Cooling unit in rack

Abstract

An in-rack cooling unit for an electrical device may include a housing defining an air inlet and an air outlet. The housing may include a top panel and a bottom panel defining a longitudinal plane extending between the air inlet and the air outlet. The heat exchanger may be mounted within the housing and oriented at a first angle relative to the longitudinal plane. A fan assembly may be mounted within the housing and oriented at a second angle relative to the longitudinal plane. The heat exchanger and the fan assembly may be tilted toward each other such that an upper end of the fan assembly is directed toward an upper end of the heat exchanger adjacent the top panel.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] Cooling systems can be provided for electrical components in a data center. In some examples, equipment in a data center can be cooled in various ways, including through liquid-based cooling systems, air-based cooling systems, or combinations thereof. Electrical equipment within a data center (e.g., servers) can be housed in racks. Cooling units can be provided to provide heat transfer to remove heat from the electrical equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0002] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an in-rack cooling unit for electrical equipment is provided. The cooling unit may include a housing defining an air inlet and an air outlet. The housing may include a top panel and a bottom panel. The bottom panel may define a longitudinal plane extending between the air inlet and the air outlet. A heat exchanger may be mounted within the housing and oriented at a first angle relative to the longitudinal plane. A fan assembly may be mounted within the housing and oriented at a second angle relative to the longitudinal plane. The heat exchanger and the fan assembly may be tilted relative to each other such that the upper end of the fan assembly points towards the upper end of the heat exchanger adjacent to the top panel.

[0003] In some examples, the first angle can be approximately 16 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane.

[0004] In some examples, the second angle can be approximately 25 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane.

[0005] In some examples, the angle between the heat exchanger and the fan assembly can be approximately 139 degrees.

[0006] In some examples, the fan assembly may include one or more axial fans configured to receive air at the inlet side along the axis of rotation and exhaust air from the outlet side toward the air outlet.

[0007] In some examples, air can be exhausted along the rotation axis of one or more axial fans.

[0008] In some examples, the cooling unit may also include a baffle positioned between adjacent axial fans and configured to guide airflow from each of the axial fans toward an air outlet.

[0009] In some examples, the cooling unit may also include a shelf positioned between the heat exchanger and fan assembly within the housing. The shelf may support electronic components.

[0010] In some examples, the cooling unit may also include a guide plate positioned at a corner of the housing adjacent to the fan assembly. The guide plate may define a curved surface that guides airflow from the heat exchanger to the fan assembly.

[0011] According to another aspect of this disclosure, an in-rack cooling unit for electrical equipment within a data center can be provided. The cooling unit may include a housing defining an air inlet and an air outlet. The housing may include a top panel and a bottom panel. A heat exchanger may be mounted within the housing. The heat exchanger may receive liquid coolant through a fluid inlet and discharge liquid coolant through a fluid outlet. A fan assembly may be mounted within the housing and may include one or more axial fans. Each axial fan may have a rotation axis. The one or more axial fans may receive air at the inlet side along the rotation axis and discharge air from the outlet side toward the air outlet along the rotation axis. A shelf may be positioned between the heat exchanger and the fan assembly within the housing. The shelf may support electronic components.

[0012] In some examples, the bottom panel may define a longitudinal plane that extends between the air inlet and the air outlet. The heat exchanger may be oriented at a first angle relative to the longitudinal plane, and the fan assembly may be oriented at a second angle relative to the longitudinal plane.

[0013] In some examples, the heat exchanger and fan assembly can be tilted toward each other, such that the upper end of the fan assembly points toward the upper end of the heat exchanger adjacent to the top panel.

[0014] In some examples, the heat exchanger and fan assembly can be tilted away from each other, such that the upper end of the fan assembly points away from the upper end of the heat exchanger.

[0015] In some examples, the shelf may extend between the opposite lateral sides of the housing and may be positioned toward the top panel to further define the airflow path between the fan assembly and the heat exchanger.

[0016] In some examples, the cooling unit may also include a baffle positioned between adjacent axial fans and configured to guide airflow from each of the axial fans toward an air outlet.

[0017] In some examples, the cooling unit may also include a guide plate positioned at a corner of the housing adjacent to the fan assembly. The guide plate can direct airflow into the fan assembly.

[0018] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method for cooling electronic components using an in-rack cooling unit can be provided. The method may include allowing air to enter a first compartment through an air inlet of a housing. The first compartment may house a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger may be oriented at a first angle relative to a longitudinal plane defined by a bottom panel of the housing. The method may include passing air through the heat exchanger to transfer heat from a liquid coolant circulating through the coils of the heat exchanger to the air, thereby regulating the air. The method may include drawing air from the first compartment into a second compartment using one or more fans of a fan assembly. The second compartment may house a fan assembly. The fan assembly may be oriented at a second angle relative to the longitudinal plane such that the heat exchanger and the fan assembly are tilted toward each other. The method may include discharging the regulated air at a second angle through an air outlet of the housing.

[0019] In some examples, the first angle may be approximately 16 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane, and the second angle may be approximately 25 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane.

[0020] In some examples, the angle between the heat exchanger and the fan assembly can be approximately 139 degrees.

[0021] In some examples, the fan assembly may include one or more axial fans configured to receive air at the inlet side along the axis of rotation and to discharge air from the outlet side toward the air outlet along the axis of rotation. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate examples of the disclosed technology and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the examples of the disclosed technology:

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an electronic device cabinet according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a top axonometric view of the cooling unit of an electronic device cabinet according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Another top-view axonometric view of the cooling unit, in which the housing of the cooling unit has been partially removed.

[0026] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Front elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0027] Figure 5 for Figure 3 Rear elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0028] Figure 6 for Figure 3Top elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0029] Figure 7 for Figure 3 First side elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0030] Figure 8 for Figure 3 The second side elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0031] Figure 9 This is a top axonometric view of a cooling unit according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 10 for Figure 9 Another top-view axonometric view of the cooling unit, in which the housing of the cooling unit has been partially removed.

[0033] Figure 11 for Figure 9 Front elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0034] Figure 12 for Figure 9 Rear elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0035] Figure 13 for Figure 9 Top elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0036] Figure 14 for Figure 9 First side elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0037] Figure 15 for Figure 9 The second side elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0038] Figure 16 for Figure 12 Detailed view of area 16-16, showing details of the housing of the cooling unit.

[0039] Figure 17 for Figure 12 Detailed view of area 17-17, showing details of the housing of the cooling unit.

[0040] Figure 18 An isometric view of another example of a cooling unit according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0041] Figure 19 for Figure 18 An isometric view of the cooling unit, in which the housing of the cooling unit has been partially removed.

[0042] Figure 20 for Figure 18 First side elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0043] Figure 21 for Figure 18 The second side elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0044] Figure 22 for Figure 18 A top view of the cooling unit.

[0045] Figure 23 for Figure 18 The third side elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0046] Figure 24 for Figure 18 The fourth side elevation view of the cooling unit.

[0047] Figure 25 for Figure 21 Detailed view of area 25-25, showing details of the housing of the cooling unit.

[0048] Figure 26 for Figure 21 Detailed view of area 26-26, showing details of the housing of the cooling unit.

[0049] Figure 27 Bit Figure 18 A partial isometric view of the cooling unit, showing the internal components of the cooling unit.

[0050] Figure 28 For inclusion Figure 2 Partial isometric view of the electrical equipment cabinet of the cooling unit. Detailed Implementation

[0051] Before explaining any examples of the disclosed technology in detail, it should be understood that the disclosed technology is not limited in its application to the construction details and component arrangements illustrated in the following description or the examples shown in the following figures. The disclosed technology can have other examples and can be practiced or performed in various ways. Furthermore, it should be understood that the wording and terminology used herein are for descriptive purposes and should not be considered limiting. The use of “comprising,” “including,” or “having,” and variations thereof herein is intended to cover the items listed thereafter and their equivalents and additional items. Unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms “installation,” “connection,” “support,” and “linkage,” and variations thereof are used extensively and cover direct and indirect installation, connection, support, and linking. Furthermore, “connection” and “linkage” are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or links.

[0052] The following discussion is presented to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the examples of this disclosure. Various modifications to the examples illustrated will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles herein can be applied to other examples and applications without departing from the examples of this disclosure. Therefore, the examples of this disclosure are not intended to be limited to those shown, but should be given the broadest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. The following detailed description should be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar elements in different drawings have similar reference numerals. The drawings (not necessarily drawn to scale) depict selected examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the examples of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the examples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall within the scope of the examples of this disclosure.

[0053] Cooling systems can be provided for data centers to cool electrical components housed within electronic equipment enclosures. During operation, electrical components, typically housed in racks or electronic equipment cabinets, can generate heat, which can degrade the components, damage the system, or degrade their performance. Therefore, cooling units can be provided to remove the generated heat from the data center racks. For example, cooling units can be placed within electronic equipment cabinets to facilitate heat transfer. However, in some examples, cooling units may occupy significant space within the electronic equipment cabinets, and it may be difficult to provide additional electrical components to enable additional computing power.

[0054] Examples of the disclosed technology may provide improvements in this regard and in other aspects, as described in further detail below. In particular, some examples of the disclosed technology may provide a configuration of cooling unit and associated support structure that enables a compact arrangement of various components within the cooling unit.

[0055] In some examples, sub-components of the cooling unit can be positioned at an angle relative to the cooling unit frame. For example, fan assemblies or heat exchangers can be arranged at an angle (e.g., compared to a vertical, upright position) within the cooling unit, occupying less vertical space. In some examples, angling fan assemblies or heat exchangers at an angle can reduce the height of the cooling unit, which can correspondingly free up space for other components (e.g., additional server units) to also be mounted within the electronics rack. These concepts can be implemented in various electronics racks or coolant distribution units, as described below.

[0056] Figure 1The following is a block diagram illustrating some examples of an electronics rack 100 according to the disclosed technology. The electronics rack 100 can be any of many different types of electronics racks on which the examples discussed below can be advantageously combined. For example, the electronics rack 100 can be a server rack containing multiple computing servers arranged in vertical, continuous shelves of the rack 100. In some examples, the rack 100 can house network equipment (e.g., switches, routers, etc.), storage devices (e.g., flash drives, disk shelves, etc.), energy storage systems (e.g., battery modules, etc.), or combinations of one or more of computing servers, network equipment, storage devices, energy storage systems, etc. In some examples, the electronics rack 100 can include cooling systems (e.g., rear door cooling units, coolant distribution units, heat exchangers, pumping units, etc.) for cooling various electrical components in a data center. Thus, the electronics rack 100 can support various server networks and equipment used for data center operations.

[0057] In some applications, the electronics cabinet 100 can be located in various locations, such as edge data centers. In some examples, the electronics cabinet 100 can be located close to the application, for example, to reduce data processing latency or improve user experience by co-locating it near computing stations or the loads served by said computing stations. In some examples, the electronics cabinet 100 can be located in remote or spatially and structurally constrained geographical areas or environments, such as marine vessels, aircraft, research centers, field hospitals, telemedicine clinics, etc. Therefore, providing data centers with multiple heavy-duty cooling systems or server racks in some locations can be challenging. Therefore, it may be advantageous to provide the electronics cabinet 100 with improved computing power, improved cooling capacity, or a self-sustaining cooling system that requires no additional equipment.

[0058] In particular, Figure 1This illustrates the relationships between various systems on an electronics cabinet 100. For example, the electronics cabinet 100 may house heat-generating electrical equipment 110 (e.g., multiple servers, network switches or routers, storage disks or drives, energy storage systems, or combinations thereof), a cooling unit 120, and a control unit 130. In some examples, the cooling unit 120 may be located in the lower portion of the electronics cabinet 100 to cool the electrical equipment 110. In some examples, the control unit 130 may control one or more aspects of the electronics cabinet 100, including the operation of the cooling unit 120 or the electrical equipment 110. In some examples, the control unit 130 may be housed within the cooling unit 120. In some examples, the cooling unit (e.g., cooling unit 120) may be remotely controlled, and the controller may be located external to the cooling unit (e.g., housed within the electrical equipment rack housing the cooling unit, or external to the rack).

[0059] Cooling unit 120 may include fan assembly 140 and heat exchanger 150. In the illustrated example, heat exchanger 150 is an air-to-liquid heat exchanger, and coolant (e.g., facility water) passing through heat exchanger 150 may be directed to flow through heat exchanger 150. Fan assembly 140 may direct airflow through heat exchanger 150, and heat from the air may be transferred to the fluid coolant flowing through heat exchanger 150 to remove heat from cabinet 100. As shown, cooled air may exit from cooling unit 120 (e.g., on the supply side) in a direction toward electrical equipment 110 (e.g., upward, as shown), and may flow through electrical equipment 110 to transfer heat from electrical equipment 110. Heated air may exit from electrical equipment 110 and flow into cooling unit 120 (e.g., on the return side of cooling unit 120), and may be cooled at heat exchanger 150. Therefore, as Figure 1 As indicated by the arrow, the cold fluid of the heat exchanger 150 can reduce the temperature of the hot air released from the electrical equipment 110 and return the fluid as a hot fluid, and the fan assembly 140 can provide a flow of cooled air to the electrical equipment 110, into the cold aisle of the data center where the electronics cabinet 100 is located, or to other components that can be advantageously cooled.

[0060] In some examples, the heat transfer fluid (e.g., cold or hot fluid) flowing through the heat exchanger coils may not require treatment to obtain specific fluid properties, such as pH or temperature. Therefore, the electronics rack 100 can be adapted to a variety of applications, including environments without liquid-cooled racks (e.g., for high-density liquid cooling). Although the illustrated example includes an air-to-liquid heat exchanger 150, other examples may include other types of heat exchangers, such as liquid-to-air, liquid-to-liquid, air-to-air, or immersion cooling. In some examples, cooling unit 120 may distribute a coolant (e.g., water, a water-glycol mixture, propylene, dielectric fluid, etc.) to upstream equipment via a pump. In some examples, cooling units (e.g., cooling unit 120) that can be mounted within the electrical equipment rack may include a refrigeration cycle (e.g., heat can be transferred from the air at the evaporator and to the facility water at the condenser). For example, if the approach temperature of heat exchanger 150 is below a threshold for effective heat transfer, refrigerant-based cooling can be initiated to continuously provide cooling capacity.

[0061] In some configurations, the size of the electronics cabinet 100 can be set according to industry standards, regulations, location, or application type. For example, the electronics cabinet 100 can be defined with a height of 42 rack units (U), where 1U corresponds to 1.75 inches or approximately 44.44 mm. In some examples, the electronics cabinet 100 can support one or more electrical devices 110, which are 2U, 4U, 6U, etc., or can contain one or more cooling units, which are 7U or smaller, 6U or smaller, 5U or smaller, 4U or smaller, etc. In some examples, the size of the electronics cabinet 100 can be adjusted to support different numbers of electrical devices 110 or cooling units 120. In some examples, the size of the electrical devices 110 or cooling units 120 can be adjusted to accommodate more or fewer electrical devices 110 or cooling units 120 within the electronics cabinet 100. For example, the size of the cooling units 120 can be reduced to support additional electrical devices, such as server units, in the remaining space of the electronics cabinet 100. In some examples, different arrangements or configurations of the electrical equipment 110, cooling unit 120, or electronic device cabinet 100 are possible to maximize the existing space within the electronic device cabinet 100. In some examples, the width or depth of the cooling unit 120 can be adjusted to accommodate different applications and form factors, such as configurations with depths ranging from approximately 600 mm to approximately 800 mm, to meet the space requirements of various applications as described above.

[0062] In some examples, the material selection for the components of cooling unit 120 may be related to specific operational requirements and environmental conditions. Materials may be selected based on factors such as thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, weight considerations, cost-effectiveness, and compatibility with various coolant types. For example, electronics cabinet 100 may contain materials that support the weight of the components arranged within it. For instance, the weight of some components (including electrical equipment 110) may significantly increase the overall weight of electronics cabinet 100. Therefore, it may be advantageous to provide electronics cabinet 100 with lightweight materials or materials capable of supporting the loads of the components housed within it. For example, the materials for electronics cabinet 100 or cooling unit 120 may include steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, magnesium, brass, copper, composite materials, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the coils of heat exchanger 150 may be constructed from materials including copper, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, nickel alloys, titanium, or any combination thereof.

[0063] In some examples, the cooling unit (e.g., cooling unit 120) is mounted on a rack (e.g., Figure 1 Minimizing the space required within the rack 100 shown may be advantageous. For example, reducing the height of the cooling unit within the electrical equipment rack can allow for the installation of additional electrical equipment within the rack. Thus, for example, reducing the height of the cooling unit by 1U compared to a conventional rack-mounted cooling unit can allow for the insertion of additional servers (e.g., servers with a height of 1U or 2U) into the rack, which can advantageously increase the rack's computing power and density (e.g., computing power per unit rack floor area). Increasing rack computing density can be particularly important in edge computing scenarios where relying on data centers for computing power may be impractical or impossible. High-density computing systems (e.g., racks with electrical equipment) may be required in remote research laboratories, maritime scenarios (e.g., on ships or submarines), aerospace applications (e.g., on aircraft), etc. Examples of this disclosure can partially realize a high-density computer rack by providing a cooling unit for cooling the rack, the cooling unit having a height of 4U, which can advantageously increase the space within the rack available for electrical equipment compared to a conventional cooling unit.

[0064] in this regard, Figure 2-8 An example cooling unit 220 for use in an electronic device cabinet is shown, which is Figure 1 A specific example of the cooling unit 120. Therefore, the features of the cooling unit 220 described below include those related to... Figure 1 The names used herein are generally similar, and the above discussion applies to items with similar names below, unless otherwise stated or required. For example, cooling unit 220 includes heat exchanger 250 (in... Figure 3-6 (shown in) and fan assembly 270 (in) Figure 3-6 (As shown in the diagram), just as cooling unit 120 includes fan assembly 140 and heat exchanger 150. Cooling unit 220 includes housing 230, which defines an internal space for supporting components of cooling unit 220. Cooling unit 220 defines a height H1. In some examples, height H1 extends between top panel 235 and bottom panel 236 of housing 230. In some examples, height H1 can be 4U, or about 177.6 mm. In some examples, height H1 can be less than 4U (e.g., 3U, 2U, or 1U) or greater than 4U (e.g., 5U, 6U, etc.). Top panel 235 and bottom panel 236 can define parallel horizontal planes, and height H1 can be measured between the parallel horizontal planes defined by top panel 235 and bottom panel 236. For example, bottom panel 236 defines a longitudinal axis or plane 238 and includes a length L1 measured in a direction parallel to longitudinal plane 238. In some examples, the length L1 can be approximately 800 mm or less, including 700 mm or 600 mm.

[0065] In some examples, the bottom panel 236 may include portions dedicated to supporting different components of the cooling unit 220. In the example shown, the bottom panel 236 includes a first bottom panel portion 240 and a second bottom panel 242 (e.g., as shown in the example). Figure 3-5 (As shown in the diagram). The first bottom panel portion 240 may support the heat exchanger 250, and the second bottom panel 242 may support the fan assembly 270. In some examples, this split bottom panel configuration can provide modularity and flexibility for the maintenance of the various components of the cooling unit 220, such as the fan assembly 270.

[0066] like Figure 2 As shown, the housing 230 includes an air inlet 232 and an air outlet 234 disposed on opposite sides of the housing 230. The air inlet 232 and air outlet 234 extend between opposite ends of the housing 230 along a longitudinal plane 238 extending between the air inlet 232 and air outlet 234. In some examples, the top panel 235 may include the air inlet 232 and air outlet 234. For example, the top panel 235 may include a first top panel portion 280 and a second top panel portion 282, the first top panel portion 280 including the air inlet 232 and the second top panel portion 282 including the air outlet 234. In some examples, the first top panel portion 280 and the second top panel portion 282 may form the top side and the side side of the housing 230. Therefore, air can pass through the top side and the side side of the housing 230 (e.g., as shown in the diagram). Figure 2(As shown on the left) is drawn into the interior space of the housing 230, and air can pass through the top side and side sides of the housing 230 (e.g., as shown on the left). Figure 2 The air (shown on the right) is exhausted from the interior space of the housing 230. In the illustrated example, the air inlet 232 and air outlet 234 are defined by a mesh surface, but other types of surfaces may be provided, including perforated panels, louvered surfaces, or solid panels with discrete openings. In some examples, the housing 230 may define an airflow passage between the air inlet 232 and the air outlet 234. In the illustrated example, air may flow from the air inlet 232 to the heat exchanger 250 or fan assembly 270 and exit from the air outlet 234. In some examples, the heat exchanger 250 may provide a cooling capacity greater than 5 kW, greater than 10 kW, greater than 15 kW, greater than 20 kW, greater than 30 kW, greater than 40 kW, about 7 kW to about 8 kW, or about 7.5 kW. In some examples, the dimensions of the air inlet 232 and air outlet 234 may vary based on desired cooling characteristics, such as airflow rate.

[0067] Now for reference Figure 3-6 The heat exchanger 250 is an air-to-liquid heat exchanger that includes air passages for allowing airflow through the cooling unit 220. The heat exchanger 250 defines a flow path for the liquid coolant to transfer heat from the airflow passing through it to the liquid coolant. In the illustrated example, the cooling unit 220 includes a plug 246 for providing power to the cooling unit 220 or for electronic communication with the electronics cabinet 100. In some examples, the cooling unit 220 may be hot-swappable and include associated support structures, such as rails or quick-connect ports for fluid. In some examples, one or more sub-components of the cooling unit 220 may be replaceable or hot-swappable (e.g., individual fans of the fan assembly 270, the heat exchanger 250, etc.). In some examples, the cooling unit 220 may be stacked with another cooling unit to increase the cooling capacity of the electronics cabinet. In some examples, the housing 230 may be made of aluminum or other lightweight materials to reduce the overall weight of the cooling unit 220 or the electronics cabinet containing the cooling unit 220. For example, the weight of the cooling unit 220 can be less than 23 kg or less than 15 kg.

[0068] Additionally, the rack-mounted cooling unit may include a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet to allow coolant (e.g., liquids such as water, mineral oil, glycerin, etc.) to flow through the heat exchanger. Figure 3The diagram shows a heat exchanger 250 and a fan assembly 270 arranged within a housing 230 of a cooling unit 220. The heat exchanger 250 may be located near an air inlet 232, allowing hot air to enter towards the heat exchanger 250 through the air inlet 232. Furthermore, the heat exchanger 250 may be connected to an inlet hose 252 (e.g., a fluid inlet, such as...). Figure 5 (as shown in the diagram) and outlet hose 254 (e.g., fluid outlet), the inlet hose 252 providing fluid communication via coil 256 (e.g., as ... Figure 6 and 8 The fluid coolant for heat transfer (shown in the diagram) is discharged from the coil 256 via the outlet hose 254, and the heated fluid can be cooled for subsequent heat transfer cycles.

[0069] Next, fan assembly 270 can be positioned near air outlet 234. In the illustrated example, the distance between fan assembly 270 and air outlet 234 can be greater than the distance between heat exchanger 250 and air outlet, and it pushes cooled air to downstream systems (e.g., server units). Specifically, fan assembly 270 may include one or more fans 272 (e.g., radial or axial fans) supported on bracket support 244. Baffles 276 may be disposed between fans 272 and guide airflow from the respective fans 272. Although fans 272 are described as pushing cooled air to downstream systems, fans 272 can be arranged to draw heated air from upstream systems toward heat exchanger 250. In some examples, by reversing the rotation direction of fans 272, the airflow direction through cooling unit 220 can be reversed, allowing cooling unit 220 to operate in a push or draw configuration according to system requirements.

[0070] Furthermore, the bracket support 244 of the housing 230 can support the fan bracket 274 at an angle relative to the cooling unit 220 (e.g., at a tilt angle relative to the bottom surface or bottom panel 236 of the cooling unit 220). In some examples, the bracket support 244 can be configured as an adjustable bracket, allowing the mounting position of the bracket support 244 to increase or decrease the angle of the fan assembly 270. Thus, the fan 272 can be oriented at a tilt angle, contrasting with the upright orientation in some applications. This arrangement allows the use of a fan (e.g., a radial or axial fan) to generate airflow through the cooling unit while reducing the required height of the unit compared to conventional units, where the fan defines an axis of rotation substantially parallel to the extension direction of the cooling unit. Therefore, regulated air can exit the air outlet 234 in one or more directions (e.g., radial, lateral, or generally vertical). For example, the fan 272 can exhaust air through the air outlet 234 in a direction substantially parallel or perpendicular to the longitudinal plane 238. In some examples, by reversing the rotation direction of fan 272, the airflow direction through cooling unit 220 can be reversed, allowing cooling unit 220 to operate in a push or suction configuration as required by the system. In some examples, fan assembly 270 may include an axial fan arranged vertically relative to bottom panel 236, and the height of such an axial fan may be 4U or less to achieve a similar compact arrangement within cooling unit 220. In some examples, bracket support 244 may direct airflow from air inlet 232 away from electronic components that may be housed below bracket support 244.

[0071] In the example shown, fan assembly 270 includes two radial fans that can be configured to receive air in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation and exhaust air in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation. Fans 272 are arranged side-by-side on fan bracket 274. Each of the fans 272 of fan assembly 270 can be defined as follows: Figure 4 The rotation axis R1 shown is tilted relative to the longitudinal plane 278 and the extension direction relative to the bottom panel 236. Air can exit the fan assembly 270 along an outlet axis perpendicular to the rotation axis R1.

[0072] In some examples, fan assembly 270 may comprise a fewer number of fans (e.g., one) or a larger number of fans (e.g., three, four, five, etc.) mounted on fan bracket 274. In some examples, more than one fan assembly 270 may be provided, including two, three, four, five fan assemblies, etc. In some examples, multiple heat exchangers may be provided to achieve improved heat transfer or cooling capabilities. For example, a cooling unit may include a passive air-to-liquid heat exchanger (e.g., heat exchanger 250) and a heat transfer unit containing a refrigeration cycle, and the heat transfer unit may be activated when the approximate temperature between ambient air and the liquid flowing through the heat exchanger is below a threshold. In some examples, multiple replaceable (e.g., via fasteners) or hot-swappable cooling units may be provided in the electronics cabinet. Thus, after one cooling unit fails or is removed, the remaining one or more cooling units may be operational to provide cooling to the electrical equipment in the electronics cabinet.

[0073] For details, please refer to the following: Figure 4 and 5 Each of the fans 272 may include a height H2 and a diameter D1. In some examples, the height H2 may be approximately 102 mm and the diameter D1 may be approximately 200 mm, corresponding to approximately 4.5 U. In some examples, the size of the fan 272 may be determined by a predetermined size of an off-the-shelf fan. Therefore, the diameter D1 may not be reduced (e.g., to reduce the size of other components, such as the height H1 of the cooling unit 220). However, in other configurations, the size of the fan 272 may be reduced to further reduce the size of other components, such as the height H1 of the cooling unit 220 (e.g., to below 4 U). In the examples shown, the fan 272, fan bracket 274, or fan assembly 270 may be oriented at an angle A1 relative to the longitudinal plane 278, and the angle A1 may be approximately 25 degrees. In some examples, the air outlet axis may be defined at an angle A1 relative to the longitudinal plane 278. Therefore, the fan 272 may be fitted into a housing 230 that includes a height H1 smaller than the diameter D1 of the fan 272. Therefore, arranging the fan assembly 270 at angle A1 can provide a compact arrangement of the fan assembly 270 within the cooling unit 220 and help reduce the height of the cooling unit 220.

[0074] In some examples, the height H2 can be about 50% to about 60% of the height H1, about 40% to about 70% of the height H1, about 30% to about 80% of the height H1, about 20% to about 90% of the height H1, about 10% to about 100% of the height H1, or less than about 10% of the height H1. In some examples, the diameter D1 can be less than 100% of the height H1, greater than 100% of the height H1, greater than 110% of the height H1, greater than 120% of the height H1, greater than 130% of the height H1, greater than 140% of the height H1, or greater than 150% of the height H1. In some examples, the angle A1 can be less than about 25 degrees, less than about 20 degrees, less than about 15 degrees, less than about 10 degrees, or less than about 5 degrees relative to the bottom panel 236 of the housing 230 or the cooling unit 220. In some examples, angle A1 may be greater than about 25 degrees, greater than about 30 degrees, greater than about 40 degrees, greater than about 50 degrees, or greater than about 60 degrees relative to the bottom panel 236 of the housing 230 or the cooling unit 220. In some examples, angle A1 may be between about 20 degrees and about 50 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane 238.

[0075] Next, the heat exchanger 250 may be defined by a height H3 and a length L2. In some examples, the height H3 may be approximately 85 mm, and the length L2 may be approximately 380 mm. In some examples, the heat exchanger 250 may be tilted relative to the housing 230 or the bottom panel 236 of the cooling unit 220 at an angle A2, said angle A2 may be approximately 14 degrees. In some examples, the heat exchanger 250 may be fixed to the housing 230 at an angle A2 (e.g., along the side surface of the housing 230), and said angle A2 may be determined based on the available space within the cooling unit 220. In some examples, providing the heat exchanger 250 at an angle A2 may increase the surface area for airflow through the heat exchanger 250, thereby improving the cooling capacity of the heat exchanger 250. In some examples, the heat exchanger 250 may be angled toward the fan assembly 270 such that the angle between the heat exchanger 250 and the fan assembly 270 is less than approximately 180 degrees or less. In some examples, the fan assembly 270 and the heat exchanger 250 may be arranged convergingly and angled toward each other within the housing 230, with the fan assembly 270 facing the heat exchanger 250. In some examples, the axis of rotation R1 may extend in a direction different from the longitudinal direction of the heat exchanger 250. In some examples, the fan assembly 270 and the heat exchanger 250 may be arranged convergingly and angled toward each other within the housing 230.

[0076] In some examples, height H3 can be approximately 40% to approximately 60% of height H1, approximately 30% to approximately 70% of height H1, approximately 20% to approximately 80% of height H1, approximately 10% to approximately 90% of height H1, greater than approximately 90% of height H1, or less than approximately 10% of height H1. In some examples, length L2 can be less than 200% of height H1, greater than 200% of height H1, greater than 210% of height H1, greater than 220% of height H1, greater than 230% of height H1, greater than 240% of height H1, or greater than 250% of height H1. In some examples, angle A2 can be less than approximately 15 degrees, less than approximately 10 degrees, or less than approximately 5 degrees relative to the bottom panel 236 of housing 230 or cooling unit 220. In some examples, angle A2 can be greater than approximately 15 degrees, greater than approximately 20 degrees, greater than approximately 25 degrees, greater than approximately 30 degrees, or greater than approximately 35 degrees relative to the bottom panel 236 of housing 230 or cooling unit 220. In some examples, angle A2 can be between about 10 degrees and about 20 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane 238.

[0077] Figure 9-17 An example cooling unit 320 is shown, which is Figure 1 Cooling unit 120 or Figure 2-8 Specific examples of cooling unit 220, wherein the examples discussed below can be advantageously employed. For this purpose, the features of cooling unit 320 described below include those... Figure 2-8 The names and numbers used in this document are generally similar to those used elsewhere, and unless otherwise indicated or required, the above discussion applies to similar names and numbers. Furthermore, the following discussion applies to the above-mentioned names and numbers. Figure 2-8 The cooling unit 220 has a similar name and number. For example, the cooling unit 320 includes a housing 330, just as the cooling unit 220 has a housing 230.

[0078] Specifically, housing 330 defines an air inlet 332 and an air outlet 334, wherein housing 330 includes a top panel 335 and a bottom panel 336 defining a longitudinal plane 338. Bottom panel 336 includes a first bottom panel portion 340 and a second bottom panel portion 342. A bracket support 344 can be mounted within housing 330 to provide structural support for internal components and guide airflow. A heat exchanger 350 is mounted within housing 330 to transfer heat between air within housing 330 and liquid coolant passing through coils 356 of heat exchanger 350. Heat exchanger 350 defines a height H6 and a length L4. In the illustrated example, heat exchanger 350 receives coolant through fluid inlet 352 and discharges coolant through fluid outlet 354. Furthermore, a fan assembly 370 is fixed within housing 330 and supported by bracket support 344. Fan assembly 370 includes one or more fans 372 (e.g., radial or axial fans) supported by fan brackets 374. Each of the fans 372 may define a rotation axis R2 and is configured to guide airflow through the cooling unit 320 such that air exits the fan assembly 370 along an outlet axis different from (e.g., perpendicular to) the rotation axis R2. The fans 372 define a diameter D2 and a height H5. A baffle 376 may be positioned adjacent to the fans 372 and guide the airflow exiting from each of the corresponding fans 372 toward the air outlet 334. A plug 346 may extend from the housing 330 to provide power and communication connectivity to the cooling unit 320.

[0079] In some examples, the cooling unit 320 can be configured for bidirectional airflow operation to accommodate different installation requirements and optimize cooling performance. The airflow direction through the cooling unit 320 can be reversed by changing the rotation direction of the fan 372, allowing the cooling unit 320 to operate in either a push or suction configuration. In a forward airflow configuration, heated air can be drawn through air inlet 332, pass through heat exchanger 350 for heat transfer, then through fan assembly 370, and exit as conditioned (cooled) air through air outlet 334. In a reverse (e.g., counter-current) airflow configuration, heated air can flow through air outlet 334, first through fan assembly 370, pass through heat exchanger 350 for cooling, and then exit as cooled air through air inlet 332. The fan assembly 370 can face heat exchanger 350 at an angle of less than 180 degrees or less than 145 degrees, creating a converging arrangement that optimizes airflow distribution within the compact housing 330.

[0080] Next, cooling unit 320 is configured to fit within a reduced space volume while maintaining effective cooling performance, but this cooling unit differs from cooling unit 220 in some respects. In the example shown, housing 330 may contain a smaller form factor than other housings of the cooling unit. For example, housing 330 includes a length L3 that is reduced relative to the standard cooling unit size, allowing cooling unit 320 to be fitted into a rack with a depth less than that of a standard rack configuration. Specifically, length L3 may be between approximately 600 mm and approximately 630 mm, as measured in a direction parallel to longitudinal plane 338. Furthermore, housing 330 includes a height H4 between top panel 335 and bottom panel 336, and as described above relative to... Figure 2-8 Similarly, the height H4 is less than 6U (approximately 266.4 mm) or approximately 4U (approximately 177.6 mm).

[0081] To accommodate the reduced volume within the cooling unit 320, the sub-components of the cooling unit 320 can be specifically arranged to achieve optimal space utilization. For example, the fan assembly 370 is oriented at an angle A3 relative to the longitudinal plane 338, said angle A3 being between approximately 40 and approximately 45 degrees. Similarly, the heat exchanger 350 is positioned at an angle A4 relative to the longitudinal plane 338 to maximize the heat transfer surface area. In the example shown, angle A4 can be approximately 14 degrees. In some examples, the fan assembly 370 and the heat exchanger 350 can be configured in a V-shape facing each other, wherein the angle between the fan assembly 370 and the heat exchanger 350 is less than 180 degrees. Thus, the fan 372 can draw air into the inlet side 391 of the fan 372 at an angle A3 and exhaust air from the outlet side 393 of the fan 372 at another angle, said angle being offset by 90 degrees from angle A3. Furthermore, the fan assembly 370 can draw air from the air inlet 332 through the heat exchanger 350 in a direction different from the rotation axis R2. For example, the fan 372 can draw air from the air inlet 332 through the heat exchanger 350 (e.g., from the bottom side of the heat exchanger 350 to the top side of the heat exchanger 350) at an angle relative to the longitudinal plane 338 (the angle of tilt is less than angle A3 or the angle at which air leaves from the outlet side 393). Figure 11 and 12 (as shown in the image).

[0082] In some examples, cooling unit 320 can provide approximately 7.5 kW or more of cooling capacity while occupying a smaller overall volume than a conventional cooling unit. In some examples, angle A3 or angle A4 can be adjusted to provide a desired flow rate and corresponding desired cooling capacity. In some examples, bracket support 344 can be configured as an adjustable bracket so that the mounting position of bracket support 344 can be adjusted to increase or decrease angle A3. In some examples, adjusting angle A3 can help achieve a desired air pressure drop level through fan 372.

[0083] The cooling unit 320 may include removable panel portions that allow the fan assembly 370 to be removed from the housing 330 independently of the heat exchanger 350, thus providing modularity for maintenance operations. Specifically, the top panel 335 includes a first top panel portion 380 and a second top panel portion 382. The heat exchanger 350 may be housed within a first compartment 384 between the first top panel portion 380 and the first bottom panel portion 340, and the fan assembly 370 may be housed within a second compartment 386 between the second top panel portion 382 and the second bottom panel portion 342. In some examples, the first top panel portion 380 may include an air inlet 332, and the second top panel portion 382 may include an air outlet 334. In some examples, the first top panel portion 380 and the second top panel portion 382 may form the top and side sides of the housing 330, allowing air to pass through the top and side sides of the housing 330 (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 9 (As shown on the left) is drawn into the interior space of the housing 330, and air can pass through the top side and side sides of the housing 330 (e.g., as shown on the left). Figure 9 The fan (shown on the right) is discharged from the interior space of housing 330. In some examples, fan 372 may be replaceable and may be secured with fasteners (e.g., screws) to allow for easy removal and installation during maintenance or replacement operations.

[0084] For details, please refer to the following: Figure 16 and 17 Various sealing elements (e.g., gaskets) can be provided between different parts of the housing 330. For example, such as Figure 16 As shown, a seal 390 is provided between the first top panel portion 380 and the second top panel portion 382. A seal 392 is provided between the fan bracket 374 and the second bottom panel portion 342, and a seal 394 is provided between the first bottom panel portion 340 and the second bottom panel portion 342. In some examples, seals 390, 392, and 394 may provide a seal between portions of the housing 330 and prevent fluid leakage from the cooling unit 320 or prevent debris from entering the internal volume of the housing 330.

[0085] Figure 18-27 Another example cooling device 420 is shown, which is Figure 1 Cooling device 120 Figure 2-8 Cooling device 220 or Figure 9-17 An example of a cooling device 320, wherein the following example may be advantageously employed. For this purpose, the cooling unit 420 described below is characterized by including features related to... Figure 2-17 The names and numbers used are essentially similar. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the above discussion applies to components with similar naming and numbering. In some examples, cooling unit 420 differs from cooling units 220 and 320 in several ways, including the orientation of the heat exchanger and fan assembly relative to the longitudinal plane of the housing.

[0086] The housing 430 may define an air inlet 432 and an air outlet 434. The housing 430 includes a top panel 435 and a bottom panel 436, with the bottom panel 436 defining a longitudinal plane 438. The top panel 435 may include a first top panel portion 480 and a second top panel portion 482. The bottom panel 436 may include a first bottom panel portion 440 and a second bottom panel portion 442. A seal 490 (see, for example, [reference needed]). Figure 25 Seal 492 (see, for example, between the first top panel portion 480 and the second top panel portion 482) is disposed between the first top panel portion 480 and the second top panel portion 482. Figure 26 A seal 490, 492 may be disposed between the first bottom panel portion 440 and the second bottom panel portion 442. In some examples, seals 490, 492 may provide a seal between portions of the housing 430 to mitigate air leakage between the first compartment 484 and the second compartment 486, to mitigate fluid leakage from the cooling unit 420, or to mitigate debris ingress into the internal volume of the housing 430. A bracket support 444 may be mounted within the housing 430 to provide structural support for internal components and to guide airflow. The housing 430 defines a height H7 between the top panel 435 and the bottom panel 436. In some examples, the height H7 may be less than 6U (approximately 266.4 mm), less than 5U (approximately 222 mm), or approximately 4U (approximately 177.6 mm). Therefore, the compact height H7 of the cooling unit 420 may allow additional space within the rack for electrical equipment, thereby increasing the computational density within the rack.

[0087] Furthermore, the heat exchanger 450 may be mounted within the housing 430, including a length L6 and a height H9. The fan assembly 470 is supported by a bracket support 444 and includes one or more fans 472 (e.g., axial fans), each fan 472 including a diameter D3 and a height H8. In some examples, the diameter D3 may be greater than the height H7 of the housing 430, and the tilt orientation of the fan assembly 470 may allow the fans 472 to be fitted within a compact height H7. In some examples, the diameter D3 and height H8 may be adjusted to change the airflow capacity of the fans 472. In some examples, the length L6 and height H9 of the heat exchanger 450 may be selected to maximize the heat transfer surface area when fitted within the height H7 of the housing 430. In the illustrated example, the fan 472 is an axial fan, although other examples may include radial fans. A baffle 476 may be located between adjacent fans 472 and helps direct the airflow exhausted from each respective fan 472 to the air outlet 434. The heat exchanger 450 can be housed in the first compartment 484, and the fan assembly 470 can be housed in the second compartment 486. The plug 446 can provide power and communication connectivity to the cooling unit 420.

[0088] In addition, air can travel along the path from the air inlet 432 to the air outlet 434 (e.g. Figure 20 (As indicated by the arrow) flows through cooling device 420. A longitudinal plane 438 may extend between air inlet 432 and air outlet 434. Air entering through air inlet 432 may pass through heat exchanger 450, where heat from the air is transferred to liquid coolant flowing through coils 456 of heat exchanger 450 to regulate the air. Heat exchanger 450 may receive coolant through fluid inlet 452 (e.g., liquid inlet) and discharge coolant through fluid outlet 454 (e.g., liquid outlet). Fan 472 may draw in cooled air through cooling unit 420 and axially exhaust air. For example, fan 472 may receive air at inlet side 491 along the rotation axis R3 of fan 472 and exhaust air from outlet side 493 (e.g., still along the rotation axis R3) toward air outlet 434.

[0089] In some examples, the second top panel portion 482 may include an air outlet 434 and may define a surface (e.g., a grid surface) that is typically aligned with or offset from the outlet side 493 by approximately 5 degrees. In some examples, the axis of rotation R3 may extend through the air outlet 434. In some examples, conditioned air may be exhausted through the air outlet 434 in a direction substantially aligned with the axis of rotation R3. In some examples, the size and blade angle of the fan 472 may be adjusted to increase volumetric flow rate and heat load dissipation, and to improve the uniformity of temperature distribution in the surrounding environment (e.g., within an electronics cabinet). In some examples, using an axial fan in the fan assembly 470, compared to a radial fan, can provide higher flow rates and higher pressures, which helps to drive more airflow through the heat exchanger 450.

[0090] Furthermore, guide plate 488 may be positioned at a corner of housing 430 adjacent to fan assembly 470. In some examples, guide plate 488 may be attached, for example, by fasteners to a second bottom panel portion 442 of housing 430 and an opposing lateral side panel. A sealing element may be provided between the guide plate 488 and the inner surface of front panel 489 to mitigate air leakage between guide plate 488 and front panel 489. Guide plate 488 may include a curved surface that facilitates airflow to inlet side 491 of fan 472. For example, when air flows into second compartment 486, some air may come into contact with guide plate 488 and be directed to inlet side 491. Thus, the curvature of guide plate 488 can provide a smoother (e.g., laminar) airflow with reduced turbulence and pressure loss compared to sharp corners.

[0091] As described above, in the cooling device 420, the heat exchanger 450 and the fan assembly 470 may be angled relative to each other. In some examples, the heat exchanger 450 may be oriented at an angle A6 between approximately 10 degrees and approximately 20 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane 438. In some examples, the fan assembly 470 may be oriented at an angle A5 between approximately 20 degrees and approximately 50 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane 438. In a particular example, the heat exchanger 450 may be oriented at an angle A6 of approximately 16 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane 438, and the fan assembly 470 may be oriented at an angle A5 of approximately 25 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane 438. Figure 20As shown, the angle A6 of the heat exchanger 450 can be measured clockwise from the longitudinal plane 438, and the angle A5 of the fan assembly 470 can be measured counterclockwise from the longitudinal plane 438. In some examples, the sum of angles A5 and A6 determines the angle between the heat exchanger 450 and the fan assembly 470. For example, when angle A5 is approximately 25 degrees and angle A6 is approximately 16 degrees, the angle between the heat exchanger 450 and the fan assembly 470 can be approximately 139 degrees (e.g., 180 degrees minus the sum of angles A5 and A6), or approximately 140 degrees. Therefore, the heat exchanger 450 and the fan assembly 470 can be tilted toward each other such that the upper end of the fan assembly 470 points toward the upper end of the heat exchanger 450, adjacent to the top panel 435. In some examples, the bracket support 444 can be configured to support the fan assembly 470 at angle A5, and the bracket support 444 can be adjusted to increase or decrease angle A5 to achieve desired airflow characteristics or pressure drop. In some examples, the first bottom panel portion 440 may be oriented at an angle relative to the longitudinal plane 438 to support the heat exchanger 450 at an angle.

[0092] In some examples, the airflow path through the cooling unit 420 may include a change in direction as air transitions from flowing through the heat exchanger 450 at angle A6 to being drawn into the fan 472 along the axis of rotation R3. In some examples, orienting the heat exchanger 450 and fan assembly 470 at an angle relative to the longitudinal plane 438, relative to a configuration in which the heat exchanger and fan assembly are oriented in a horizontal or vertical position, can promote a more uniform airflow distribution within the cooling unit 420. Therefore, the converging arrangement of the heat exchanger 450 and fan assembly 470 can optimize airflow distribution within the compact housing 430, thereby enhancing the cooling capacity and efficiency of the cooling unit 420 while maintaining a reduced height suitable for high-density computing applications.

[0093] Reference Figure 19 and 27The cooling unit 420 may include a shelf 496 and one or more electrical or electronic components 498 supported by the shelf 496. The electrical or electronic components 498 may include a control unit, power supply, display screen, sensors, or other electronic equipment for monitoring and controlling the operation of the cooling unit 420. Specifically, the shelf 496 is located within the housing 430 between the heat exchanger 450 and the fan assembly 470. The shelf 496 may extend between opposing lateral sides of the housing 430. In some examples, the shelf 496 may be secured to opposing lateral side panels and support brackets 444 (e.g., by fasteners). In some examples, the shelf 496 may be positioned towards the top panel 435. Therefore, the airflow path between the fan assembly 470 and the heat exchanger 450 remains substantially unobstructed, while further directing airflow through the cooling unit 420 by preventing air from escaping from the top panel 435 and directing air from the air inlet 432 to the air outlet 434. In other examples, shelf 496 and electrical or electronic components 498 may be located in different positions within housing 430, such as adjacent to a transverse side panel, below bracket support 444, or in a dedicated compartment separate from the airflow path between heat exchanger 450 and fan assembly 470.

[0094] Figure 28 This shows an in-rack cooling unit installed within an electrical equipment rack 2800, which, along with the unit installed in... Figure 1 The in-rack cooling unit 120 within the rack 100 shown is similar or identical. Although cooling unit 220 is shown mounted in rack 2800, various example cooling units, including cooling unit 320, cooling unit 420, or other similar types, can be easily mounted to meet specific application requirements. For example, advantageously, cooling units with reduced depth dimensions (e.g., cooling unit 320 with a depth of approximately 600 mm) can be mounted in space-constrained environments or racks with smaller footprints. As mentioned above, these in-rack cooling units may be particularly suitable for deployment in edge data centers, remote research facilities, marine vessels, aircraft, field hospitals, and other environments where space optimization and weight reduction are critical considerations. In comprehensive testing, an in-rack cooling unit with a compact 4U height (defined by the distance between the top and bottom panels), essentially identical to cooling unit 220, successfully achieved a cooling capacity of up to 8 kW. Furthermore, when constructed with a steel casing, the total weight of the internal cooling unit is less than 23 kg, and when constructed with an aluminum casing, the total weight of the internal cooling unit is less than 15 kg.

[0095] The foregoing description of the disclosed examples is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed technology. Various modifications to these examples will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosed technology. Therefore, the disclosed technology is not intended to be limited to the examples shown herein, but should be given the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0096] Furthermore, as used herein, unless otherwise limited or defined, “or” signifies a non-exclusive list of components or operations that may exist in any kind of combination, rather than an exclusive list of components that may exist only as substitutes for each other. For example, a list of “A, B, or C” represents the following options: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; and A, B, and C. Correspondingly, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to signify an exclusive alternative only when preceded by an exclusive term (e.g., “any one,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exact one of”). For example, a list of “one of A, B, or C” represents the following options: A, but not B and C; B, but not A and C; and C, but not A and B. A list beginning with “one or more” (and its variations) and containing “or” to separate the listed elements represents an option of one or more of any or all of the listed elements. For example, the phrases "one or more of A, B, or C" and "at least one of A, B, or C" represent the following options: one or more A's; one or more B's; one or more C's; one or more A's and one or more B's; one or more B's and one or more C's; one or more A's and one or more C's; and one or more A's, one or more B's, and one or more C's. Similarly, a list beginning with "multiple (and its variations)" and containing "or" to separate the listed elements represents an option for multiple instances of any or all of the listed elements. For example, the phrases "multiple A's, B, or C" and "two or more of A, B, or C" represent the following options: A and B; B and C; A and C; and A, B, and C.

[0097] Additionally, as used herein, unless otherwise specified or limited, “configured to” means that a component, system, or module is particularly suited to the associated function. Thus, for example, XX configured to YY is particularly suited to YY, rather than simply being generally capable of doing so.

[0098] In some embodiments, the apparatus or system disclosed herein may be utilized, manufactured, installed, etc., using methods embodying aspects of the disclosed technology. Correspondingly, any description herein of a particular feature, function, or intended purpose of an apparatus or system is generally intended to include disclosure of: methods of using such an apparatus to achieve the intended purpose, methods of otherwise achieving such function, methods of manufacturing related components (or the entire apparatus or system) of such an apparatus or system, and methods of installing the disclosed (or otherwise known) components to support such purpose or function. Similarly, unless otherwise indicated or limited, any discussion herein of methods of manufacturing or using a particular apparatus or system (including installing said apparatus or system) is intended to inherently include (as examples of the disclosed technology) disclosure of the features utilized and the functions achieved by such an apparatus or system.

[0099] Additionally, as used herein, unless otherwise limited or defined, the terms “about,” “substantially,” and “approximately” refer to a range of ±5% of the numerical value modified by the term. By default, the terms “about” and “approximately” include the endpoint values ​​of the relevant range, but are also intended to disclose ranges without endpoint values.

[0100] Additionally, as used herein, unless otherwise defined or limited, the term "lateral" refers to a direction that does not extend parallel to the reference direction. Therefore, a feature extending in the lateral direction relative to the reference direction extends in a direction in which at least one component is not parallel to the reference direction. In some examples, the lateral direction may be a radial direction relative to the reference direction or other perpendicular directions.

[0101] Unless otherwise specifically stated, ordinal numbers are used herein for ease of reference, and their use is generally based on the order in which specific components are presented in the relevant sections of this disclosure. For example, in this regard, designations such as “first,” “second,” etc., generally only indicate the order in which the so-called components are introduced into discussion, and do not generally indicate or require a particular spatial, functional, temporal, or structural priority or order. Accordingly, similar or identical components may be referred to by different ordinal numbers in different contexts.

[0102] Additionally, as used herein, unless otherwise defined or limited, directional terms are used for ease of reference to discuss a particular figure or example, or to indicate a spatial relationship relative to a particular other part or scene, but are not intended to indicate an absolute orientation. For example, references to downward, forward, or other directions, or to top, rear, or other locations (or features) may be used to discuss aspects of a particular example or figure, but do not necessarily require similar orientations or geometries in all installations or configurations.

Claims

1. A rack-mounted cooling unit for electrical equipment, the rack-mounted cooling unit comprising: A housing defining an air inlet and an air outlet, the housing including a top panel and a bottom panel, the bottom panel defining a longitudinal plane extending between the air inlet and the air outlet; A heat exchanger, which is mounted within the housing and oriented at a first angle relative to the longitudinal plane; as well as A fan assembly, which is mounted within the housing and oriented at a second angle relative to the longitudinal plane, wherein the heat exchanger and the fan assembly are tilted relative to each other such that the upper end of the fan assembly points toward the upper end of the heat exchanger adjacent to the top panel.

2. The rack-mounted cooling unit according to claim 1, wherein the first angle is approximately 16 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane.

3. The rack-mounted cooling unit according to claim 2, wherein the second angle is approximately 25 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane.

4. The rack-mounted cooling unit of claim 1, wherein the angle between the heat exchanger and the fan assembly is approximately 139 degrees.

5. The rack-mounted cooling unit of claim 1, wherein the fan assembly comprises one or more axial fans configured to receive air at the inlet side along an axis of rotation and to discharge air from the outlet side toward the air outlet.

6. The rack-mounted cooling unit of claim 5, wherein air is discharged along the axis of rotation of the one or more axial fans.

7. The rack-mounted cooling unit according to claim 5, further comprising: A baffle is disposed between adjacent axial fans of the one or more axial fans and configured to guide airflow from each of the one or more axial fans toward the air outlet.

8. The rack-mounted cooling unit according to claim 1, further comprising: A shelf is disposed within the housing between the heat exchanger and the fan assembly, and the shelf supports electronic components.

9. The rack-mounted cooling unit according to claim 1, further comprising: A guide plate is disposed at a corner of the housing adjacent to the fan assembly, the guide plate defining a curved surface that guides airflow through the heat exchanger toward the fan assembly.

10. An in-rack cooling unit for electrical equipment in a data center, the in-rack cooling unit comprising: A housing defining an air inlet and an air outlet, the housing including a top panel and a bottom panel; A heat exchanger, which is installed inside the housing, receives liquid coolant through a fluid inlet and discharges liquid coolant through a fluid outlet; A fan assembly, which is installed within the housing and includes one or more axial fans, each axial fan having a rotation axis, the one or more axial fans receiving air at the inlet side along the rotation axis and discharging air from the outlet side toward the air outlet along the rotation axis. as well as A shelf is disposed within the housing between the heat exchanger and the fan assembly, and the shelf supports electronic components.

11. The rack-mounted cooling unit of claim 10, wherein the bottom panel defines a longitudinal plane extending between the air inlet and the air outlet, and wherein the heat exchanger is oriented at a first angle relative to the longitudinal plane and the fan assembly is oriented at a second angle relative to the longitudinal plane.

12. The rack-mount cooling unit of claim 11, wherein the heat exchanger and the fan assembly are tilted toward each other such that the upper end of the fan assembly points toward the upper end of the heat exchanger adjacent to the upper panel.

13. The rack-mounted cooling unit of claim 11, wherein the heat exchanger and the fan assembly are tilted away from each other such that the upper end of the fan assembly is away from the upper end of the heat exchanger.

14. The rack-mounted cooling unit of claim 10, wherein the shelf extends between opposite lateral sides of the housing and is positioned toward the top panel to further define an airflow path between the fan assembly and the heat exchanger.

15. The rack-mounted cooling unit according to claim 10, further comprising: A baffle is disposed between adjacent axial fans of the one or more axial fans and configured to guide airflow from each of the one or more axial fans toward the air outlet.

16. The rack-mounted cooling unit according to claim 10, further comprising: A guide plate is disposed at a corner of the housing adjacent to the fan assembly, the guide plate introducing airflow into the fan assembly.

17. A method for cooling electrical components using an in-rack cooling unit, the method comprising: Air is drawn into a first compartment through an air inlet in the housing, the first compartment housing a heat exchanger oriented at a first angle relative to a longitudinal plane defined by the bottom panel of the housing; Air is passed through the heat exchanger to transfer heat from the liquid coolant circulating through the coils of the heat exchanger to the air, thereby regulating the air; Air is drawn from the first compartment into a second compartment by one or more fans of the fan assembly, the second compartment housing the fan assembly, the fan assembly being oriented at a second angle relative to the longitudinal plane such that the heat exchanger and the fan assembly are tilted relative to each other; as well as The regulated air is discharged through the air outlet of the housing at the second angle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first angle is about 16 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane and the second angle is about 25 degrees relative to the longitudinal plane.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the angle between the heat exchanger and the fan assembly is approximately 139 degrees.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the fan assembly comprises one or more axial fans configured to receive air at an inlet side along a rotation axis and discharge air at an outlet side along the rotation axis toward the air outlet.

Images