Rack-mounted cooling distribution unit and refrigeration system
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- VERTIV CORP
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-04
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-26
Smart Images
Figure CN224419136U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of refrigeration technology, and in particular to rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution units and refrigeration systems. Background Technology
[0002] With the continuous increase in data center rack density and power, liquid cooling has become the best way to improve cooling capacity in order to effectively solve the heat dissipation problem of high-power, high-density equipment. In cold plate liquid cooling systems, rack-mounted cooling distribution units (CDUs) are one of the key product forms. A pump drives the coolant to flow through the internal channels of the server cold plate, where it contacts the server's high-heat chips to achieve heat exchange, removing heat from the chips. The coolant, now containing heat, then releases heat through a heat exchanger, thus circulating to ensure the normal operation of the data center. The secondary side filter is crucial for maintaining the stable and efficient operation of the entire liquid cooling system. On the one hand, it prevents large impurities from damaging the pump and causing blockages and wear, helping to extend the equipment's lifespan; on the other hand, through physical isolation and filtration, it prevents small impurities from clogging the server cold plates, ensuring the purity of the coolant and preventing corrosion or performance degradation caused by impurities or chemicals.
[0003] In existing technologies, filters are usually placed inside the unit. During maintenance, the rack-mounted CDU needs to be moved out of the rack or the top cover of the CDU needs to be removed to drain the coolant. However, this method will cause the entire rack to lose its cooling source, and the server needs to be shut down in advance, resulting in long maintenance time and high maintenance costs. Utility Model Content
[0004] This application provides a rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit and a refrigeration system to address the problems of long maintenance time and high maintenance costs caused by maintaining filters in a rack-mounted CDU.
[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit, including a housing, a water pump, a plate heat exchanger, and a filter device, wherein the filter device is disposed in a cavity formed by the housing and is close to a first panel of the housing, and the filter device includes a three-way valve, a filter, a one-way valve, and a maintenance handle;
[0006] The first end of the three-way valve is connected to the cooling medium outlet pipe of the plate heat exchanger, the second end of the three-way valve is connected to the outlet pipe of the one-way valve and the inlet pipe of the water pump, and the third end of the three-way valve is connected to the inlet pipe of the filter.
[0007] The outlet of the filter is connected to the inlet pipe of the one-way valve;
[0008] The maintenance handle is connected to the three-way valve;
[0009] The first panel is provided with a first opening and a second opening, the second opening is provided corresponding to the filter element of the filter, the first opening is provided corresponding to the maintenance handle, the maintenance handle is away from the chamber and extends out of the first panel from the first opening;
[0010] The maintenance handle is used to control the first end and the second end of the three-way valve to be connected when the filter needs maintenance, and to control the first end and the third end of the three-way valve to be connected when the filter does not need maintenance.
[0011] In the above technical solution, the rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit includes a filtration device, which is disposed in the cavity formed by the housing and close to the first panel of the housing. The filtration device includes a three-way valve, a filter, a check valve, and a maintenance handle. The maintenance handle is away from the cavity, extends out of the first panel through a first opening, and is connected to the three-way valve. When the filter does not require maintenance, the maintenance handle controls the first and third ends of the three-way valve to be open, so that the cooling medium flows out from the cooling medium outlet of the plate heat exchanger, passes through the first and third ends of the three-way valve, the filter, and the check valve, and flows to the water pump, thus achieving filtration of the cooling medium. When the filter requires maintenance, the maintenance handle controls the first and second ends of the three-way valve to be open, so that the cooling medium flows out from the cooling medium outlet of the plate heat exchanger, passes through the first and second ends of the three-way valve, and flows to the water pump, thus achieving online maintenance of the filter without the cooling medium passing through the filter, thereby reducing the maintenance time and cost of the filter.
[0012] In one possible implementation, the rack-mounted cooling distribution unit further includes at least one sight glass;
[0013] The sight glass is disposed on the inner wall of the filter near the three-way valve, or
[0014] The sight glass is disposed on the inner wall of the filter away from the three-way valve.
[0015] In the above technical solution, at least one sight glass is provided on the filter. Users can observe the state of the cooling medium through the sight glass, so that when it is determined that the state of the cooling medium is abnormal, the cooling medium can be replaced in time, thereby improving the reliability of the rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit.
[0016] In one possible implementation, the filter is provided with an exhaust port and a drain port;
[0017] The exhaust port is located at one end of the filter near the three-way valve;
[0018] The drain outlet is located at the end of the filter furthest from the three-way valve.
[0019] In the above technical solution, an exhaust port and a drain port are provided on the filter. When the filter is under maintenance, the cooling medium inside the filter is discharged through the exhaust port and the drain port to avoid leakage of the cooling medium during maintenance.
[0020] In one possible implementation, the filter, the three-way valve, and the fluid switching pipeline are integrally welded, wherein the fluid switching pipeline is the pipeline between the second end of the three-way valve and the outlet of the one-way valve.
[0021] In the above technical solution, the filter, three-way valve and fluid conversion pipeline are integrated and welded, which can effectively save internal space of CDU.
[0022] In one possible implementation, the check valve is a built-in check valve.
[0023] In the above technical solution, the use of a built-in check valve can further save internal space of the CDU.
[0024] One possible implementation also includes a low-voltage electrical box;
[0025] Along the length of the housing, the low-voltage box is located on the side closer to the first panel, and the low-voltage box is connected to the housing via a hinge.
[0026] In the above technical solution, when the filter is under maintenance, the user can open the low-voltage box upwards via the hinge to avoid moving the entire CDU out of the cabinet, or opening the top cover of the CDU, thereby reducing the maintenance time and cost of the filter.
[0027] In one possible implementation, the low-voltage box has a third opening on the side near the first panel for accommodating the maintenance handle, which extends into the low-voltage box away from the cavity.
[0028] In the above technical solution, after the low-voltage box is opened, the maintenance handle can be manually adjusted to control the first end and the second end of the three-way valve to conduct, so as to realize online maintenance of the filter and reduce the maintenance time and maintenance cost of the filter.
[0029] In one possible implementation, the three-way valve is located at the upper end of the filter in the direction of housing height.
[0030] In the above technical solution, the three-way valve is located at the top of the filter in the height direction of the housing, which can effectively save the internal space of the CDU.
[0031] One possible implementation also includes an expansion tank;
[0032] The water pump, the filter, and the expansion tank are arranged sequentially along the width of the housing; or
[0033] The water pump, the expansion tank, and the filter are arranged sequentially along the width of the housing.
[0034] In the above technical solution, the positions of the filter and expansion tank can be adjusted, which can improve the flexibility of the internal structure of the CDU.
[0035] In a second aspect, this application also provides a refrigeration system, including a cabinet and at least one rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit as described in any of the first aspects;
[0036] The rack-mounted cooling distribution unit is located inside the cabinet.
[0037] For the technical effects that may be achieved in each of the aspects mentioned above, please refer to the above description of the technical effects that may be achieved in the first aspect or the various possible solutions in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description
[0038] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0039] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a rack-mounted CDU provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0040] Figure 2 This application provides an internal working diagram of a rack-mounted CDU.
[0041] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal operation of another rack-mounted CDU provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0042] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal operation of another rack-mounted CDU provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0043] Figure 5 A side view of a filter provided for an embodiment of this application;
[0044] Figure 6 Another filter side view provided for embodiments of this application;
[0045] Figure 7This application provides another schematic diagram of the rack-mounted CDU structure.
[0046] Figure 8 This application provides a schematic diagram of the operation of a rack-mounted CDU.
[0047] Figure 9 This application provides another schematic diagram of the rack-mounted CDU structure.
[0048] Figure 10 This application provides a schematic diagram of another rack-mounted CDU. Detailed Implementation
[0049] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.
[0050] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this utility model are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this utility model described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this utility model. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this utility model as detailed in the appended claims.
[0051] Rack-mounted CDUs are a mainstream product in cold plate liquid cooling systems. Among them, secondary side filters play a crucial role in rack-mounted CDUs. They are used to protect the circulating water pumps and servers, prevent large impurities from damaging the water pumps, prevent blockages and wear, extend the service life of the equipment, and prevent small impurities from clogging the server cold plates through physical isolation and filtration. They also prevent corrosion or performance degradation caused by impurities or chemicals, and ensure the purity of the coolant.
[0052] Currently, rack-mounted CDUs are compact in design and need to be inserted into a server rack. When maintaining the filters in a rack-mounted CDU, the CDU needs to be removed from the rack or the top cover of the CDU needs to be removed, resulting in long maintenance time and high maintenance costs. In addition, since maintaining the filters requires draining the coolant from the rack-mounted CDU and removing the rack, the entire rack will lose its cooling source, requiring the servers to be shut down in advance, which has a significant impact on the normal operation of the data center and makes online maintenance impossible.
[0053] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides a rack-mounted CDU and a cooling system. The rack-mounted CDU and cooling system provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0054] like Figure 1 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a rack-mounted CDU provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 The diagram shown is an internal working schematic of a rack-mounted CDU provided in an embodiment of this application. (Refer to...) Figure 1 and Figure 2 The rack-mounted CDU includes a housing 11, a water pump 12, a plate heat exchanger 13, and a filter device. The filter device is located in the cavity formed by the housing 11 and is close to the first panel 113 of the housing 11. The filter device includes a three-way valve 141, a filter 142, a one-way valve 143, and a maintenance handle 144.
[0055] The first end A of the three-way valve 141 is connected to the cooling medium outlet pipe of the plate heat exchanger 13, the second end B of the three-way valve 141 is connected to the outlet pipe of the one-way valve 143 and the inlet pipe of the water pump 12, and the third end C of the three-way valve 141 is connected to the inlet pipe of the filter 142.
[0056] The outlet of filter 142 is connected to the inlet pipe of check valve 143;
[0057] Maintenance handle 144 is connected to three-way valve 141;
[0058] The first panel 113 is provided with a first opening 114 and a second opening 115. The second opening 115 is provided corresponding to the filter element of the filter 142. The first opening 114 is provided corresponding to the maintenance handle 144. The maintenance handle 144 is away from the chamber and extends out of the first panel 113 from the first opening 114.
[0059] The maintenance handle 144 is used to control the first end A and the second end B of the three-way valve 141 to be connected when the filter 142 needs maintenance, and to control the first end A and the third end C of the three-way valve 141 to be connected when the filter 142 does not need maintenance.
[0060] This application provides a rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit. The filter device in the rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit is disposed within a cavity formed by the housing and close to the first panel of the housing. The filter device includes a three-way valve, a filter, a check valve, and a maintenance handle. The maintenance handle extends out of the first panel from the first opening, away from the cavity, and is connected to the three-way valve. When the filter does not require maintenance, the maintenance handle controls the first and third ends of the three-way valve to be open, allowing the cooling medium to flow out from the cooling medium outlet of the plate heat exchanger, through the first and third ends of the three-way valve, the filter, and the check valve, and then to the water pump, thus achieving filtration of the cooling medium. When the filter requires maintenance, the maintenance handle controls the first and second ends of the three-way valve to be open, allowing the cooling medium to flow out from the cooling medium outlet of the plate heat exchanger, through the first and second ends of the three-way valve, and then to the water pump, thus enabling the cooling medium to bypass the filter and achieving online maintenance of the filter, reducing the filter's maintenance time and cost.
[0061] In specific implementation, refer to Figure 1 In the height direction of housing 11, three-way valve 141 is located at the upper end of filter 142.
[0062] Reference Figure 1 The maintenance handle 144 is located away from the chamber and extends from the first panel through the first opening 114. When the filter requires maintenance, such as... Figure 3 The diagram shown is a schematic of the operation of a rack-mounted CDU provided in an embodiment of this application. The first and second ends of the three-way valve can be opened manually via the maintenance handle, allowing the cooling medium to flow directly from the plate heat exchanger to the water pump without passing through a filter. At this time, the filter can be maintained. Specifically, as shown... Figure 4 The diagram shown is an internal working schematic of another rack-mounted CDU provided in this application embodiment. The filter element can be manually pulled out through the second opening 115 to achieve filter cleaning and maintenance.
[0063] In addition, a liquid storage tank can be added between the water pump 12 and the filter device. The liquid storage tank can improve the net positive suction head (NPSH) of the water pump, effectively store the cooling medium, ensure that the water pump always has a sufficient liquid supply during operation, avoid running dry or in a low liquid state, extend the service life of the water pump, improve the operating efficiency and reliability of the water pump, and reduce maintenance costs and downtime.
[0064] When the filter does not require maintenance, refer to Figure 2 The first and third ends of the three-way valve can be connected by manually controlling the maintenance handle. The cooling medium flows to the water pump through the filter and the check valve. The check valve is used to prevent the cooling medium from flowing back into the filter through the filter outlet from the second end of the three-way valve when the filter needs maintenance.
[0065] It should be noted that rack-mounted CDUs typically include two water pumps, see reference. Figure 2 and Figure 3 Water pump 12 includes two pumps, one upper and one lower. (See reference...) Figure 2 and Figure 3 The rack-mounted CDU also includes a return pressure sensor PS1, a replenishment pressure sensor PS2, a supply pressure sensor PS3, a flow meter 31, a temperature sensor T4, and a water valve 32.
[0066] In one embodiment, the filter 142 is provided with an exhaust port 61 and a drain port 62, such as Figure 5 The image shown is a side view of a filter provided in an embodiment of this application. The first end A of the three-way valve 141 is used to input the cooling medium of the plate heat exchanger 13. The second end B of the three-way valve 141 is used to input the cooling medium to the water pump 12 when the filter 142 is in maintenance mode. The third end C of the three-way valve 141 is used to input the cooling medium to the filter 142 and then flow into the water pump 12 when the filter 142 is in normal working mode.
[0067] The exhaust port 61 is located at the end of the filter 142 near the three-way valve 141;
[0068] The drain port 62 is located at the end of the filter 142 away from the three-way valve 141.
[0069] In this embodiment of the application, when the filter is under maintenance, the cooling medium inside the filter is discharged through the exhaust port 61 and the drain port 62, which avoids leakage of the cooling medium during maintenance and also avoids the rack-mounted CDU from draining all the cooling medium, so that the server does not need to be shut down in advance.
[0070] In one embodiment, the rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit may further include at least one sight glass, which is disposed on the inner wall of the filter 142 near the three-way valve 141, or on the inner wall of the filter 142 away from the three-way valve 141.
[0071] like Figure 6 The image shown is a side view of another filter provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 The filter includes two sight glasses. Sight glass 51 is located on the inner wall of the filter 142 near the three-way valve 141, and sight glass 52 is located on the inner wall of the filter 142 away from the three-way valve 141.
[0072] In this embodiment, the user can observe the state of the cooling medium through a sight glass. For example, the user can check whether there are air bubbles. If there are air bubbles, it indicates that there is gas inside the filter, meaning that the cooling medium is not full. The user can also observe whether there are impurities in the coolant through the sight glass. Impurities usually include iron filings, slag, rust, and other impurities that exist inside the pipes. The user can also observe the color of the cooling medium through the sight glass. The cooling medium is usually water and is transparent. If the cooling medium is contaminated, it will change to other colors. For example, when the cooling medium is mixed with water, 25% ethylene glycol, or 25% propylene glycol, it is usually red or blue.
[0073] Users can identify any abnormalities in the cooling medium by observing its condition, such as it not being fully filled, containing impurities, or being contaminated, and can replace the cooling medium in a timely manner.
[0074] In practical implementation, in order to save space, the filter 142, the three-way valve 141 and the fluid conversion pipeline are integrated and welded together. The one-way valve 143 is a built-in one-way valve, that is, the one-way valve 143 is built into the outlet of the filter 142. The fluid conversion pipeline is the pipeline between the second end B of the three-way valve 141 and the outlet of the one-way valve 143.
[0075] In one embodiment, the rack-mounted cooling distribution unit may further include a low-voltage electrical box, such as... Figure 7 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of another rack-mounted CDU provided in this application embodiment. The low-voltage box 71 includes a display panel 711 and a control motherboard 712. In the length direction of the housing, the low-voltage box 71 is located on the side close to the first panel 113, and the low-voltage box 71 is connected to the housing by a hinge 72.
[0076] The low-voltage box 71 has a third opening 713 on the side near the first panel for accommodating the maintenance handle 144. The maintenance handle 144 extends into the low-voltage box 71 away from the chamber.
[0077] like Figure 8 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of another rack-mounted CDU provided in this application embodiment. Since the weak current box 71 is connected to the housing through a hinge 72, when the filter 142 needs maintenance, the user can open the weak current box 71 upwards, manually adjust the maintenance handle 144, and control the first end A and the second end B of the three-way valve 141 to be connected.
[0078] In one embodiment, such as Figure 9 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of another rack-mounted CDU provided in this application embodiment. The rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit also includes an expansion tank 91 and a water tank 92. The water pump 12 includes a water pump 121 and a water pump 122.
[0079] The water pump 12, filter 14 and expansion tank 91 are arranged in sequence along the width of the shell.
[0080] In another embodiment, such as Figure 10 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of another rack-mounted CDU provided in this application embodiment. The water pump 12, expansion tank 91 and filter 12 are arranged sequentially along the width direction of the housing.
[0081] It should be noted that, in order to make the structure in the diagram clearer, Figure 9 and Figure 10 Only some connections are shown in the diagram; other connections are not depicted, such as the connections between the plate heat exchanger and other structures. Figure 9 and Figure 10 The connections not shown are referenced in existing technologies and will not be elaborated here.
[0082] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a refrigeration system, including a cabinet and at least one rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit as described above. The rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit is located inside the cabinet. The implementation principle of this refrigeration system is similar to that of the aforementioned rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit. For the specific implementation of this refrigeration system, please refer to the aforementioned embodiments of the rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit. Repeated details will not be repeated.
[0083] This application provides a rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit and a refrigeration system. The filter device in the rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit is disposed within a cavity formed by the housing and is close to the first panel of the housing. The filter device includes a three-way valve, a filter, a check valve, and a maintenance handle. The maintenance handle extends out of the first panel from the first opening, away from the cavity, and is connected to the three-way valve. When the filter does not require maintenance, the maintenance handle controls the first and third ends of the three-way valve to open, allowing the cooling medium to flow from the cooling medium outlet of the plate heat exchanger, through the first and third ends of the three-way valve, the filter, and the check valve, to the water pump, thus achieving filtration of the cooling medium. When the filter requires maintenance, the maintenance handle controls the first and second ends of the three-way valve to open, allowing the cooling medium to flow from the cooling medium outlet of the plate heat exchanger, through the first and second ends of the three-way valve, to the water pump, thus enabling the cooling medium to bypass the filter and achieving online maintenance of the filter, reducing filter maintenance time and costs.
[0084] Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.
Claims
1. A rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit, characterized in that, The device includes a housing, a water pump, a plate heat exchanger, and a filter, wherein the filter is disposed in a cavity formed by the housing and is close to a first panel of the housing, and the filter includes a three-way valve, a filter, a one-way valve, and a maintenance handle; The first end of the three-way valve is connected to the cooling medium outlet pipe of the plate heat exchanger, the second end of the three-way valve is connected to the outlet pipe of the one-way valve and the inlet pipe of the water pump, and the third end of the three-way valve is connected to the inlet pipe of the filter. The outlet of the filter is connected to the inlet pipe of the one-way valve; The maintenance handle is connected to the three-way valve; The first panel is provided with a first opening and a second opening, the second opening is provided corresponding to the filter element of the filter, the first opening is provided corresponding to the maintenance handle, the maintenance handle is away from the chamber and extends out of the first panel from the first opening; The maintenance handle is used to control the first end and the second end of the three-way valve to be connected when the filter needs maintenance, and to control the first end and the third end of the three-way valve to be connected when the filter does not need maintenance.
2. The rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit also includes at least one sight glass; The sight glass is disposed on the inner wall of the filter near the three-way valve, or The sight glass is disposed on the inner wall of the filter away from the three-way valve.
3. The rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The filter is equipped with an exhaust port and a drain port; The exhaust port is located at one end of the filter near the three-way valve; The drain outlet is located at the end of the filter furthest from the three-way valve.
4. The rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit according to claim 1, characterized in that, The filter, the three-way valve, and the fluid switching pipeline are integrally welded. The fluid switching pipeline is the pipeline between the second end of the three-way valve and the outlet of the one-way valve.
5. The rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit according to claim 4, characterized in that, The check valve is a built-in check valve.
6. The rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, This also includes the low-voltage electrical box; Along the length of the housing, the low-voltage box is located on the side closer to the first panel, and the low-voltage box is connected to the housing via a hinge.
7. The rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit according to claim 6, characterized in that, The low-voltage box has a third opening on the side near the first panel for accommodating the maintenance handle, which extends into the low-voltage box away from the cavity.
8. The rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, In the direction of the housing height, the three-way valve is located at the upper end of the filter.
9. The rack-mounted cooling capacity distribution unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, It also includes expansion tanks; The water pump, the filter, and the expansion tank are arranged sequentially along the width of the housing; or The water pump, the expansion tank, and the filter are arranged sequentially along the width of the housing.
10. A refrigeration system, characterized in that, Includes a cabinet and at least one rack-mounted cooling distribution unit as described in any one of claims 1 to 9; The rack-mounted cooling distribution unit is located inside the cabinet.