System for cooling a computing device using liquid immersion

Abstract

Embodiments generally relate to a system for cooling computing devices using liquid immersion. An exemplary system includes a plurality of open cooling tanks, each cooling tank defining an interior volume for receiving a computing device and for receiving a non-conductive liquid coolant, a coolant supply line including a supply header line and a plurality of supply branch lines, each supply branch line fluidly connecting the supply header line to a respective cooling tank, the supply header line having a diameter greater than the diameter of the supply branch line, and a coolant return line including the return header line and the plurality of return branch lines. a refrigerant return line, each return branch line fluidly connecting the return header line to a respective cooling tank, the return header line having a diameter greater than the diameter of the return branch line; at least one heat exchanger; and a pump system fluidly connected to the at least one heat exchanger, the supply header line, and the return header line, for causing liquid refrigerant to flow in a closed circuit via the supply and return branch lines, through the at least one heat exchanger, and through each tank simultaneously.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The described embodiments relate to a system for cooling a computing device. In some embodiments, the system comprises a component for facilitating a flow of a cooling fluid to cool the computing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Data centers typically host hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of computing devices or servers to perform computing tasks. These computing devices generate a large amount of heat during operation. For the computing devices to operate properly, the heat generated by the computing devices must be dissipated. Otherwise, the heat accumulated within the data center may damage the computing devices. Therefore, cooling systems must be installed in data centers to dissipate the heat.

[0003] Both the computing devices and the cooling systems in a data center consume electricity. Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) is used to measure the efficiency of power usage and is defined as the ratio of the total power consumed by a data center to the power supplied to the computing devices or servers performing computing tasks. For example, a data center may consume a total of 10,000KW of electricity, which is used to power servers and other equipment. The other equipment mainly includes cooling systems to cool the servers. In this example, 8,000KW of the total power may be used to power the servers. Therefore, the PUE of the data center is 10,000KW / 8,000KW=1.25. A lower PUE typically means less power waste, reduced operational costs, and improved competitive advantage.

[0004] There is a need to address or ameliorate one or more of the shortcomings associated with such conventional methods and systems, or at least provide a useful alternative thereto.

[0005] It will be understood that throughout this specification, the use of "comprise" or variations thereof (e.g., "comprises" or "comprising") means the inclusion of a stated element, integer, or step, or group of elements, integers, or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer, or step, or group of elements, integers, or steps.

[0006] Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like previously contained in this specification should not be construed as an admission that any or all of that matter forms part of the prior art base or was general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure that existed prior to the respective priority dates of the appended claims. Summary of the Invention

[0007] A portion of the present disclosure relates to a cooling system for facilitating cooling of computing devices, the cooling system optionally including one or more mounting racks; a plurality of cooling tanks arranged in one or more rows, configured to receive liquid coolant, the liquid coolant absorbing heat generated from the computing devices, and sized to immerse a plurality of computing devices in the liquid coolant when the liquid coolant is located within the tanks, the plurality of cooling tanks being secured to the one or more mounting racks (if present), each cooling tank being positioned proximate to at least one other cooling tank; a heat sink configured to receive the liquid coolant carrying the heat absorbed from the computing devices and to dissipate heat from the liquid coolant; a coolant pump configured to facilitate circulation of the liquid coolant through the cooling system; and a pair of coolant conduits, the pair of coolant conduits the cooling system comprises an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit, each row of coolant tanks comprising at least one pair of coolant conduits extending substantially along the length of the row, the pair of coolant conduits being in fluid communication with the radiator and a coolant pump, and one or more branch conduits fluidly connecting the plurality of cooling tanks and the pair of coolant conduits and configured to pump the liquid coolant into and out of the plurality of cooling tanks, the branch conduits comprising at least one inlet branch conduit and at least one outlet branch conduit, the one or more coolant conduits and the one or more branch conduits configured to pump liquid coolant throughout the cooling system to absorb heat from the plurality of computing devices during operation and to route the coolant to the heat exchanger for dissipating the absorbed heat, the pair of coolant conduits and the one or more branch conduits further configured to promote at least one of a transient flow regime or a laminar flow regime of the liquid coolant through at least a portion of the cooling system.

[0008] In some embodiments, the coolant lines are tubes. In some embodiments, the coolant lines are pipes. In some embodiments, the coolant lines are a combination of pipes and tubes.

[0009] In some embodiments, the branched conduit is a tube. In some embodiments, the branched conduit is a pipe. In some embodiments, the branched conduit is a combination of a tube and a pipe.

[0010] In some embodiments, the coolant line has an inner diameter of about 100 mm to about 150 mm, hi some embodiments, the branch line has an inner diameter of about 50 mm.

[0011] In some embodiments, the cooling system is configured to maintain a differential pressure of less than 1 kPa and a maximum velocity pressure of less than 1 KPa in the inlet line, a differential pressure of less than 1 kPa and a maximum velocity pressure of less than 0.5 KPa in the outlet line, a differential pressure of more than 15 kPa in the at least one inlet branch line, and a differential pressure of more than 2.4 kPa in the at least one outlet branch line.

[0012] In some embodiments, the cooling system is configured to maintain a differential pressure of 0.6 kPa to 1 kPa and a maximum velocity pressure of 0.43 kPa to 1 KPa in the inlet line, a differential pressure of 0.2 kPa to 1 kPa and a maximum velocity pressure of 0.42 kPa to 0.5 KPa in the outlet line, a differential pressure of greater than 15 kPa in the at least one inlet branch line, and a differential pressure of greater than 2.4 kPa in the at least one outlet branch line.

[0013] In some embodiments, the cooling system is configured to maintain a differential pressure in the inlet line between 0.25 kPa and 1 kPa and a maximum velocity pressure between 0.53 kPa and 1 KPa, a differential pressure in the outlet line between 0.18 kPa and 1 kPa and a maximum velocity pressure between 0.20 kPa and 0.5 KPa, a differential pressure in the at least one inlet branch line greater than 15 kPa, and a differential pressure in the at least one outlet branch line greater than 2.4 kPa.

[0014] In some embodiments, the cooling system is configured to maintain a flow rate of between 9 L / s and 16 L / s in the inlet line and the outlet line, and a flow rate of between 2.6 L / s and 3 L / s in the one or more branch lines.

[0015] In some embodiments, the cooling system may include one or more additional rows of coolant tanks, each including a pair of coolant lines, that can be added to the system to expand the cooling capacity of the computing device.

[0016] In some embodiments, the cooling system comprises a first set of coolant lines and a second set of coolant lines, wherein the one or more branch lines are the first set of branch lines, and the cooling system further comprises a second set of branch lines, wherein the second set of coolant lines and the second set of branch lines are a parallel system.

[0017] In some embodiments, the parallel system further comprises a coolant pump and / or a radiator. In some embodiments, the cooling system has a mean flow regime with a Reynolds number of 2,300 to 4,000.

[0018] A portion of the present disclosure relates to a cooling system for promoting cooling of a computing device according to any of the preceding disclosures, the cooling system comprising: one or more flange connections, at least one of the flange connections comprising a first flange plate and a second flange plate configured to be releasably connected to each other; a conduit body; a conduit end, the conduit end non-releasably secured to the conduit body, the conduit end comprising a sealing portion configured to be received between the first flange plate and the second flange plate and engage with a gasket to form a fluid connection; and an elongated connecting portion, the elongated connecting portion extending substantially perpendicular to the sealing portion and configured to be received through the first flange plate, the conduit end being formed from a single piece of conduit and having a substantially uniform wall thickness.

[0019] In some embodiments, the line ends are formed by a metal spinning process. In some embodiments, the line ends are connected to the line body by a welding process. In some embodiments, the welding process uses an orbital welder.

[0020] In some embodiments, the elongated connecting portion and the sealing portion are connected by a bend in the conduit. In some embodiments, the cooling system further comprises a baffle plate between the first flange plate and the second flange plate, the baffle plate configured to disrupt the flow of coolant through the cooling system.

[0021] A portion of the present disclosure relates to a cooling system for facilitating cooling of a computing device according to any of the preceding disclosures, the cooling system comprising one or more balance valves, the one or more balance valves in fluid communication with one or more branch lines, each balance valve comprising an inlet line and an outlet line adapted to mate with the one or more branch lines, one or more synthetic polymer O-rings, an actuation handle, and a flow control member rotatable by the actuation handle, wherein when the actuation handle rotates the flow control member, the flow control member is configured to restrict the flow rate of coolant through the balance valve by a percentage related to a rotation rate of the actuation handle.

[0022] In some embodiments, the inlet and outlet lines comprise pipes to tubing adapters. In some embodiments, the flow control member is a W-port. In some embodiments, any of the cooling systems disclosed above also comprises a quantity of liquid coolant. In some embodiments, any of the cooling systems disclosed above also comprises a plurality of computing devices disposed within a plurality of cooling tanks.

[0023] A portion of the present disclosure relates to a cooling system for facilitating cooling of a computing device according to any of the preceding disclosures, wherein a first tank and a second tank each include an inlet conduit and a balance conduit configured to receive an isolation member, and a balance line fluidly connecting the first balance conduit of the first tank and the second balance conduit of the second tank, the balance line configured to balance the amount of liquid coolant in the first tank and the second tank during operation, such that during normal operation of the cooling system the first tank and the second tank include substantially the same amount of liquid coolant, and at least the first tank is fluidly disconnected from the cooling system when the isolation member is received by the inlet conduit and balance conduit of the first tank and when the isolation member is received by the inlet conduit and outlet conduit of the second tank.

[0024] In some embodiments, the isolation member comprises a threaded portion, and the balance line and outlet line of the first tank and the balance line and outlet line of the second tank also comprise threaded portions configured to receive the isolation member, hi some embodiments, the isolation member has a hollow cross section.

[0025] Some embodiments relate to a cooling system for facilitating cooling of a computing device, the cooling system comprising: a plurality of cooling tanks arranged in one or more rows, configured to contain a liquid coolant for absorbing heat generated by the computing devices, and sized to immerse a plurality of computing devices in the liquid coolant when the liquid coolant is positioned within the tanks; a plurality of cooling tanks, each of the plurality of cooling tanks being positioned proximate to at least one other cooling tank; a heat sink configured to receive the liquid coolant carrying the heat absorbed from the computing device and to dissipate heat from the liquid coolant; a pair of coolant conduits, the pair of coolant conduits including an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit, and each row of coolant tanks including at least one pair of coolant conduits extending substantially along the length of the row, the pair of coolant conduits being in fluid communication with the radiator; one or more branch conduits fluidly connecting the plurality of cooling tanks and the pair of coolant conduits, the branch conduits configured to deliver the liquid coolant between the coolant tanks and the coolant conduits; the branch conduits include at least one inlet branch conduit and at least one outlet branch conduit; the one or more pairs of coolant conduits and the one or more branch conduits are configured to deliver liquid coolant throughout the cooling system during operation to absorb heat from the plurality of computing devices and to deliver the coolant to the heat exchanger to dissipate the absorbed heat; The pair of coolant conduits are further configured to promote at least one of a transient flow regime or a laminar flow regime of the liquid coolant through at least a portion of the coolant conduits.

[0026] Some embodiments relate to a system for cooling a computing device, the system comprising: a plurality of open cooling tanks, each cooling tank receiving a computing device and defining an interior volume for receiving a non-conductive liquid coolant; a coolant supply line including a supply header line and a plurality of supply branch lines, each supply branch line fluidly connecting the supply header line to a respective cooling tank, the supply header line having a diameter greater than the diameter of the supply branch lines; a coolant return line including a return header line and a plurality of return branch lines, each of the return branch lines fluidly connecting the return header line to a respective cooling tank, the diameter of the return header line being greater than the diameter of the return branch lines; at least one heat exchanger; a pump system fluidly connected to the at least one heat exchanger, the supply header line, and the return header line to cause the liquid refrigerant to flow in a closed circuit via the supply and return branch lines, through the at least one heat exchanger, and simultaneously through each of the tanks; the coolant supply lines are sized and configured to allow less than 10% flow rate variation of the liquid coolant between all of the supply branch lines; A first ratio of the pressure loss in the supply branch pipeline to the pressure loss in the supply header pipeline is within a first predetermined range, and a second ratio of the pressure loss in the return branch pipeline to the pressure loss in the return header pipeline is within a second predetermined range, the first predetermined range being 10:1 to 100:1.

[0027] In some embodiments, each of the supply branches has the same length and the same line diameter, and each of the return branches has the same length and the same line diameter.

[0028] According to some embodiments, the coolant supply lines are sized and configured to allow for less than 5% variation in flow rate of the liquid coolant between all of the supply branches.

[0029] In some embodiments, the first predetermined range is from 10:1 to 50:1. In some embodiments, the first predetermined range is from 15:1 to 40:1. In some embodiments, the first predetermined range is from 15:1 to 25:1.

[0030] According to some embodiments, the cooling tanks are arranged in at least one linear tank array, and according to some embodiments, the supply header line and the return header line extend along only one side of each of the at least one linear tank array.

[0031] In some embodiments, each supply branch line includes a flow restriction device that partially restricts the flow of coolant to the respective cooling tank. According to some embodiments, the flow restriction device in each supply branch line includes an orifice plate. According to some embodiments, the flow restriction device in each supply branch line includes a ball valve. In some embodiments, the flow restriction device in each supply branch line is configured to have different flow restriction characteristics than each of the other flow restriction devices. According to some embodiments, the flow restriction device in the supply branch line closest to the inlet side of the supply header line is configured to have the highest flow restriction, and the flow restriction device in the supply branch line farthest from the inlet side of the supply header line is configured to have the lowest flow restriction.

[0032] In some embodiments, the ratio of the maximum inner diameter of the feed header line to the maximum inner diameter of each of the feed branch lines is about 2:1 to about 10:1. In some embodiments, the ratio of the maximum inner diameter of the feed header line to the maximum inner diameter of each of the feed branch lines is about 2:1 to about 4:1.

[0033] In some embodiments, the maximum inner diameter of the feed header line is about 100 mm to about 500 mm, and in some embodiments, the maximum inner diameter of the feed branch line is about 50 mm.

[0034] According to some embodiments, the supply header line is configured such that during operation of the system, the liquid coolant flowing therethrough has a Reynolds number of between 500 and 7000.

[0035] In some embodiments, the pressure drop in the feed header between the location of the feed branch closest to the inlet of the feed header and the location of the feed branch farthest from the inlet of the feed header is about 0.25 kPa to about 1 kPa. In some embodiments, the velocity pressure in the feed header is about 0.43 kPa to about 1 kPa.

[0036] Some embodiments further include a branch interconnect for selectively fluidly connecting the supply branch line of each cooling tank to the return branch line of the respective tank.

[0037] In some embodiments, the diameter of the branch conduit is 30% to 50% of the diameter of at least one of the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a cooling system for cooling a computing device, according to some embodiments. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a cooling system for cooling a computing device, according to some embodiments. [Figure 3] 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating details of a portion of the cooling system of FIG. 2, according to some embodiments. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic diagram showing details of another portion of the cooling system of FIG. 2 in accordance with some embodiments. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram of a tank for a cooling system for cooling a computing device, according to some embodiments. [Figure 6] 10 is a schematic diagram of a cooling system for cooling a computing device according to a further embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a cross section of a flange connection for a cooling system for cooling a computing device, according to some embodiments. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a focused view of a portion of the flange connection of FIG. 7 according to some embodiments. [Figure 9] 1 illustrates an example of a conduit end for use in a cooling system for cooling a computing device, according to some embodiments. [Figure 10A] 1 illustrates an example of a balancing valve used in a cooling system for cooling a computing device, according to some embodiments. [Figure 10B] 1 illustrates an example of a balancing valve used in a cooling system for cooling a computing device, according to some embodiments. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating balance lines used in a cooling system for cooling a computing device, according to some embodiments. [Figure 12] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a portion of the tank of FIG. 5, according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] The described embodiments generally relate to systems for cooling computing devices. In various embodiments, the described systems include system components for facilitating the flow of cooling fluid to tanks storing the computing devices via fluid flow tubes, pipes, valves, and connectors used in the systems for cooling computing devices. The cooling fluid in the embodiments described herein may be a liquid, such as a non-conductive oil. Systems that require the constant delivery of thousands of liters of liquid and use many moving parts and / or control devices can be prone to failure and / or expensive to manufacture and install. Maintaining pressure and temperature simultaneously across many cooling tanks while limiting the complexity of the system's structure and operation can be challenging. Maintaining the cooling fluid at a similar temperature can help adequately cool the computing devices while minimizing energy consumption. Maintaining the cooling fluid at a similar pressure can help maintain an even flow of liquid to each tank and reduce the risk of tank overflow or underflow.

[0040] The embodiments described herein aim to address the problems associated with efficiently and effectively delivering liquids other than water to many cooling tanks simultaneously while keeping the pressure and / or temperature in the tanks relatively constant over time.

[0041] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a cooling system 100 according to some embodiments. The system 100 includes one or more tanks 101. The tanks 101 may define one or more computing devices 103 and an interior volume 580 ( FIGS. 2 , 12 ) for receiving a liquid coolant for cooling components of the computing devices 103. The system 100 may also include one or more pump systems 110. The system 100 may also include one or more heat radiators 115. The one or more pump systems 110 operate to move a cooling fluid in a closed circuit between the tanks 101 and the one or more heat radiators 115. The heat radiators 115 may be configured to receive the cooling fluid and dissipate heat from the cooling fluid.

[0042] According to some embodiments, system 100 may be an open or non-pressurized system. In other words, tank 101 may be open to the atmosphere rather than sealed. Tank 101 may nevertheless include a lid or cover.

[0043] The cooling system 100 may also include one or more fluid reservoirs 120 for storing and supplying cooling fluid that is transported between the tank 101 and the radiator 115. The system 100 may also include one or more control devices 130. The system 100 may also include one or more event logs 140 for receiving event data from the control devices 130 and recording the performance of the system 100 over time. The system 100 is intended to be used to cool heat-generating components during operation of the computing device 103.

[0044] Large collections of computing devices, such as computing device 103, may be used to perform operations such as hosting websites, storing data, and / or performing computationally complex operations such as solving proof-of-work equations, rendering complex images, and / or running large-scale neural networks. When many computing devices operate in close proximity at high speeds, a significant amount of excess thermal energy is generated. To maintain optimal performance, these computing devices must absorb and release or dissipate the excess thermal energy; otherwise, the computing devices may be damaged or experience thermal throttling, resulting in slower processing speeds, reduced performance, or failure.

[0045] Existing cooling technologies can cool computing devices by directing air over heat-generating components such as the central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), random access memory (RAM), and / or motherboard chipsets. Computing devices can also cool components by directing a coolant, such as water, from one heat-generating component to another, forming a water loop connected to a reservoir or pumping mechanism.

[0046] Another cooling technique is called immersion cooling. A computing device can be cooled by immersing the computing device in a non-conductive liquid, such as a synthetic hydrocarbon oil. The computing device can be immersed in the non-conductive liquid, allowing the liquid to permeate the chassis of the computing device, flow over heat-generating components, and absorb and dissipate heat as it flows through a tank in which the computing device is disposed.

[0047] Immersion cooling may allow computing devices to be placed closer together compared to other cooling methods, such as air cooling, because the liquid is a more effective heat sink, passively absorbing heat through full contact with all components of the computing device.

[0048] According to embodiments described herein, system 100 is an immersion cooling system. System 100 may fit into a smaller physical footprint compared to a collection of computing systems with comparable combined processing power that generate the same amount of thermal energy and / or are cooled by other means, such as air cooling. The smaller footprint allows for a modular system that is easier to implement and can be quickly and easily scaled up or down in a modular manner.

[0049] The various conduits of system 100 may be formed of tubes, pipes, and / or combinations of tubes and pipes. In the context of this application, pipes are hollow conduits with circular cross-sections that tend to have higher internal pressures and rougher interior surfaces than tubing. Thus, pipes may be described as high-pressure conduits. In the context of this application, tubes may be hollow conduits with circular, square, rectangular, and / or oval cross-sections that generally have lower internal pressures and smoother interior surfaces than tubing. Thus, tubes may be described as low-pressure conduits. Thus, tubes may be suitable for promoting uniform flow regimes in system 100 and may be suitable for low-pressure systems and systems where space and conduit configuration play a critical role.

[0050] The system 100 may be adapted and / or configured to promote substantially similar or identical conditions of the system coolant in most or all portions of the system 100, or in matching, comparable, or corresponding portions of the system 100. In some embodiments, these conditions may be maintained at or near the same level substantially at all times during operation. A similar or identical condition may be the amount of system coolant at any point in the system 100 being the same at any comparable point in the system 100, for example, the amount of liquid in one inlet line 150 being the same as in another, different inlet line 150. A similar or identical condition may be or include the pressure, pressure differential, and / or maximum velocity pressure at any point in the system 100. For example, it is contemplated that substantially the same pressure exists in one inlet line 150 as in another, different inlet line 150. When the system 100 is operating under normal operating conditions, the system coolant throughout the system 100 may be considered to be in balance. Similar or identical conditions may include that the amount of system coolant passing through any point in system 100 may be the same as the amount of system coolant passing through any comparable point in system 100. The present disclosure may achieve this by maintaining the flow regime through the conduits of system 100 relatively uniform throughout the size and configuration of the components of system 100.

[0051] In particular, the system 100 may be configured to maintain a substantially equal pressure and / or flow rate of cooling fluid entering each tank 101 from the radiator 115. This may help maintain a regular flow of cooling fluid through each tank 101 and may help direct heated fluid away from the computing devices so that heat can be efficiently dissipated while reducing the number of moving parts, such as pumps and valves. This may also reduce the likelihood of overflows and underflows occurring in the tanks 101. An overflow may occur when too much coolant enters a single tank, causing the tank to overflow and overflow the tank 101. An underflow may occur when not enough coolant enters a tank 101. This may result in the tank emptying or dropping too low, allowing air to enter the lines of the system 100. This may also reduce heat removal from the tanks, causing the computing devices to overheat and operate less efficiently. Introducing air may reduce the efficiency of the system because air is a poor conductor of heat.

[0052] A cooling system configured as described in some embodiments may allow multiple cooling tanks to be connected to a single coolant distribution system, and in some embodiments, the system may have only a single pump and a single radiator. When multiple tanks are connected to a single coolant distribution system, it may be important to control the pressure and coolant supply to each tank to avoid coolant imbalances in the system's components. Thus, the described piping system may be useful for evenly distributing coolant to multiple tanks in a system with multiple cooling tanks.

[0053] To maintain substantially equal pressures and flows, the piping conduits between the radiator 115 and each tank 101 may be arranged to provide substantially identical fluid flow conditions. In other words, the piping configuration between the radiator and each tank 101 may be configured to be nearly identical. This may include providing identical fittings in each path, the same number of elbows in the piping, and / or identical branch lengths to each tank 101, with only the location of each branch along the header differing. In some embodiments, low-loss headers may be used. For example, some embodiments may include oversized supply header conduits that reduce the impact that the location of each branch (relative to the inlet end of the supply header) has on the overall pressure drop along the length of the supply header between similar points in the system 100.

[0054] The disclosed embodiments may also enable a cooling system that facilitates cooling of computing devices that operate at a substantially lower operating pressure range than other systems. A lower-pressure system may reduce the operating load on elements of system 100, thereby extending their operating life. A lower-pressure system may enable a reduction in the number of complex components, such as cooling system 110 and / or heat sink 115. A lower-pressure system may also enable improved serviceability, reduced failure rates, and / or improved maintainability of system 100 overall.

[0055] Each tank 101 may be fluidly connected (directly or indirectly) by one or more fluid lines to other tanks 101, pump system 110, radiator 115, and / or fluid reservoir 120. The fluid lines may include supply and return lines, such as headers and branches, configured to allow fluid to flow from radiator 115 through each tank 101 and back to radiator 115.

[0056] The tank 101 may include one or more computing device racks 102, and the racks 102 may include one or more computing devices 103. The racks 102 include a plurality of racks spaced apart across the tank 101. The racks 102 are configured to receive and mount a plurality of rows and columns of computing devices 103 to allow a cooling fluid (coolant) to flow between the computing devices 103. The racks 102 include mounting structures 104 to hold each computing device 103 in place in the tank 101.

[0057] The computing devices 103 are typically in the form of servers mounted on or within an enclosure or mounting frame that contains one or more mounting substrates, such as printed circuit boards (PCBs). The computing devices 103 are coupled to and / or supported by the device racks 102. The computing devices 103 are positioned within the fluid reservoirs of each tank 101 to allow coolant entering from the bottom of the tank 101 to flow upward around and along the heat-generating surfaces of the computing devices 103. After absorbing heat through the computing devices 103, the coolant flows upward from the fluid reservoirs of the tanks 101 and is pumped back through the heat sinks 115.

[0058] The tanks 101 may be configured as racks and / or rows 105 of tanks 101 that share common coolant supply and return lines (as shown in FIG. 2). Each row 105 of tanks 101 includes multiple tanks arranged in a linear fashion. Each tank 101 may be located in close proximity (e.g., less than 0.5 meters) to at least one other tank 101. Adjacent tanks 101 may be fluidly connected to one another by one or more balance lines 564 and / or one or more overflow lines 572 (see FIG. 5). The overflow lines 572 are located at the top of the tank sidewalls above the normal operating fluid level of the tanks 101. This allows fluid in a first tank 101 to flow into an adjacent tank 101 via the overflow line 572 if the first tank 101 would otherwise overflow.

[0059] Pump system 110 may be in fluid communication (directly or indirectly) with heat sink 115, fluid reservoir 120, and / or one or more tanks 101 via one or more coolant lines. Pump system 110 may be configured to pump system coolant throughout system 100, allowing the coolant to collect excess thermal energy from computing device 103 in tank 101 and dissipate it in heat sink 115.

[0060] In some embodiments, pump system 110 may include one or more fluid pumps 112, 114. Pump system 110 may include multiple fluid pumps 112, 114 depending on the amount of system coolant included in system 100 and / or the number of tanks connected to system 100. Fluid pumps 112, 114 are configured to continuously pump liquid oil coolant, such as synthetic hydrocarbon oil, through tank 101 during normal operation (i.e., unless the system is shut down for maintenance or a malfunction). In some embodiments, fluid pump 112 may be a primary or primary coolant pump, and fluid pump 114 may be a secondary, backup, or secondary coolant pump. Fluid pump 114 may be maintained at an idle speed and / or power usage (e.g., 50% of full power) and ramped up to a higher speed and / or power usage upon a trigger event. The triggering event may comprise a power spike, a fault event, a drop in system coolant rate, an increase in system coolant rate, and / or other triggers that may indicate abnormal and / or non-stand operation of the system 100 .

[0061] In some embodiments, the fluid pumps 112, 114 may both operate at 50% of full power, both pumping system coolant throughout the system, and a triggering event may be responded to by reducing the power output of one fluid pump and increasing the power output of the other fluid pump. The pumps may be configured in other reduced or increased power ratios relative to each other, such as 10-90, 20-80, 30-70, or 40-60, although a 0-100 or 50-50 configuration may be preferred as they may help distribute the system coolant substantially evenly throughout the system.

[0062] In some embodiments, system 100 may include multiple (2) HX pump-pipe oil systems. In some embodiments, system 100 may include one oil pump per system, subsystem, and / or parallel system. In some embodiments, system 100 may include separate and completely independent first (A) and second (B) cooling subsystems, each optionally with its own oil pump for redundancy and / or backup.

[0063] The fluid pumps 112, 114 may be sized for the required capacity. In other words, as the working volume of the system 100 expands, the number of fluid pumps may remain the same, but their size and / or pumping capacity may be appropriately adjusted to suit the requirements of the system 100. In some embodiments, the number of fluid pumps may change as the working volume of the system 100 expands.

[0064] The heat dissipator 115 may be fluidly connected (directly or indirectly) to the pump system 110, the fluid reservoir 120, and / or the tank 101 by one or more coolant lines. The heat dissipator 115 may be configured to receive a system coolant that has absorbed excess heat generated by the computing device 103 and dissipate it to the surrounding environment and / or atmosphere. In some embodiments, the heat dissipator 115 may be configured to first transfer the heat absorbed by the system coolant to a secondary coolant, such as water, and then dissipate the heat from the secondary coolant to the surrounding environment and / or atmosphere. In some embodiments, the heat dissipator 115 may be an adiabatic cooling system configured to receive the system coolant and one or more secondary coolants, such as air or water.

[0065] In some embodiments, the radiator 115 may include one or more heat exchangers 115a for transferring heat from the system coolant to the secondary cooling fluid. The heat exchangers 115a may be an oil-water interface, where the system coolant (e.g., oil) flowing between the tanks 101 may transfer collected thermal energy to a certain amount of water. Each heat exchanger 115a, which may be a component of the radiator 115, may exchange (transfer) heat from the oil by juxtaposing the oil supply line on the primary side of the heat exchanger 115a with the water line on the secondary side of the heat exchanger 115a, allowing the thermal energy in the oil to be radiated to the water.

[0066] In some embodiments, heat dissipation device 115 may comprise, for example, one or more of a water tower, a natural water source, and / or a geothermal pipe system, alone or in combination with other described elements, which may be configured to transfer heat from system 100 to the surrounding environment to cool the system coolant, which is then returned to the coolant supply side of system 100. In some embodiments, thermal energy collected from computing devices 103 may be reused, regenerated, or otherwise recycled to power additional machinery in the data center, heat other areas in the data center, or heat water in the data center.

[0067] The fluid reservoir 120 may be fluidly connected (directly or indirectly) to the tank 101, the pump system 110, the fluid pumps 112, 114, and / or the heat sink 115 by one or more coolant supply lines. The fluid reservoir 120 may be configured to collect and / or store some or all of the oil in the system 100. The oil in the system 100 may be pumped to or from the fluid reservoir 120 by the fluid pump 110 and / or one or more reservoir pumps (not shown). For example, if the system 100 or components of the system 100 (such as the fluid pump 110, the tank 101, the rack 102, the computing device 103, and / or the heat sink 115) require maintenance, replacement, and / or reconfiguration, the coolant may be bled from the tank 101 and the coolant circulation lines. The fluid reservoir 120 may be mechanically isolated from the rest of the system 100 until the oil needs to be transferred to the fluid reservoir 120 for storage. Fluid reservoir 120 may also be used to initially fill system 100 with system coolant or to replenish tank 101 and coolant circulation conduits with coolant over time. In some embodiments, fluid reservoir 120 may be or include a movable container that can be connected and disconnected from system 100 as needed.

[0068] The control device 130 may be or include one or more computing devices in communication with one or more electrical control systems (not shown) to control and monitor the operation of the system 100. The control device 130 may be in communication with one or more temperature probes 180 and / or flow sensors to monitor temperature and / or flow characteristics throughout the system 100. The temperature probes 180 may be located in the outlet line 152, the return line 156, inside the tank 101, and / or at the inlet and / or outlet of the tank 101. In some embodiments, the temperature probes 180 may be located near the inlet and / or outlet of the radiator 115.

[0069] The control device 130 may communicate with the event log 140 to send operational notifications. In some embodiments, the control device 130 may be configured to send notifications to the event log 140 at predetermined times or when the control device detects a condition outside of normal operating parameters in the system 100, such as via one or more temperature probes 180. The notifications may be stored in an ordered list in the event log 140 to track the performance of the system 100. In some embodiments, the control device 130 may also be configured to perform system checks periodically, aperiodically, and / or based on predetermined rules to determine whether the system 100 is operating properly. The control device 130 may also continuously monitor the status of the system 100 and provide a continuous stream of information to the event log 140.

[0070] The control device 130 may also be configured to monitor the temperature of the system coolant and / or the performance of the system 100. The control device 130 may be configured to read one or more temperatures of the system coolant at one or more points in the system 100 and adjust the operation of one or more components of the system accordingly. For example, the control device 130 may adjust the operation of one or more flow control devices, such as valves, or fluid pumps (e.g., pumps 112 or 114), to increase or decrease the fluid flow through the radiator 115. The adjustments may be made on the primary side of the heat exchanger 115a or on the secondary side of the heat exchanger 115a. For example, if increased cooling capacity is needed, rather than increasing the flow rate of the primary coolant through the tank 101, the control device 130 may control a valve and / or pump (not shown) on the secondary side of the heat exchanger 115a to increase the flow rate of the secondary coolant on the secondary side of the heat exchanger 115a, thereby increasing the heat dissipation from the system coolant. In some embodiments, control device 130 may also or alternatively be configured to vary the fan speed of an insulation system (not shown). Control device 130 may read the temperature of the system coolant using one or more temperature probes located throughout system 100, such as at the inlet and / or outlet of heat exchanger 115a.

[0071] FIG. 1 shows multiple system lines, including an inlet or supply line 150 and an outlet or return line 152. The inlet line 150 and / or the outlet line 152 may function as header lines. These header lines may extend along the length of the row 105 of tanks 101. FIG. 2 also shows an inlet branch 160, an outlet branch 162, and a balance line 164. The inlet branch 160 may connect the inlet line 150 to the tanks 101. The outlet branch may connect the outlet line 152 to the tanks 101. The balance line 164 may connect adjacent tanks 101 to each other. These lines are described in more detail below.

[0072] 1 , the radiator 115 may be fluidly connected to the tank 101 by a coolant inlet (supply) line 150, such that chilled system coolant may be supplied to the tank 101. The tank 101 may be fluidly connected to the pump system 110 via a coolant outlet line 152, such that heated coolant is discharged from the tank 101 via the coolant outlet line 152. The pump system 110 may be fluidly connected to the radiator 115 by a coolant return line 156, such that the heated coolant is pumped into the radiator 115. In some embodiments, the pump system 110 may also be fluidly connected to the fluid reservoir 120 by a discharge line and a fill line 154.

[0073] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a cooling system 100 for cooling computing devices 103. The cooling system 100 shown in FIG. 2 may be one embodiment of the system 100 shown in FIG. 1. The cooling system 100 may be used to cool computing devices 103 operating in a data center. The cooling system 100 includes cooling tank(s) 101. As shown in FIG. 2, the exemplary cooling system 100 includes 12 cooling tanks 101 arranged in two rows arranged substantially parallel to each other. In the illustrated example, each row includes six tanks 101 arranged in a straight line, although other numbers of tanks may be included in the rows 105. The tanks 101 in each row are spaced apart from the other rows to define an access space 210, thereby allowing for easy inspection and access to the interior of the tanks. The cooling tanks 101 may be installed or positioned on scaffolding (not shown) or may be secured directly to the wall or floor of a housing, such as a container. In some embodiments, the system 100 may include more than 12 tanks 101 or fewer than 12 tanks 101. The tanks 101 may be arranged in a single row (i.e., no adjacent rows, as shown in FIG. 2), in multiple rows spaced apart across multiple levels (i.e., one or more upper and lower rows), and / or vertically stacked. For example, the cooling system 100 may include 16 cooling tanks 101 across two (vertically stacked) decks, with eight cooling tanks 101 on each deck.

[0074] The cooling system 100 described with reference to Figure 2 may be used as a sub-cooling system, and other cooling systems 100 may be used as other sub-cooling systems. Two sub-cooling systems 100 may be fluidly connected to form a larger cooling system. Such larger cooling systems including multiple sub-cooling systems 100 are also described in this disclosure.

[0075] A pipe, as used herein, can be straight, curved, bent, or a combination of pipes of different shapes. A pipe can also include one or more segments fluidly connected. Additionally, a tube, as used herein, can be straight, curved, bent, or a combination of tubes of different shapes and / or configurations. One or more segments of a pipe can extend in the same direction or in different directions. Furthermore, references to pipe segments are not intended to define the structure of the pipe, but rather to indicate different portions of the pipe for ease of description. In some embodiments, pipeline sections can be joined by flange connections.

[0076] For ease of explanation, the multiple cooling tanks 101 will be referred to as 101. Any one of the cooling tanks 101 may have the same structure and operate substantially identically to the other cooling tanks 101 in the cooling system 100. Each cooling tank 101 is configured to receive a system coolant and is sized to allow all or at least a portion of a computing device 103 (not shown in FIG. 2 ) to be submerged in the system coolant, thereby enabling the system coolant to absorb heat generated by the computing device 103 and cool the computing device 103.

[0077] In some embodiments, the length of each tank 101 may be between 1000 mm and 3000 mm. In some embodiments, the width of each tank 101 may be between 400 mm and 2000 mm. In some embodiments, the height of each tank 101 may be between 600 mm and 2000 mm. During normal operation, each tank 101 may be configured to hold between 1000 L and 2000 L of cooling fluid. Each tank may be configured to hold, for example, about 1400 L of cooling fluid. The spacing (gap) between adjacent tanks 101 in each row 105 may be between 2 cm and 50 cm, for example, and preferably between 2 cm and 10 cm.

[0078] During operation of the cooling system 100 and data center, one or more computing devices 103 are placed in each cooling tank 101, and heat generated by the computing devices 103 is absorbed by the system coolant in the cooling tank 101, reducing the temperature of the computing devices 103. As a result, the system coolant surrounding the computing devices 103 heats up, increasing its temperature. The system coolant may be, for example, cooling oil.

[0079] The system coolant of the present disclosure can be one type of dielectric fluid. A dielectric fluid is a non-conductive fluid that is highly resistant to electrical breakdown at high voltages. Electrical or dielectric breakdown occurs when an insulating (i.e., non-conductive) material becomes an electrical conductor. The present system may use such a dielectric fluid as an oil, such as a synthetic oil, a mineral oil, or a bio-organic oil, or an engineering fluid. In some embodiments, the system 100 may use a synthetic hydrocarbon oil because synthetic hydrocarbon oils repel water and other foreign matter.

[0080] In some embodiments, the kinematic viscosity (KV) of the system coolant may be between 1 centistokes (cSt) and 120 cSt. In some embodiments, the kinematic viscosity of the system coolant may be between 16 cSt and 40 cSt. In some embodiments, the kinematic viscosity of the system coolant may be between 12 cSt and 20 cSt.

[0081] The cooling system 100 includes one or more pairs of coolant lines, each pair including an inlet line 150 and an outlet line 152, providing a fluid connection between the tank 101 and the radiator 115. The inlet line 150 of each set of coolant lines may be fluidly connected to a plurality of cooling tanks 101 arranged in a row, supplying system coolant to the plurality of cooling tanks 101. After being cooled by the radiator 115, the system coolant is supplied from the radiator 115 to the tank 101 via the inlet line 150.

[0082] The inlet conduits 150 of each set of coolant lines are fluidly connected to each of the plurality of cooling tanks 101 in the row and deliver system coolant cooled by the radiators 115 to each of the plurality of cooling tanks 101 in the row. A single radiator 115 may be connected to one or more rows of tanks 101. The system coolant carrying heat absorbed from the computing devices 103 in the tanks 101 is then conveyed from each cooling tank 101 through the outlet conduits 152 of each coolant line pair, and the coolant returns to the radiators 115. The heated coolant may be cooled by the radiators 115 and then supplied back to the tanks 101 via the inlet conduits 150.

[0083] As mentioned above, the cooling system 100 also includes a pumping system 110 that is directly or indirectly fluidly connected to each of the inlet lines 150 and outlet lines 152 of each coolant line pair. The pumping system 110 is configured to facilitate circulation of the system coolant through the plurality of cooling tanks 101, the inlet lines 150, the outlet lines 152, and the radiator 115.

[0084] In the cooling system 100 shown in FIG. 2 , the heat dissipation device 115 is fluidly connected to each of the multiple cooling tanks 101 in the row via the inlet line 150 and the outlet line 152 of each coolant line pair. Furthermore, the pump system 110 is fluidly connected to each of the multiple cooling tanks 101 in the row via the outlet line 152 of each coolant line pair. Such a configuration allows for a reduction in the number of pumps and / or heat dissipation devices for the multiple cooling tanks 101, meaning that each tank 101 may not need to have its own individual heat exchanger and / or its own individual coolant pump to dissipate heat and circulate the system coolant. This is because the heat dissipation device 115 and the pump system 110 are shared by the multiple cooling tanks 101. Therefore, the cooling system 100 enables scalable deployment of data centers. In other words, additional rows of cooling tanks 101 can be added to the cooling system 100 simply by fluidly connecting their respective inlet and outlet lines to the system 100.

[0085] The cooling system 100 may also include a water supply line (not shown) fluidly connected to the heat exchanger 115a of the heat exchanger 115 for supplying water (e.g., chilled water) to the heat exchanger 115a so that the heat exchanger 115 can dissipate heat from the system coolant to the water. The cooling system 100 may also include a water discharge (return) line (not shown) fluidly connected to an outlet on the secondary side of the heat exchanger 115a for dissipating heated water (i.e., water that is hotter than the supply water temperature) from the heat exchanger 115.

[0086] In some embodiments, cooling system 100 may include a drain and fill system. The drain and fill system may include coolant reservoir 120 and drain and fill pipes 154 and may be used, for example, when one or more cooling tanks 101 need to be drained due to operational requirements and serviceability. The drain and fill system may further include one or more drain and fill pumps (not shown), separate from pump system 110, for pumping fluid into and out of coolant reservoir 120 via drain and fill lines 154.

[0087] The drain and fill system is configured to drain system coolant from and replenish one or more cooling tanks 101. In this manner, when one or more cooling tanks 101 require maintenance, the drain and fill system drains system coolant from one or more cooling tanks 101. Once the maintenance is complete, the drain and fill system fills one or more cooling tanks 101 with system coolant. In some embodiments, the system 100 may continue to pump system coolant throughout the system 100 while one or more tanks 101 are being emptied, serviced, and refilled.

[0088] 3 and 4 are detailed schematic diagrams of cooling system 100 according to some embodiments. Fig. 3 shows components such as pump system 110, radiator 115, inlet line 150, and outlet line 152. Fig. 4 shows components such as inlet line 150, outlet line 152, inlet branch 160, and outlet branch 162, as well as balance line 164 and tank 101.

[0089] During operation, system coolant may be pumped by pump system 110 through each inlet line 150. Each inlet line 150 may extend from radiator 115 toward tank assembly 101. According to some embodiments, inlet line 150 may include one or more flow control valves configured to restrict or block the flow of system coolant through inlet line 150. Near tank 101, inlet line 150 may reach an inlet T-junction 151, where the supply of system coolant from inlet line 150 may split into two coolant supply lines 150, one line for each row 105 of tanks 101. In some embodiments, if system 100 includes only one row of tanks, inlet line 150 may extend along row 105 without branching into multiple arms. In some alternative embodiments, one arm of inlet line 150 may terminate in a blind flange (not shown). The following description refers to a single row of tanks 101, but may equally apply to adjacent rows of tanks 101, or to one or more vertically stacked decks of rows of tanks 101.

[0090] According to some embodiments, the inlet line 150 may curve around the first tank 101 in the row and curve upward (towards the top of the tanks 101) so as to be substantially parallel to the row of tanks 101. By locating the lines 150, 152 and the branch lines 160, 162 outside the row of tanks, a space may be left open between the two rows of tanks 101, facilitating easy access to the interior of the tanks 101 and the computing devices 103 disposed therein.

[0091] According to some embodiments, lines 150, 152 may be located below the working level of cooling fluid in tank 101, which is the level of fluid when system 100 is operating normally. This may reduce the risk of tank 101 overflowing if system 100 experiences a fault that causes the fluid in lines 150, 152 to empty.

[0092] One or more inlet branch conduits 160 may extend from the inlet conduit 150, fluidly connecting the inlet conduit 150 with the interior of the tank 101 to allow system coolant to flow from the radiator 115 to the interior of the tank 101. One or more outlet branch conduits 162 may extend from the outlet conduit 152, fluidly connecting the outlet conduit 152 with the interior of the tank 101 to allow system coolant to return from the tank 101 to the radiator 115.

[0093] The branch line 160 / 162 may merge with the header line 150 / 152 at a substantially perpendicular angle. In some embodiments, the branch line 160 / 162 may merge with the header line 150 / 152 at an obtuse angle. The branch line 160 / 162 may merge with the header line 150 / 152 through a long radius bend. According to some embodiments, the connection between the branch line 160 / 162 and the header line 150 / 152 may be a tension branch connection.

[0094] In some embodiments, inlet line 150 and outlet line 152 may be configured as low-loss headers to promote evenly distributed flow throughout system 100. In other words, inlet line 150 and outlet line 152 may be configured such that the pressure loss along inlet line 150 and outlet line 152 is relatively low compared to other portions of the system. In some embodiments, the pressure loss through inlet line 150 and / or outlet line 152 may be substantially lower than the pressure loss through branch lines 160 and / or 162.

[0095] In some embodiments, the ratio of the pressure drop through branch lines 160 and / or 162 to the pressure drop through inlet line 150 and / or outlet line 152 may be maintained within a predetermined range. In some embodiments, the range may be 5:1 to 200:1. In some embodiments, the ratio of the pressure drop through inlet branch line 160 to the pressure drop through inlet line (feed header line) 150 may be 10:1 to 100:1. In some embodiments, the range may be 10:1 to 50:1. In some embodiments, the range may be 15:1 to 40:1. In some embodiments, the range may be 15:1 to 25:1. In some embodiments, the ratio of the pressure drop through inlet branch line 160 to the pressure drop through inlet line (feed header line) 150 may be maintained at about 20:1, e.g., 18:1 to 22:1. In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the entire length of feed branch line 160 may be about 20 kPa. In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the length of the return branch line 162 may be about 5 kPa. In some embodiments, the pressure drop across the length of the inlet line 150 and / or the outlet line 152 may be about 1 kPa.

[0096] In some embodiments, the ratio of the pressure drop across the outlet branch line 162 to the pressure drop across the outlet line (return header line) 152 may range from 4:1 to 15:1. In some embodiments, the range may be from 4:1 to 10:1, or from about 4:1 to about 8:1. In some embodiments, the ratio of the pressure drop across the outlet (return) branch line 162 to the pressure drop across the outlet line (return header line) 152 may be maintained at about 5:1, such as 4:1 to 6:1.

[0097] The specific pressure drop values ​​and ratios can be configured by selecting the sizes of the conduits 150, 152, 160, and 162. For example, the diameters of the conduits 150, 152 can be selected to be larger than the diameters of the branch conduits 160, 162. In some embodiments, the diameters of the conduits 150, 152 can be selected to be twice the diameters of the branch conduits 160, 162. In some embodiments, the diameters of the conduits 150, 152 can be selected to be as large as practical within the dimensions of the system 100 to reduce pressure drop. The diameters of the branch conduits 160, 162 can be selected to be as small as practical without adversely affecting the operation of the pump system 110 or substantially reducing the flow rate through the system 100.

[0098] According to some embodiments, system 100 may be configured so that branch lines 160 and / or 162 are aligned with one another as closely as possible, such that each branch line 160 and / or 162 and the fittings coupled to the line 160 / 162 provide substantially the same pressure drop between the other branch lines 160 / 162. This may be achieved by making each branch line 160 / 162 substantially the same length, having substantially the same number of elbows, and / or configuring each branch line 160 / 162 with substantially the same number of connections to other system components. In some embodiments, branch lines 160 may be aligned with one another and branch lines 162 may be aligned with one another, but branch lines 160 may not be aligned with branch lines 162.

[0099] According to some embodiments, the only substantial difference in fluid pressure and / or velocity in each branch line 160 / 162 may be a result of the branch line 160 / 162's position along the line 150 / 152. As noted above, a low pressure drop through the line 160 / 162 may be selected to minimize this pressure difference. For example, in some embodiments, the pressure difference between the proximal-most line 160 / 162 and the distal-most line 160 / 162 may be maintained at less than 20%. In some embodiments, the pressure difference may be maintained at less than 10%. In some embodiments, the pressure difference may be maintained at less than 5%. In some embodiments, the variation in liquid coolant flow rate between the branch lines 160 / 162 from one end of the tank bank 105 to the other may be maintained at less than 10%. In some embodiments, the flow rate variation may be maintained at less than 5%.

[0100] According to some embodiments, the pressure through the supply branches 160 may be maintained more constant between each line 160 than the pressure through the return lines 160. For example, the ratio of the pressure drop through the branches 160 to the pressure drop through the inlet line 150 may be approximately 20:1, and the ratio of the pressure drop through the branches 162 to the pressure drop through the outlet line 152 may be approximately 5:1. The velocity pressure in the return branch 162 may be maintained below 0.3 kPa. In some embodiments, the pressure on the return side may be controlled more loosely because excessive restriction on the suction side of the pump system 110 can cause cavitation, introducing vapors into the cooling fluid and reducing the efficiency of the system 100.

[0101] Referring to FIG. 4, the inlet branch 160 may include one or more balance valves 170. FIGS. 10A and 10B show an example of a balance valve 170 in more detail. In some embodiments, the balance valve 170 may be or include a ball valve 172 configured to regulate or control the flow of system coolant into and / or out of the tank 101. The balance valve 170 may be fitted to one or more tank inlet lines, such as the inlet branch line 160. The balance valve 170 may be configured to vary the flow through the valve via a rotation mechanism 175, such as a handle or tap, where the rotation angle of the valve handle or tap directly correlates to the degree of flow resistance. For example, rotating the rotation mechanism 175 50% from the open position toward the closed position reduces the flow of system coolant through the valve by 50%. In another example, when the rotating mechanism 175 rotates 30% from a fully open position toward a fully closed position, 30% of the coolant flow is blocked, allowing 70% of the maximum available amount of system coolant to pass through the balance valve 170. In other words, the balance valve 170 may have an adjustable flow coefficient, and adjusting the balance valve 170 adjusts the amount of fluid flowing through the valve per unit time.

[0102] Existing balance valves of the type for which the balance valve 170 may be manufactured and / or modified may not be configured to integrate with the inlet branch line 160 because the inlet branch line may be formed from a tubing segment, and the existing balance valve may only be configured to interface with or connect to a pipe segment. The existing balance valve may not have the appropriate valve components to withstand exposure to system coolants, such as the aforementioned synthetic hydrocarbon oils. Some existing balance valves may have valve components formed from rubber. Therefore, the existing balance valve must be adapted to be integrated into the system 100. For example, in an existing balance valve, rubber valve components may be replaced with nylon components (e.g., a synthetic polymer) because nylon may have substantially greater resistance to the system coolant. The plastic or rubber valve components may be one or more O-rings disposed within the existing balance valve 170.

[0103] According to some embodiments, different flow restriction devices may be used in place of balance valve 170. For example, some embodiments may include an orifice plate (not shown) to restrict the flow of system coolant to and / or from tank 101. The orifice plate may be configured with different orifice sizes to achieve different flow coefficients.

[0104] Flow restriction devices, such as balance valves 170 or orifice plates (not shown), may be used to more uniformly distribute the cooling fluid pressure in the branch conduits 160 / 162. Each flow restriction device may restrict or limit flow to a different degree than the other flow restriction devices. For example, a branch conduit 160 closer to the inlet side of the inlet conduit 150 may have a higher pressure than a branch conduit 160 further from the inlet side of the inlet conduit 150. A branch conduit 160 closer to the inlet side of the inlet conduit 150 may be fitted with a flow restriction device that reduces the fluid flow through the branch conduit 160 to better match the fluid flow in the more distal branch conduits 160. In other words, the branch conduit 160 closest to the inlet side of the inlet conduit 150 may have the highest flow restriction, and the branch conduit 160 furthest from the inlet side of the inlet conduit 150 may have the lowest flow restriction. According to some embodiments, the use of flow restriction devices such as balancing valve 170 may be limited to avoid unnecessarily straining the system by requiring excessive pumping action from pump system 110. For example, flow restriction devices may be used only to limit the pressure (and fluid flow) difference in branch lines 160 / 162 to below a predetermined difference threshold, as discussed above (e.g., less than a 5% or 10% flow difference between branches).

[0105] 5 , system coolant is delivered to the interior of the tank 101 via a tank inlet line 565, which may be fluidly connected to the inlet branch line 160. The tank inlet line 565 directs the coolant to the bottom of the tank 101, where it flows upward to be dispersed throughout the tank 101 and absorb heat from the computing devices 103 disposed therein. As the system coolant absorbs excess heat from the computing devices 103 and rises further within the tank 101, it may be discharged from the tank 101 by a tank outlet line 562, which may be fluidly connected to the outlet branch line 162. The outlet branch line 162 may extend from near the bottom of the tank 101 and is fluidly connected to the outlet line 152, which is also near the bottom of the tank 101. A tank balance line 564 is fluidly connected to balance lines 164 extending between adjacent tanks 101 to balance the level of system coolant throughout the tanks 101.

[0106] The outlet line 152 may extend substantially parallel to the row of tanks 101 near the bottom of the tanks 101. The outlet line may extend to the first tank 101 in the row of tanks 101 and connect to an outlet T-junction 153. Similar to the inlet T-junction 151, the outlet T-junction 153 may combine the outlet lines 152 of each row of tanks into one outlet line that extends to connect to the heat dissipator 115. The outlet line 152 may be configured to connect to one or more coolant pumps 112, 114, and the system coolant is pumped to the heat dissipator 115 to dissipate some or all of the heat collected from the computing device 103. The system coolant may then exit the heat dissipator 115 back to the inlet line 150, ready to be recycled again through the system 100.

[0107] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a system 100 for cooling a computing device 103. In particular, FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the present disclosure in which one or more heat sinks 115 and one or more fluid pumps 112, 114 are disposed near or otherwise proximate one or more sides of a tank 101. The system shown in FIG. 6 has a smaller footprint than the systems disclosed in FIGS. 2-4 and may be configured to connect to one or more other similarly configured systems to cool more computing devices 103 (not shown in FIG. 6). The system disclosed in FIG. 6 may function substantially identically to the systems disclosed in FIGS. 2-4.

[0108] The inlet line 150 of FIG. 6 may be configured to extend from one or more radiators 115 disposed at the end of the row of tanks 101. The inlet line may extend parallel to the row of tanks 101 and include one or more inlet branch lines 160. The one or more inlet branch lines 160 may extend from the inlet line 150 to fluidly connect the inlet line 150 with the interior of the tanks 101, thereby allowing system coolant to flow from a source of the pumping system 110 to the interior of the tanks 101. In some embodiments, the inlet branch line 160 may be fluidly connected to a low-loss header 168, which is fluidly connected to the outlet line 152 proximate the bottom of the tanks 101. The system of FIG. 6 may also include a balance valve 170, as described above.

[0109] Also shown in FIG. 6 is branch interconnect 610. Branch interconnect 610 may be a conduit configured to selectively fluidly connect supply branch 160 to return branch 162 to enable drain and fill procedures to be performed. As mentioned above, drain and fill procedures may be performed to drain and then refill tank 101, such as when performing maintenance. As described above with reference to FIG. 5, tank inlet conduit 565 is configured to direct coolant to the bottom of tank 101 and may therefore be positioned to open at or near the bottom of tank 101. Tank outlet conduit 562 is configured to receive coolant from further up tank 101 and therefore opens into tank 101 at a higher level, which may be approximately half to three-quarters the height of tank 101. As a result, emptying tank 101 using tank outlet conduit 562 may leave a large amount of coolant in tank 101. To overcome this, a branch interconnect 610 may be used to allow tank inlet line 565 to be connected to return branch 162, and tank inlet line 565 may be used to drain coolant from tank 101. Because tank inlet line 565 is located near the bottom of tank 101, draining coolant from tank 101 through tank inlet line 565 reduces the amount of coolant remaining in tank 101 after draining. During such procedures, a shut-off valve may be used to isolate tank inlet line 565 from inlet line 150.

[0110] The outlet conduit 152 may extend substantially parallel to the row of tanks 101 near the bottom of the tanks 101. The outlet conduit 152 may be configured to connect to one or more coolant pumps 112, 114, which route the system coolant to a radiator 115 to dissipate heat collected from the computing devices 103. The system coolant may then be discharged from the radiator 115, ready to circulate again within the system 100.

[0111] The present system facilitates the creation and maintenance of optimal flow conditions within the conduits of the disclosed system, and can be configured to distribute the system coolant evenly throughout the tanks and conduits during operation, regardless of the number of tanks 101 in the system 100. Fluid can be pumped through the conduits in one or more fluid flow conditions. The flow conditions can be one or more of turbulent, transient, and / or laminar. Turbulent flow can refer to when the flow regime consists of irregular, random motion of fluid particles in a direction transverse to the main flow direction. Laminar flow can refer to when the flow regime consists of linear, parallel motion of fluid particles relative to the conduit wall. Transient flow can include characteristics of both turbulent and laminar flow. A flow condition can be expressed by the formula

number

[0112] In some embodiments, uniform system coolant distribution and / or flow patterns may be promoted and / or maintained by the size and / or configuration of the various conduits through which the system coolant is delivered. System 100 may promote system coolant flow from inlet conduit 150 to inlet branch conduit 160, from outlet branch conduit 162 to outlet conduit 152, and / or from any one or more connected conduits of system 100 by maintaining a particular flow rate, differential pressure, and / or maximum velocity pressure in each of the particular conduits of system 100. Differential pressure may refer to the difference in pressure across a conduit or the pressure loss in a conduit.

[0113] For example, in some embodiments, the inlet line 150 may have an inner diameter of 100 mm to 500 mm. In some embodiments, the inlet line 150 may have an inner diameter of approximately 150 mm. In some embodiments, the inlet line 150 may have an average and / or median flow rate of approximately 16 liters per second. In some embodiments, the inlet line 150 may have an average and / or median differential pressure of less than 1 kPa and / or a maximum velocity pressure of less than 1 kPa. In some embodiments, the inlet line 150 may have an inner diameter of approximately 100 mm. In some embodiments, the inlet line 150 may have an average and / or median flow rate of approximately 9 liters per second. In some embodiments, the inlet line 150 may have an average and / or median differential pressure of 0.60 kPa to 1 kPa and / or a maximum velocity pressure of 0.43 kPa to 1 kPa. In some embodiments, the inlet line 150 may have a mean and / or median differential pressure of 0.25 kPa to 1 kPa and / or a maximum velocity pressure of 0.53 kPa to 1 kPa. In some embodiments, the inlet line 150 may have a mean and / or median differential pressure of about 0.60 kPa and / or a maximum velocity pressure of between about 0.43 kPa to 1 kPa. In some embodiments, the inlet line 150 may have a mean and / or median differential pressure of about 0.25 kPa and / or a maximum velocity pressure of about 0.53 kPa.

[0114] In some embodiments, the outlet conduit 152 may have an inner diameter of 100 mm to 500 mm. In some embodiments, the outlet conduit 150 may have an inner diameter of 150 mm. In some embodiments, the outlet conduit 152 may have an average and / or median flow rate of approximately 16 liters per second. In some embodiments, the outlet conduit 152 may have an average and / or median differential pressure of less than 1 kPa and / or a maximum velocity pressure of less than 0.5 kPa. In some embodiments, the outlet conduit 152 may have an inner diameter of approximately 100 mm. In some embodiments, the outlet conduit 152 may have an average and / or median flow rate of approximately 9 liters per second. In some embodiments, the outlet conduit 152 may have an average and / or median differential pressure of less than 1 kPa and / or a maximum velocity pressure of less than 0.5 kPa. In some embodiments, the outlet conduit 152 may have an average and / or median differential pressure of 0.2 kPa to 1 kPa and / or a maximum velocity pressure of 0.42 kPa. In some embodiments, the outlet conduit 152 may have a mean and / or median differential pressure of 0.18 kPa to 1 kPa and / or a maximum velocity pressure of 0.2 kPa to 0.5 kPa. In some embodiments, the outlet conduit 152 may have a mean and / or median differential pressure of about 0.2 kPa and / or a maximum velocity pressure of about 0.42 kPa. In some embodiments, the outlet conduit 152 may have a mean and / or median differential pressure of about 0.18 kPa and / or a maximum velocity pressure of about 0.2 kPa.

[0115] In some embodiments, the inlet branch line 160 may have an inner diameter of approximately 50 mm. In some embodiments, the inlet branch line 160 may have an average and / or median flow rate of approximately 2.6 liters per second to 3 liters per second, and / or an average and / or median differential pressure greater than 15 kPa. In some embodiments, the inlet branch line 160 may have an average and / or median flow rate of approximately 2.6 liters per second to 3 liters per second, and / or an average and / or median differential pressure of 21 kPa to 15 kPa. In some embodiments, the inlet branch line 160 may have an average and / or median flow rate of approximately 2.6 liters per second to 3 liters per second, and / or an average and / or median differential pressure of approximately 21 kPa.

[0116] In some embodiments, the outlet branch line 162 may have an inner diameter of about 50 mm. In some embodiments, the outlet branch line 162 may have an average and / or median flow rate of about 2.6 liters per second to about 3 liters per second, and / or an average and / or median differential pressure greater than 2.4 kPa. In some embodiments, the outlet branch line 162 may have an average and / or median flow rate of about 2.6 liters per second to about 3 liters per second, and / or an average and / or median differential pressure of 2.8 kPa to 2.4 kPa. In some embodiments, the outlet branch line 162 may have an average and / or median flow rate of about 2.6 liters per second to about 3 liters per second, and / or an average and / or median differential pressure of about 2.8 kPa.

[0117] In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the inlet branch conduit 160 and / or the outlet branch conduit 162 may be 30% to 50% of the inner diameter of the inlet conduit 150 and / or the outlet conduit 152. In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the inlet branch conduit 160 and / or the outlet branch conduit 162 may be approximately 30% of the inner diameter of the inlet conduit 150 and / or the outlet conduit 152. In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the inlet branch conduit 160 may be approximately 50% of the inner diameter of the inlet conduit 150. In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the outlet branch conduit 162 may be approximately 40% of the inner diameter of the outlet conduit 152. In some embodiments, the ratio of the inner diameter of the inlet conduit 150 and / or the outlet conduit 152 to the inner diameter of the inlet branch conduit 160 and / or the outlet branch conduit 162 may be 2:1 to 10:1. In some embodiments, the ratio of the inner diameter of inlet conduit 150 and / or outlet conduit 152 to the inner diameter of inlet branch conduit 160 and / or outlet branch conduit 162 may be between 2:1 and 4:1. Figures 7 and 8 are cross-sectional schematic diagrams of a flange connection 700 of a cooling system for cooling computing device 103, according to some embodiments. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of flange connection 700, according to some embodiments. Figure 8 shows a focused view of the cross-sectional schematic of Figure 7.

[0118] The flange connection 700 may include a first plate member 705, a second plate member 710, a first conduit 715, and a second conduit 720. The first conduit 715 may be configured to be captured between the first plate member 705 and the second plate member 710, such that when the first plate member 705 and the second plate member 705 are drawn together, for example, by a fastening force, the first conduit 715 and the second conduit 720 are fluidly connected.

[0119] The first plate member 705 may define a plurality of openings. In some embodiments, the first plate member 705 may define one or more first fastener openings 730 and / or conduit openings 745. As illustrated in FIG. 8 , the first fastener openings 730 may be configured to receive bolts 735 to secure the first flange plate 705 to the second flange plate 710 when the bolts 735 engage nuts 740 through the second fastener openings 725. The conduit openings 745 may be configured to receive the first conduits 715. In some embodiments, the conduit openings 745 may be a clearance fit around the first conduits 715, allowing the first flange plate 705 to slide and / or rotate and facilitating alignment of the first fastener openings 730 with the corresponding second fastener openings 725 of the second flange plate 710. In some embodiments, the second flange plate 710 may be permanently secured to the second conduit 720 such as by a weld 750 .

[0120] Details of end portion 845 are shown in FIG. 9 . End portion 845 may be permanently secured to first conduit 715, such as via weld portion 750. End portion 845 may include fastening portion 855, sealing portion 860, and bend portion 865. End portion 845 may be formed from a single piece, such as a stainless steel pipe or tube or a stainless steel disk, and may have a uniform wall thickness. Fastening portion 855 may be connected to sealing portion 860 via bend portion 865. Sealing portion 860 may be configured to be captured between first flange plate 705 and second flange plate 710, forming a fluid connection between first conduit 715 and second conduit 720.

[0121] In some embodiments, end 845 may be formed by a metal forming process, such as metal spinning or press forming, from a section of pipe, tube, or stainless steel disc. In some embodiments, to form end 845, a disc (not shown) may be cut from a stainless steel plate (not shown), and cutting the disc may include cutting or otherwise forming a center hole in the disc. The center hole may be formed after the disc has already been cut. To form end 845 from the disc, a mandrel (not shown) or other type of forming die may be passed through the center hole formed in the disc. The mandrel may have a shape substantially similar to the formed end 845. The disc may be held stationary against the mandrel as the mandrel is rotated to form end 845. In some embodiments, rollers may be used to press or form the disc to the shape of the mandrel, thereby forming the disc to the same shape as the mandrel.

[0122] In some embodiments, when end 845 is integrally molded, fastener portion 855 and sealing portion 860 may be connected by bend 865. Bend 865 may be configured such that fastener portion 855 and sealing portion 860 are substantially perpendicular to one another. Bend 865 may have a bend radius of 2 mm.

[0123] In some embodiments, a seal member 770 may be disposed between the seal portion 860 of the end 845 and the second flange plate 710. The seal member 770 may be formed from, for example, rubber, silicone, metal, cork, felt, neoprene, nitrile rubber, fiberglass, polytetrafluoroethylene, or a plastic polymer. When compressed between the end 745 and the second flange plate 710, the fastening force between the first flange plate 705 and the second flange plate 710 may cause the seal member 770 to expand, substantially filling the gap at the fastening surfaces and forming a fluid-tight or water-tight connection between the first conduit 715 and the second conduit 720. The seal member 770 may be an O-ring or gasket. In some embodiments, the second conduit 720 may also include ends similar to those of the first conduit 715, as described above. In this embodiment, both ends may be configured to receive a gasket or O-ring between the respective seal portions 860. In some embodiments, a baffle plate (not shown) may be disposed between the sealing portion 860 and the second flange plate 710. The baffle plate may include a plurality of openings configured to restrict and / or regulate the flow of system coolant through the conduits.

[0124] 11 and 12 show aspects of a system 100 that may isolate fluid from one or more tanks 101 to allow replacement or repair of the tanks 101 or components contained therein.

[0125] FIG. 11 shows a detailed side view of the tank 101. As described above, with particular reference to FIGS. 5, 10A, and 10B, the inlet branch conduit 160 may include one or more balance valves 170. The balance valves 170 may be configured to regulate or control the flow of system coolant into and / or out of the tank 101. The balance valves 170 may be configured to vary the flow through the valve via a rotation mechanism 175, which in some embodiments may be a handle or a tap. The rotation angle of the rotation mechanism 175 may directly correlate to the degree of flow resistance. For example, rotating the rotation mechanism 175 50% from an open position toward a closed position reduces the flow of system coolant through the valve by 50%. In another example, rotating the rotation mechanism 175 30% from an open position toward a closed position inhibits 30% of the flow, allowing 70% of the system coolant to pass through the balance valve 170.

[0126] The tanks 101 may also include balance lines 164 running between adjacent tanks 101 to facilitate leveling of system coolant across the tanks 101. Specifically, the balance lines 164 may facilitate leveling of system coolant across tanks 101 located at the same level. The balance lines 164 may be fluidly connected to tank balance lines 564, as shown in FIG. 5 .

[0127] 12 shows the interior of a tank 101 with a tank inlet line 565, a tank outlet line 562, and a tank balance line 564. The tank balance lines 564 may extend from a location near the bottom of the tank 101 to at least partway through the tank 101 where each tank balance line 564 may have an open end 1205 (e.g., a threaded end) such that system coolant above the open end 1205 of the tank balance line 564 can freely enter and exit the tank balance line 564, facilitating balancing of the system coolant among multiple tanks 101 in the system 100.

[0128] The tank outlet lines 562 may extend from a position near the bottom of the tank 101 to a position at least partway through the tank 101 where each tank inlet line 562 may have an open end 1215 such that system coolant above the open end 1215 may freely enter the tank outlet lines 562.

[0129] To fluidly isolate the tank from the connected tank, a closure member 1210 or 1220 may be coupled to the open end 1205 and / or 1215 of each tank balancing line 564 and tank outlet line 562. According to some embodiments, the closure member 1210 and / or 1220 may be a plug. In some embodiments, the closure member 1210 and / or 1220 may be threaded to be screwed into the open end 1205 or 1215. According to some embodiments, the closure member 1210 and / or 1220 may be a pipe section of sufficient length such that, when the closure member is coupled to the open end 1205 or 1215 of the tank outlet line 562 or tank balancing line 564, the open end of the pipe section is located above the level of the liquid coolant in the tank 101.

[0130] Once placed in open end 1205, closure member 1210 can provide a seal that fluidly isolates balance conduit 564, and thus balance line 164, from interior volume 580 of tank 101. Tank 101 can then be drained via tank inlet conduit 565 and / or tank outlet conduit 562 and removed, replaced, or repaired as needed.

[0131] Similarly, when the closure member 220 is placed in the open end 1215, it can provide a seal that fluidly separates the tank outlet line 562, and thus the branch outlet line 162, from the interior volume 580 of the tank 101. The tank 101 can then be drained via the tank inlet line 565 and / or balance line 564 and removed, replaced, or repaired as needed.

[0132] In some embodiments, the cooling system for cooling the computing device 100 may implement techniques described in International Patent Application No. PCT / AU2021 / 051215, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0133] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the broad general scope of the present disclosure, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

1. 1. A cooling system for facilitating cooling of a computing device, the cooling system comprising: one or more mounting racks; a plurality of cooling tanks arranged in one or more rows, the cooling tanks configured to contain a liquid coolant for absorbing heat generated by the computing devices and sized to immerse a plurality of computing devices in the liquid coolant when the liquid coolant is located within the tanks, the plurality of cooling tanks secured to the one or more mounting racks, each cooling tank positioned proximate to at least one other cooling tank; a heat sink configured to receive the liquid coolant carrying the heat absorbed from the computing device and to dissipate heat from the liquid coolant; a coolant pump configured to facilitate circulation of the liquid coolant through the cooling system; a pair of coolant lines having an inlet line and an outlet line, the pair of coolant lines extending substantially along the length of one row of cooling tanks and in fluid communication with the radiator and the coolant pump; one or more branch lines fluidly connected to the plurality of cooling tanks and the pair of coolant lines and configured to deliver the liquid coolant into or out of the plurality of cooling tanks; the branch conduits include at least one inlet branch conduit and at least one outlet branch conduit; the one or more pairs of coolant conduits and the one or more branch conduits are configured to deliver liquid coolant throughout the cooling system during operation to absorb heat from the plurality of computing devices and deliver the coolant to the heat exchanger to dissipate the absorbed heat; The pair of coolant conduits and the one or more branch conduits are further configured to promote at least one of a transient flow regime or a laminar flow regime of the liquid coolant through at least a portion of the cooling system.

2. The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the coolant conduit has an inner diameter of about 100 mm to about 150 mm.

3. 3. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the branch conduit has an inner diameter of about 50 mm.

4. The cooling system comprises: a differential pressure in the inlet line of less than 1 kPa and a maximum velocity pressure of less than 1 kPa; a differential pressure in the outlet line of less than 1 kPa and a maximum velocity pressure of less than 0.5 kPa; a pressure difference in the at least one inlet branch line of greater than 15 kPa; and A cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, configured to maintain a differential pressure in the at least one outlet branch line of greater than 2.4 kPa.

5. The cooling system comprises: a differential pressure in the inlet line of 0.6 kPa to 1 kPa and a maximum velocity pressure of 0.43 kPa to 1 KPa; a differential pressure in the outlet line between 0.2 kPa and 1 kPa and a maximum velocity pressure between 0.42 kPa and 0.5 kPa; a pressure difference in the at least one inlet branch line of greater than 15 kPa; and The cooling system of claim 4 , configured to maintain a differential pressure in the at least one outlet branch line of greater than 2.4 kPa.

6. The cooling system comprises: a differential pressure in the inlet line between 0.25 kPa and 1 kPa and a maximum velocity pressure between 0.53 kPa and 1 kPa; a differential pressure in the outlet line of 0.18 kPa to 1 kPa and a maximum velocity pressure of 0.20 kPa to 0.5 kPa; a pressure difference in the at least one inlet branch line of greater than 15 kPa; and The cooling system of claim 4 , configured to maintain a differential pressure in the at least one outlet branch line of greater than 2.4 kPa.

7. 7. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the coolant pump, the coolant line, and the branch lines are configured to maintain a flow rate in the inlet line and the outlet line of between 9 L / s and 16 L / s, and a flow rate in the one or more branch lines of between 2.6 L / s and 3 L / s.

8. a first set of coolant lines and a second set of coolant lines, wherein the one or more branch lines are branch lines of the first set, and the cooling system further comprises branch lines of the second set; The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the second set of coolant lines and the second set of branch lines are part of a parallel tank cooling system.

9. The cooling system of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the mean flow regime of the cooling system has a Reynolds number of 2,300 to 4,000.

10. 10. A cooling system for facilitating cooling of a computing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: one or more balance valves, each in fluid communication with one or more branch lines, each balance valve comprising: an inlet line and an outlet line adapted to join with the branch line; one or more synthetic polymer O-rings; An operating handle; a flow control member rotatable by the actuation handle; A cooling system, wherein when the flow control member is rotated by the actuation handle, the flow control member is configured to restrict the flow of coolant through the balance valve by a percentage related to a percentage of rotation of the actuation handle.

11. 11. The cooling system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of computing devices disposed within the plurality of cooling tanks, and comprising a sufficient amount of liquid coolant to completely immerse the computing devices within the cooling tanks during operation of the cooling system.

12. the plurality of cooling tanks include a first tank and a second tank; The first tank and the second tank are an inlet line and a balance line configured to receive an isolation member; a balance line in fluid communication with a first balance line of the first tank and a second balance line of the second tank, 12. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the balance line is configured to balance the amount of liquid coolant in the first tank and the second tank during operation, such that the first tank and the second tank contain substantially the same amount of liquid coolant during normal operation of the cooling system.

13. 13. The cooling system of claim 12, wherein at least the first tank is fluidly disconnected from the cooling system when an isolation member is received by the inlet line and the balance line of the first tank and when an isolation member is received by the inlet line and the outlet line of the second tank.

14. 14. The cooling system of claim 13, wherein the isolation member comprises a threaded portion, and the balance line and the outlet line of the first tank and the balance line and the outlet line of the second tank also comprise threaded portions configured to receive the isolation member.

15. 1. A cooling system for facilitating cooling of a computing device, the cooling system comprising: a plurality of cooling tanks arranged in one or more rows, configured to contain liquid coolant for absorbing heat generated by the computing devices, and sized to immerse a plurality of computing devices in the liquid coolant when the liquid coolant is positioned within the tanks; a plurality of cooling tanks, each of the plurality of cooling tanks being positioned proximate to at least one other cooling tank; a heat sink configured to receive the liquid coolant carrying the heat absorbed from the computing device and to dissipate heat from the liquid coolant; a pair of coolant conduits, the pair of coolant conduits including an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit, and each row of coolant tanks including at least one pair of coolant conduits extending substantially along the length of the row, the pair of coolant conduits being in fluid communication with the radiator; one or more branch conduits fluidly connecting the plurality of cooling tanks and the pair of coolant conduits, the branch conduits configured to deliver the liquid coolant between the coolant tanks and the coolant conduits; the branch conduits include at least one inlet branch conduit and at least one outlet branch conduit; the one or more pairs of coolant conduits and the one or more branch conduits are configured to deliver liquid coolant throughout the cooling system during operation to absorb heat from the plurality of computing devices and to deliver the coolant to the heat exchanger to dissipate the absorbed heat; The pair of coolant conduits are further configured to promote at least one of a transient flow regime or a laminar flow regime of the liquid coolant through at least a portion of the coolant conduits.

16. 1. A system for cooling a computing device, the system comprising: a plurality of open cooling tanks, each cooling tank receiving a computing device and defining an interior volume for receiving a non-conductive liquid coolant; a coolant supply line including a supply header line and a plurality of supply branch lines, each of the supply branch lines fluidly connecting the supply header line to a respective cooling tank, the diameter of the supply header line being greater than the diameter of the supply branch lines; a coolant return line including a return header line and a plurality of return branch lines, each of the return branch lines fluidly connecting the return header line to a respective cooling tank, the diameter of the return header line being greater than the diameter of the return branch lines; at least one heat exchanger; a pump system fluidly connected to the at least one heat exchanger, the supply header line, and the return header line to cause liquid refrigerant to flow in a closed circuit via the supply and return branch lines, through the at least one heat exchanger, and through each of the tanks simultaneously; the coolant supply lines are sized and configured to allow less than 10% flow rate variation of the liquid coolant between all of the supply branch lines; a first ratio of pressure loss across the supply branch line to pressure loss across the supply header line is within a first predetermined range, and a second ratio of pressure loss across the return branch line to pressure loss across the return header line is within a second predetermined range, the first predetermined range being from 10:1 to 100:

1.

17. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein each of the supply branch lines has the same length and the same line diameter, and each of the return branch lines has the same length and the same line diameter.

18. 18. The system of claim 16 or 17, wherein the coolant supply lines are sized and configured to allow less than 5% flow rate variation of the liquid coolant between all of the supply branch lines.

19. 19. The system of any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the first predetermined range is from 10:1 to 50:

1.

20. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first predetermined range is from 15:1 to 40:

1.

21. 21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first predetermined range is from 15:1 to 25:

1.

22. 22. The system of any one of claims 16 to 21, wherein the cooling tanks are arranged in at least one linear tank array.

23. 23. The system of any one of claims 16 to 22, wherein the supply and return header lines extend along only one side of each of at least one linear tank array.

24. 24. The system of any one of claims 16 to 23, wherein each supply branch line includes a flow restriction device that partially restricts the flow of coolant into the respective cooling tank.

25. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the flow restriction device in each supply branch line comprises an orifice plate.

26. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the flow restriction device in each supply branch line comprises a ball valve.

27. 27. A system according to any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein the flow restriction device in each supply branch line is configured to have different flow restriction characteristics than each other flow restriction device.

28. 28. The system of claim 27, wherein the flow restriction device in the supply branch line closest to the inlet side of the supply header line is set to have the highest flow restriction and the flow restriction device in the supply branch line farthest from the inlet side of the supply header line is set to have the lowest flow restriction.

29. 29. The system of any one of claims 16 to 28, wherein the ratio of the maximum inner diameter of the supply header line to the maximum inner diameter of each of the supply branch lines is from about 2:1 to about 10:

1.

30. 30. The system of claim 29, wherein a ratio of the maximum inner diameter of the supply header line to the maximum inner diameter of each of the supply branch lines is from about 2:1 to about 4:

1.

31. 31. The system of any one of claims 16 to 30, wherein the maximum inner diameter of the supply header line is from about 100 mm to about 500 mm.

32. 32. The system of claim 31, wherein the maximum inner diameter of the supply branch line is about 50 mm.

33. 33. The system of any one of claims 16 to 32, wherein the liquid coolant is selected and the supply header line is configured such that, during operation of the system, the Reynolds number of the liquid coolant flowing through the supply header line is between 500 and 7000.

34. 34. The system of claim 16, wherein a pressure drop in the supply header line between a location of the supply branch line closest to an inlet side of the supply header line and a location of the supply branch line farthest from the inlet side of the supply header line is between about 0.25 kPa and about 1 kPa.

35. 35. The system of any one of claims 16 to 34, wherein the velocity pressure in the supply header line is from about 0.43 kPa to about 1 kPa.

36. 36. The system of any one of claims 16 to 35, further comprising a branch interconnect for selectively fluidly connecting the supply branch line of each cooling tank to the return branch line of the respective tank.

37. 37. The system of any one of claims 1 to 36, wherein the diameter of the branch conduit is between 30% and 50% of the diameter of at least one of the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit.

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