Parallel flow channel 6u liquid cooling machine case and cooling method thereof

Abstract

This invention discloses a 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels and its cooling method, belonging to the field of electronic device heat dissipation technology. The 6U liquid-cooled chassis includes a chassis body composed of a front panel, rear panel, left side panel, right side panel, top panel, and bottom panel; multiple cold plates disposed inside the chassis body; and a parallel flow channel system. The parallel flow channel system includes: an inlet flow channel and an outlet flow channel disposed on the left side panel; a branch flow channel disposed on the top panel; a confluence flow channel disposed on the bottom panel; a connecting flow channel disposed on the right side panel; and multiple parallel microchannels, each microchannel corresponding to a cold plate. The cooling method introduces coolant into the inlet flow channel, distributes it to each microchannel and connecting flow channel via the branch flow channel, cools it in parallel, collects it in the confluence flow channel, and discharges it through the outlet flow channel. This invention integrates the parallel flow channel system into each panel of the chassis, with the connecting flow channel on the right side panel providing an independent bypass loop.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of heat dissipation technology for electronic devices, and more particularly to a 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels and its cooling method. Background Technology

[0002] 6U (266.7mm high) is a common equipment height specification for 19-inch racks. Chassis based on this standard are widely used in high-performance signal interconnection systems, servers, communication base stations, and other critical equipment. With the rapid development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and 5G communication, the integration and power density of functional board units inside these devices, such as CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, and power modules, continue to increase, leading to a sharp increase in heat dissipation during operation.

[0003] Traditional heat dissipation solutions primarily rely on air cooling. For example, patent CN222485127U discloses an air-cooled enclosed chassis suitable for 6U modules. This chassis improves air cooling capacity to some extent by optimizing the heatsink structure, increasing the area of ​​the heatsink fins, designing heat exchange airflow channels, and using multiple fans in parallel. However, as stated in the patent's background section, traditional air-cooled chassis typically limit the heat dissipation of a single module to no more than 40W, and the total heat dissipation of the entire system to no more than 300W. Even with structural optimization, the heat dissipation capacity of air-cooling solutions has a physical limit, making it difficult to meet the heat dissipation requirements of future higher power density modules.

[0004] When air cooling cannot meet heat dissipation requirements, liquid cooling becomes the inevitable choice. Existing liquid-cooled chassis solutions mostly employ a series flow channel design, where the coolant flows sequentially through the cold plates of each heat-generating module. This series structure has the following inherent drawbacks in practical applications: (1) High flow resistance and high energy consumption: The coolant needs to overcome the resistance of all flow channels in the long process, resulting in a large system flow resistance. It is necessary to equip a high-power pump to drive it, which increases the system energy consumption and noise.

[0005] (2) Uneven heat dissipation affects system reliability: In the series flow channel, the coolant temperature gradually increases as the number of heat-generating modules increases. This results in the heat dissipation effect of the modules located at the rear end of the flow channel being much worse than that of the front end modules, causing a serious uneven temperature distribution inside the chassis. Local high temperatures will accelerate the aging of electronic components, reduce performance, and even cause system crashes or permanent damage.

[0006] (3) Poor fault redundancy and low reliability: The structural characteristics of the series flow channel determine that it is a single point of failure system. If any flow channel or connection point is blocked or leaked, the entire liquid cooling circuit will be interrupted, causing all modules to lose their heat dissipation capacity, and the system safety is extremely low.

[0007] Therefore, how to design a liquid cooling system and its cooling method that can overcome the defects of the above-mentioned series liquid cooling scheme, achieve low flow resistance, uniform heat dissipation and high reliability within the limited space of a 6U standard chassis is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the aforementioned shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels and its cooling method. The aim is to solve the technical problems of high flow resistance, uneven heat dissipation, and low reliability in traditional series liquid-cooled channels, and to achieve efficient, uniform, and reliable liquid cooling.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: In a first aspect, the present invention proposes a 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels, comprising a chassis body, the chassis body being composed of a front panel, a rear panel, a left side panel, a right side panel, a top panel, and a bottom panel, and further comprising: Multiple cold plates are installed inside the main body of the chassis; A parallel flow channel system, the parallel flow channel system comprising: An inlet flow channel and an outlet flow channel are both provided on the left side plate; A diversion channel is provided on the top panel, and the inlet end of the diversion channel is connected to the outlet end of the liquid inlet channel; A manifold is provided on the bottom panel, and the outlet end of the manifold is connected to the inlet end of the liquid outlet channel; Multiple parallel microchannels are provided, with one microchannel on each cold plate. One end of each microchannel is connected to the branch channel and the other end is connected to the confluence channel. A connecting channel is provided on the right side plate, with the inlet end of the connecting channel connected to the outlet end of the branch channel, and the outlet end of the connecting channel connected to the inlet end of the converging channel.

[0010] In the above technical solution, the main body of the chassis adopts a six-panel structure, with multiple cold plates inside to cover heat-generating components. The parallel flow channel system integrates the inlet and outlet flow channels on the left side panel, the branch flow channels on the top panel, the confluence flow channels on the bottom panel, and the connecting flow channels on the right side panel, thus forming a complete liquid cooling circuit surrounding the chassis. Low-temperature coolant from an external cooling source flows sequentially through the inlet and branch flow channels, and is then evenly distributed into multiple parallel microchannel flow channels and the connecting flow channels. The coolant flowing through the microchannel flow channels absorbs the heat generated by the heat-generating components covered by the cold plates; the heated coolant then flows out of the microchannel flow channels and enters the confluence flow channels. Simultaneously, the coolant flowing through the connecting flow channels acts as a bypass loop, directly entering the confluence flow channels. All coolant is collected in the confluence flow channels and then discharged from the chassis through the outlet flow channels.

[0011] By changing the traditional "series long flow" to a "parallel short flow," this invention fundamentally improves the performance of liquid cooling systems. In particular, the connecting channel on the right side plate creates an independent bypass path between the branching and converging channels. Even if one or more microchannels become blocked simultaneously, the coolant can still circulate through the connecting channel, preventing the system from overheating rapidly due to lack of fluid flow and further enhancing the system's safety redundancy.

[0012] Furthermore, the microchannels are arranged in a serpentine pattern inside the cold plate. This arrangement significantly increases the total length of the microchannels and the contact area between the coolant and the cold plate wall, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency of a single cold plate.

[0013] Furthermore, to improve the compactness and thermal conductivity of the structure, the present invention adopts an integral molding process. Specifically: the diversion channel is integrally molded on the top panel; the confluence channel is integrally molded on the bottom panel; the inlet channel and the outlet channel are integrally molded on the left side panel; the connecting channel is integrally molded on the right side panel 1d; and the microchannel channel is integrally molded on the cold plate.

[0014] Furthermore, one end of each microchannel is pluggably connected to the branch channel via a connector, and the other end is pluggably connected to the merge channel via another connector. This pluggable design allows the 6U board carrying the cold plate to be easily inserted into or removed from the chassis, facilitating maintenance and replacement.

[0015] Furthermore, multiple first bosses are integrally formed on the inner wall of the top panel, and multiple second bosses are integrally formed on the inner wall of the bottom panel. Each of the first and second bosses has a countersunk hole for pluggable connection with the connector. The countersunk hole on the first boss communicates with the branch channel; the countersunk hole on the second boss communicates with the confluence channel. By providing the bosses and countersunk holes, a plugging interface is provided for the connector.

[0016] Furthermore, a third boss is integrally formed on the cold plate, and a countersunk hole is provided on the third boss for pluggable connection with the connector; the countersunk hole on the third boss is connected to the microchannel flow channel. The design of the third boss facilitates blind mating between the cold plate and the connector.

[0017] Furthermore, the connector is a blind-mating fluid connector. The blind-mating design allows the cold plate flow channel on the functional module to automatically complete the fluid connection with the branch flow channel and the manifold flow channel when the functional module is inserted into the chassis rail, without the need for manual operation of the pipeline, thus improving maintainability and reliability.

[0018] Furthermore, the 6U liquid-cooled chassis also includes two quick-connect interfaces located on the rear panel; one quick-connect interface connects to the inlet end of the liquid inlet channel; the other quick-connect interface connects to the outlet end of the liquid outlet channel. These quick-connect interfaces enable quick, leak-free connection between the chassis and the piping of an external cooling source.

[0019] Furthermore, the branching channels on the top panel and the converging channels on the bottom panel each have straight sections and serpentine meandering sections; the straight sections on the branching and converging channels are used to connect with the microchannel channels. The straight sections facilitate alignment and connection with multiple parallel microchannel channels, while the serpentine meandering sections can increase the channel length within a limited panel area, improve the panel's own heat dissipation capacity, and also play a certain role in buffering and flow equalization.

[0020] Secondly, the present invention also proposes a cooling method for a 6U liquid-cooled chassis based on the above-mentioned parallel flow channels, comprising the following steps: Step 1: Coolant is introduced into the inlet channel on the left side plate; Step 2: Coolant flows from the inlet channel into the distribution channel on the top panel, and the distribution channel distributes the coolant to multiple parallel microchannel channels and the connecting channel on the right side panel; Step 3: The coolant distributed to each of the microchannels flows in parallel within their respective cold plates, absorbing the heat generated by the heat-generating components covered by the cold plates; at the same time, the coolant distributed to the connecting channels flows directly through the right side plate without passing through any cold plates. Step 4: The heated coolant, after absorbing heat, flows out from each of the microchannels and merges with the bypass coolant flowing out from the connecting channels in the confluence channel on the bottom panel; Step 5: The collected coolant flows into the outlet channel on the left side plate and is eventually discharged from the chassis, completing one heat dissipation cycle.

[0021] The above-mentioned cooling method achieves synchronous cooling of multiple heat sources through parallel flow channels. At the same time, by utilizing the bypass function provided by the connecting flow channels, the liquid circulation can still be maintained when the microchannel flow channels are blocked, providing additional safety protection for the system.

[0022] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: (1) Significantly reduced flow resistance and energy efficiency: Parallel flow channels are used instead of traditional series flow channels. Each flow channel is independent and has a short flow path, resulting in a significant reduction in overall flow resistance. This reduces the power requirements of the circulating pump, reduces system energy consumption and operating noise, and achieves energy efficiency.

[0023] (2) Uniform heat dissipation and high temperature consistency: Through the flow equalization design of the split flow channel, the flow rate and temperature of the coolant entering each parallel microchannel are basically the same. Each heat-generating module can obtain the same cooling capacity, which completely eliminates the temperature accumulation effect in the series flow channel, and ensures that all modules inside the chassis work in a balanced temperature environment, which significantly improves the stability and life of the system.

[0024] (3) Strong fault redundancy and high reliability: The parallel flow channel system has natural fault isolation characteristics. When one or more microchannels fail due to blockage by impurities or other reasons, the other parallel flow channels (including other microchannels and the connecting flow channels on the right side plate) can still work normally. In particular, the connecting flow channel acts as an independent bypass loop. Even if all microchannels are blocked at the same time, the coolant can still circulate through the connecting flow channel, providing the most basic safety protection for the system and greatly improving the system's fault tolerance and operational reliability.

[0025] (4) Excellent space adaptability and easy integration: The flow system is cleverly integrated into each panel of the chassis—the inlet / outlet flow channels are located on the left side panel, the branch flow channels are located on the top panel, the confluence flow channels are located on the bottom panel, and the connecting flow channels are located on the right side panel. This layout perfectly matches the flat internal space characteristics of the 6U chassis and does not occupy additional internal space. By using blind-fit fluid connectors, the internal piping is further simplified, making it easy to integrate this liquid cooling solution into existing 6U chassis architectures.

[0026] (5) Stable and reliable plug-in connection: By setting the insertion countersunk holes on the first boss, the second boss and the third boss, the mating depth and positioning accuracy of the connector are increased, making the pluggable connection more stable and facilitating blind insertion operation. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, 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 the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 An exploded view of the overall structure of a 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of cover plate positions corresponding to each flow channel in this invention.

[0030] Figure 3This is a top view of the top panel of the present invention. The third cover plate corresponding to the flow channel is not shown in the figure.

[0031] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Sectional view of AA.

[0032] Figure 5 for Figure 3 BB section view; Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the top panel in this invention.

[0033] Explanation of reference numerals: 1. Chassis body; 1a. Front panel; 1b. Rear panel; 1c. Left side panel; 1d. Right side panel; 1e. Top panel; 1f. Bottom panel; 2. Cold plate; 2a. Third boss; 3. Liquid inlet channel; 3a. First cover plate; 4. Liquid outlet channel; 4a. Second cover plate; 5. Diverting channel; 5a. Third cover plate; 6. Merging channel; 6a. Fourth cover plate; 7. Connector; 8. Microchannel channel; 8a. Fifth cover plate; 9. Quick connector; 10. Connecting channel; 10a. Sixth cover plate; 11. First boss; 12. Second boss; 13. Fourth boss. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] It should be noted that all directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture (as shown in the attached figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicator will also change accordingly. In addition, the wall facing the inside of the chassis is called the "inner wall", and the wall facing the outside of the chassis is called the "outer wall".

[0036] Furthermore, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" in this invention is for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. Additionally, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but only on the basis of being achievable by those skilled in the art. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, such a combination of technical solutions should be considered non-existent and not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0037] Please combine Figures 1 to 6 As shown, this embodiment provides a 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels and its cooling method. This 6U liquid-cooled chassis is designed specifically for high-power-density 6U standard boards and can be applied to high-performance computing servers, communication base stations, and other scenarios.

[0038] I. Chassis Structure (a) Chassis body The 6U liquid-cooled chassis includes a chassis body 1, which is a hexahedral enclosure composed of a front panel 1a, a rear panel 1b, a left side panel 1c, a right side panel 1d, a top panel 1e, and a bottom panel 1f. The chassis body 1 has a height of 266.7mm, a width of 482.6mm, and a depth that can be customized to meet specific needs, conforming to standard 6U, 19-inch chassis specifications. The chassis body 1 contains internal guide rails (not shown in the figure) for inserting and removing standard 6U expansion cards. All panels are made of aluminum alloy to ensure good thermal conductivity and structural strength.

[0039] (ii) Cold plate Inside the main chassis 1, multiple cold plates 2 are arranged in an array. Each cold plate 2 covers the surface of the main heat-generating components (such as CPU, FPGA, high-power power supply chip, etc.) on a 6U board. The cold plates 2 are in close contact with the heat-generating components through thermal interface materials (such as thermal grease or thermal pads) for efficient heat absorption.

[0040] (III) Parallel flow channel system This is the core part of the invention, specifically including an inlet channel 3, an outlet channel 4, a branch channel 5, a confluence channel 6, multiple connectors 7, five independent parallel microchannel channels 8 (i.e., N=5), and a connecting channel 10.

[0041] 1. The left side plate integrates the inlet and outlet flow channels. Both the inlet channel 3 and the outlet channel 4 are located on the left side plate 1c, meaning that the inlet channel 3 and the outlet channel 4 are integrally formed on the left side plate 1c, which is made of aluminum alloy sheet. Specifically, two isolated L-shaped channels are formed on the outer surface of the left side plate 1c: the inlet channel 3 is formed by welding a first cover plate 3a onto the upper L-shaped channel of the left side plate 1c, which is used to introduce low-temperature coolant; the outlet channel 4 is formed by welding a second cover plate 4a onto the lower L-shaped channel of the left side plate 1c, which is used to discharge the heated coolant.

[0042] The inlet end of the liquid inlet channel 3 and the outlet end of the liquid outlet channel 4 both extend to the vicinity of the rear panel 1b for connection to an external cooling source. Specifically, two fourth protrusions 13 are provided on the inner wall of the left side panel 1c. The inlet end of the liquid inlet channel 3 is located on one of the fourth protrusions 13, and the outlet end of the liquid outlet channel 4 is located on the other fourth protrusion 13. The rear end face of the fourth protrusion 13 is flush with the rear end face of the left side panel 1c to facilitate docking with the rear panel 1b.

[0043] 2. Top panel integrated diversion channel Combination Figures 3 to 5 As shown, the diversion channel 5 is disposed on the top panel 1e. The inlet end of the diversion channel 5 is sealed and connected to the outlet end of the liquid inlet channel 3 on the left side plate 1c at the connection between the top panel 1e and the left side plate 1c. The diversion channel 5 is integrally formed on the top panel 1e and is made of aluminum alloy plate. Specifically, a channel is formed on the upper surface of the top panel 1e, and the diversion channel 5 is formed after welding a third cover plate 5a onto the channel. The diversion channel 5 has multiple diversion hole structures inside, such as... Figure 3 The coolant is evenly distributed through multiple distribution holes E. In this embodiment, the distribution channel 5 on the top panel 1e has a straight section and a serpentine meandering section, wherein the straight section is used to connect with each microchannel channel 8, and the serpentine meandering section is used to increase the channel length to improve the heat dissipation capacity of the panel itself.

[0044] 3. Integrated flow channel on the bottom panel The manifold 6 is disposed on the bottom panel 1f. The outlet end of the manifold 6 is sealed and connected to the inlet end of the liquid outlet channel 4 on the left side panel 1c at the connection between the bottom panel 1f and the left side panel 1c. The manifold 6 is used to collect the hot coolant flowing back from each parallel channel and guide it into the liquid outlet channel 4. The manifold 6 is integrally formed on the bottom panel 1f, which is made of aluminum alloy sheet. Similar to the branch channel 5, a channel is formed on the lower surface of the bottom panel 1f, and the manifold 6 is formed after welding the fourth cover plate 6a onto the channel. Similarly, the manifold 6 also has a straight section and a serpentine meandering section. The straight section is used to connect each microchannel channel 8, and the serpentine meandering section is used to increase the channel length to improve the heat dissipation capacity of the panel itself.

[0045] 4. Right side plate integrated connecting channel A connecting channel 10 is disposed on the right side plate 1d. The inlet end of the connecting channel 10 is sealed and connected to the outlet end of the branch channel 5 on the top panel 1e at the junction of the right side plate 1d and the top panel 1e. The outlet end of the connecting channel 10 is sealed and connected to the inlet end of the merging channel 6 on the bottom panel 1f at the junction of the right side plate 1d and the bottom panel 1f. The connecting channel 10 serves as an independent bypass loop and does not pass through any cold plate 2. In this embodiment, the connecting channel 10 is designed as a straight channel to minimize flow resistance.

[0046] The connecting channel 10 is integrally formed on the right side plate 1d, and the right side plate 1d is made of aluminum alloy sheet. Specifically, a channel is formed on the outer surface of the right side plate 1d, and the connecting channel 10 is formed after the sixth cover plate 10a is welded onto the channel.

[0047] 5. Cold plate and microchannel flow channel Each cold plate 2 is provided with a corresponding microchannel flow channel 8. One end of each microchannel flow channel 8 is connected to the diversion flow channel 5, and the other end is connected to the confluence flow channel 6.

[0048] Combination Figure 1 As shown, to improve heat exchange efficiency, each microchannel 8 on the cold plate 2 is not a simple straight line, but arranged in a serpentine, meandering pattern. This design significantly increases the flow path and heat exchange area of ​​the coolant within the cold plate. The cold plate 2 and its internal serpentine microchannel 8 are integrally formed from an aluminum alloy plate. Specifically, the serpentine channels are precision milled, and a fifth cover plate 8a is welded onto the channels using vacuum diffusion welding or friction stir welding to form the microchannel channels 8. The cross-sectional dimensions of the microchannel channels 8 are set to a width of 1.5 mm and a depth of 2 mm to create a microchannel effect and enhance the heat transfer coefficient.

[0049] 6. Pluggable connection structure One end of each microchannel 8 is pluggably connected to the branch channel 5 on the top panel 1e via a connector 7, and the other end is pluggably connected to the confluence channel 6 on the bottom panel 1f via another connector 7. The connector 7 is a blind-mating fluid connector.

[0050] Combination Figure 5 As shown, a plurality of first protrusions 11 are integrally formed on the inner wall of the top panel 1e. Each first protrusion 11 is provided with a countersunk hole, which is connected to the flow channel 5 inside the top panel 1e through the flow channel E.

[0051] Similarly, multiple second protrusions 12 are integrally formed on the inner wall of the bottom panel 1f, and each second protrusion 12 is provided with a countersunk hole, which is connected to the flow channel 6 inside the bottom panel 1f.

[0052] On each cold plate 2, a third boss 2a is integrally formed, and a countersunk hole is provided on the third boss 2a. The countersunk hole is connected to the microchannel flow channel 8 inside the cold plate 2.

[0053] The connector 7 on the inlet end of the microchannel flow channel 8 has one end inserted into the insertion countersunk hole of the first boss 11 and the other end inserted into the insertion countersunk hole of the third boss 2a.

[0054] The connector 7 on the outlet end of the microchannel flow channel 8 has one end inserted into the insertion countersunk hole of the second boss 12 and the other end inserted into the insertion countersunk hole of the third boss 2a.

[0055] When the 6U board carrying the cold plate 2 is inserted into the chassis along the guide rail, the insertion countersunk hole on the third boss 2a will automatically align and dock with the connector 7 fixed on the top panel 1e and the bottom panel 1f, thus establishing a fluid circuit without the need for manual operation of the pipeline.

[0056] In this embodiment, the diameter of each flow divider hole E on the top panel 1e is determined based on the total heat dissipation of the heating elements required to be dissipated by the corresponding cold plate 2. The diameter of the flow divider hole E corresponding to the cold plate 2 with high heat dissipation is larger than that corresponding to the cold plate 2 with low heat dissipation. The size of the flow divider hole E is such that the coolant flow rate Q through the flow divider hole E is... i The total heat dissipation P of all heating elements on the corresponding cold plate 2 i They are directly proportional.

[0057] 7. Quick Interface The 6U liquid-cooled chassis also includes two quick-connect ports 9, located on the rear panel 1b. One quick-connect port 9 is sealed to the inlet end of the liquid inlet channel 3 on the left side panel 1c; the other quick-connect port 9 is sealed to the outlet end of the liquid outlet channel 4 on the left side panel 1c. The quick-connect ports 9 are used to achieve a quick, leak-free connection between the chassis and the piping of the external cooling source.

[0058] II. Cooling Method Based on the structure of the 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels described above, this embodiment provides a highly efficient cooling method, specifically including the following steps: Step 1: Introduce low-temperature coolant (such as 20°C deionized water or ethylene glycol aqueous solution) into the liquid inlet channel 3 on the left side panel 1c through the quick-connect interface 9 on the rear panel 1b.

[0059] Step 2: The coolant flows along the inlet channel 3 and enters the distribution channel 5 inside the top panel 1e at the connection between the top panel 1e and the left side panel 1c. The distribution channel 5 distributes the coolant to the five parallel microchannel channels 8 and the connecting channel 10 on the right side panel 1d through its internal distribution holes E.

[0060] Step 3: The coolant distributed to the 5 microchannels 8 flows in parallel along the serpentine flow path inside their respective cold plates 2, fully absorbing the heat conducted from the heat-generating components by the cold plates 2, and the coolant temperature rises; at the same time, the coolant distributed to the connecting channel 10 acts as a bypass flow, flowing directly through the right side plate 1d without passing through any cold plates 2, absorbing the heat conducted through the right side plate 1d.

[0061] Step 4: The heated coolant, after absorbing heat, flows out from each microchannel channel 8 and enters the manifold channel 6 on the bottom panel 1f through the blind-fit connector 7 at the bottom; at the same time, the bypass coolant flowing out from the connecting channel 10 also enters the manifold channel 6.

[0062] Step 5: The collected coolant enters the outlet channel 4 on the left side panel 1c through the outlet end of the manifold 6. Flowing along the outlet channel 4, it eventually exits the chassis through the quick-connect interface 9 on the rear panel 1b, returning to the external cooling source to release heat, completing a full heat dissipation cycle. This cycle continues, achieving continuous and efficient cooling of all heat-generating components inside the chassis.

[0063] III. Fault Redundancy Mode Analysis Suppose that during operation, due to minute impurities in the coolant, one of the microchannel channels 8 (e.g., the second one) becomes partially or completely blocked. Using the parallel channel structure and cooling method of this invention, the troubleshooting process is as follows: The blockage only affects the second microchannel 8. The remaining four intact microchannels 8 and the connecting channel 10 continue to maintain normal coolant flow. Although the overall heat dissipation capacity will decrease, the system can continue to operate stably without immediate overheating shutdown.

[0064] Furthermore, consider an extreme case: suppose all five microchannels 8 become blocked simultaneously. In a traditional parallel liquid cooling system, this would cause all coolant to stop flowing, leading to rapid system overheating. However, in this invention, due to the connecting channel 10 located on the right side plate 1d, the coolant can still circulate via the bypass path of branch channel 5 → connecting channel 10 → confluence channel 6. Although the cold plate 2 cannot be effectively cooled at this time, the circulating flow of coolant prevents the pump from being damaged due to stalling, and the top and bottom panels can provide some heat dissipation, preventing overheating and shutdown. This design provides additional safety for the system.

[0065] In summary, the parallel-channel 6U liquid-cooled chassis and its cooling method provided by this invention cleverly integrate the parallel-channel system into the six panels of the chassis, and innovatively set a connecting channel as a bypass loop on the right side panel. Simultaneously, it employs an integrally molded boss and blind-mating connectors to achieve pluggable fluid connection, effectively solving the problems of high flow resistance, uneven heat dissipation, and poor reliability in existing series liquid cooling technologies. It achieves low flow resistance, high uniformity, and high redundancy liquid cooling, providing an efficient and reliable solution for 6U standard chassis to meet the challenges of future higher power densities.

[0066] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A parallel flow channel 6U liquid cooling case, comprising a case body (1) composed of a front panel (1a), a rear panel (1b), a left side panel (1c), a right side panel (1d), a top panel (1e) and a bottom panel (1f), characterized in that: Also includes: Multiple cold plates (2) are disposed inside the main body of the chassis (1); A parallel flow channel system, the parallel flow channel system comprising: An inlet flow channel (3) and an outlet flow channel (4) are both provided on the left side plate (1c); A diversion channel (5) is provided on the top panel (1e), and the inlet end of the diversion channel (5) is connected to the outlet end of the liquid inlet channel (3); A manifold (6) is provided on the bottom panel (1f), and the outlet end of the manifold (6) is connected to the inlet end of the liquid outlet channel (4); Multiple parallel microchannels (8) are provided, and each cold plate (2) is provided with a corresponding microchannel (8). One end of each microchannel (8) is connected to the branch channel (5), and the other end is connected to the confluence channel (6). A connecting channel (10) is provided on the right side plate (1d). The inlet end of the connecting channel (10) is connected to the outlet end of the branch channel (5), and the outlet end of the connecting channel (10) is connected to the inlet end of the converging channel (6).

2. A 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The microchannel flow channel (8) is arranged in a serpentine pattern inside the cold plate (2).

3. A 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diversion channel (5) is integrally formed on the top panel (1e); The confluence channel (6) is integrally formed on the bottom panel (1f); The liquid inlet channel (3) and the liquid outlet channel (4) are integrally formed on the left side plate (1c); The connecting channel (10) is integrally formed on the right side plate (1d); The microchannel flow channel (8) is integrally formed on the cold plate (2).

4. A 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels according to claim 1, characterized in that, One end of each of the microchannel channels (8) is pluggably connected to the branch channel (5) via a connector (7), and the other end is pluggably connected to the confluence channel (6) via another connector (7).

5. A 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels according to claim 4, characterized in that, Multiple first bosses (11) are integrally formed on the inner wall of the top panel (1e), and multiple second bosses (12) are integrally formed on the inner wall of the bottom panel (1f); the first bosses (11) and the second bosses (12) are respectively provided with insertion countersunk holes for pluggable connection with the connector (7); The insertion countersunk hole on the first boss (11) is connected to the flow channel (5); The insertion countersunk hole on the second boss (12) is connected to the confluence channel (6).

6. A 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels according to claim 4, characterized in that, A third boss (2a) is integrally formed on the cold plate (2), and a countersunk hole is provided on the third boss (2a) for pluggable connection with the connector (7); the countersunk hole on the third boss (2a) is connected to the microchannel flow channel (8).

7. A 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels according to claim 4, characterized in that, The connector (7) is a blind-mating fluid connector.

8. A 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes two quick interfaces (9) which are located on the rear panel (1b); One of the quick interfaces (9) is connected to the inlet end of the liquid inlet channel (3); Another quick interface (9) is connected to the outlet end of the liquid outlet channel (4).

9. A 6U liquid-cooled chassis with parallel flow channels according to claim 1, characterized in that, The branching channel (5) on the top panel (1e) and the converging channel (6) on the bottom panel (1f) respectively have straight sections and serpentine meandering sections; the straight sections on the branching channel (5) and the converging channel (6) are used to connect with the microchannel channel (8).

10. A cooling method for a 6U liquid-cooled chassis based on the parallel flow channels according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1: Coolant is introduced into the inlet channel (3) on the left side plate (1c); Step 2: Coolant flows from the inlet channel (3) into the distribution channel (5) on the top panel (1e), and the distribution channel (5) distributes the coolant into multiple parallel microchannel channels (8) and the connecting channel (10) on the right side panel (1d); Step 3: The coolant distributed to each of the microchannels (8) flows in parallel inside their respective cold plates (2) to absorb the heat generated by the heat-generating components covered by the cold plates (2); at the same time, the coolant distributed to the connecting channel (10) flows directly through the right side plate (1d) without passing through any cold plates (2). Step 4: The heated coolant, after absorbing heat, flows out from each of the microchannel channels (8) and merges with the bypass coolant flowing out from the connecting channel (10) in the confluence channel (6) on the bottom panel (1f); Step 5: The collected coolant flows into the outlet channel (4) on the left side plate (1c) and is finally discharged from the chassis, completing one heat dissipation cycle.

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