Coolant circulating computer cooling method

Abstract

To solve the problem in a computer which generates heat in its component such as the CPU when used for long time and requires cooling and heat dissipation in order to avoid influence on peripheral components and prevent the cause of performance degradation or failure, which has conventionally been responded by air cooling, water cooling, or spatial cooling, and provide a method different from conventional ones to contribute to improvement in cooling efficiency and reduction in costs (electricity charges).SOLUTION: A server case (outer frame) and a storage rack for large-sized computers are constructed into the same structure as that of a refrigerator case for business use (desktop showcase, floor-mounted reach-in), not a conventional cooling system (structure having an exhaust fan and a vent hole). This is an electrical refrigeration system for cooling by circulating a coolant in a refrigerant tube through a compression device and a decompression device. Besides, thermal energy is converted into electrical energy by a method of winding a refrigerant tube through which a hot coolant passes around the outer circumference of a current collector or coating the outer circumference of the refrigerant tube with a current collector or a metal processing material, and a cooling device is operated with this electrical energy. The problem of improving the cooling efficiency and reducing the cooling cost of computers is solved by this method.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an application technology of temperature changes accompanying compression and decompression of a fluid. [Background technology]

[0002] Reach-in technology for commercial refrigerated cases

[0003] Air conditioning (heating and cooling) technology Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a computer is used for long periods of time, components such as the CPU can heat up, which can affect the semiconductor board, other components, and circuits, leading to reduced performance or even failure, so it is necessary to cool the heat-generating components and dissipate heat from within the case (outer frame). Conventionally, this has been addressed by placing a cooling fan (impeller) near the heat-generating parts to blow air into them for cooling, or by placing a heat exhaust fan (impeller) on the wall of the case (outer frame) to exhaust heat through ventilation (air-cooling method). In addition, in large computers such as data centers, many servers are connected and installed in a storage rack, so cooling fans for the heat-generating components are placed inside each server, multiple heat exhaust fans are placed on the back side of the storage rack, and water pipes for circulating water for cooling are installed in the heat sink of the storage rack to dissipate heat (water cooling method). In addition, measures were taken such as setting the air conditioner (cooling) to a low temperature in the entire room where the computers were installed. We propose a cooling method that differs from these conventional methods, contributing to improving cooling heat dissipation efficiency and reducing costs (electricity bills). [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] (1) For standalone computers such as servers and PCs (desktop type), the cases (outer frames) in which the control device, computing device, and storage device are housed shall not be conventional steel boxes, but shall be cases with a structure similar to that of commercial refrigerated showcases used in retail stores to sell beverages and other items (tabletop display cases with glass doors that allow the products inside to be seen from the outside). (2) In data centers, etc., for large servers (mainframes) that are connected to multiple servers and installed in storage racks, the storage racks (outer frames) shall not be cooled by the conventional air or water cooling method, but rather shall be storage racks with a structure similar to that of reach-in refrigerated cases (stationary units with glass doors that allow the products inside to be seen from the outside) used for commercial purposes in retail stores that sell beverages, etc. (3) When using a refrigerant for cooling, compression and decompression effects are utilized, so there are refrigerant pipes through which high-temperature refrigerant passes. The outer circumference of the refrigerant pipe is coated with a pyroelectric material, which has the material property of a pyroelectric effect, or a metal processed into a powder or liquid form. This coating material converts thermal energy into electrical energy, so electrodes and cables are connected to it, and it is then connected to a computer or cooling device. This allows the thermal energy of the compressed, high-temperature refrigerant to be transferred to the outer coating material of the refrigerant pipes and converted into electrical energy, which powers computers and cooling devices. (4) When using a refrigerant for cooling, compression and decompression effects are utilized, so there are refrigerant pipes through which high-temperature refrigerant passes. This refrigerant tube is wound around a pyroelectric body having a material characteristic called the pyroelectric effect, or a fixed plate-like, column-like, or other shaped device made of metal. The wrapping device converts thermal energy into electrical energy, to which electrodes and cables are attached, and then connected to a computer or cooling device. This allows the thermal energy of the compressed, high-temperature refrigerant to be transferred to a device wrapped around the refrigerant tubes, where it is converted into electrical energy, which is used to power computers and cooling devices. The problem is solved by using methods (1), (2), (3), and (4).

Claims

1. A stand-alone computer such as a server or a PC (desktop type) can be divided into five functions: control device, arithmetic unit, memory device, input device, and output device. Of these, the control devices, arithmetic units, and memory devices, excluding input devices (such as keyboards) and output devices (such as displays), are connected via lines and are housed in a case (outer frame) made of steel or other material to prevent contact with the outside world. Components such as the CPU used in these control devices and computing devices will heat up over long periods of use, affecting the semiconductor substrate and other components and causing performance degradation or breakdowns, making it necessary to cool the heat-generating components and exhaust the heat from within the case (outer frame). Conventionally, air-cooling systems (heat exchange systems that move the surrounding air) have been commonly used, in which fans (impellers) are placed inside or on the walls of the case (outer frame) for cooling and heat dissipation. In contrast, this method uses the cooling method used in electric refrigerators and air conditioners (a heat exchange method that circulates refrigerant inside refrigerant pipes and utilizes the temperature difference between the refrigerant cooled using a compression device and a pressure reduction device) to cool and dissipate heat from heat-generating components inside the case (outer frame). This method is used to cool the CPU mounted on the motherboard (printed circuit board) in a server or PC (desktop type) to release heat from the case (outer frame), and does not use the conventional air-cooling method that uses a fan (impeller), but uses the same cooling method as electric refrigerators and air conditioners, which cools the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipes by compressing and decompressing the refrigerant. (It is a case (outer frame) with a structure similar to that of a commercial refrigerated showcase (with a glass door so that the products inside can be seen from the outside) that is found next to the cash register in a retail store, etc., and has a control device, an arithmetic unit, and a memory device fixed inside.)

2. Computers such as supercomputers and large servers (mainframes) have dramatically increased processing power by placing many servers (a set of control devices, computing devices, and memory devices connected by circuits and housed in a case (outer frame)) on large storage racks and connecting them with cables, with all the servers operating in conjunction with each other. In data centers and other locations, these computers operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without rest, generating a huge amount of heat. Conventionally, cooling systems have used air cooling, where individual servers or storage racks are fitted with cooling and heat exhaust fans (impellers), or water cooling, where water pipes are attached to the heat sink (heat dissipation device) of the storage rack to circulate water and exchange heat. These included spatial cooling, in which the entire room in which the computers were installed was set to a low temperature using air conditioning. In contrast, the method according to claim 1 is used for a storage rack in which a large number of servers are stored. This method of cooling and dissipating heat from a large number of servers installed in a storage rack does not use the conventional air-cooling, water-cooling, or space-cooling methods, but uses a cooling method used in electric refrigerators and air conditioners that cools the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipes by compressing and decompressing the refrigerant. (This storage rack has a similar structure to commercial refrigerated reach-in racks (with glass doors so the products inside can be seen from the outside) used in retail stores and other places to sell beverages, etc. Conventionally, the cables connecting the multiple servers are often located on the outside of the storage rack, but since these cables also heat up with prolonged use, the reach-in type storage rack is designed to be placed inside.

3. A method for generating electricity by utilizing the heat of the refrigerant compressed by the device using the method according to claims 1 and 2 and the refrigerant pipe through which it passes (a method for providing electricity to each electric refrigerated storage rack and storage server by installing a power generation device that converts thermal energy into electrical energy. This method utilizes the low temperature state of a refrigerant resulting from its decompression to cool the inside of a storage rack, and generates electricity using the high temperature state of a refrigerant resulting from its compression to provide power for the cooling device of a case (outer frame) for a single server and a storage rack for multiple servers, as well as for the servers. The power generation method that utilizes the high temperature state (thermal energy) of a refrigerant involves processing a material with material properties called pyroelectric effect, such as a pyroelectric body or metal, into a powder or liquid form and coating (applying) it to the outside of a refrigerant pipe through which a compressed, high-temperature refrigerant passes. Furthermore, an insulator is processed into a powder or liquid form and coated (applied) on the outer periphery. The material coated (applied) on the refrigerant pipes has the ability to generate electricity due to the pyroelectric effect. By connecting electrodes and cables to this material and then connecting it to the cooling device of the server, case, or storage rack, the thermal energy generated during cooling can be converted into electrical energy, which can be used to power the server or cooling device.

4. The refrigerant pipe through which the compressed, high-temperature refrigerant passes is wrapped around a fixed plate or column made of a pyroelectric body or a material such as a metal that has the material property of the pyroelectric effect. This transfers the thermal energy of the refrigerant to the object around which the refrigerant pipe is wrapped. The object generates electricity through the pyroelectric effect (thermal energy is converted into electrical energy). This method involves connecting electrodes and cables to the power generating unit, and then connecting it to the cooling device of a server, case, or storage rack, thereby converting the thermal energy generated during cooling into electrical energy, thereby powering the server or cooling device.

5. An apparatus and equipment using the method according to claims 1, 2, 3 and 4.

6. A service or business using the device or facility according to claim 5.