube 105 are collectively configured to provide temperature control to at least a portion of the server 102. For example, in some embodiments the TEC module 104, the RHXM 106, and the carrier liquid tube 105 can be configured in a variety of different operational modes, including at least a cooling mode and a heating mode, and possibly one or more additional modes.

[0050] In an example cooling mode of operation, control current is applied to the TECs 110 of the TEC module 104 to configure a first side of the TECs 110 adjacent to the cold plate 112 of the TEC module 104 as a hot side of the TECs 110 and a second side of the TECs 110 adjacent to the heat sink 114 of the TEC module 104 as a cold side of the TECs 110, with the RHXM 106 moving hot water from the hot side of the TECs 110 into the RHXM 106 via the cold plate 112 and the first liquid load pipe 105-1, and moving cold water from the RHXM 106 back to the hot side of the TECs 110 via the second liquid load pipe 105-2 and the cold plate 112. In this mode, cool air generated from the cold side of the TECs 110 is drawn from a front of the server 102 to a back of the server 102 in the airflow direction shown in the figure to cool one or more components of the server 102.

[0051] The airflow in this illustrative embodiment and other embodiments disclosed herein can be established at least in part using various arrangements of one or more fans or other air circulation mechanisms not explicitly shown in the figures, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

[0052] In an example heating mode of operation, control current is applied to the TECs 110 of the TEC module 104 to configure a first side of the TECs 110 adjacent to the cold plate 112 of the TEC module 104 as a cold side of the TECs 110 and a second side of the TECs 110 adjacent to the heat sink 114 of the TEC module 104 as a hot side of the TECs 110, with the RHXM 106 moving cold water from the cold side of the TECs 110 into the RHXM 106 via the cold plate 112 and the first liquid load pipe 105-1, and moving hot water from the RHXM 106 back to the cold side of the TECs 110 via the second liquid load pipe 105-2 and the cold plate 112. In this mode, warm air generated from the hot side of the TECs 110 is drawn from a front of the server 102 to a back of the server 102 in the airflow direction shown in the figure to heat one or more components of the server 102.

[0053] In an example additional mode of operation, the amount of control current applied to the TECs 110 of the TEC module 104 is illustratively adjusted (e.g., set to zero or set to a minimum amount below a switching threshold) such that neither the first side of the TECs 110 adjacent to the cold plate 112 nor the second side of the TECs 110 adjacent to the heat sink 114 is configured as a cold side or a hot side, and no cooling or heating is provided.

[0054] The above-described modes of operation are merely examples, and additional or alternative modes of operation can be provided in other embodiments. Reference will now be made to Figure 2A and Figure 2BAdditional details describing exemplary heating and cooling modes.

[0055] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Respective cooling and heating operational modes of electronic device apparatus 200 in an illustrative implementation of liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control of server 202 are shown. Electronic device apparatus 200 is generally similar to electronic device apparatus 100 previously described in connection with Figure 1 and includes server 202, TEC module 204 arranged proximate to the front of server 202, and RHXM 206 arranged proximate to the rear of server 202. Electronic device apparatus 200 also includes liquid-carrying tubes 205-1 and 205-2, collectively referred to as liquid-carrying tubes 205, which are coupled to respective TEC module 204 and RHXM 206 at respective front and rear of server 202 via QD interfaces 207 and 208. TEC module 204 includes TEC 210, cold plate 212, and heat sink 214.

[0056] The components of electronic device apparatus 200 generally operate in similar fashion to the corresponding components previously described in connection with Figure 1 but Figure 2A More specifically, the cooling operational mode of electronic device apparatus 200 is shown, while Figure 2B More specifically, the heating operational mode of electronic device apparatus 200 is shown.

[0057] Reference is now made to Figure 2A , showing the cooling operational mode. When the ambient temperature and / or other monitored temperatures are sufficiently high (e.g., above a specified upper operating temperature of the server), TEC module 204 and RHXM 206 are configured to operate in the cooling mode. More specifically, the control current applied to TEC 210 is adjusted so that the upper side of TEC 210 (i.e., the side adjacent to cold plate 212) is the hot side, and the lower side of TEC 210 (i.e., the side adjacent to heat sink 214) is the cold side. The control current direction for this configuration is illustratively shown in the small circuit diagram at the far right of the figure. RHXM 206 will move hot water from the hot side of TEC 210 via cold plate 212 and liquid-carrying tube 205-1, which acts as a hot water tube, into RHXM 206, and will move cold water via liquid-carrying tube 205-2, which acts as a cold water tube, and cold plate 212 back to the hot side of TEC 210. The cold side of TEC 210 will produce cold air, which is “sucked in” by server 202, or in other words drawn from the front to the rear as indicated by the direction of the cold air flow in the figure, and used to cool server components.

[0058] Reference is now made to Figure 2Billustrates a heating mode of operation. When the ambient temperature and / or other monitored temperatures are sufficiently low (e.g., below a specified server lower operating temperature), the TEC module 204 and RHXM 206 are configured to operate in the heating mode. More specifically, the control current applied to the TEC 210 is adjusted so that the upper side of the TEC 210 (i.e., the side adjacent to the cold plate 212) is the cold side, and the lower side of the TEC 210 (i.e., the side adjacent to the heat sink 214) is the hot side. The control current direction for this configuration is illustrated in the small circuit diagram at the far right of the figure, and is opposite to the direction used in the cooling mode. The RHXM 206 will move cold water from the cold side of the TEC 210 via the cold plate 212 and the carrier liquid tube 205-1, which acts as a cold water tube, into the RHXM 206, and will move warm water back to the cold side of the TEC 210 via the carrier liquid tube 205-2, which acts as a warm water tube, and the cold plate 212, thereby preventing the liquid in the cold plate 212 and carrier liquid tube 205 from freezing. The hot side of the TEC 210 will generate warm air that is “sucked in” by the server 202, or in other words drawn from the front to the back as indicated by the direction of the warm air flow in the figure, and used to heat the server components.

[0059] When the ambient temperature and / or other monitored temperatures are between the specified server upper operating temperature and the specified server lower operating temperature, the TEC module 204 and RHXM 206 can be off. This illustratively is the normal mode of operation in which no cooling or heating occurs.

[0060] It should be noted that references herein to “ambient temperature” should not be considered limiting in any way. For example, other embodiments can be configured to control the temperature of a server and / or other electronic equipment based on additional or alternative monitored temperatures, such as exhaust air temperature of a chassis or rack, internal equipment temperature from sensors on one or more motherboard or other system boards of a given electronic device, internal component temperature from one or more component thermal sensors, and / or external system temperature from rack side sensors or other external sensors, and various combinations thereof. In embodiments in which multiple different temperatures are monitored at different locations within a given system deployment, for example, an average or other function of the various temperatures can be compared to a threshold and used to control switching between operating modes. As another example, multiple monitored temperatures can be compared to respective individual thresholds, with switching between operating modes occurring only when all monitored temperatures indicate as appropriate. These and many other arrangements for using one or more monitored temperatures to provide temperature control as disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0061] Likewise, other types and arrangements of operating modes can be used in other embodiments. The specified server upper operating temperature and the specified server lower operating temperature, as well as other upper or lower threshold values mentioned herein, can be set in a direct manner based on particular details of a given implementation, such as thermal characteristics of the operating environment and thermal requirements of the electronic device, as understood by one of skill in the art.

[0062] Figure 3 An example process for liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control in illustrative embodiments is shown. The process illustratively includes steps 300-305 as shown, and provides a temperature control algorithm that is illustratively implemented at least in part in a control circuit that can be part of at least one of a TEC module and an RHXM. In some embodiments, the control circuit can be implemented at least in part externally to at least one of a TEC module and an RHXM. The control circuit illustratively includes at least one processing device including at least one processing device and at least a portion of a memory coupled to the processing device. Such a control circuit interacts with one or more temperature sensors deployed within and / or near a server or other electronic device implemented in an electronic device chassis. In some embodiments, an ambient temperature is monitored, although this is merely an example and is not limiting in any way. Additional or alternative temperature monitoring arrangements can be used.

[0063] In step 300, a temperature of at least a portion of a server in an electronic device rack is monitored using one or more sensors. As indicated above, such monitoring is illustratively performed using one or more temperature sensors deployed within and / or near the server. In other embodiments, other types of electronic devices implemented in an electronic device chassis, which can or can not be installed in an electronic device rack, can be used in place of or in addition to a server. Moreover, a variety of different temperature monitoring arrangements can be used. In some embodiments, an ambient temperature is monitored, and such an ambient temperature illustratively indicates a temperature of an environment in which the server or other electronic device is deployed. For example, in a case in which the server is deployed as an edge computing device, the ambient temperature illustratively indicates an external temperature of the server in an edge computing environment in which the server is deployed. As previously indicated, such a deployment can result in significant fluctuations in the ambient temperature for the server. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the monitored temperature can be determined at least in part as an average or other function of a plurality of different temperatures received from respective ones of a plurality of temperature sensors.

[0064] In step 302, in response to the monitored temperature being at or above an upper threshold value, an electrical current applied to a thermoelectric cooler such as TEC 110 or TEC 210 is adjusted so as to configure the temperature control to a cooling mode, e.g., as previously described in connection withFigure 2A This illustratively involves configuring the thermoelectric cooler to a first configuration in which a particular one of the sides is the cold side and another one of the sides is the hot side. The process then returns to step 300 to continue monitoring the temperature to determine whether a subsequent adjustment to the mode of operation is needed.

[0065] In step 304, in response to the monitored temperature being at or below the lower threshold, the current applied to the thermoelectric cooler, such as TEC 110 or TEC 210, is adjusted so as to configure the temperature control to a heating mode, e.g., as previously described in connection with step 304. Figure 2B This illustratively involves configuring the thermoelectric cooler to a second configuration in which the particular sides of the thermoelectric cooler (i.e., the respective cold side and hot side) are reversed relative to the first configuration used for the cooling mode in step 302. The process then returns to step 300 to continue monitoring the temperature to determine whether a subsequent adjustment to the mode of operation is needed.

[0066] In step 305, in response to the monitored temperature being between the upper threshold and the lower threshold, the thermoelectric cooler, such as TEC 110 or TEC 210, is turned off so as to not provide cooling or heating. For example, the current applied to the thermoelectric cooler is illustratively terminated or otherwise interrupted so that neither side of the thermoelectric cooler is a cold side or a hot side. This can be considered a normal mode of operation. The process then returns to step 300 to continue monitoring the temperature to determine whether a subsequent adjustment to the mode of operation is needed.

[0067] in connection with Figure 3 The particular processing operations and other system functionality described in connection with the flowcharts are presented by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any way. Alternative embodiments can use other types of processing operations, involving electronic devices, thermoelectric coolers, heat exchanger modules, carrier liquid conduits, and additional or alternative components, as well as additional or alternative functionality for implementing the disclosed liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control of servers or other types of electronic devices. Moreover, in other embodiments, the order of process steps can be changed, or certain steps can be performed at least partially in parallel with one another rather than serially, in other embodiments. Furthermore, one or more of the process steps can be repeated periodically, or multiple instances of the process can be performed in parallel with one another, so as to implement multiple different arrangements for temperature control of different instances of electronic devices, such as different servers or other electronic devices installed at different locations in an electronic device rack.

[0068] in connection with Figure 3The functionality described by the flowcharts can be implemented, at least in part, in the form of one or more software programs stored in memory and executed by a processor of a processing device, which can be arranged internal or external to a server or other electronic device, illustratively within or near a corresponding electronic device chassis. Memory or other storage devices having executable program code of one or more software programs embodied therein are examples of what are more generally referred to herein as "processor-readable storage media."

[0069] Processors can include microprocessors, microcontrollers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), system on a chip (SOCs), and / or other types of processing circuitry, as well as portions or combinations of such circuitry elements.

[0070] Memory can include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), flash memory, or other types of memory in any combination. Memory and other memory disclosed herein should be considered illustrative examples of what is more generally referred to herein as "processor-readable storage media" storing executable program code of one or more software programs.

[0071] Articles of manufacture including such processor-readable storage media are considered illustrative embodiments. Given such articles of manufacture can include, for example, a storage array, a storage disk, or an integrated circuit containing RAM, ROM, flash memory, or other electronic memory, or any of a variety of other types of computer program products. The term "article of manufacture" as used herein should be understood to exclude transitory propagating signals.

[0072] Referring now to Figure 4 , an illustrative rack arrangement 400 is shown. The rack arrangement 400 includes a plurality of servers or other devices 402-1, 402-2, 402-3,..., 402-k,... 402-N installed therein as shown in an electronic device rack 401. In this embodiment, each of the devices 402 in the electronic device rack 401 is provided with liquid-assisted and thermoelectric-based temperature control in the manner disclosed herein. The rack arrangement 400 also includes a heat exchanger 406 arranged adjacent to a rear of the electronic device rack 401 and respective rear portions of its corresponding devices 402. It should be noted that other types of electronic device racks can be used in other embodiments, and the term "electronic device rack" as used herein is intended to be interpreted broadly so as to encompass such other arrangements, including, for example, various types of electronic device cabinets.

[0073] The airflow in this embodiment is from the front of the electronics rack 401 toward the rear of the electronics rack 401 adjacent the heat exchanger 406, as indicated by the arrows corresponding to rack intake air, heat exchanger intake air, and heat exchanger exhaust air. The heat exchanger also includes a water inlet 420 and a water outlet 422, assuming they are coupled to a pump not explicitly shown. The heat exchanger 406 and its associated pump are illustratively part of an RHXM implemented as a combined unit that supports the RHXM functionality for all of the devices 402. Alternatively, such an RHXM can be implemented as multiple separate and distinct units for respective ones of the devices 402.

[0074] Each of the devices 402 illustratively includes one or more TEC modules of the type disclosed herein, such as the TEC module 104 or the TEC module 204, arranged adjacent the front of the corresponding device as shown in the figure. Such TEC modules are assumed in this embodiment to be integrated into respective fronts of corresponding electronics chassis of the corresponding devices 402, although many other arrangements of TEC modules are possible.

[0075] Accordingly, separate instances of TEC modules are illustratively arranged adjacent respective fronts of respective ones of the electronics chassis of the devices 402 mounted in the electronics rack 401. Each such TEC module illustratively includes a thermoelectric cooler, a cold plate coupled to a first side of the thermoelectric cooler, and a heat sink coupled to a second side of the thermoelectric cooler opposite the first side. The TEC modules interact with one or more heat exchanger modules arranged adjacent the rear of their respective electronics chassis, and such modules are illustratively part of or otherwise associated with the heat exchanger 406.

[0076] At least first and second liquid-carrying conduits are coupled between a given one of the TEC modules and a given one of the heat exchanger modules, and pass through at least a portion of the corresponding electronics chassis. The given TEC module, the given heat exchanger module, and the associated liquid-carrying conduits are collectively configured to provide temperature control to one or more components of the electronics in the given electronics chassis of a corresponding one of the devices 402 in the manner described elsewhere herein.

[0077] The illustrative embodiments provide a number of significant advantages over conventional approaches.

[0078] For example, some embodiments utilize the cooling and heating capabilities of TECs in a manner that does not significantly increase the footprint, chassis height, or other aspects of the footprint of the servers or other electronics. As a result, some embodiments can be implemented with only a single air passageway, without the need for a more space-consuming arrangement with multiple air passageways.

[0079] In addition, some embodiments implement liquid-assisted cooling to cool the TCE module via the RHXM and a carrier liquid conduit disposed between the cold plate of the TCE module and the RHXM. In some embodiments, a pump is integrated in the RHXM to maintain the inner loop water flow without requiring any external coolant distribution unit (CDU).

[0080] In some embodiments, the TEC module and the RHXM can be attached to and detached from a server or other electronic device as needed for use via respective quick disconnect interfaces, thereby providing a highly flexible temperature control arrangement.

[0081] Illustrative embodiments utilize the TEC module to produce cold air or warm air in respective cooling and heating modes according to ambient temperature and / or other monitored temperatures by control of the direction of current applied to the TEC module. This provides a significant advantage over conventional arrangements that utilize only the cooling capability of the TEC module, with the heating capability of the TEC module being wasted. For example, such conventional arrangements typically adhere or otherwise couple the cold side of the TEC module to high power consumption components, such as CPUs and / or GPUs, with other components unable to obtain any significant benefit from the TEC module.

[0082] It should be appreciated that the particular advantages described above and elsewhere herein are associated with particular illustrative embodiments, and need not be present in other embodiments. Moreover, the particular types of features and functionality as illustrated in the drawings and as described above are merely exemplary, and numerous other arrangements can be used in other embodiments.

[0083] It should again be emphasized that the embodiments described above are presented for illustrative purposes only. Numerous variations and other alternative embodiments can be used. For example, the disclosed technology can be applied to a variety of other types of electronic devices, electronic device chassis and rack configurations, thermoelectric modules, heat exchanger modules, temperature control processes, and additional or alternative components and technology. Moreover, in other embodiments, the particular configurations of the system and device elements illustratively shown in the drawings, as well as the related processing operations, can be altered. Furthermore, various assumptions made in the course of describing the illustrative embodiments above should also be considered as exemplary, rather than as requirements or limitations on the present disclosure. Numerous other alternative embodiments within the scope of the appended claims will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: an electronics cabinet having an electronic device mounted therein; a thermoelectric module disposed adjacent a front portion of the electronics cabinet; a heat exchanger module disposed adjacent a rear portion of the electronics cabinet; and at least first and second liquid carrier conduits coupled between the thermoelectric module and the heat exchanger module and through at least a portion of the electronics cabinet; wherein the thermoelectric module, the heat exchanger module, and the liquid carrier conduits are collectively configured to provide temperature control to one or more components of the electronic device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electronic device mounted in the electronics cabinet comprises at least one server.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric module is at least one of coupled to an outer surface of the front portion of the electronics cabinet and coupled to a front portion of an electronics rack on which the electronics cabinet is mounted.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thermoelectric module comprises: a thermoelectric cooler; a cold plate coupled to a first side of the thermoelectric cooler; and a heat sink coupled to a second side of the thermoelectric cooler opposite the first side.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger module is at least one of coupled to an outer surface of the rear portion of the electronics cabinet and coupled to a rear portion of an electronics rack on which the electronics cabinet is mounted.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger module comprises a heat exchanger and a pump configured to circulate a liquid through the thermoelectric module, the heat exchanger, and the liquid carrier conduits.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the liquid carrier conduits is connected at a first end thereof to a cold plate of the thermoelectric module and at a second end thereof to the heat exchanger module.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein in a cooling mode of operation, a control current is applied to a thermoelectric cooler of the thermoelectric module to configure a first side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent the cold plate of the thermoelectric module as a hot side of the thermoelectric cooler and to configure a second side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent a heat sink of the thermoelectric module as a cold side of the thermoelectric cooler, wherein the heat exchanger module moves hot water from the hot side of the thermoelectric cooler via the cold plate and the first liquid carrier conduit into the heat exchanger module and moves cold water from the heat exchanger module via the second liquid carrier conduit and the cold plate back to the hot side of the thermoelectric cooler, and wherein cool air generated from the cold side of the thermoelectric cooler is drawn from the front portion of the electronics cabinet to the rear portion of the electronics cabinet to cool the one or more components of the electronic device. ​ ​ 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein in a heating mode of operation, a control current is applied to a thermoelectric cooler of the thermoelectric module to configure a first side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to a cold plate of the thermoelectric module as a cold side of the thermoelectric cooler and to configure a second side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to a heat sink of the thermoelectric module as a hot side of the thermoelectric cooler, wherein the heat exchanger module moves cool water from the cold side of the thermoelectric cooler into the heat exchanger module via the cold plate and the first liquid-carrying conduit and moves warm water from the heat exchanger module back to the cold side of the thermoelectric cooler via the second liquid-carrying conduit and the cold plate, and wherein warm air generated from the hot side of the thermoelectric cooler is drawn from the front of the electronics chassis to the back of the electronics chassis to heat the one or more components of the electronics.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein in an additional mode of operation, an amount of control current applied to a thermoelectric cooler of the thermoelectric module is adjusted so that neither the first side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to the cold plate nor the second side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to the heat sink is configured as a cold side or a hot side, and no cooling or heating is provided.

11. A method comprising: providing an electronics chassis having an electronics installed therein; deploying a thermoelectric module disposed adjacent to a front of the electronics chassis, a heat exchanger module disposed adjacent to a back of the electronics chassis, and at least a first liquid-carrying conduit and a second liquid-carrying conduit coupled between the thermoelectric module and the heat exchanger module and passing through at least a portion of the electronics chassis; providing temperature control to one or more components of the electronics with the thermoelectric module, the heat exchanger module, and the liquid-carrying conduits.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing temperature control further comprises, in a cooling mode of operation, applying a control current to a thermoelectric cooler of the thermoelectric module to configure a first side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to a cold plate of the thermoelectric module as a hot side of the thermoelectric cooler and to configure a second side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to a heat sink of the thermoelectric module as a cold side of the thermoelectric cooler, wherein the heat exchanger module moves warm water from the hot side of the thermoelectric cooler into the heat exchanger module via the cold plate and the first liquid-carrying conduit and moves cool water from the heat exchanger module back to the hot side of the thermoelectric cooler via the second liquid-carrying conduit and the cold plate, and wherein cool air generated from the cold side of the thermoelectric cooler is drawn from the front of the electronics chassis to the back of the electronics chassis to cool the one or more components of the electronics.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein providing temperature control further comprises, in a heating mode of operation, applying a control current to a thermoelectric cooler of the thermoelectric module to configure a first side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to a cold plate of the thermoelectric module as a cold side of the thermoelectric cooler and to configure a second side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to a heat sink of the thermoelectric module as a hot side of the thermoelectric cooler, wherein the heat exchanger module moves cold water from the cold side of the thermoelectric cooler into the heat exchanger module via the cold plate and the first liquid-carrying conduit and moves hot water from the heat exchanger module back to the cold side of the thermoelectric cooler via the second liquid-carrying conduit and the cold plate, and wherein warm air generated from the hot side of the thermoelectric cooler is drawn from the front of the electronics chassis to the back of the electronics chassis to heat the one or more components of the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein providing temperature control further comprises, in an additional mode of operation, adjusting an amount of control current applied to a thermoelectric cooler of the thermoelectric module such that neither a first side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to a cold plate nor a second side of the thermoelectric cooler adjacent to a heat sink is configured as a cold side or a hot side and no cooling or heating is provided.

15. An apparatus comprising: an electronics chassis; a plurality of electronics chassis mounted within the electronics chassis, each of the electronics chassis having an electronic device mounted therein; a thermoelectric module disposed adjacent to a front of at least a given one of the electronics chassis; a heat exchanger module disposed adjacent to a back of the given one of the electronics chassis; and at least a first liquid-carrying conduit and a second liquid-carrying conduit coupled between the thermoelectric module and the heat exchanger module and through at least a portion of the given one of the electronics chassis; wherein the thermoelectric module, the heat exchanger module, and the liquid-carrying conduits are collectively configured to provide temperature control to one or more components of the electronic device mounted in the given one of the electronics chassis.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a separate instance of the thermoelectric module is disposed adjacent to a respective front of a respective one of the electronics chassis mounted in the electronics chassis.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the thermoelectric module comprises: a thermoelectric cooler; a cold plate coupled to a first side of the thermoelectric cooler; and a heat sink coupled to a second side of the thermoelectric cooler opposite the first side.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a separate instance of the heat exchanger module is disposed adjacent to a respective back of a respective one of the electronics chassis mounted in the electronics chassis. ​ ​ 19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein individual instances of the heat exchanger module are disposed adjacent respective rear portions of respective electronic equipment chassis in the electronic equipment racks.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the heat exchanger module comprises a heat exchanger and a pump configured to circulate a liquid through the thermoelectric module, the heat exchanger, and the liquid carrier conduit.

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