Single-pump and double-pump mode switching method of liquid cooling system, liquid cooling CDU and data center

Abstract

The invention provides a single-double pump mode switching method of a liquid cooling system, a liquid cooling CDU and a data center, and relates to the field of liquid cooling heat dissipation. The liquid cooling system comprises at least one liquid cooling CDU, and the liquid cooling CDU comprises two water pumps which are connected in parallel; the method comprises the following steps: when a local machine is used as a host machine, sending a mode switching self-checking instruction to each online slave machine; wherein the mode switching self-checking instruction is used for indicating the on-line slave to detect whether the on-line slave needs to perform mode switching; determining a mode switching self-checking result of the local machine, and receiving the mode switching self-checking result sent by each on-line slave machine; and if the mode switching self-inspection results of the local machine and all the on-line slaves are that mode switching needs to be carried out, controlling the local machine and all the on-line slaves to carry out mode switching. According to the invention, the condition that a certain liquid cooling CDU is repeatedly switched between a single-pump mode and a double-pump mode is avoided, and the heat dissipation effect of the equipment needing to be cooled is prevented from being influenced by the condition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of liquid cooling technology, and in particular to a method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system, a liquid-cooled CDU, and a data center. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, data centers, as computing infrastructure, are constantly expanding in scale and increasing in computing density, placing higher demands on heat dissipation systems. Traditional air-cooling methods are no longer sufficient to meet the heat dissipation needs of high-density, high-power devices in data centers, resulting in problems such as low heat dissipation efficiency, high energy consumption, and high noise, which seriously restricts the development of data centers.

[0003] Liquid cooling technology has attracted widespread attention as a highly efficient and energy-saving heat dissipation method. A liquid cooling system may operate with only one liquid-cooled CDU (Coolant Distribution Unit) or multiple liquid-cooled CDUs connected in parallel to meet the different heat dissipation needs of a data center. Furthermore, to improve the reliability of the liquid-cooled CDU, it is typically equipped with two pumps connected in parallel; therefore, the liquid-cooled CDU can operate in single-pump mode or dual-pump mode.

[0004] In related technologies, liquid-cooled CDUs can automatically determine whether to operate in single-pump or dual-pump mode. However, when multiple liquid-cooled CDUs are running together, this operation may cause the liquid-cooled CDUs to fall into a cycle of repeatedly switching between single-pump and dual-pump modes, affecting the heat dissipation of the equipment to be cooled. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system, a liquid-cooled CDU, and a data center, to solve the problem that existing technologies may cause liquid-cooled CDUs to fall into a cycle of repeated switching between single-pump and dual-pump modes, affecting the heat dissipation of the equipment to be cooled.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system. The liquid cooling system includes at least one liquid-cooled CDU, and the liquid-cooled CDU includes two water pumps connected in parallel. The method for switching between single and dual pump modes in the liquid cooling system includes: When the local machine acts as the master, it sends a mode switching self-test command to each online slave machine. The mode switching self-test command is used to instruct the online slave machine to check whether it needs to switch modes. The mode switching is a switch between single pump mode and dual pump mode. Determine the mode switching self-test result of the local machine, and receive the mode switching self-test results sent by each online slave machine; If the self-test results for mode switching of the local machine and all online slave machines indicate that mode switching is required, then control the local machine and all online slave machines to perform mode switching.

[0007] In one possible implementation, determining the mode switching self-test result of the local machine includes: Get the current operating mode and current operating status of the machine; If the target flow rate cannot be achieved in single-pump mode when the current operating mode of this machine is single-pump mode, or if the current operating condition of this machine is dual-pump mode which is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode, then the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is required; otherwise, the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is not required.

[0008] In one possible implementation, after obtaining the current operating mode and current operating condition of the machine, the following steps are also included: If the target flow rate cannot be achieved in dual-pump mode when the current operating mode of this machine is dual-pump mode, or if the current operating condition of this machine is that single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode, then the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is required; otherwise, the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is not required.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the current operating condition of the machine includes the machine's current flow rate and current supply and return hydraulic pressure difference; After obtaining the current operating mode and current operating condition of the machine, it also includes: The machine's current flow rate and current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference are compared with a pre-determined curve of flow rate and supply-return hydraulic pressure difference. The curve represents the flow rate and supply-return hydraulic pressure difference when the energy-saving effects of single-pump mode and dual-pump mode are the same. The two sides of the curve represent the regions where single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode and the regions where dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode, respectively. If the current flow rate and current supply and return hydraulic pressure difference of the machine are in the region where single pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual pump mode, then the current operating condition of the machine is determined to be that single pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual pump mode. If the current flow rate and current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference of the machine are in the region where the dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the single-pump mode, then the current operating condition of the machine is determined to be the dual-pump mode, which is more energy-efficient than the single-pump mode.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the method for switching between single and dual pump modes in the liquid cooling system also includes: When the local machine acts as a slave, if it receives a mode switching self-test command sent by the master, it determines its own mode switching self-test result and sends its own mode switching self-test result to the master. If a mode switching command is received from the host, the current working mode will be switched to another working mode.

[0011] In one possible implementation, when the local machine acts as the master, before sending the mode switching self-test command to each online slave machine, the following steps are also included: Detect whether there are changes in the racking rate and load rate of the heat load; Send mode switching self-test commands to each online slave device, including: If the hot load availability and load rate remain unchanged, a mode switching self-test command is sent to each online slave device.

[0012] In one possible implementation, when the local machine acts as the master, before sending the mode switching self-test command to each online slave machine, the following steps are also included: Detect whether a mode switch has been performed uniformly within the first preset time period; Send mode switching self-test commands to each online slave device, including: If no mode switch has been performed uniformly within the first preset time period, a mode switch self-test command will be sent to each online slave device.

[0013] In one possible implementation, after determining the mode switching self-test result of the local machine and receiving the mode switching self-test results sent by each online slave machine, the method further includes: If the self-test results of mode switching for the local machine and all online slave machines are not all indicative of a mode switch, then the local machine and all online slave machines will maintain their current operating modes.

[0014] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention provide a single / dual pump mode switching device for a liquid cooling system. The liquid cooling system includes at least one liquid-cooled CDU, and the liquid-cooled CDU includes two water pumps connected in parallel. The single / dual pump mode switching device for the liquid cooling system includes: The host instruction sending module is used to send mode switching self-test instructions to each online slave when the host is acting as the host. The mode switching self-test instructions are used to instruct the online slave to check whether it needs to switch modes, which is a switch between single-pump mode and dual-pump mode. The self-test result acquisition module is used to determine the mode switching self-test result of the local machine and receive the mode switching self-test results sent by each online slave machine. The control module is used to control the local machine and all online slave machines to perform a mode switch if the self-test results of the mode switching of the local machine and all online slave machines indicate that a mode switch is required.

[0015] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention provide a liquid-cooled CDU, including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute the single / dual pump mode switching method of the liquid cooling system as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0016] Fourthly, embodiments of the present invention provide a liquid cooling system, including at least one liquid-cooled CDU as described in the third aspect, wherein the liquid-cooled CDU further includes two water pumps connected in parallel.

[0017] Fifthly, embodiments of the present invention provide a data center including the liquid cooling system described in the fourth aspect.

[0018] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the single / dual pump mode switching method for a liquid cooling system as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0019] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the single / dual pump mode switching method for a liquid cooling system as described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0020] This invention provides a method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system, a liquid-cooled CDU, and a data center. By configuring a master and slave unit for each online liquid-cooled CDU, the master sends a mode-switching self-test command to each online slave unit and determines its own mode-switching self-test result. It also receives the mode-switching self-test results from each online slave unit. Furthermore, the master only controls all online liquid-cooled CDUs to switch modes when all online liquid-cooled CDUs (i.e., the master and all online slave units) require mode switching. This unified control by the master prevents a single liquid-cooled CDU from repeatedly switching between single-pump and dual-pump modes, thus avoiding any impact on the heat dissipation effect of the equipment being cooled. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a liquid-cooled CDU provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the implementation of a single / dual pump mode switching method for a liquid cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the flow rate and supply-return pressure difference curves provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a single / dual pump mode switching device for a liquid cooling system provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a control device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0023] In the following description, specific details such as particular system architectures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the invention can be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, apparatuses, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the invention with unnecessary detail.

[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, specific embodiments will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0025] A liquid cooling system can dissipate heat loads and may include at least one liquid-cooled cooling unit (CDU). For example, a liquid cooling system may include one liquid-cooled CDU or at least two liquid-cooled CDUs. When a liquid cooling system includes at least two liquid-cooled CDUs, the liquid-cooled CDUs are connected in parallel.

[0026] When the liquid cooling system includes only one liquid cooling CDU, the liquid cooling CDU is in operation, delivering coolant to the cold plate of the heat load to dissipate heat from the heat load.

[0027] When a liquid cooling system includes at least two liquid cooling CDUs, all liquid cooling CDUs can be in operation, or only some liquid cooling CDUs can be in operation. The liquid cooling CDUs in operation deliver coolant to the cold plate of the heat load to dissipate heat from the heat load.

[0028] The running status can also be referred to as the online status.

[0029] When only one liquid cooling CDU is in operation, the liquid cooling system is in stand-alone operation mode. When at least two liquid cooling CDUs are in operation, the liquid cooling system is in online operation mode.

[0030] Thermal loads can also be referred to as cooling devices. Thermal loads can include at least one type of heat-dissipating device in a data center, such as computing devices, network devices, storage devices, and power supply devices. Computing devices can include at least one type of central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), tensor processing unit (TPU), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and server; network devices can include at least one type of switch and router; storage devices can include at least one type of hard disk and storage controller; and power supply devices can include at least one type of power distribution unit, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and energy storage device.

[0031] See Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the structure of a liquid-cooled CDU provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The liquid-cooled CDU includes two water pumps 121 connected in parallel. These two water pumps 121 can be two water pumps 121 connected in parallel in the secondary side circuit 12. The liquid-cooled CDU may also include a control device (…). Figure 1 (Not shown in the image); the water pump 121 is controlled by a control device. The water pump 121 is used to provide power for the circulation of coolant and can be a circulation pump, specifically a variable frequency water pump.

[0032] It should be noted that, Figure 1 The two water pumps 121 in the diagram are both designated by the same number, but they are two different water pumps.

[0033] See Figure 1 The liquid-cooled CDU includes a primary side loop 11, a secondary side loop 12, and a heat exchanger 13. The coolant in the primary side loop 11 and the coolant in the secondary side loop 12 exchange heat through the heat exchanger 13. The heat exchanger 13 can be a plate heat exchanger or other types of heat exchangers, without specific limitations.

[0034] The secondary circuit 12 includes two water pumps 121 connected in parallel as described above. The inlets of the two water pumps 121 are connected to the outlet of the secondary side supply and return liquid main loop pipe, and the outlets of the two water pumps 121 are connected to the secondary side inlet of the heat exchanger 13. The secondary side outlet of the heat exchanger 13 is connected to the inlet of the secondary side supply and return liquid main loop pipe, which is used to dissipate heat and cool the heat load.

[0035] The coolant in the secondary side circuit 12 flowing out of the water pump 121 enters the heat exchanger 13 and exchanges heat with the low-temperature coolant in the primary side circuit 11 to cool down. The coolant in the secondary side circuit 12 flowing out of the heat exchanger 13 enters the secondary side supply and return main ring pipe to cool down the heat load and dissipate heat. The heated coolant in the secondary side circuit 12 returns to the water pump 121 and flows out after being pressurized by the water pump 121.

[0036] The primary circuit 11 may include a regulating valve 111. The inlet of the regulating valve 111 is connected to the primary outlet of the heat exchanger 13, and the outlet of the regulating valve 111 is connected to the inlet of the primary inlet / outlet main loop pipe. The outlet of the primary inlet / outlet main loop pipe is connected to the primary inlet of the heat exchanger 13. The primary inlet / outlet main loop pipe is used to connect to a cold source to lower the temperature of the coolant in the primary circuit 11. The regulating valve 111 is used to regulate the flow rate of the coolant in the primary circuit 11, and the flow rate can be adjusted by changing its opening degree.

[0037] The low-temperature coolant in the primary side loop 11 flowing out of the primary side inlet and outlet main loop pipe enters the heat exchanger 13 to exchange heat with the high-temperature coolant in the secondary side loop 12. The high-temperature coolant in the primary side loop 11 flowing out of the heat exchanger 13 enters the primary side inlet and outlet main loop pipe through the regulating valve 111. After being cooled by the cold source, it flows out of the primary side inlet and outlet main loop pipe.

[0038] It should be noted that all liquid-cooled CDUs in the liquid cooling system can share the aforementioned secondary-side supply and return main loop pipes and primary-side inlet and outlet main loop pipes. The coolant in the secondary side loop 12 after heat exchange in each liquid-cooled CDU enters the secondary side supply and return main loop pipe, and is then distributed to each heat load through the branch pipe, carrying away the heat of the heat load. The coolant in the secondary side loop 12 after being "heated" by the heat load flows to the secondary side supply and return main loop pipe through the branch pipe. The coolant in the secondary side supply and return main loop pipe flows back to each liquid-cooled CDU through the operation of the water pump 121 in each liquid-cooled CDU. It exchanges heat with the coolant in the primary side loop 11 through the heat exchanger 13 of each liquid-cooled CDU. After the coolant in the primary side loop 11 and the coolant in the secondary side loop 12 in each liquid-cooled CDU complete the heat exchange, it returns to the primary side inlet and outlet main loop pipe. After being cooled by the primary side cold source and pressurized by the primary side circulation pump, it enters the primary side inlet and outlet main loop pipe and is then distributed to each liquid-cooled CDU to participate in heat exchange again, thus carrying out continuous circulating heat exchange.

[0039] In some possible implementations, the secondary circuit 12 may also include a bypass valve connected in parallel with the water pump 121, wherein the flow direction of the coolant in the branch where the bypass valve is located is opposite to the flow direction of the coolant in the branch where the water pump 121 is located.

[0040] In some possible implementations, the secondary side circuit 12 may also include a coolant replenishment device for replenishing or replacing coolant in the secondary side circuit 12, etc.

[0041] In some possible implementations, the secondary side loop 12 may also include a sensor, such as at least one of a flow sensor, a temperature sensor, and a pressure sensor, for detecting at least one of the parameters such as flow rate, temperature, and pressure in the secondary side loop 12.

[0042] As mentioned earlier, to ensure the safety of the heat load, liquid-cooled CDUs are typically equipped with two water pumps 121 to achieve equipment-level redundancy. This means that if one water pump fails, the other can still operate normally. In addition, liquid-cooled CDUs can operate in either single-pump or dual-pump mode. In single-pump mode, only one of the two water pumps 121 is active, while in dual-pump mode, both water pumps 121 are active. For example, if the power provided by single-pump mode is insufficient to meet the heat load's cooling requirements, the system can switch to dual-pump mode; or, the choice between single-pump and dual-pump mode can be determined based on which mode is more energy-efficient.

[0043] If only one liquid-cooled CDU is online, it can determine whether to operate in single-pump or dual-pump mode. However, in real-world applications, at least two liquid-cooled CDUs are typically online simultaneously, i.e., running in series, to handle the heat load of the entire data center.

[0044] When operating in a network, if each liquid-cooled CDU independently determines whether it is operating in single-pump or dual-pump mode, it may actually negatively impact the heat load without achieving greater energy savings. For example, when two liquid-cooled CDUs are operating in a network, both in dual-pump mode, if the first CDU determines that single-pump mode is more energy-efficient and switches to it, while the second CDU remains in dual-pump mode, and then, after the first CDU switches modes, it finds that the current operating conditions have changed and dual-pump mode is now more energy-efficient, switching back to dual-pump mode, this creates a cycle of repeatedly switching between single-pump and dual-pump modes. This repeated mode switching will inevitably significantly impact heat dissipation and increase the power consumption of the liquid-cooled CDU.

[0045] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system.

[0046] See Figure 2 The diagram illustrates the implementation flowchart of the single / dual pump mode switching method for a liquid cooling system provided in this embodiment of the invention. The single / dual pump mode switching method for a liquid cooling system can be applied to each liquid cooling CDU in the liquid cooling system, and each liquid cooling CDU can execute the above-mentioned single / dual pump mode switching method for a liquid cooling system.

[0047] Furthermore, the single / dual pump mode switching method for the liquid cooling system can be applied to the control devices contained in each liquid-cooled CDU within the liquid cooling system. These control devices can be controllers, such as DSPs (Digital Signal Processors) or PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers).

[0048] As previously described, the liquid cooling system includes at least one liquid-cooled CDU, and the liquid-cooled CDU includes two water pumps 121 connected in parallel. For a description of the liquid cooling system, please refer to the relevant description in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0049] The method for switching between single and dual pump modes in the above liquid cooling system is described in detail below: In S201, when the local machine acts as the master, it sends a mode switching self-test command to each online slave machine. The mode switching self-test command is used to instruct the online slave machine to check whether it needs to switch modes, which is a switch between single-pump mode and dual-pump mode.

[0050] In this embodiment, when multiple liquid-cooled CDUs are online, they compete to become the master, and the remaining liquid-cooled CDUs act as slaves. If only one liquid-cooled CDU is online, that CDU can automatically become the master.

[0051] Here, "original unit" refers to the liquid-cooled CDU that executes the single / dual pump mode switching method of the above-described liquid-cooling system. "Online slave unit" refers to a slave unit that is in an online state, that is, any liquid-cooled CDU other than the original unit that is in an online state.

[0052] First, determine whether the local machine is acting as a master or a slave, and then execute the corresponding method.

[0053] When the local machine acts as the master, it sends a mode switching self-test command to each online slave machine. When an online slave machine receives the mode switching self-test command from the master, it checks whether it needs to switch between single-pump mode and dual-pump mode. That is, if the online slave machine is currently operating in single-pump mode, it checks whether it needs to switch to dual-pump mode; if the online slave machine is currently operating in dual-pump mode, it checks whether it needs to switch to single-pump mode.

[0054] The aforementioned mode switching self-test command only instructs each online slave device to check whether it needs to switch modes; it does not perform the mode switching action itself.

[0055] It should be noted that all liquid-cooled CDUs in the liquid cooling system can communicate with each other. Based on this communication, the master unit can send mode switching self-test commands to each online slave unit. Slave units that are offline cannot receive commands sent by the master unit.

[0056] Since the embodiments of this application adopt a unified host control scheme, the current operating mode of each liquid-cooled CDU is usually the same. However, it is not ruled out that the current operating modes of each liquid-cooled CDU may not be completely the same (for example, when a liquid-cooled CDU is offline, the online liquid-cooled CDU has undergone a mode switch, and when the liquid-cooled CDU is online again, its operating mode is different from that of other online liquid-cooled CDUs). When this situation exists, it does not affect the implementation of the single / dual pump mode switching method of the liquid-cooled system provided in this application. The single / dual pump mode switching method of the liquid-cooled system provided in this application can be executed directly, for example, by executing S201 to S203, etc. Alternatively, the operating mode of the liquid-cooled CDU with a different operating mode from that of other online liquid-cooled CDUs can be switched once before the single / dual pump mode switching method of the liquid-cooled system provided in this application can be executed.

[0057] In some possible implementations, prior to S201 above, the single / dual pump mode switching method of the liquid cooling system may further include: Determine whether the host has been won through contention; If no host is selected in the competition, the host will be selected based on the identifier of each online liquid-cooled CDU. Accordingly, in S201 above, when the local machine acts as the master, it sends a mode switching self-test command to each online slave machine, including: If the host has been selected, then when this machine acts as the host, it sends a mode switching self-test command to each online slave machine.

[0058] Among them, online liquid-cooled CDU refers to a liquid-cooled CDU that is in an online state.

[0059] Different liquid-cooled CDUs have different identification numbers, and each liquid-cooled CDU's identification number is unique. For example, the identification number of a liquid-cooled CDU can be its station number.

[0060] For example, if no master is selected, the online liquid-cooled CDU with the smallest or largest identifier can be designated as the master, and the other online liquid-cooled CDUs can be designated as slaves.

[0061] Other methods can also be used to compete for the host in the embodiments of this application, and no specific limitations are made here.

[0062] In this embodiment, if the host is not won in the competition, a host competition is first conducted. After the host is won, the aforementioned S201 is executed. If the host goes offline in the subsequent process, the remaining online liquid-cooled CDUs can compete for the host again.

[0063] In S202, the mode switching self-test result of the local machine is determined, and the mode switching self-test results sent by each online slave machine are received.

[0064] When the local machine acts as the master, it sends mode switching self-test commands to each online slave machine. At the same time, the local machine also needs to perform mode switching self-tests to determine whether it needs to switch modes and obtain the mode switching self-test results of the local machine.

[0065] After performing a mode switching self-test, each online slave device sends its mode switching self-test result to the master device.

[0066] The mode switching self-test result is the result obtained by detecting whether a mode switch is required, which can include whether a mode switch is required or not. For example, if the mode switching self-test result indicates that a mode switch is required, the mode switching self-test result can also carry the working mode after the switch; if the mode switching self-test result indicates that a mode switch is not required, the mode switching self-test result can also carry the working mode that needs to be maintained.

[0067] In S203, if the self-test result of mode switching for the local machine and all online slave machines is that mode switching is required, then the local machine and all online slave machines will be controlled to perform mode switching.

[0068] In this embodiment, the host will control all online liquid-cooled CDUs to switch modes only if the mode switching self-test results of all online liquid-cooled CDUs (including the host and all online slaves) are in the mode switching mode. This prevents the individual liquid-cooled CDUs from getting stuck in a cycle of repeatedly switching between single-pump mode and dual-pump mode, thus avoiding affecting the heat dissipation effect of the heat load.

[0069] The aforementioned control of the local machine and all online slave machines to switch modes may include: controlling the local machine to switch modes and simultaneously sending mode switching instructions to each online slave machine; the mode switching instructions are used to instruct each online slave machine to switch modes.

[0070] For each online liquid-cooled CDU, the above-mentioned mode switching specifically includes: if the online liquid-cooled CDU is currently in single-pump mode, then it switches from single-pump mode to dual-pump mode; if the online liquid-cooled CDU is currently in dual-pump mode, then it switches from dual-pump mode to single-pump mode.

[0071] In some possible implementations, the mode switching instruction can carry the desired new mode. For example, to switch from single-pump mode to dual-pump mode, the mode switching instruction can carry the dual-pump mode; to switch from dual-pump mode to single-pump mode, the mode switching instruction can carry the single-pump mode.

[0072] This application embodiment sets a master and slave unit for online liquid-cooled CDUs. The master sends a mode switching self-test command to each online slave unit, determines its own mode switching self-test result, and receives the mode switching self-test results from each online slave unit. The master only controls all online liquid-cooled CDUs to switch modes when all online liquid-cooled CDUs (i.e., the master and all online slave units) require mode switching. This unified control by the master prevents a single liquid-cooled CDU from repeatedly switching between single-pump and dual-pump modes, thus avoiding impacting the heat dissipation effect of the cooled equipment and reducing the power consumption of each liquid-cooled CDU. Furthermore, the method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the operation of a single liquid-cooled CDU (single-unit operation mode) or to the operation of at least two liquid-cooled CDUs simultaneously (multi-unit operation mode).

[0073] The foregoing embodiments described the implementation process of the single / dual pump mode switching method for the liquid cooling system. The steps therein will be further refined or expanded below. First, the step of "determining the self-test result of the mode switching of the machine" in S202 will be introduced.

[0074] In some embodiments, in S202, determining the mode switching self-test result of the local machine may include: Get the current operating mode and current operating status of the machine; If the target flow rate cannot be achieved in single-pump mode when the current operating mode of this machine is single-pump mode, or if the current operating condition of this machine is dual-pump mode which is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode, then the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is required; otherwise, the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is not required.

[0075] Since this machine is currently acting as the host, the current working mode of this machine is the same as the current working mode of the host, and the current operating condition of this machine is the same as the current operating condition of the host.

[0076] The current operating mode of this machine can be either single-pump mode or dual-pump mode. The current operating status of this machine is used to indicate whether it is more energy-efficient to operate in single-pump mode or dual-pump mode. It can include at least one of the following information: the current flow rate in the secondary circuit and the current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference in the secondary circuit.

[0077] In this embodiment, if the current operating mode of the device is single-pump mode, and single-pump mode cannot achieve the target flow rate, then the self-test result of the device's mode switching is determined to require a mode switch, and it carries information indicating a need to switch to dual-pump mode. Alternatively, if the current operating mode of the device is single-pump mode, and the current operating condition of the device is that dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode, then the self-test result of the device's mode switching is determined to require a mode switch, and it carries information indicating a need to switch to dual-pump mode. Except for the above two cases, the self-test result of the device's mode switching for other cases in single-pump mode is that no mode switch is required, and it carries information indicating a need to maintain single-pump mode. For example, when the current operating mode of the device is single-pump mode, if single-pump mode can achieve the target flow rate, and the current operating condition of the device is that single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode, then the self-test result of the device's mode switching is determined to require no mode switch, and it carries information indicating a need to maintain single-pump mode.

[0078] The target flow rate refers to the target flow rate of the secondary circuit of the unit. It can be a flow rate value determined based on the current heat dissipation requirements of the heat load, and is the flow rate value that the secondary circuit of the unit needs to achieve. The target flow rate of each online liquid-cooled CDU can be the same.

[0079] The inability to reach the target flow rate in single-pump mode means that, in single-pump mode, even when the pump operates at its maximum frequency, the actual flow rate in the secondary circuit is still less than the target flow rate. To reduce false alarms, the inability to reach the target flow rate in single-pump mode can be further defined as follows: in single-pump mode, even when the pump operates at its maximum frequency and continues to run at that frequency for a second preset time, the actual flow rate in the secondary circuit is still less than the target flow rate. The second preset time can be determined based on actual needs, for example, it could be 5 seconds, 10 seconds, etc.

[0080] Under the same conditions, different pump frequencies result in different flow rates in the secondary circuit.

[0081] Since the single-pump mode cannot reach the target flow rate, it cannot meet the heat dissipation requirements of the heat load. Therefore, it is necessary to switch from the single-pump mode to the dual-pump mode.

[0082] Within certain flow ranges, both single-pump and dual-pump modes can achieve the desired results. In such cases, the more energy-efficient mode should be selected for energy saving. Therefore, if the system is in single-pump mode but the current power consumption is lower in dual-pump mode than single-pump mode, the single-pump mode should be switched to dual-pump mode.

[0083] In some embodiments, after obtaining the current operating mode and current operating condition of the machine, the method further includes: If the target flow rate cannot be achieved in dual-pump mode when the current operating mode of this machine is dual-pump mode, or if the current operating condition of this machine is that single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode, then the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is required; otherwise, the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is not required.

[0084] In this embodiment, if a single-pump mode is found to be more energy-efficient than a dual-pump mode in dual-pump mode, the dual-pump mode should be switched to a single-pump mode to achieve energy savings. Conversely, if a dual-pump mode cannot achieve the target flow rate, the dual-pump mode should be switched to a single-pump mode to meet the heat dissipation requirements of the thermal load.

[0085] The inability to reach the target flow rate in dual-pump mode means that, even when both pumps operate at their minimum frequency, the actual flow rate in the secondary circuit still exceeds the target flow rate. To reduce false alarms, the inability to reach the target flow rate in dual-pump mode can be further defined as follows: even when both pumps operate at their minimum frequency for a third preset duration, the actual flow rate in the secondary circuit still exceeds the target flow rate. This third preset duration can be determined based on actual needs and may be equal to or different from the second preset duration. For example, the third preset duration could be 5 seconds, 10 seconds, etc.

[0086] In this embodiment, if the current operating mode of the device is dual-pump mode, and dual-pump mode cannot achieve the target flow rate, then the device's mode switching self-test result is determined to require a mode switch, and it also carries information indicating a need to switch to single-pump mode. Alternatively, if the current operating mode of the device is dual-pump mode, and the current operating condition of the device is more energy-efficient with single-pump mode than dual-pump mode, then the device's mode switching self-test result is determined to require a mode switch, and it also carries information indicating a need to switch to single-pump mode. Except for the above cases, the mode switching self-test result for other cases in dual-pump mode is that mode switching is not required, and it carries information indicating a need to maintain dual-pump mode. For example, if the current operating mode of the device is dual-pump mode, and dual-pump mode can achieve the target flow rate, and the current operating condition of the device is more energy-efficient with dual-pump mode than single-pump mode, then the device's mode switching self-test result is determined to require no mode switch, and it also carries information indicating a need to maintain dual-pump mode.

[0087] It should be noted that the above determination of whether the single-pump mode or the dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient is based on the premise that the current flow rate of the secondary side circuit can be achieved in both single-pump mode and dual-pump mode. In other words, switching between single-pump mode and dual-pump mode will not affect the current flow rate of the secondary side circuit.

[0088] For each online slave device, the same method as for the master device can be used for mode switching self-test.

[0089] The embodiments of this application can enable each online liquid-cooled CDU to perform mode switching and self-testing, so that the liquid cooling system can meet the heat dissipation requirements of the heat load and be more energy-efficient.

[0090] The foregoing embodiments involve determining whether the current operating condition of the machine is more energy-efficient in dual-pump mode than single-pump mode or in single-pump mode than dual-pump mode. The following describes in detail how to determine whether the current operating condition of the machine is more energy-efficient in dual-pump mode than single-pump mode or in single-pump mode than dual-pump mode.

[0091] In one embodiment, the current operating condition of the machine includes the machine's current flow rate and current supply and return hydraulic pressure difference; After obtaining the current operating mode and current operating condition of the machine, it also includes: The machine's current flow rate and current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference are compared with a pre-determined curve of flow rate and supply-return hydraulic pressure difference. The curve represents the flow rate and supply-return hydraulic pressure difference when the energy-saving effects of single-pump mode and dual-pump mode are the same. The two sides of the curve represent the regions where single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode and the regions where dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode, respectively. If the machine is in a region where single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode, then the current operating condition of the machine is determined to be that single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode. If the current flow rate and current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference of the machine are in the region where the dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the single-pump mode, then the current operating condition of the machine is determined to be the dual-pump mode, which is more energy-efficient than the single-pump mode.

[0092] The current flow rate of this machine refers to the current flow rate in the secondary side circuit of this machine. For example, a flow sensor can be installed at any location in the secondary side circuit of this machine to detect the current flow rate. For example, the flow sensor can be installed near the outlet of the secondary side supply and return main loop pipe, near the inlet of the secondary side supply and return main loop pipe, or at other locations; no specific limitations are imposed here.

[0093] The current supply and return hydraulic pressure difference of this machine is the current supply and return hydraulic pressure difference in the secondary circuit of this machine, specifically the difference between the current supply pressure and the current return pressure in the secondary circuit of this machine. For example, see... Figure 1 A first pressure sensor P1 can be installed in the secondary side circuit of the machine near the inlet of the secondary side supply and return main loop pipe to detect the current supply pressure in the secondary side circuit of the machine. A second pressure sensor P2 can be installed in the secondary side circuit of the machine near the outlet of the secondary side supply and return main loop pipe to detect the current return pressure in the secondary side circuit of the machine, and so on.

[0094] See Figure 3 Its horizontal axis represents the flow rate F, and its vertical axis represents the supply and return hydraulic pressure difference P. Figure 3 The diagram illustrates the pre-determined flow rate and supply / return hydraulic pressure difference curve 21. The target coordinates for the flow rate and supply / return hydraulic pressure difference on curve 21 represent the coordinates when the energy-saving effects of single-pump mode and dual-pump mode are the same. In this embodiment, these coordinates on curve 21 are referred to as target coordinates. For example, curve 21 can be determined using the following methods: multiple target coordinates are determined in advance through experiments, and curve 21 is determined by fitting these target coordinates; or multiple target coordinates can be calculated, and curve 21 is determined by fitting these target coordinates; and so on. The same energy-saving effect in single-pump mode and dual-pump mode can be understood as the energy efficiency of a single pump in single-pump mode being equal to the total energy efficiency of the two pumps in dual-pump mode.

[0095] See Figure 3 The two sides of curve 21 are designated as two regions: region 22, where the single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the dual-pump mode, and region 23, where the dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the single-pump mode. In other words, the coordinates of region 22, where the single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the dual-pump mode, correspond to the operating condition where the single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the dual-pump mode; similarly, the coordinates of region 23, where the dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the single-pump mode, correspond to the operating condition where the dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the single-pump mode.

[0096] Based on the coordinates of the machine's current flow rate and the current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference, it can be determined whether the machine's current operating condition is more energy-efficient in single-pump mode or dual-pump mode. If the coordinates of the machine's current flow rate and the current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference are located in region 22 (where single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode), then the machine's current operating condition is determined to be more energy-efficient in single-pump mode. If the coordinates of the machine's current flow rate and the current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference are located in region 23 (where dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode), then the machine's current operating condition is determined to be more energy-efficient in dual-pump mode.

[0097] In some possible implementations, if the coordinates of the current flow rate and the current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference of the machine lie on the aforementioned flow rate and supply-return hydraulic pressure difference curve 21, then the current operating condition of the machine can be either a single-pump mode that is more energy-efficient than a dual-pump mode, or a dual-pump mode that is more energy-efficient than a single-pump mode. In this case, to avoid frequent switching of operating modes, the current operating condition of the machine can be determined by combining the current operating mode of the machine. If the current operating mode of the machine is dual-pump mode, then the current operating condition of the machine is a dual-pump mode that is more energy-efficient than a single-pump mode; if the current operating mode of the machine is single-pump mode, then the current operating condition of the machine is a single-pump mode that is more energy-efficient than a dual-pump mode.

[0098] This application embodiment can accurately determine whether the current operating condition is more energy-efficient in single-pump mode than dual-pump mode or vice versa by using the current flow rate and current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference of the machine, as well as a pre-determined curve of flow rate and supply-return hydraulic pressure difference. This provides a basis for judgment for subsequent switching of the machine's operating mode, enabling the machine to operate in a more energy-efficient mode.

[0099] In another embodiment, the current operating condition of the machine may include the current traffic of the machine; After obtaining the current operating mode and current operating condition of the machine, it also includes: If the current flow rate of this machine is less than or equal to the preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold, then the current operating condition of this machine is determined to be the single pump mode, which is more energy-efficient than the dual pump mode. If the current flow rate of the machine is greater than the preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold, then the current operating condition of the machine is determined to be the dual pump mode, which is more energy-efficient than the single pump mode.

[0100] The current flow rate of this machine is the current flow rate of the secondary side circuit of this machine, which can be referred to the relevant description in the previous embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0101] The preset flow rate threshold for distinguishing between single and dual pumps can be the flow rate at which the energy efficiency of a single pump in single-pump mode is equal to the total energy efficiency of the two pumps in dual-pump mode. This preset flow rate threshold can be determined experimentally or through other methods; no specific restrictions are imposed here.

[0102] The preset single / dual pump flow rate threshold can be used to determine whether single-pump mode or dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient. When the current flow rate is less than the preset threshold, single-pump mode is more energy-efficient, and the current operating condition is that single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode. When the current flow rate is greater than the threshold, dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient, and the current operating condition is that dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode. When the current flow rate is equal to the threshold, the energy-saving effects of single-pump mode and dual-pump mode are the same, and the current operating condition is either dual-pump mode or single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode. As mentioned earlier, when the current flow rate is equal to the threshold, to avoid frequent switching of operating modes, the current operating condition can be determined by combining the current operating mode of the machine, which will not be elaborated further.

[0103] Therefore, in this embodiment, the current flow rate of the machine is compared with the preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold. If the current flow rate of the machine is less than or equal to the preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold, then the current operating condition of the machine is a single-pump mode, which is more energy-efficient than the dual-pump mode. Single-pump mode means that only one of the two pumps in the secondary circuit operates. This can be either one of the two pumps operating, or the pump to be operated in single-pump mode can be determined according to a certain rule. For example, this rule could be to determine the pump to be operated in single-pump mode according to a predetermined cycle, i.e., when one pump operates for a predetermined cycle, the other pump switches to operation; or it could be to determine the pump to be operated in single-pump mode according to the cumulative operating time, i.e., the pump with the shorter cumulative operating time is determined to be the pump to be operated in single-pump mode, and so on.

[0104] If the current flow rate of this machine exceeds the preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold, then the current operating condition of this machine is dual pump mode, which is more energy-efficient than single pump mode. Dual pump mode means that both pumps in the secondary side circuit are working. In dual pump mode, the two pumps operate at the same frequency.

[0105] In some possible implementations, the process of determining the preset flow threshold for distinguishing between single and dual pumps includes: Obtain the first correspondence between the efficiency and flow rate of a single water pump in single-pump mode and the second correspondence between the efficiency and flow rate of a single water pump in dual-pump mode; Fit the first correspondence and the second correspondence respectively to obtain the corresponding first relation and second relation formula; Based on the criterion that the energy efficiency of a single pump in single-pump mode is equal to the total energy efficiency of two pumps in dual-pump mode, the first relationship, and the second relationship, the third relationship is determined; in the third relationship, the flow rate is the parameter to be solved. Solving the third relation yields the preset flow threshold for distinguishing between single and dual pumps.

[0106] In this embodiment, the efficiency of a single pump in operation under single-pump mode at different flow rates is obtained, thereby obtaining a first correspondence between the efficiency and flow rate of a single pump in single-pump mode; and the efficiency of a single pump under different flow rates is obtained under dual-pump mode, thereby obtaining a second correspondence between the efficiency and flow rate of a single pump under dual-pump mode. Specifically, at different flow rates, the corresponding efficiency can be calculated by measuring the relevant parameters of the corresponding pump, or the efficiency of the corresponding pump at different flow rates can be determined based on the pump performance curves provided by the manufacturer.

[0107] By employing fitting methods from relevant technologies, the first correspondence is fitted to obtain the corresponding first relational expression, and the second correspondence is fitted to obtain the corresponding second relational expression. For example, polynomial fitting methods, piecewise linear fitting methods, or least squares fitting methods can be used, and so on.

[0108] The first equation is the relationship between the efficiency and flow rate of a single water pump in single-pump mode. The second equation is the relationship between the efficiency and flow rate of a single water pump in dual-pump mode.

[0109] The energy efficiency of a water pump can include its power output. Based on the power calculation formula, the energy efficiency of a single water pump operating in single-pump mode is determined as follows: Based on the power calculation formula for water pumps, the total energy efficiency of the two water pumps in dual-pump mode is determined as follows: .

[0110] in, This refers to the power of a single water pump operating in single-pump mode. This refers to the total power of the two pumps in dual-pump mode. The density of the coolant in the secondary circuit; It is the acceleration due to gravity; For traffic; For Yang Cheng; This refers to the efficiency of a single water pump operating in single-pump mode. The relationship between the flow rate and the flow rate is the first equation. The efficiency of a single pump in dual-pump mode. The relationship between the flow rate and the flow rate is the second relationship.

[0111] Substitute the first and second relations into the above... The calculation formula and In the calculation formula, and based on Based on the criteria, a third relational expression for the parameter to be solved (flow rate) can be obtained. By solving the third relational expression, a preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold can be obtained. For example, if solving the third relational expression yields two solutions, the solution with a positive value is used as the preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold; alternatively, the solution within the preset flow rate range is used as the preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold. The preset flow rate range will be described in subsequent embodiments.

[0112] In some possible implementations, if the current flow rate of the machine is less than or equal to a preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold, then the current operating condition of the machine is determined to be a condition where single pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual pump mode, including: If the current flow rate of the machine is within the preset flow rate range, and the current flow rate of the machine is less than or equal to the preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold, then the current operating condition of the machine is determined to be the single pump mode, which is more energy-efficient than the dual pump mode.

[0113] If the current flow rate of this machine is greater than the preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold, then the current operating condition of this machine is determined to be a condition where dual pump mode is more energy-efficient than single pump mode, including: If the current flow rate of this machine is within the preset flow rate range, and the current flow rate of this machine is greater than the preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold, then the current operating condition of this machine is determined to be the dual pump mode, which is more energy-efficient than the single pump mode. The single-pump mode and dual-pump mode can achieve different flow ranges, but they overlap. This overlapping flow range is the preset flow range. Therefore, the lower limit of the preset flow range is the minimum value of the preset flow range, which is the minimum flow rate in dual-pump mode. The upper limit of the preset flow range is the maximum value of the preset flow range, which is the maximum flow rate in single-pump mode.

[0114] The minimum flow rate in dual-pump mode is the flow rate when both pumps are operating at their minimum frequency. The maximum flow rate in single-pump mode is the flow rate when the single pump is operating at its maximum frequency.

[0115] Only within a preset flow rate range can a device operate in both single-pump mode and dual-pump mode at the corresponding flow rate. Therefore, this embodiment first limits the current flow rate of the device to within the preset flow rate range. Only when the current flow rate of the device is within the preset flow rate range and is less than or equal to the preset single / dual-pump distinguishing flow rate threshold will the current operating condition of the device be determined to be that single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode; only when the current flow rate of the device is within the preset flow rate range and is greater than the preset single / dual-pump distinguishing flow rate threshold will the current operating condition of the device be determined to be that dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode.

[0116] Similarly, the preset single / dual pump distinguishing flow rate threshold is within the preset flow rate range.

[0117] In some possible implementations, when the current flow rate of the unit is less than the lower limit of the preset flow rate range, only the single-pump mode can achieve that current flow rate. Therefore, the corresponding liquid-cooled CDU needs to operate in single-pump mode. When the current flow rate of the unit is greater than the upper limit of the preset flow rate range, only the dual-pump mode can achieve that current flow rate. Therefore, the corresponding liquid-cooled CDU needs to operate in dual-pump mode.

[0118] The foregoing embodiments described the steps to be performed when the local machine is acting as the master. The following describes the steps to be performed when the local machine is acting as the slave.

[0119] In some embodiments, the single / dual pump mode switching method of the above-described liquid cooling system further includes: When the local machine acts as a slave, if it receives a mode switching self-test command sent by the master, it determines its own mode switching self-test result and sends its own mode switching self-test result to the master. If a mode switching command is received from the host, the current working mode will be switched to another working mode.

[0120] If the slave device is determined to be a slave device through master contention, it can perform a mode switching self-test upon receiving a mode switching self-test command from the master. Specifically, it can obtain its current operating mode and current operating status, determine its own mode switching self-test result based on its current operating mode and current operating status, and send its own mode switching self-test result to the master. The mode switching self-test process of the slave device is the same as that of the master device, as described in the previous embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0121] When this machine acts as a slave, if it receives a mode switching command from the master, it switches its current operating mode to another operating mode, or switches its current operating mode to the operating mode specified in the mode switching command. For example, if the current operating mode is single-pump mode, it switches to dual-pump mode; if the current operating mode is dual-pump mode, it switches to single-pump mode. Alternatively, if the mode switching command specifies single-pump mode, it switches to single-pump mode; if the mode switching command specifies dual-pump mode, it switches to dual-pump mode.

[0122] In some embodiments, when the local machine acts as the master, in S201, before sending the mode switching self-test command to each online slave machine, the following is also included: Detect whether there are changes in the racking rate and load rate of the heat load; Send mode switching self-test commands to each online slave device, including: If the hot load availability and load rate remain unchanged, a mode switching self-test command is sent to each online slave device.

[0123] The hot load availability rate can be defined as the ratio of the current number of hot loads available for racking to the maximum number that can be racked. For example, if 100 units can be racked, but only 10 units are currently available, the availability rate is 10%.

[0124] The load factor of a hot load is an indicator of how busy a hot load processing task is. It reflects the pressure on hot load hardware resources (such as CPU, memory, disk, network, etc.) and the congestion of the task queue.

[0125] When the heat load contains only one type of device, the rack utilization rate of the heat load can be the rack utilization rate of that type of device; when the heat load contains multiple types of devices, the rack utilization rate of the heat load can be the average of the rack utilization rates of those multiple types of devices.

[0126] The load rate of a heat load can be the average load rate of the individual devices included in the heat load, or it can be the maximum load rate of the individual devices included in the heat load.

[0127] In this embodiment, if the change in the shelf availability rate of the hot load within the fourth preset time period is less than or equal to the preset shelf availability rate change value, it is determined that the shelf availability rate of the hot load has not changed; otherwise, it is determined that the shelf availability rate of the hot load has changed. The fourth preset time period can be set according to actual needs and is not specifically limited here. The change in the shelf availability rate of the hot load within the fourth preset time period can be the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the shelf availability rate of the hot load within the fourth preset time period, or it can be the absolute value of the difference between the shelf availability rate of the hot load at the beginning and the end of the fourth preset time period, and can be set according to actual needs. The preset shelf availability rate change value can be set according to actual needs and is not specifically limited here, but it is usually not a very large value.

[0128] In this embodiment, if the change in the load rate of the heat load within the fourth preset time period is less than or equal to the preset load rate change value, it is determined that the load rate of the heat load has not changed; otherwise, it is determined that the load rate of the heat load has changed. The change in the load rate of the heat load within the fourth preset time period can be the difference between the maximum and minimum load rates of the heat load within the fourth preset time period, or it can be the absolute value of the difference between the load rate of the heat load at the beginning and the end of the fourth preset time period, and can be set according to actual needs. The preset load rate change value can be set according to actual needs and is not specifically limited here, but it is usually not a very large value.

[0129] In this embodiment, the host will only proceed to the next step—determining whether a unified mode switch is necessary—if the rack-up rate and load rate of the hot load remain unchanged. This is because when the rack-up rate or load rate of the hot load changes, the target flow rate of the liquid cooling system changes to meet the heat dissipation requirements of the hot load. Consequently, the frequency of the water pumps in the liquid-cooled CDUs also changes. This adjustment process takes time. If a mode switch is performed at this time, it will disrupt the stability of the liquid cooling system and affect the heat dissipation effect on the hot load. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the rack-up rate or load rate of the hot load changes, all online liquid-cooled CDUs are controlled to maintain their current operating mode to ensure the stability of the liquid cooling system and the heat dissipation effect on the hot load.

[0130] In some embodiments, when the local machine acts as the master, in S201, before sending the mode switching self-test command to each online slave machine, the following is also included: Detect whether a mode switch has been performed uniformly within the first preset time period; Send mode switching self-test commands to each online slave device, including: If no mode switch has been performed uniformly within the first preset time period, a mode switch self-test command will be sent to each online slave device.

[0131] In this embodiment, to maintain the stability of the liquid cooling system and ensure the stability of heat load dissipation, the frequency of single / dual pump mode switching for each liquid cooling CDU should not be too high. Therefore, in this embodiment, if no mode switching has been performed uniformly within a first preset time period, a mode switching self-test command is sent to each online slave to determine whether a uniform mode switching is required; if a mode switching has been performed uniformly within the first preset time period, each online liquid cooling CDU is controlled to maintain its current operating mode to ensure the stability of the liquid cooling system and the stability of heat load dissipation.

[0132] It should be noted that the above-mentioned detection of whether a mode switch has been uniformly performed within the first preset time period can also be performed by the host and each online slave device individually to detect whether they have performed a mode switch within the first preset time period. For each online liquid-cooled CDU, if the liquid-cooled CDU detects that it has performed a mode switch within the first preset time period, no further detection will be performed, and its mode switch self-test result will be that no mode switch is required; if the liquid-cooled CDU detects that it has not performed a mode switch within the first preset time period, a subsequent mode switch self-test will be performed to determine its mode switch self-test result.

[0133] In some embodiments, after S202 above, the method further includes: If the self-test results of mode switching for the local machine and all online slave machines are not all indicative of a mode switch, then the local machine and all online slave machines will maintain their current operating modes.

[0134] In this embodiment, if not all online liquid-cooled CDUs need to switch modes, all online liquid-cooled CDUs are controlled to maintain their current operating mode in order to maintain the stability of the liquid-cooling system.

[0135] It should be noted that the content of the foregoing embodiments can be combined with each other according to actual needs.

[0136] For example, the single / dual pump mode switching method of the above liquid cooling system includes: Determine whether the host has been won through contention; If no host is selected in the competition, the host will be selected based on the identifier of each online liquid-cooled CDU. If a host has been won in the competition, then when this machine is the host, check whether the rack rate and load rate of the hot load have changed. If the hot load rate and load rate do not change, then check whether a mode switch has been performed uniformly within the first preset time period. If no mode switching is performed uniformly within the first preset time period, a mode switching self-test command is sent to each online slave device; wherein, the mode switching self-test command is used to instruct the online slave device to check whether it needs to perform a mode switching, and the mode switching is a switch between single pump mode and dual pump mode; Determine the mode switching self-test result of the local machine, and receive the mode switching self-test results sent by each online slave machine; If the self-test results of mode switching for both the local machine and all online slave machines indicate that mode switching is required, then control the local machine and all online slave machines to perform mode switching. If the mode switching self-test results of the local machine and all online slave machines are not all required to switch modes, then control the local machine and all online slave machines to maintain the current working mode. When the local machine acts as a slave, if it receives a mode switching self-test command sent by the master, it determines its own mode switching self-test result and sends its own mode switching self-test result to the master. If a mode switching command is received from the host, the current working mode will be switched to another working mode.

[0137] For detailed explanations of each of the above steps, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0138] The single / dual pump mode switching method for liquid cooling systems provided in this application not only avoids the situation where a liquid cooling CDU repeatedly switches between single-pump and dual-pump modes, thus preventing the cooling effect of the equipment to be cooled from being affected, but also automatically selects whether to switch modes based on the information of each online liquid cooling CDU and the heat load. This can reduce operation and maintenance investment while meeting usage requirements, reduce the power usage effectiveness (PUE) of the data center, and ensure the stability of heat load heat dissipation.

[0139] It should be understood that the sequence number of each step in the above embodiments does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0140] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the single / dual pump mode switching device for a liquid cooling system provided in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. For ease of explanation, only the parts related to the embodiment of the present invention are shown, and are described in detail below: The liquid cooling system includes at least one liquid-cooled CDU, and the liquid-cooled CDU includes two water pumps connected in parallel; such as Figure 4 As shown, the single / dual pump mode switching device 30 of the liquid cooling system includes: a host command sending module 31, a self-test result acquisition module 32, and a control module 33.

[0141] The host instruction sending module 31 is used to send a mode switching self-test instruction to each online slave when the host is acting as the host; wherein, the mode switching self-test instruction is used to instruct the online slave to detect whether it needs to switch modes, and the mode switching is a switch between single pump mode and dual pump mode. The self-test result acquisition module 32 is used to determine the mode switching self-test result of the local machine and receive the mode switching self-test results sent by each online slave machine. The control module 33 is used to control the local machine and all online slave machines to perform mode switching if the mode switching self-test results of the local machine and all online slave machines are that mode switching is required.

[0142] In one possible implementation, the self-test result acquisition module 32 determines the mode switching self-test result of the local machine, including: Get the current operating mode and current operating status of the machine; If the target flow rate cannot be achieved in single-pump mode when the current operating mode of this machine is single-pump mode, or if the current operating condition of this machine is dual-pump mode which is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode, then the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is required; otherwise, the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is not required.

[0143] In one possible implementation, after obtaining the current operating mode and current operating condition of the machine, the self-test result acquisition module 32 further includes: If the target flow rate cannot be achieved in dual-pump mode when the current operating mode of this machine is dual-pump mode, or if the current operating condition of this machine is that single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode, then the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is required; otherwise, the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is not required.

[0144] In one possible implementation, the current operating condition of the machine includes the machine's current flow rate and current supply and return hydraulic pressure difference; In the self-test result acquisition module 32, after acquiring the current working mode and current operating condition of the machine, it also includes: The machine's current flow rate and current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference are compared with a pre-determined curve of flow rate and supply-return hydraulic pressure difference. The curve represents the flow rate and supply-return hydraulic pressure difference when the energy-saving effects of single-pump mode and dual-pump mode are the same. The two sides of the curve represent the regions where single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode and the regions where dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode, respectively. If the current flow rate and current supply and return hydraulic pressure difference of the machine are in the region where single pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual pump mode, then the current operating condition of the machine is determined to be that single pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual pump mode. If the current flow rate and current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference of the machine are in the region where the dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the single-pump mode, then the current operating condition of the machine is determined to be the dual-pump mode, which is more energy-efficient than the single-pump mode.

[0145] In one possible implementation, the single / dual pump mode switching device 30 of the liquid cooling system further includes a slave module.

[0146] The slave module is used for: when the local machine is acting as a slave, if it receives a mode switching self-test command sent by the master, it determines its own mode switching self-test result and sends its own mode switching self-test result to the master; if it receives a mode switching command sent by the master, it switches its current working mode to another working mode.

[0147] In one possible implementation, the host instruction sending module 31, when the local machine acts as the host, further includes the following before sending the mode switching self-test instruction to each online slave machine: Detect whether there are changes in the racking rate and load rate of the heat load; Send mode switching self-test commands to each online slave device, including: If the hot load availability and load rate remain unchanged, a mode switching self-test command is sent to each online slave device.

[0148] In one possible implementation, the host instruction sending module 31, when the local machine acts as the host, further includes the following before sending the mode switching self-test instruction to each online slave machine: Detect whether a mode switch has been performed uniformly within the first preset time period; Send mode switching self-test commands to each online slave device, including: If no mode switch has been performed uniformly within the first preset time period, a mode switch self-test command will be sent to each online slave device.

[0149] In one possible implementation, the control module 33 is further configured to: after determining the mode switching self-test result of the local machine and receiving the mode switching self-test results sent by each online slave machine, if the mode switching self-test results of the local machine and all online slave machines are not all required to perform mode switching, control the local machine and all online slave machines to maintain the current working mode.

[0150] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the control device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 As shown, the control device 400 in this embodiment includes a processor 40 and a memory 41. The memory 41 stores a computer program 42, and the processor 40 calls and runs the computer program 42 stored in the memory 41 to execute the steps in the single / dual pump mode switching method embodiments of the various liquid cooling systems described above. Alternatively, the processor 40 calls and runs the computer program 42 stored in the memory 41 to implement the functions of each module / unit in the various device embodiments described above.

[0151] For example, the computer program 42 may be divided into one or more modules / units, which are stored in the memory 41 and executed by the processor 40 to complete the present invention. The one or more modules / units may be a series of computer program instruction segments capable of performing a specific function, which describe the execution process of the computer program 42 in the control device 400.

[0152] The control device 400 may include, but is not limited to, a processor 40 and a memory 41. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 5 This is merely an example of the control device 400 and does not constitute a limitation on the control device 400. It may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or different components. For example, the control device may also include input / output devices, network access devices, buses, etc.

[0153] The processor 40 can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0154] The memory 41 can be an internal storage unit of the control device 400, such as a hard disk or memory of the control device 400. The memory 41 can also be an external storage device of the control device 400, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the control device 400. Furthermore, the memory 41 can include both internal storage units and external storage devices of the control device 400. The memory 41 is used to store the computer program and other programs and data required by the control device. The memory 41 can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0155] Corresponding to the control device described above, this embodiment of the invention also provides a liquid-cooled CDU, which includes the control device described above.

[0156] In some possible implementations, the liquid-cooled CDU also includes two water pumps connected in parallel, which are controlled by the aforementioned control device.

[0157] Corresponding to the above-described liquid-cooled CDU, this embodiment of the invention also provides a liquid cooling system, including at least one liquid-cooled CDU as described above.

[0158] Corresponding to the liquid cooling system described above, this embodiment of the invention also provides a data center, including the liquid cooling system described above.

[0159] For detailed descriptions of liquid-cooled CDUs, liquid-cooled systems, and data centers, please refer to the corresponding descriptions in the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0160] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the single / dual pump mode switching method of any of the above liquid cooling systems.

[0161] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements any of the above-described methods for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system.

[0162] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is merely an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. Furthermore, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above system can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0163] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0164] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this invention.

[0165] In the embodiments provided by this invention, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus / control devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus / control device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0166] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0167] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0168] If the integrated module / unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the processes in the above embodiments of the present invention can also be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When executed by a processor, the computer program can implement the steps of the single / dual pump mode switching method embodiments of the various liquid cooling systems described above. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or certain intermediate forms. The computer-readable medium can include: any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code, recording media, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, magnetic disks, optical disks, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and software distribution media, etc.

[0169] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and should all be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system, characterized in that, The liquid cooling system includes at least one liquid-cooled CDU, the liquid-cooled CDU including two water pumps connected in parallel; the method is applied to the liquid-cooled CDU, including: When the local machine acts as the master, it sends a mode switching self-test command to each online slave machine; wherein, the mode switching self-test command is used to instruct the online slave machine to detect whether it needs to switch modes, and the mode switching is a switch between single pump mode and dual pump mode; Determine the mode switching self-test result of the local machine, and receive the mode switching self-test results sent by each online slave machine; If the self-test results for mode switching of the local machine and all online slave machines indicate that mode switching is required, then control the local machine and all online slave machines to perform mode switching.

2. The method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The determination of the mode switching self-test result of the local machine includes: Get the current operating mode and current operating status of the machine; If the target flow rate cannot be achieved in single-pump mode when the current operating mode of this machine is single-pump mode, or if the current operating condition of this machine is dual-pump mode which is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode, then the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is required; otherwise, the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is not required.

3. The method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system according to claim 2, characterized in that, After obtaining the current operating mode and current operating condition of the machine, the following steps are also included: If the target flow rate cannot be achieved in dual-pump mode when the current operating mode of this machine is dual-pump mode, or if the current operating condition of this machine is that single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode, then the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is required; otherwise, the self-test result of the mode switching of this machine is determined to be that mode switching is not required.

4. The method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The current operating conditions of the machine include the current flow rate and the current supply and return hydraulic pressure difference; After obtaining the current operating mode and current operating condition of the machine, the following steps are also included: Compare the machine’s current flow rate and current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference with a pre-determined curve of flow rate and supply-return hydraulic pressure difference; The curve represents the flow rate and supply / return pressure difference when the energy-saving effects of single-pump mode and dual-pump mode are the same; the two sides of the curve represent the regions where single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than dual-pump mode and the regions where dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than single-pump mode, respectively. If the current flow rate and current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference of the machine are in the region where the single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the dual-pump mode, then the current operating condition of the machine is determined to be the condition where the single-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the dual-pump mode. If the current flow rate and current supply-return hydraulic pressure difference of the machine are in the region where the dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the single-pump mode, then the current operating condition of the machine is determined to be the condition where the dual-pump mode is more energy-efficient than the single-pump mode.

5. The method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the local machine acts as a slave, if it receives a mode switching self-test command sent by the master, it determines its own mode switching self-test result and sends its own mode switching self-test result to the master. If a mode switching command is received from the host, the current working mode will be switched to another working mode.

6. The method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, When the local machine acts as the master, before sending the mode switching self-test command to each online slave machine, the following steps are also included: Detect whether there are changes in the racking rate and load rate of the heat load; The method of sending the mode switching self-test command to each online slave device includes: If the rack availability and load rate of the hot load do not change, a mode switching self-test command is sent to each online slave device.

7. The method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, When the local machine acts as the master, before sending the mode switching self-test command to each online slave machine, the following steps are also included: Detect whether a mode switch has been performed uniformly within the first preset time period; The method of sending the mode switching self-test command to each online slave device includes: If no mode switching has been performed within the first preset time period, a mode switching self-test command is sent to each online slave device.

8. The method for switching between single and dual pump modes in a liquid cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, After determining the mode switching self-test result of the local machine and receiving the mode switching self-test results sent by each online slave machine, the method further includes: If the self-test results of mode switching for the local machine and all online slave machines are not all indicative of a mode switch, then the local machine and all online slave machines will maintain their current operating modes.

9. A liquid-cooled CDU, characterized in that, It includes a memory and a processor, the memory being used to store a computer program, and the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to perform the single / dual pump mode switching method of the liquid cooling system as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A data center, characterized in that, The system includes a liquid cooling system, which includes at least one liquid-cooled CDU as described in claim 9, and the liquid-cooled CDU further includes two water pumps connected in parallel.

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