Liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for liquid cooling cabinet

Abstract

The utility model discloses a liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet, which belongs to the field of cooling liquid pressure management of liquid cooling cabinets and is arranged on a pipeline system of a liquid cooling loop of a high-density liquid cooling cabinet. The liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for the liquid cooling cabinet comprises a liquid leakage controller, a PLC control unit and a power supply device, wherein the power supply device is used for supplying power to a liquid supply electric valve and a liquid return electric valve on a pipeline system of a liquid cooling loop; the PLC control unit is in communication and connection with the liquid leakage controller and the power supply device; and the PLC control unit is used for receiving an electric signal of the liquid leakage controller and outputting a power-off signal of a power supply unit on a pipeline system of the liquid cooling loop and an on-off instruction of the power supply device so as to control on-off signals of the liquid supply electric flux valve and the liquid return electric flux valve. According to the utility model, the pipeline system of the liquid cooling loop of the high-density liquid cooling cabinet can be automatically closed when liquid leakage occurs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of liquid supply and return pipeline detection of a liquid cooling cabinet, in particular to a liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for the liquid cooling cabinet. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing, computing power has become the core driving force behind the digital transformation of various industries, and its importance has become increasingly prominent. It is estimated that global computing power will grow at a rate of over 50% over the next five years, reaching an overall scale of 3300 EFlops by 2025.

[0003] With the explosive growth in computing power, high-performance chips have emerged. Consequently, high-end chips consume high power, some reaching hundreds of watts. Traditional air cooling is no longer sufficient. To address this, liquid cooling is widely used in data center cooling designs. However, the risk of coolant leakage within liquid cooling systems poses a risk to the safe operation of data centers.

[0004] A Chinese utility model patent (CN202834781U) discloses an automatic water leakage protection device. When a water leakage event is detected, the valves and water-using equipment on the water supply side are closed in time, but the return valve is not closed in time. This patent has loopholes and risks for liquid-cooled supercomputer products. That is, if the return valve is not closed in time, there is a risk of the cold source in the liquid cooling pipeline flowing out, resulting in the liquid cooling plate failing to play a cooling role. Secondly, after a water leakage event was discovered on the water outlet side, the search patent only closed the valve on the water supply side and stopped the water supply to the equipment, but did not shut down the water-using equipment. This design logic poses a major safety hazard to water-using equipment.

[0005] The main drawback of existing technologies is their incomplete solutions. After detecting a leak, only partial actions are taken, such as closing the supply / return valves or draining the liquid. Water-using and electrical equipment are not promptly shut down, posing a significant safety hazard. Secondly, the feasibility of existing solutions is limited. Once a leak occurs, the volume of liquid is substantial, and a thinner diversion tube is insufficient for rapid drainage, potentially causing the tube to burst. Increasing the thickness of the diversion tube would also affect the overall structure of the equipment.

[0006] The information disclosed in this background technology section is only intended to increase the understanding of the overall background of the present invention, and should not be regarded as an admission or any form of suggestion that the information constitutes the prior art already known to those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0007] In order to solve the problems of the prior art, an embodiment of the present invention provides a leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet, which can automatically shut down the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit of a high-density liquid cooling cabinet when leakage occurs.

[0008] The technical solution is as follows:

[0009] A liquid leakage detection and automatic system protection device for a liquid-cooled cabinet is installed on the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit of a high-density liquid-cooled cabinet. The liquid leakage detection and automatic system protection device for the liquid-cooled cabinet includes: a liquid leakage controller, a PLC control unit, and a power supply. The power supply is used to power the liquid supply electric valve and the liquid return electric valve on the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit;

[0010] The liquid leakage controller includes a liquid leakage detection unit, a signal conversion unit and a signal transceiver unit. The liquid detection unit is arranged outside the structure of the detected object, at a location prone to liquid leakage in the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit, or inside the structure of the detected object, and is used to detect liquid leakage events and convert the detected liquid leakage events into electrical signals for output; the signal conversion unit is used to receive the signal of the liquid detection unit, convert the signal of the liquid detection unit and output it to the signal transceiver unit; the signal transceiver unit is used to output electrical signals to the PLC control unit and receive and execute instructions from the PLC control unit;

[0011] The PLC control unit communicates and connects with the liquid leakage controller and the power supply; the PLC control unit is used to receive the electrical signal of the liquid leakage controller, and to output the power-off signal of the power supply unit on the pipeline system of the liquid cooling circuit and the on-off instruction of the power supply to control the on-off signals of the liquid supply electric valve and the return liquid electric valve.

[0012] Furthermore, the liquid detection unit will be arranged on the chip surface in the liquid cooling cabinet and beside the liquid pipeline of the pipeline system of the liquid cooling circuit.

[0013] Furthermore, the PLC control unit is communicatively connected to a power supply unit on a piping system of the liquid cooling circuit via an RS485 protocol.

[0014] Furthermore, it also includes an alarm, which is connected to the signal output port of the PLC control unit. The signal output port of the PLC control unit sends an alarm instruction to the alarm, and the alarm sounds an alarm according to the alarm instruction.

[0015] Furthermore, the alarm is an audible and visual alarm, including an audible and visual alarm and a wireless alarm.

[0016] Furthermore, the alarm is provided with a remote communication module.

[0017] Furthermore, the remote communication module is a GSM / GPRS / NB-IOT module.

[0018] Furthermore, the liquid leakage detection unit is a float sensor, and the float of the float sensor is made of insulating material.

[0019] Furthermore, the liquid detection unit is a leaking rope.

[0020] Furthermore, the signal conversion unit includes a comparator and a level conversion chip; the comparator converts the signal output by the liquid detection unit into high and low level signals, and then converts the high and low level signals into output level standards that comply with the RS485 communication protocol interface through the level conversion chip.

[0021] The technical solution provided by the present embodiment of the utility model has the following beneficial effects: upon detecting a leakage signal, this solution first shuts off the power supply unit of the water / electricity-consuming equipment, reducing potential safety hazards. Subsequently, the water supply valve and the return valve are sequentially closed, preventing further liquid loss while ensuring equipment safety. Furthermore, the adopted solution is simple to implement and can be flexibly configured according to needs. It is not a required component of liquid cooling products and can be directly implemented when needed, without changing the physical specifications of existing liquid cooling products. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet provided by an embodiment of the present utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The specific implementation of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it should be understood that the protection scope of the present invention is not limited by the specific implementation.

[0025] Unless expressly stated otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the term "comprise" or variations such as "include" or "comprising", etc., will be understood to include the stated elements or components but not to exclude other elements or other components.

[0026] like Figure 1As shown, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid-cooled cabinet is arranged on the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit of a high-density liquid-cooled cabinet, and is connected to the liquid supply electric valve, liquid return electric valve and power supply unit on the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit, and controls the liquid supply electric valve and liquid return electric valve to shut off the supply of coolant in the event of leakage.

[0027] The liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet of the present invention comprises a liquid leakage controller 1 , a PLC control unit 2 and a power supply 3 .

[0028] The liquid detection unit of the liquid leakage controller 1 is directly set in the structure of the detected object. After a liquid leakage event occurs, the liquid leakage signal is collected immediately, converted into an electrical signal, and sent to the PLC control unit 2.

[0029] PLC control unit 2 receives a leak signal from leak controller 1 and controls the power supply unit in the liquid cooling circuit piping system to shut down. It then receives a power-off signal from the power supply unit and sequentially closes the liquid supply and return valves in the liquid cooling circuit piping system. This stops the liquid supply to the cooling equipment, preventing further escalation of the leak and controlling the risk of further deterioration.

[0030] The power supply 3 is used to supply power to the liquid supply electric valve and the liquid return electric valve on the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit.

[0031] The liquid leakage controller 1 includes a liquid leakage detection unit 101 , a signal conversion unit 102 and a signal transceiver unit 103 .

[0032] The liquid detection unit 101 is directly set outside the structure of the detected object, a location prone to liquid leakage in the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit, or inside the structure of the detected object to detect liquid leakage events and convert the detected liquid leakage events into electrical signals for output.

[0033] The liquid detection unit 101 can be set inside the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit, especially at a location prone to liquid leakage. Specifically, the liquid detection unit 101 can be set on the surface of the chip in the liquid cooling cabinet or next to the liquid pipeline of the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit. The liquid detection unit 101 can be a sensor for detecting liquid, such as a leak rope used to detect water leaks. The leak rope uses conductive polymerization technology and fluoropolymer materials to give it strong mechanical properties and corrosion and wear resistance. The leak rope can use a cable spiral structure to ensure that no metal is exposed, and it can even be used repeatedly in corrosive environments.

[0034] Liquid detection unit 101 can be a float sensor. The float is made of an insulating material to prevent the electrolyte in the liquid cooling line from conducting. When the float is in contact with the float contact, the signal conversion unit 102 in the leakage control unit has no signal or a low-level signal. However, when liquid cooling liquid leaks inside the liquid-cooled chassis, the float rises and leaves the float contact, at which point the signal from signal conversion unit 102 becomes high-level. The buoyancy of the float determines the level signal output by the comparator in the leakage controller 101. The greater the buoyancy, the longer the float travels away from the contact, resulting in a higher signal; the smaller the buoyancy, the shorter the float travels away from the contact, resulting in a lower signal.

[0035] The signal conversion unit 102 converts the signal detected by the liquid detection unit 101 into an electrical signal and sends the electrical signal to the signal transceiver unit 103 .

[0036] The signal conversion unit 102 includes a comparator and a level conversion chip. The comparator converts the signal output by the liquid detection unit 101 into a high-level signal and then converts the high-level signal into a level that meets the output standard of the RS485 communication protocol interface through the level conversion chip.

[0037] The signal transceiver unit 103 is used to receive signals from the liquid detection unit 101 and transmit the signals to the PLC control unit 2. At the same time, it receives commands from the PLC control unit 2 and executes the commands of the PLC control unit 2. The signal transceiver unit 103 uses an interface of the RS485 communication protocol and communicates with the PLC control unit 300 through a communication module.

[0038] The signal transceiver unit 103 includes a transceiver module and an RS485 communication protocol interface. The transceiver module is connected to the comparator and the level conversion chip respectively. The RS485 communication protocol interface is connected to the transceiver module and communicates with the PLC control unit 2.

[0039] The PLC control unit 2 includes a signal input port, a signal output port, and a communication module. The signal input port is used to receive leakage signals from the leakage controller 100. The signal output port is used to issue commands to control the power supply on and off, as well as to issue on / off commands to the liquid supply and return valves in the liquid cooling circuit. The communication module is used to communicate with user-level devices.

[0040] The PLC control unit 2 includes a signal input port, a signal output port, and a communication module. The signal input port is used to receive leakage signals from the leakage controller 1. The signal output port is used to issue commands to control the power supply on and off, as well as to issue on / off commands to the liquid supply and return valves in the liquid cooling circuit. The communication module is used to communicate with user-level devices.

[0041] The power supply provides power to the liquid cooling circulation subsystem, consisting of the liquid supply motor and liquid supply pump. It includes a power supply control device and a power receiving device, both connected to the PLC control unit 2. The power supply control device and the power receiving device are connected via a power cable. The power supply control device is controlled by commands issued through the signal output port of the PLC control unit 2.

[0042] The power line also includes a relay provided between the power supply control device and the power receiving device.

[0043] The liquid cooling circuit piping system is equipped with a liquid supply and return valves, as well as a pump unit. The signal output port of the PLC control unit 2 controls the power supply's power receiving device to prevent further leakage and control risks.

[0044] The PLC control unit sends a power-off command to the power receiving device through the signal output port. The power receiving device is disconnected according to the command. At this time, the relay is also disconnected, the pump unit is powered off, the liquid cooling in the liquid cooling box does not flow, and the liquid supply electric valve and the return liquid electric valve do not work, and the liquid cooling stops completely.

[0045] Alarms are audible and visual, and include both wireless and audible alarms. With their powerful visual and audible signals, audible and visual alarms quickly attract attention. In emergencies such as fires and electrical leaks, the loud sound and flashing lights immediately alert nearby personnel, prompting them to take appropriate emergency measures. Wireless alarms offer greater flexibility and convenience, eliminating the need for complex wiring and allowing for easy installation in a variety of locations.

[0046] The alarm is equipped with a remote communication module (GSM / GPRS / NB-IOT) that connects to the control center and issues a leakage alarm. This remote communication function enables the alarm to promptly transmit alarm information to the control center, allowing relevant personnel to respond quickly. Based on the received alarm information, the control center can accurately determine the location and circumstances of the accident, promptly dispatch rescue forces, and minimize losses.

[0047] Furthermore, the alarm can be remotely monitored and managed via a remote communication module. Through the control center, managers can monitor the operating status of each alarm in real time and remotely configure and debug it. If an alarm malfunctions or anomalies are detected, prompt repairs and interventions can be made to ensure it remains in optimal working order.

[0048] The PLC control unit 2 is also connected to an alarm, and the alarm is connected to a signal output port of the PLC control unit 2. The signal output port of the PLC control unit 2 sends an alarm instruction to the alarm, and the alarm sounds an alarm according to the alarm instruction.

[0049] The PLC control unit 2 is the core of this utility model, encompassing the control logic and design philosophy of the entire solution, and its innovation distinguishing it from existing patents. This solution's PLC control logic not only automatically controls power outages to the power supply unit but also controls the liquid supply and return valves, effectively shutting off both liquid and power, ensuring equipment safety.

[0050] Through the processing of the device of the present invention, once a liquid leakage event occurs, the PLC control unit 2 will automatically close the power supply unit, the liquid supply side valve, and the liquid return side valve, blocking the continued leakage of liquid and ensuring the power safety of the equipment.

[0051] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps to implement the above embodiments may be accomplished by hardware, or by a program to instruct the relevant hardware, and the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may be a read-only memory, a disk, or an optical disk, etc.

[0052] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet, which is installed on the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit of a high-density liquid cooling cabinet, and is characterized in that: The liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for the liquid cooling cabinet includes: a liquid leakage controller, a PLC control unit and a power supply, wherein the power supply is used to supply power to the liquid supply electric valve and the liquid return electric valve on the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit; The liquid leakage controller includes a liquid leakage detection unit, a signal conversion unit and a signal transceiver unit. The liquid detection unit is arranged outside the structure of the detected object, at a location prone to liquid leakage in the piping system of the liquid cooling circuit, or inside the structure of the detected object, and is used to detect liquid leakage events and convert the detected liquid leakage events into electrical signals for output; the signal conversion unit is used to receive the signal of the liquid detection unit, convert the signal of the liquid detection unit and output it to the signal transceiver unit; the signal transceiver unit is used to output electrical signals to the PLC control unit and receive and execute instructions from the PLC control unit; The PLC control unit communicates and connects with the liquid leakage controller and the power supply; the PLC control unit is used to receive the electrical signal of the liquid leakage controller, and to output the power-off signal of the power supply unit on the pipeline system of the liquid cooling circuit and the on-off instruction of the power supply to control the on-off signals of the liquid supply electric valve and the return liquid electric valve.

2. The liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid detection unit is arranged on the chip surface in the liquid cooling cabinet and beside the liquid pipeline of the pipeline system of the liquid cooling circuit.

3. The liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The PLC control unit is connected to the power supply unit on the pipeline system of the liquid cooling circuit through the RS485 protocol.

4. The liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an alarm, which is connected to the signal output port of the PLC control unit. The signal output port of the PLC control unit sends an alarm instruction to the alarm, and the alarm sounds an alarm according to the alarm instruction.

5. The liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet according to claim 4, characterized in that: The alarm is an audible and visual alarm.

6. The liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet according to claim 4, characterized in that: The alarm is provided with a remote communication module.

7. The liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet according to claim 6, characterized in that: The remote communication module is a GSM / GPRS / NB-IOT module.

8. The liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid leakage detection unit is a float sensor, and the float of the float sensor is made of insulating material.

9. The liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid detection unit is a leaking rope.

10. The liquid leakage detection and system automatic protection device for a liquid cooling cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal conversion unit includes a comparator and a level conversion chip; the comparator converts the signal output by the liquid detection unit into high and low level signals, and then converts the high and low level signals into output level standards that comply with the RS485 communication protocol interface through the level conversion chip.

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