Thermal regulation device, and system comprising a thermal regulation device

Abstract

The invention relates to a thermal regulation device (100) for a fluid for cooling electronic components, in particular electronic components of at least one computer server, the device (100) comprising: - at least two heat exchangers (1), in particular condensers, the exchangers (1) being arranged in parallel so as to divide the flow of fluid to be cooled into two, each exchanger (1) comprising an outer wall (11) parallel to an inner wall (12) facing the inner wall (12) of the other exchanger, - the two exchangers being connected by manifolds (2) arranged between the inner walls (12) of the two exchangers (1), seals (20) being further arranged at the junction between each manifold (2) and each heat exchanger (1) - the device (100) being characterized in that the assembly of the two exchangers (1) and the manifolds (2) is fixed by at least two horizontal fixing elements (3).Figure for the abridged version: Fig. 1.

Description

Title of the invention: Thermal regulation device, and System comprising a thermal regulation device

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermal regulation device, and a system comprising a device for thermal regulation of a fluid for cooling electrical and / or electronic components, in particular in the field of computer servers.

[0002] The components that may be relevant to the present invention may be computer server components.

[0003] The invention finds an advantageous application in the field of devices for thermal regulation of a fluid for cooling a power electronics device or module, i.e. comprising power electronic components, or directly for said power electronics devices or modules.

[0004] Computer hardware is equipment capable of receiving, transmitting, storing or processing digital and / or analog information. This computer hardware is now used by a very large number of infrastructures to ensure, for example, data management. This computer hardware is brought together within computer data centers centralizing the information. These computer data centers are commonly referred to as server racks. Such server racks are generally in the form of cabinets comprising a plurality of rails or drawers on which computer hardware is arranged parallel to each other.

[0005] During operation, computer hardware produces heat. The heat emitted by the various computer hardware in the computer data center must be removed to maintain optimal operation of the various equipment in the computer data center. In fact, insufficient heat removal can cause overheating of the computer hardware. This overheating can cause irreversible damage to the computer hardware, for example, by expanding certain internal components. Furthermore, some computer hardware includes an integrated battery that can be damaged by the effect of heat.

[0006] In the field of computer servers, it is known to put in place means for evacuating this heat generated by the computer hardware, for example, by means of an air flow circulating within each of the compartments of the server rack in which the computer hardware is arranged, the air flow operating a heat exchange directly with the computer hardware. Although it is used in a wide range of computer data centers, this technique does not allow for sufficient cooling of installations producing a large amount of heat. Furthermore, this technique is very energy-intensive.

[0007] It is also known to cool electrical or electronic components, and in particular computer servers, by means of a cooling system using a liquid such as water, for example glycolated water, or a system in which a dielectric liquid is sprayed onto the computer hardware. These known installations cooling computer hardware by means of a liquid fluid directed towards the computer hardware involve elements making it possible to guide the fluid to the computer hardware such as hoses. The installation of such installations is complex and requires a high level of cooling, as well as a pump having a relatively high power.

[0008] A thermal regulation device dedicated to cooling the fluid can then be integrated within the computer installation in order to cool it efficiently while limiting the size.

[0009] In this context, the present invention aims to propose a device for thermal regulation of a fluid having at least two heat exchangers in parallel in order to limit pressure losses. The reliability of the connections between these two exchangers is both essential, given the context of the electrical installation, and these connections as well as the overall assembly must be facilitated.

[0010] The present invention aims to meet these needs and to at least partially overcome one or more of the drawbacks of the prior art by proposing to use additional fixing elements that are simple to assemble rather than, for example, welding, which is particularly complex to carry out due to the lack of accessibility between the two heat exchangers. The use of O-rings instead of welding thus requires these additional elements.

[0011] The invention proposes different embodiments to address this problem.

[0012] The invention also provides a method of assembling the thermal regulation device.

[0013] To this end, the invention relates to a fluid cooling device for cooling electronic components, in particular electronic components of at least one computer server, the device comprising: - at least two heat exchangers, in particular condensers, the exchangers being arranged in parallel so as to divide the flow of fluid to be cooled in two, each exchanger comprising an outer wall parallel to an inner wall facing the inner wall of the other exchanger, - the two exchangers being connected by collectors arranged between the inner walls of the two exchangers, seals, in particular O-rings, being further arranged at the junction between each collector and each heat exchanger - the device being characterized in that the assembly of the two exchangers and the collectors is fixed by at least two horizontal fixing elements, each horizontal fixing element being configured to exert a force on each outer wall of the two exchangers in the direction of the outer wall of the other exchanger.

[0014] Thus, the horizontal fixing elements make it possible to obtain reliability and sealing at lower cost without additional complexity and without significantly increasing the overall size of the device.

[0015] The device is thus easily assembled, and it is possible to offer a device that is easily modular and scalable according to needs, by adding one or more exchangers, collectors, and horizontal fixing elements while remaining within the principle of the invention.

[0016] The control device may also include one or more of the following characteristics described below, taken separately or in combination.

[0017] The device comprises four horizontal fixing elements.

[0018] The device comprises two horizontal fixing elements connected to each other by support plates configured to be in contact with the outer walls of the heat exchangers so as to apply said force to them.

[0019] the horizontal fixing elements face each other, in particular two by two when the device includes four horizontal fixing elements.

[0020] The inner walls of the two exchangers being separated from each other by a distance of between 30mm and 200mm, preferably 50mm and 130mm.

[0021] The heat exchangers have parallelepiped shapes, the fixing elements being arranged on corners of the exchangers, preferably on each corner of the exchangers.

[0022] Each horizontal fastening element comprises two ends, each end comprising a fastening tab configured to attach to the heat exchanger (1).

[0023] The horizontal fixing element comprises a clamping element which can be adjusted to fix the horizontal fixing element (3) more or less tightly to the thermal regulation device, the horizontal fixing element comprising in particular a threaded rod complementary to a thread present on the clamping element, for example a nut, the clamping element and the threaded rod preferably each comprising a fixing lug which comes into contact with the regulation device.

[0024] The device comprises four collectors.

[0025] The device comprises a vertical fixing element secured to the two exchangers, the vertical fixing element being configured to exert a force on each exchanger in a direction orthogonal to the forces exerted by the horizontal fixing elements.

[0026] The invention may also relate to a method for assembling a thermal regulation device as described above, which comprises the following steps: - Provide two heat exchangers, - Connect the heat exchangers using manifolds placed between said exchangers, - Secure the assembly horizontally using horizontal fixing elements, and optionally, tighten the horizontal fixing elements

[0027] The method may further include a fixing step in the vertical axis by means of a vertical fixing element placed on the two exchangers.

[0028] The invention relates in particular to a thermal regulation system for at least one server, the system comprising a cooling fluid circuit configured to cool the at least one server, comprising a thermal regulation device as described previously, configured to cool said fluid of the circuit.

[0029] Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description given by way of illustrative and non-limiting example, and the appended drawings among which:

[0030] [Fig.l] schematically illustrates a device for thermal regulation of components or modules to be thermally regulated assembled, according to a first embodiment of the invention.

[0031] [Fig.2] schematically illustrates a thermal regulation device of components or modules to be thermally regulated without horizontal fixing elements.

[0032] [Fig.3] schematically illustrates a detail of the device, namely an element of horizontal fixing.

[0033] [Fig.4] schematically illustrates a detail of the thermal regulation device according to the first embodiment.

[0034] [Fig.5] schematically illustrates part of the thermal regulation device before assembly and without horizontal fixing element, in exploded view, in order to represent the O-rings.

[0035] [Fig.6] schematically illustrates a thermal regulation device according to a second embodiment of the invention.

[0036] [Fig.7] schematically illustrates a thermal regulation device according to a third embodiment of the invention.

[0037] In these figures, identical elements have the same reference numbers.

[0038] The following embodiments are examples. Although the description refers to one or more embodiments, this does not necessarily mean that each reference relates to the same embodiment, or that the features apply only to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined or interchanged to provide other embodiments.

[0039] In the description, certain elements may be indexed, for example first element or second element. In this case, it is a simple indexing to differentiate and name close but not identical elements. This indexing does not imply a priority of one element over another and such names can easily be interchanged without departing from the scope of the present invention. This indexing also does not imply an order in time.

[0040] Figure 1 schematically represents a first embodiment of a thermal regulation device (100) for a fluid for cooling electronic components, in particular electronic components of at least one computer server, the device (100) comprising: - at least two heat exchangers (1), in particular condensers, the exchangers (1) being arranged in parallel so as to divide the flow of fluid to be cooled into two, each exchanger (1) comprising an outer wall (11) parallel to an inner wall (12) facing the inner wall (12) of the other exchanger, - the two exchangers being connected by manifolds (2) arranged between the inner walls (12) of the two exchangers (1), seals (20), in particular O-rings (20), being further arranged at the junction between each manifold (2) and each heat exchanger (1) - the device (100) being characterized in that the assembly of the two exchangers (1) and the collectors (2) is fixed by at least two horizontal fixing elements (3), each horizontal fixing element (3) being configured to exert a force on each outer wall (11) of the two exchangers in the direction of the outer wall (11) of the other exchanger.

[0041] Thus, two exchangers, for example condensers, are connected to each other, here by two pairs of collectors, in order to allow efficient thermal regulation of the fluid in parallel, which makes it possible to maintain good efficiency with reduced pressure losses.

[0042] A heat exchanger is any type of structure that allows heat to be exchanged between two fluids. For example, the exchangers may be brazed plate heat exchangers, each consisting of a set of corrugated plates brazed at each point of contact between the plates, thus creating complex channels.

[0043] The assembly of the two exchangers is held together by elements of horizontal fixing, which advantageously allows one to avoid fixing by brazing or laser welding, and thus allows the assembly of a thermal regulation device at lower cost, and easier transport.

[0044] In some embodiments, the device (100) comprises four horizontal fixing elements (3).

[0045] [Fig.5] shows the exchangers before assembly, in exploded view, in order to see the joints 20 and their connection with the collectors 2.

[0046] In certain embodiments, as shown in [Fig.7] by way of non-limiting example, the device comprises two horizontal fixing elements (3) connected to each other by support plates (30) configured to be in contact with the outer walls (11) of the heat exchangers (1) so as to apply said force to them.

[0047] This alternative embodiment allows better gripping of the exchangers by the horizontal fixing elements 3 and thus the possibility of applying a greater fixing force and therefore increased rigidity.

[0048] In certain embodiments, the horizontal fixing elements (3) face each other, in particular two by two when the device (100) comprises four horizontal fixing elements (3).

[0049] In some embodiments, the inner walls of the two exchangers are separated from each other by a distance of between 30mm and 200mm, preferably 50mm and 130mm.

[0050] In some embodiments, the heat exchangers (1) have parallelepiped shapes, the fixing elements (3) being arranged on corners of the exchangers (1), preferably on each corner of the exchangers.

[0051] In some embodiments, each horizontal fixing element (3) comprises two ends, each end comprising a fixing tab (31) configured to fix onto the heat exchanger (1).

[0052] In some embodiments as shown by way of example in [Fig.4], the fixing lugs 31 have a shape complementary to the corners of the heat exchangers 1. Other shapes are of course possible.

[0053] In some embodiments, the horizontal fixing element 3 comprises a clamping element 32 which can be adjusted to more or less tightly fix the horizontal fixing element 3 on the thermal regulation device 100.

[0054] In certain embodiments, as shown by way of non-limiting example in [Fig. 3], this horizontal fixing element 3 thus comprises a threaded rod complementary to a thread present on the clamping element, for example a nut 320. Preferably, the clamping element and the threaded rod each comprise a fixing lug 31 which comes into contact with the regulation device 100, in particular with a heat exchanger 1 such as a condenser.

[0055] Thus, the horizontal fixing element on the device can advantageously be adjusted in a simple manner.

[0056] In some embodiments, the device comprises four collectors (2).

[0057] In some embodiments, the device comprises a fastening element vertical (4) secured on the two exchangers, the vertical fixing element (4) being configured to exert a force on each exchanger in a direction orthogonal to the forces exerted by the horizontal fixing elements (3).

[0058] The invention also relates to a thermal regulation system for at least one server, comprising a cooling fluid circuit configured to cool at least one server, characterized in that it includes a thermal regulation device as described above, configured to cool said fluid in the circuit.

[0059] The invention also relates to a method of assembling a thermal regulation device (100) as described previously, which comprises the following steps: - Provide two heat exchangers, - Connect the heat exchangers using manifolds placed between said exchangers, - Secure the assembly horizontally using horizontal fixing elements, and optionally, tighten the horizontal fixing elements

[0060] The method further comprises a step of fixing in the vertical axis by a vertical fixing element placed on the two exchangers. LEGEND

[0061] 1. Heat exchanger 2. Collector 3. Horizontal fixing element 4. Vertical fixing element 11. Outer wall 12. Inner wall 13. Fluid inlet or outlet connector 20. Joint 30. Support plate 31. Mounting bracket 32. Clamping element 320. Nut-forming element 100. Thermal regulation device

Claims

Claims

1. Device (100) for thermal regulation of a fluid for cooling electronic components, in particular electronic components of at least one computer server, the device (100) comprising: - at least two heat exchangers (1), in particular condensers, the exchangers (1) being arranged in parallel so as to divide the flow of fluid to be cooled in two, each exchanger (1) comprising an outer wall (11) parallel to an inner wall (12) facing the inner wall (12) of the other exchanger, - the two exchangers being connected by collectors (2) arranged between the inner walls (12) of the two exchangers (1), seals (20), in particular O-rings (20),being further arranged at the junction between each collector (2) and each heat exchanger (1) - the device (100) being characterized in that the assembly of the two exchangers (1) and the collectors (2) is fixed by at least two horizontal fixing elements (3), each horizontal fixing element (3) being configured to exert a force on each outer wall (11) of the two exchangers in the direction of the outer wall (11) of the other exchanger.,

2. Thermal regulation device (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein the device (100) comprises four horizontal fixing elements (3).

3. A thermal regulation device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises two horizontal fixing elements (3) connected to each other by support plates (30) configured to be in contact with the outer walls (11) of the heat exchangers (1) so as to apply said force to them.

4. Thermal regulation device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the horizontal fixing elements (3) face each other, in particular two by two when the device (100) comprises four horizontal fixing elements (3).

5. Thermal regulation device according to one of the preceding claims, the inner walls of the two exchangers being separated from each other by a distance of between 30mm and 200mm, preferably 50mm and 130mm.

6. Thermal regulation device according to one of the preceding claims- preceding, in which the heat exchangers (1) have parallelepiped shapes, the fixing elements (3) being arranged on corners of the exchangers (1), preferably on each corner of the exchangers.

7. Thermal regulation device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein each horizontal fixing element (3) comprises two ends, each end comprising a fixing lug (31) configured to fix on the heat exchanger (1).

8. Thermal regulation device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein each horizontal fixing element (3) comprises a clamping element (32) which can be adjusted to more or less tightly fix the horizontal fixing element (3) on the thermal regulation device (100), the horizontal fixing element (3) comprising in particular a threaded rod (321) complementary to a thread present on the clamping element, for example a nut (320), the clamping element and the threaded rod preferably each comprising a fixing lug (31) which comes into contact with the regulation device (100).

9. Thermal regulation device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device comprises four collectors (2).

10. Thermal regulation device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the device comprises a vertical fixing element (4) secured to the two exchangers, the vertical fixing element (4) being configured to exert a force on each exchanger in a direction orthogonal to the forces exerted by the horizontal fixing elements (3).

11. Thermal regulation system for at least one server, comprising a cooling fluid circuit configured to cool the at least one server, characterized in that it comprises a thermal regulation device according to one of the preceding claims, configured to cool said fluid of the circuit.

12. A method of assembling a thermal regulation device (100) according to one of claims 1 to 10, which comprises the following steps:

1. Providing two heat exchangers, 2. Connecting the heat exchangers by collectors placed between said exchangers, 3. Fix the assembly in the horizontal axis by horizontal fixing elements, and optionally, tighten the horizontal fixing elements

13. Method of assembling the thermal regulation device according to the preceding claim, which further comprises a step of fixing in the vertical axis by a vertical fixing element placed on the two exchangers.

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