Insulating coolant distribution manifold

Abstract

A manifold is provided for distributing insulating coolant within a chassis so that heat can be absorbed by the insulating coolant from at least one electronic component mounted within the chassis. [Solution] The manifold comprises a circuit board having first and second opposite surfaces, and a substrate 102 at least partially spaced apart from the circuit board, wherein one or more openings are provided in the circuit board or substrate so that the gap between the first surface of the circuit board and the substrate can receive and contain an insulating coolant, and the insulating coolant contained in the gap can flow across the opposite surface of the circuit board or the substrate.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] Disclosed Technical Field The present disclosure relates to a manifold for distributing an insulating coolant within a chassis so that at least one electronic component mounted within the chassis can receive heat from the insulating coolant. Further, the present invention relates to a cooling module comprising such a manifold.

Background Art

[0002] Background of the Disclosure<000001​​​​IT is typically housed in a case, enclosure, or housing. For example, in a server, this enclosure is sometimes called a server chassis; however, in this specification, the term “chassis” is used in reference to the entire type of housing used for electronic components. Server chassis typically follow several industry standards that specify the height of each chassis, referred to as 1RU (1 rack unit) or 1OU (1 open unit) (these are also abbreviated as 1U or 1OU). The smaller of the two main standards is 1RU / 1U, with a height of 44.45 mm or 1.75 inches. Such units are sometimes called “blade” servers in terms of shape and style, but such server chassis do not necessarily have to be fitted or inserted into, for example, a backplane.

[0004] Other server products can utilize more than two RUs / OUs at a time for a chassis; for example, a 2U chassis uses two rack units. The size of each server chassis is typically kept to a minimum in order to maximize computing power per server rack (a server rack is the main housing into which server chassis are added).

[0005] Typically, electronic components or devices used in IT are cooled using air. This usually involves a type of heatsink, which typically has fins positioned directly on the chip surface or in contact with the TIM (Thermal Interface Material) between two components. In addition to the heatsink, each enclosure uses a series of fans to draw air through the enclosure to remove heat from the heatsink and dissipate it from the chassis. This type of heatsink is used in combination with cooling on the server equipment side, such as air conditioning. This cooling method is not particularly efficient, has high running costs, and requires a large amount of space to manage the air used for cooling.

[0006] This IT cooling method has been used almost exclusively for mass-produced IT and server equipment. However, in recent years, the peak performance of heat-generating chips has been limited due to the limitations of air-based device cooling. As technology has led to a halving of size every two to three years for the same performance (as exemplified by Moore's Law), the heat generated by chips is increasing as the component footprint decreases. This has led to increased size and complexity of heatsinks designed for air cooling. As a result, the required server chassis size often increases, and therefore the computing power within a single rack decreases.

[0007] Liquid cooling can be used as an alternative to air cooling. Various liquid-cooled assemblies have been demonstrated, but generally, electrical components are immersed in a coolant to increase the surface area for heat exchange between the heat-generating electrical components and the coolant. Such systems can use single-phase coolants, in which case the coolant remains in the liquid phase, or phase-change coolants can be used, in which case the liquid coolant must evaporate and condense for continuous and effective cooling.

[0008] International Publication No. 2018 / 096362 (assigned to the same assignee as this disclosure) describes a cooling system in which a primary insulating coolant is supplied into a chassis and used to cool electronic components housed within the chassis. The primary insulating coolant is delivered to a heat exchanger, where heat is transferred to a secondary liquid coolant. The heat exchanger is located within the chassis, and the secondary liquid coolant, typically water or a water-based coolant (advantageous due to its high specific heat capacity), is delivered to the chassis and the heat exchanger within the chassis, and then discharged from the chassis, and may be shared among multiple chassis. Pipes ending at nozzles are provided to transport the primary insulating coolant from the heat exchanger to the electronic components to be cooled.

[0009] International Publication No. 2019 / 048864 describes heat sinks and heat sink arrangements for electronic devices. Such heat sinks can enable effective cooling of electronic components by accumulating primary insulating coolant adjacent to specific electronic components. The coolant can overflow from the heat sink and / or flow out through one or more openings in the heat sink, joining with the rest of the coolant in the chassis that cools other electronic components in the chassis. In this way, multiple levels of coolant can be supplied, and the total amount of coolant required can be minimized. Pipes ending at nozzles are provided to transport primary insulating coolant from the heat exchanger to each heat sink.

[0010] In such a design, the insulating coolant leaving the heat exchanger can be divided into different paths within the manifold (each defined by its own pipe or hose). Each path carries the insulating coolant to its respective electronic component or the heat sink associated with that component. For example, some paths may supply coolant to a heat sink attached to the hottest component, while others may supply coolant to components mounted within the heat sink structure. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0011] Therefore, routing of insulating coolants can become complex. In particular, it is desirable to deliver the insulating coolant more effectively from the heat exchanger to the electronic components that need to be cooled. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] Summary of Disclosure Against this backdrop, a manifold according to claim 1 and a cooling module consistent with claim 19 are provided for distributing an insulating coolant within a chassis so that heat can be received by the insulating coolant from at least one electronic component mounted within the chassis. Further preferred and / or advantageous features are identified in the dependent claims and the remainder of the disclosure herein. Methods for manufacturing and / or operating the manifold and / or cooling module, having steps corresponding to the structural features described herein, can also be considered.

[0013] A key realization of this disclosure is that a manifold can be formed using a circuit board (or, in other words, a printed circuit board (PCB)). For example, a substrate such as the portion of a chassis in which the manifold is housed, or a gear tray, can provide a second surface, and insulating coolant can accumulate in a gap or cavity formed between the PCB and the substrate. Several openings (in principle, there may be as few as one) in the circuit board or substrate allow the passage of insulating coolant from the cavity to cool electronic components on, above, or around the circuit board.

[0014] Holes can be added to the circuit board to deliver coolant directly to components. The size and location of the holes can be designed and / or optimized to achieve the desired flow rate, flow balance, and / or flow position.

[0015] A circuit board may have one or more electrical interfaces, each of which provides one or more electrical connections to electronic components mounted thereon. These are typically arranged based on the layout of the electrical components. Openings may be positioned relative to the electrical interfaces to allow for efficient flow of insulating coolant to the electronic components. For example, if the electrical interfaces are arranged at regular intervals (e.g., for a memory board or other aligned components), the openings may be positioned between the electrical interfaces (e.g., in a regular pattern). This can facilitate the flow of coolant. Gaskets may seal the circuit board and substrate to define gaps or cavities, which may optionally be shaped to guide the flow of insulating coolant within the gaps.

[0016] Several fluid connectors (though again, there may be just one) can be positioned on or above the circuit board at their respective openings. This allows for connections to parts that receive insulating coolant from the openings, such as a heatsink. Coolant inlets can accept conduits (e.g., from a heat exchanger) that carry insulating coolant to allow the coolant to enter the gap. Coolant inlets may be mounted in holes in the circuit board (e.g., the same surface on the opposite side of the cavity where electronic components are mounted) or in the substrate, and the holes are typically larger than each of the one or more openings.

[0017] In some embodiments, the support structure can be mounted on or attached to a circuit board. The support structure can provide one or more support structure volumes (e.g., bays) in which one or more electronic components can be mounted. This may be useful for mounting disk drives. Each volume may have one or more electrical interfaces that allow components (or multiple components) to be mounted inside. Multiple openings may allow insulating coolant to each volume. The support structure and the circuit board work together to allow (at least partially seal) these volumes so that the insulating coolant accumulates inside, allowing the electronic components within the volumes to be cooled. Conveniently, the accumulated insulating coolant can overflow.

[0018] Some embodiments may include one or more heatsinks. Each heatsink may have a receptacle structure having an internal volume (sometimes called a "tank") adjacent to an electronic component. Conduits (pipes, hoses, and / or nozzles) can guide insulating coolant from the opening into the internal volume. The insulating coolant can accumulate in the internal volume and preferably overflow. The electronic component(s) may be located below the internal volume, coupled to the side of the internal volume (e.g., the side wall), or may be located within the internal volume. In this way, insulating coolant can be supplied to the base of the tank heatsink through the circuit board. In existing tank heatsinks, the tank is supplied from a hose located at the top of the tank. When supplied to the tank from above, it may be difficult to obtain insulating coolant directly from the heat exchanger (i.e., the coldest part) to the bottom of the tank. By introducing the coolant through the circuit board to the base of the tank, the low-temperature insulating coolant passes through all heat-generating components as it moves to the top of the tank and overflows. This advantage also applies to the support structure mentioned above. Because no additional manifold is required, the conduit (pipe or hose) between the circuit board and the tank can be short and have a much better (simpler) routing than existing methods.

[0019] In some embodiments, for example, an electronic component (or a group of components) can be mounted inside the manifold cavity.

[0020] The electronic component (or a group of components) may be, for example, one of the following: an integrated circuit, a power supply, a RAM component, and a disk drive component.

[0021] A manifold can be, for example, a standalone unit or form part of a cooling module mounted in a server rack. The cooling module may have a chassis on which electronic components are mounted, for example, on or above the circuit board of the manifold. The circuit board of the manifold is oriented roughly parallel or perpendicular to the base of the chassis. The manifold can receive insulating coolant (e.g., from a heat exchanger) and direct it to cool one or more of the electronic components. A heat exchanger (typically located within the chassis) can transfer heat from the insulating coolant to a heat sink (e.g., an external secondary liquid coolant), and the cooled insulating coolant can then be directed to the manifold. The insulating coolant can typically be pumped upstream of the manifold, allowing it to flow from the heat exchanger to the manifold.

[0022] This technique is particularly useful when components cannot be accessed without removing hoses. Having a quick-release (hot-swappable) pump would be advantageous, but shared space with the coolant manifold may make this difficult. The technique described herein can enable a quick-release connection to the pump.

[0023] During operation, insulating coolant can flow out of the manifold and accumulate in the internal volume of the chassis, where it can cool, for example, the circuit board or other electronic components mounted on one or more other circuit boards. Generally, the level of accumulated coolant is lower than the height of the support structure volume and / or the internal volume of the heatsink.

[0024] Brief explanation of the drawing This disclosure can be implemented in several ways, and preferred embodiments are described here, for illustrative purposes only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0025] [Figure 1A] Figure 1A shows a plan view of the entire chassis assembly according to the first embodiment. [Figure 1B] Figure 1A shows an isometric view from the rear of the embodiment. [Figure 1C] Figure 1A shows an isometric view from the front of the embodiment, with some parts removed for clarity. [Figure 2] Figure 1A shows an isometric partial exploded view from the rear of the manifold assembly part of the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 2 shows a plan view of the manifold assembly part, with some parts removed for clarity. [Figure 4A] Figure 1A shows an isometric view from the rear of the circuit board part of the embodiment. [Figure 4B] Figure 4A shows a partially exploded version. [Figure 5A] Figure 1A shows a first cross-sectional view of the manifold part of the embodiment showing the flow of the insulating coolant. [Figure 5B] Figure 1A shows a second cross-sectional view of the manifold part of the embodiment showing the flow of the insulating coolant. [Figure 6] Figure 1A shows an isometric exploded view from the rear of the manifold part of the embodiment. [Figure 7A] Figure 7A shows a plan view of the entire chassis assembly according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7B] Figure 7A shows an isometric view from the rear of the embodiment. [Figure 7C] Figure 7A shows an isometric view from the front of the embodiment, with some parts removed for clarity. [Figure 8A] Figure 7A shows an isometric partial exploded view from the front of the manifold assembly part of the embodiment. [Figure 8B] Figure 8A shows an isometric view from the rear of the manifold assembly. [Figure 9A]Figure 7A shows an isometric view from the front of the manifold structure of the embodiment. [Figure 9B] Figure 9A shows an exploded view. [Figure 10] Figure 9A shows a top cross-sectional view of the manifold portion illustrating the flow of the insulating coolant. [Figure 11A] This shows a plan view of the entire chassis assembly according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11B] Figure 11A shows an isometric view from the rear of the embodiment. [Figure 11C] Figure 11A shows an isometric view from the front of the embodiment. [Figure 12A] Figure 11A shows an isometric view from the rear of the manifold assembly portion of the embodiment. [Figure 12B] Figure 12A shows a plan view of the manifold assembly. [Figure 12C] Figure 12B shows a magnified portion of the plan view. [Figure 13A] Figure 12A shows a first side cross-sectional view of the manifold assembly portion illustrating the flow of the insulating coolant. [Figure 13B] Figure 12A shows a second side cross-sectional view of the manifold assembly portion illustrating the flow of the insulating coolant. [Figure 14A] Figure 11A shows an isometric view of the manifold portion from the rear of the embodiment. [Figure 14B] Figure 14A shows an isometric exploded view of the manifold section from the front. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0026] Similar features are indicated by the same reference numbers throughout. All drawings should be understood as essentially schematic.

[0027] Detailed description of preferred embodiments In existing designs, pipes or hoses are typically used to transport insulating coolants, for example, within a server chassis. In some cases, manifolds exist that split the coolant into 12 different hoses supplying it to the CPU, GPU, power supply, RAM (DIMM), M.2 memory, etc. These pipes or hoses have proven to have several drawbacks, such as complex routing around components, occupying a lot of space, making access to electronic components difficult during maintenance, being difficult to install and replace, and being prone to twisting (reducing flow rate). Therefore, alternatives to such pipes or hoses are desired.

[0028] It is recognized that a circuit board, or printed circuit board (PCB), can be modified to form part of an insulating coolant distribution manifold. A gap or void can be formed between the PCB and another part, such as a part of the chassis or a gear tray (more commonly, which can be called the substrate). This gap or void can be sealed, for example, with a gasket and filled with insulating coolant. This gasket may be, for example, a flat cut gasket, an overmolded gasket, or a poured seal. It may be held in place with screws (fasteners) or glued (bonded). If the base of the chassis is used instead of a gear tray, less vertical height is required. Holes can be designed within the PCB to distribute and / or guide insulating coolant to electronic components and / or associated heatsinks.

[0029] In existing designs, the space below the PCB is often empty. This is because a clearance of typically 3-5 mm behind the PCB is desirable to clear all legs on electronic components and prevent them from electrically contacting the gear tray or chassis below. Gear trays are often used to allow different IT configurations within the same chassis. Complex fixing and mounting points are located on the gear tray rather than on the chassis.

[0030] The manifold according to this disclosure offers significant advantages. In some layouts, approximately 75% of hoses and pipes are no longer needed, eliminating associated drawbacks. Costs can also be significantly reduced by reducing the number of manifolds, hoses, hose fittings, and nozzles. Assembly can also be significantly faster, further reducing costs. Space requirements are also significantly reduced, as existing insulating coolant manifolds, typically located between PCBs and plate heat exchangers, can be lengthy. As components become hotter and the flow rate of insulating coolant used to cool the system increases, the saved space can be used to accommodate additional pumps and / or larger pumps. Quick-release (hot-swappable) pumps can also be used in the space provided. Furthermore, the additional space can be used to return the common insulating coolant in the chassis base to the pump. While more densely packed component designs can lead to stagnation areas and pump priming problems, the manifold according to this disclosure can help address these issues.

[0031] Generally speaking, one can consider a manifold for distributing insulating coolant within a chassis so that it can receive heat from at least one electronic component mounted within the chassis. The manifold comprises a circuit board having first and second opposite surfaces and a substrate at least partially spaced from the circuit board, wherein the gap between the first surface of the circuit board and the substrate is configured to receive and contain (in particular, accumulate) the insulating coolant. Conveniently, one or more openings are provided in the circuit board so that the insulating coolant contained in the gap can flow across the opposite surface of the circuit board (or the substrate). In some embodiments, as described below, one or more openings may be provided in the substrate (for example, for showering). Typically, at least one electronic component is mounted on the second surface of the circuit board or above the second surface of the circuit board.

[0032] A first opening or a first set of openings can be positioned to supply insulating coolant to a first electronic component or first electronic component device having a first thermal output during operation. A second opening or a second set of openings can then be positioned to supply insulating coolant to a second electronic component or second electronic component device having a second thermal output greater than the first thermal output during operation. In this case, the size of the second opening or the second set of openings is typically larger than the size of the first opening or the first set of openings (for example, the size ratio is proportional to the ratio of the thermal outputs).

[0033] The advantages will be further described with reference to several specific embodiments described below. While these embodiments describe combinations of manifolds according to this disclosure used with specific electronic component (and associated cooling) configurations, it will be understood that different designs and combinations of electronic component (and associated cooling) configurations can be considered, particularly based on the description herein.

[0034] The first embodiment relates to high-density hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD) arrays (also known as JBODs). These are often oriented vertically to facilitate "hot-swapping". United Kingdom Patent Application No. 200187.2, pending concurrently with this application, provides a housing for a plurality of heat-generating components, in particular IT components such as HDDs, which allows the components to be mounted within the housing in a configuration that allows a predetermined minimum amount of uniformly distributed liquid coolant to flow around each or a plurality of components to provide uniform (and preferably optimal) cooling. Each housing can hold a predetermined number of heat-generating components, each heat-generating component typically has its own bay, at least partially formed by, for example, the side wall of the housing, although some bays may hold multiple components.

[0035] Within each housing, there is one or more (small) integrated through-manifolds that allow coolant to be supplied (in parallel) to each bay. Each manifold has multiple outlets (i.e., one or more manifold outlets (also called bay inlets) per bay) that allow supply to individual bays. For example, small holes can be provided in the base of the bays. The liquid coolant cools the heat-generating components in each bay by accumulating around them. The bays may all be the same or different. A PCB or other type of circuit board advantageously provides a base for the housing and connections for the IT mounted within the housing. The base PCB is conveniently sealed to the sidewalls, allowing coolant to accumulate in the bays.

[0036] The integrated manifold is conveniently located at the bottom of the housing, allowing the coolant to be supplied from the bottom and uniformly rise upward around the heat-generating components in the bay. This may include integrated coolant pipes (channels) between each cooling bay. Each bay may have four sides (defined by its side walls). These may be formed from one front side wall, one rear side wall, and two larger side walls, which cooperate to create, for example, independent bays having a roughly rectangular shape. The position of these walls advantageously determines the amount of liquid coolant that forms a layer around the heat-generating components, which is desirable for minimizing the amount of coolant and / or correcting (or optimizing) the flow rate of the liquid coolant. Thus, the insulating coolant is supplied through conduits (pipes) housed in the bay walls. This occupies space and limits how densely hard drives can be mounted.

[0037] This disclosure provides improvements to this housing. Referring to Figure 1A, a plan view of the entire chassis assembly according to this embodiment is shown. The chassis assembly comprises a chassis 4, a pump 1, pipes or hoses 2 from the pump to a heat exchanger, a plate heat exchanger 3, pipes or hoses 5 from the heat exchanger to a manifold, a manifold PCB base 6, an HDD support structure 7, a plurality of HDDs 8, a vertically mounted PCB structure (e.g., on which the CPU is mounted) 9, a secondary coolant outlet 10, and a secondary coolant inlet 11. The chassis assembly can be housed in a rack (not shown) and placed in a facility such as a server farm building. The manifold PCB base 6 is oriented horizontally (in the context of this disclosure, “horizontal” typically means roughly parallel to the widest plane of the rectangular chassis 4 adjacent to the substrate, and “vertical” means perpendicular to this plane). The HDD support structure 7 forms bays in which the HDDs 8 are placed. In this design, each bay holds one HDD 8.

[0038] Referring to Figure 1B, an isometric view from the rear of the embodiment in Figure 1A is shown, and referring to Figure 1C, an isometric view from the front of the embodiment in Figure 1A is shown, with the support structure 7, HDD 8, and vertically mounted PCB 9 removed for clarity. The upper part of the manifold structure formed by the manifold PCB base 6 and the HDD support structure 7 can be seen. The chassis 4 holds the insulating coolant in its base, which is drawn up by the pump 1 and delivered to the heat exchanger 3. The heat exchanger 3 cools the insulating coolant by transferring heat to a secondary liquid coolant (typically a water system) supplied from the facility where the chassis assembly is located. The secondary liquid coolant is supplied to the heat exchanger 3 through the secondary coolant inlet 11, and the heated secondary liquid coolant then exits the chassis assembly through the secondary coolant outlet 10.

[0039] Next, referring to Figure 2, an isometric section exploded view from the rear of the manifold assembly portion of the chassis assembly. Some of the HDDs 8 have been removed to show how they are housed in the support structure 7. The gear tray 14 located below the manifold PCB base 6 and the gasket 15 for the PCB manifold seal are also shown. Referring to Figure 3, a plan view of the manifold assembly portion of Figure 2 is shown, with the HDDs 8 removed for clarity. The HDD connectors 12 and cooling openings 13 provided on the manifold PCB base 6 are also shown. The HDDs 8 are mounted in bays formed by the HDD support structure 7, and the electrical connection to each HDD 8 is provided by the respective HDD connectors 12.

[0040] The gap between the manifold PCB base 6 and the gear tray 14 provides a manifold structure (manifold cavity) in which insulating coolant can be stored. This gap is typically used for clearance of electrical components and therefore does not substantially occupy (or occupies only a very minimal amount of) space that would otherwise be unused. The insulating coolant is supplied to this gap via pipes or hoses 5 from the heat exchanger to the manifold. The stored insulating coolant is then supplied through cooling openings 13 to the HDD bays formed by the support structure 7. It can be seen that each bay has multiple cooling openings 13. Each of the cooling openings 13 is relatively small (typically less than 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, or 5% of the bay's base surface area). During operation, the insulating coolant accumulates in the bay, at least partially (typically completely) immersing the HDD 8 housed in the bay, and overflowing from the bay walls and the outer wall of the HDD support structure 7, it combines with the remaining coolant on the manifold PCB base 6 and in the base of the chassis 4, from which it can be flowed by the pump 1.

[0041] Next, referring to Figure 4A, an isometric view from the rear of the circuit board portion of the chassis assembly, particularly the manifold PCB base 6 (with a gear tray 14 and a PCB manifold sealing gasket 15 at the bottom) and the vertically mounted PCB structure 9. Furthermore, this figure shows the HDD bay sealing gasket 16 that seals the outer wall of the HDD support structure 7 to the manifold PCB base 6, and the cryogenic electronic components 20 that are cooled by a coolant that overflows from the outer wall of the HDD support structure 7 and collects on the manifold PCB base 6.

[0042] Referring here to Figure 4B, a partially exploded view of Figure 4A is shown, more clearly illustrating the vertical cooling nozzle 17, the vertical PCB (e.g., on which the CPU is mounted) 18, the vertically oriented heatsink 19, and the vertical PCB electrical connector 21 provided on the manifold PCB base 6. Further openings (not shown in this figure) allow for the supply of insulating coolant from the gap between the manifold PCB base 6 and the gear tray 14 to the vertical cooling nozzle 17. The vertical cooling nozzle 17 supplies insulating coolant to the heatsink 19. Details of this heatsink can be found in International Publication No. 2019 / 048864 (see at least Figures 22-28 and accompanying descriptions), and those details are incorporated herein by reference.

[0043] Next, referring to Figure 5A, a first cross-sectional view of the manifold portion of the embodiment in Figure 1A showing the flow of insulating coolant into the HDD support structure 7 is shown. This figure further shows the PCB manifold inlet nozzle 5(a), nozzle gasket 27, and insulator nozzle inlet hole 28. This figure shows the flow of insulating coolant from the inlet insulator flow 22 through the insulator nozzle inlet hole 28 and the PCB manifold inlet nozzle 5(a) to the horizontal outlet insulator flow 23 through the cooling opening 13, via the accumulated insulating coolant flow 26 in the gap.

[0044] Referring to Figure 5B, a second cross-sectional view of the manifold portion of the embodiment in Figure 1A is shown, illustrating the flow of insulating coolant to the vertically mounted PCB structure 9. This figure shows a nozzle cooling opening 29, similar in size to the cooling opening 13 but larger, provided to allow the flow of insulating coolant to the vertical cooling nozzle 17. This figure further illustrates the flow of insulating coolant from the inlet insulator flow 22, through the PCB manifold inlet nozzle 5(a), through the accumulated insulating coolant flow 26 in the gap, and through the nozzle cooling opening 29 and the vertical cooling nozzle 17 to the vertical PCB outlet insulator flow 25. A component 52 mounted on the bottom surface is also shown. This is mounted on the bottom surface (in the gap) of the manifold PCB base 6 and is cooled by the accumulated insulating coolant flow 26 in the gap. The gap between the manifold PCB base 6 and the gear tray 14 can be increased by using a thicker PCB manifold sealing gasket 15.

[0045] Multiple housings can be provided, and beneficially, they can be coupled to each other, for example, in parallel. For example, a portion of a manifold can provide an opening for coupling with the manifold and / or coolant inlet of another housing. In this case, the opening (and / or other portions of the manifold) can be sealed with respect to some of the housings to prevent the coolant from passing through the sealed portion of the manifold (for example, to bring the coupled housings to an endpoint).

[0046] Referring to Figure 6, an isometric exploded view of the manifold section from the rear is shown. This allows for a clear view of the assembly and structure of the manifold section. The cooling pipes (channels) integrated into the cooling bay are no longer required. This saves a considerable amount of space. As a result of this design, more HDDs can be fitted into the same space (higher density). Furthermore, the overall complexity of the design, and therefore reliability and cost, are significantly reduced.

[0047] Returning to the general conditions described above, we can consider further optional and / or advantageous features. For example, the manifold may have one or more additional electrical interfaces, each of which may be mounted on a circuit board to accept its respective electronic component.

[0048] Each of one or more fluid connectors (e.g., nozzles) can be positioned on a second surface (or above) of the circuit board to receive insulating coolant through at least one opening of each of the one or more openings. Couplings can be formed to each fluid connector to guide the insulating coolant from each fluid connector to another part.

[0049] In some embodiments, the manifold may further comprise support structures on or mounted on the circuit board to provide one or more support structure volumes (e.g., bays). Each support structure volume may be configured to house one or more electronic components of at least one electronic component (e.g., disk drives or data storage components). The support structures cooperate beneficially with the circuit board so that insulating coolant received through one or more openings accumulates within one or more support structure volumes. The insulating coolant received through one or more openings conveniently accumulates in at least one support structure volume and overflows from at least one support structure volume. Each of one or more electrical interfaces may be mounted on the circuit board in relation to each support structure volume to accommodate one or more electronic components housed within the support structure volume. For example, this allows each electronic component (e.g., disk drives or data storage components) to be housed within its respective support structure volume. Two or more of the openings may open into at least one (or two or more, or all) of the support structure volumes.

[0050] In some embodiments, one or more electronic components may be electronic components mounted on a second surface of a circuit board or on a further circuit board (which may be coupled to the second surface of the circuit board). A receptacle structure defining an internal receptacle volume can then be mounted adjacent to the electronic component (e.g., adjacent to, coupled to, or integrated with the surface of the electronic component). Thus, the receptacle conduit can supply insulating coolant to the internal receptacle volume from at least one of the one or more openings so that insulating coolant accumulates in the internal receptacle volume to receive heat from the electronic component. Conveniently, the internal receptacle volume is configured such that the accumulated insulating coolant overflows from the internal receptacle volume.

[0051] In some embodiments, the electronic components are mounted perpendicular to a second surface of the circuit board (for example, with respect to their respective extension axes). The internal receptacle volume of the receptacle structure can then be positioned to receive heat from the surface of the electronic component (for example, a surface perpendicular to the second surface of the circuit board). In some embodiments, a portion of the internal receptacle volume adjacent to the electronic component may be defined by the wall portion of the receptacle structure and / or the surface of the electronic component.

[0052] The manifold may further include coolant inlets that receive conduits for carrying insulating coolant and are positioned to transfer the insulating coolant into a gap. The coolant inlets may be mounted (or coupled) to each hole in the circuit board or substrate so that the insulating coolant can flow from the fluid connector into the gap. The holes are larger than at least one, some, or all of one or more openings. The coolant inlets may optionally be located on the second surface side of the circuit board.

[0053] At least one gasket can be positioned to define at least partially the gap by sealing the gap between the first surface of the circuit board and the substrate.

[0054] In another embodiment, a cooling module can be provided comprising a chassis defining an internal volume of chassis, a plurality of electronic components mounted on the internal volume of chassis, and a manifold for distributing an insulating coolant as disclosed herein (within the internal volume of chassis), wherein the manifold is configured to receive the insulating coolant and direct the received insulating coolant to cool at least one of the plurality of electronic components. Conveniently, a heat exchanger (preferably within the chassis and / or internal volume of chassis) is further provided, configured to receive the insulating coolant, transfer heat from the received insulating coolant to a heat sink, and direct the insulating coolant to the manifold. The heat sink typically comprises a secondary liquid coolant (e.g., a water-based system) that is received in the heat exchanger from outside the cooling module. The internal volume of chassis typically comprises a base (e.g., typically the largest or one of the largest faces that is adjacent to or forms a substrate), and the circuit board of the manifold is oriented parallel to the base. The insulating coolant and the secondary liquid coolant are beneficially kept in liquid phase during operation.

[0055] Optionally, a pump (or multiple pumps) may be provided to circulate an insulating coolant from the heat exchanger to the manifold. The pump (or multiple pumps) may be located upstream of the manifold. The multiple pumps may operate in series and / or provide redundancy.

[0056] The manifold is, beneficially, configured to allow insulating coolant to flow out and accumulate in the chassis internal volume (base). The level of coolant accumulating in the base is preferably lower than the height of the support structure volume and / or internal receptacle volume.

[0057] Further details are described in the general details below. Further specific embodiments are disclosed first.

[0058] Herein, a second embodiment is described in which multiple vertically oriented PCBs are provided, each having its own electronic component. Referring to Figure 7A, a plan view of the entire chassis assembly according to this second embodiment is shown, and referring to Figure 7B, a rear isometric view of the embodiment in Figure 7A is shown. Some features are the same as in the first embodiment, and they are indicated by the same reference numerals, in particular. For brevity, these features will not be described in detail again and can be understood by referring to other embodiments disclosed herein.

[0059] In contrast to the first embodiment, the manifold structure 100 of the second embodiment is oriented vertically (as clearly shown in later drawings). The entire chassis assembly of this embodiment further provides a manifold PCB base 101, a back board 102, and a rail board 103. The manifold PCB base 101 is similar to the manifold PCB base 6 of the first embodiment, and the back board 102 is similar to the gear tray 14 of the first embodiment. These work together to form a manifold with gaps that form manifold cavities for accumulating insulating coolant between them. Furthermore, a vertical board 30 (e.g., a motherboard, each containing a CPU and other electronic components) is also shown. The rail board 103 provides structural support for the vertical board 30. In practice, the gear tray is bent at 90 degrees to form a bracket formed by the back board 102 and the rail board 103.

[0060] Referring to Figure 7C, an isometric view from the front of the second embodiment is shown, with the manifold structure 100 and vertical board 30 removed for clarity. This allows us to see that the chassis 4, pump 1, pipes or hoses 2 from the pump to the heat exchanger, plate heat exchanger 3, and pipes or hoses 5 from the heat exchanger to the manifold are all constructed in essentially the same way as in the first embodiment. It can be seen that this can be modified in any embodiment, depending on the application, such as by changing the placement of pump 1 to more efficiently circulate the insulating coolant.

[0061] Next, referring to Figure 8A, an isometric partial exploded view from the front of a portion of the manifold assembly of a second embodiment, which includes the manifold structure 100 and vertical boards 30, with one vertical board 30 removed. Further components can be seen, including PCB rails 37 for structurally supporting the vertical boards 30, vertical cooling nozzles 17, and vertical motherboard electrical connectors 39. Each of the vertical motherboards 30 is inserted horizontally rather than vertically into its respective electrical connector 39 on the manifold PCB base 101 of the backplane manifold structure 100.

[0062] Further details of the vertical boards 30 are shown. Each vertical board 30 comprises a vertical tank heatsink 31, a heatsink outlet hose or pipe 32, a PCB mounting inline component shower 33, a connecting hose or pipe 34, a PCB mounting end component shower 35, and a vertical mezzanine PCB 36 (4 × M.2 in this example). Referring to Figure 8B, an isometric view of the manifold assembly from the rear is shown. The insulating coolant is supplied from the heat exchanger 3 to the manifold structure 100 through a pipe or hose 5 from the heat exchanger to the manifold, and through the PCB manifold inlet nozzle 5(a). In this way, the insulating coolant can be accumulated in the manifold cavity and brought to each vertical board 30 through each vertical cooling nozzle 17. The PCB manifold inlet nozzle 5(a) is mounted on the rear surface of the back substrate 102 rather than on the top surface of the manifold PCB as in the first embodiment, but this does not make a meaningful difference in function.

[0063] The flow of insulating coolant through the vertical board 30 first (as described above) heads toward the vertical tank heatsink 31, where the coolant accumulates within the internal volume of the vertical tank heatsink 31, and then flows out through the heatsink outlet hose or pipe 32. The flowed-out insulating coolant then reaches the PCB mounting inline component shower 33, where some of the insulating coolant is showered onto the first vertical mezzanine PCB 36. After being showered onto the vertical mezzanine PCB 36, this insulating coolant collects at the base of the rail board 103 and chassis 4. Any remaining insulating coolant not released in the PCB mounting inline component shower 33 travels through the connecting hose or pipe 34 to the PCB mounting end component shower 35. From there, the remaining insulating coolant is showered onto the second vertical mezzanine PCB 36 and again collects at the base of the rail board 103 and chassis 4.

[0064] The PCB mounting inline component shower 33 and the PCB mounting end component shower 35 use the vertical board 30 as part of the shower head (in this case, the rear wall). The shower head can be attached to the vertical board 30 by screws and gaskets, or by adhesive.

[0065] Generally speaking, one can consider a coolant distribution component within a chassis that allows heat to be transferred from at least one electronic component mounted within the chassis by an insulating coolant. This component comprises a circuit board having first and second oppositely oriented surfaces and a piping side (which can be considered a substrate) coupled to the circuit board, wherein a gap between the first surface of the circuit board and the piping side is configured to receive and accommodate an insulating coolant. One or more openings are provided on the piping side so that the insulating coolant contained in the gap can distribute the insulating coolant (shower) component onto the circuit board. Thus, this can be understood as a separate aspect of the present disclosure that can be combined with any other aspects and / or features disclosed herein.

[0066] Referring to Figure 9A, an isometric view from the front of the manifold structure 100 without the vertical board 30 is shown. Furthermore, see Figure 9B, which shows an exploded view of Figure 9A. This further shows the nozzle gasket 27, the insulating nozzle inlet hole in the rear substrate 102, the PCB manifold seal gasket 15, and the gasket extension 15(a). The gasket extension 15(a) is shaped to control and / or balance the flow. Furthermore, in this figure, an opening 24 in the rear substrate 102 between the rear substrate 102 and the rail board 103 (in embodiment, typically a single component formed by a curved gear tray) can also be seen. This opening 24 allows for better return of the insulating coolant from the rail board 103 to the pump 1.

[0067] Next, referring to Figure 10, a cross-sectional view of the manifold section from above is shown. This figure shows the flow of insulating coolant from the inlet insulator flow 22, through the PCB manifold inlet nozzle 5(a) and the insulator nozzle inlet hole 28, through the accumulated insulating coolant flow 26 in the gap, and through the nozzle cooling opening 29 and the vertical cooling nozzle 17 to the vertical PCB outlet insulator flow 25.

[0068] Returning to the general conditions described above, further optional and / or advantageous features can be considered. For example, in some embodiments, the circuit board and / or substrate (or at least a portion of the substrate) of the manifold may be oriented perpendicular to the base. The coolant inlet may be provided on the substrate.

[0069] In some embodiments, the electronic components are mounted perpendicular to the second surface of the circuit board (and therefore perpendicular to the chassis base). The internal receptacle volume of the receptacle structure (as described above) can then be positioned to receive heat from the surface of the electronic components (e.g., the second surface of the circuit board and the surface perpendicular to the chassis base). In addition to or alternative to this, openings (or fluid connectors) and / or conduits can be provided from the receptacle structure, and openings in the conduits can allow a shower of insulating coolant to one or more electrical components. The openings may be in a portion of the conduit that is close to the base.

[0070] Here, a third embodiment is described that is similar to the design shown in at least Figure 1 of International Publication No. 2019 / 048864, but with modifications according to this disclosure. Referring here to Figure 11A, a plan view of the entire chassis assembly according to the third embodiment is shown. Further references are made to Figure 11B, showing a rear isometric view of the embodiment of Figure 11A, and Figure 11C, showing a front isometric view of the embodiment of Figure 11A. Some features are the same as those of the first and second embodiments, and they are indicated, in particular, by the same reference numerals. For brevity, these features are not described in detail again and can be understood by referring to other embodiments disclosed herein.

[0071] It can be seen that the chassis 4, pump 1, pipes or hoses 2 from the pump to the heat exchanger, plate heat exchanger 3, and pipes or hoses 5 from the heat exchanger to the manifold are all constructed in essentially the same manner as in the first and second embodiments. It will also be recognized that this can be modified in all embodiments, as already mentioned. As in the first embodiment, a horizontally oriented manifold PCB base 6 is also provided.

[0072] Next, referring to Figure 12A, an isometric view from the rear of the manifold assembly portion of this embodiment is shown. Further referring to Figure 12B, a plan view of the manifold assembly portion of Figure 12A is shown. The manifold assembly portion comprises a power supply unit 41, a first horizontal tank heat sink structure 42, a RAM DIMM board 43, a second horizontal tank heat sink structure 44, an insulating coolant opening 46, a horizontal heat sink inlet nozzle 47, a horizontal heat sink hose or pipe 48, a horizontal heat sink outlet nozzle 49, and a third horizontal heat sink 50.

[0073] Similar to the previous embodiment, the gap between the manifold PCB base 6 and the gear tray 14 provides a manifold structure (cavity) in which insulating coolant can be stored. As in the first embodiment, this gap is typically used for clearance of electrical components and therefore does not substantially occupy (or occupies only a very minimal amount of) space that would otherwise be unused. The insulating coolant is supplied to this gap via a pipe or hose 5 from the heat exchanger to the manifold.

[0074] The first horizontal tank heatsink structure 42 is similar to that disclosed in International Publication No. 2019 / 048864, particularly with reference to at least Figures 16-21, the details of which are incorporated herein by reference. Coolant is supplied to the first horizontal tank heatsink structure 42 surrounding the power supply unit 41 through the first horizontal tank heatsink insulator cooling opening 46. The insulating coolant rises through the insulator cooling opening 46 and accumulates in a volume defined by the side walls defined by the first horizontal tank heatsink structure 42. This allows the insulating coolant to cool the electronic components of the power supply unit 41 in the volume, and then overflow and combine with the remaining coolant on the manifold PCB base 6 and in the base of the chassis 4, from which it can be drained by the pump 1.

[0075] The third horizontal heatsink 50 is similar to that disclosed in International Publication No. 2019 / 048864, particularly with reference to at least Figures 1 to 15, and its details are incorporated herein by reference. The third horizontal heatsink 50 is mounted on an electronic component and defines an internal receptacle volume that receives insulating coolant via a horizontal heatsink inlet nozzle 47 and a horizontal heatsink hose or pipe 48. A horizontal heatsink outlet nozzle 49, located at the end of the horizontal heatsink hose or pipe 48, directs the coolant into the internal receptacle volume. This allows the insulating coolant accumulated in the internal receptacle volume to cool the electronic component to which the third horizontal heatsink 50 is mounted. The insulating coolant overflows from the third horizontal heatsink 50 and combines with the remaining coolant on the manifold PCB base 6 and in the base of the chassis 4, from which it can be drained by pump 1.

[0076] The third horizontal heatsink 50 is cooled from above, rather than from below, as in the first horizontal tank heatsink structure 42. It is difficult to supply insulating coolant to the third horizontal heatsink 50 from any side other than above or to the side. Therefore, coolant is supplied using a horizontal heatsink inlet nozzle 47 (above the hole in the circuit board), a horizontal heatsink hose or pipe 48, and a horizontal heatsink outlet nozzle 49. The horizontal heatsink inlet nozzle 47 can be, for example, screwed into place with a gasket, glued, or overmolded. However, the manifold PCB base 6 significantly reduces the amount of hose required and eliminates routing problems by allowing the horizontal heatsink hose or pipe 48 to be attached to the horizontal heatsink inlet nozzle 47, which is positioned adjacent to and close to the third horizontal heatsink 50.

[0077] Furthermore, the diagram also shows cryogenic electronic components 20 that are cooled by a coolant that overflows from a horizontal heatsink and collects on the manifold PCB base 6.

[0078] Referring now to Figure 12C, a magnified portion of the plan view of Figure 12B is shown, providing further details of the RAM DIMM board 43 and the second horizontal tank heatsink structure 44. This configuration is similar to the first horizontal tank heatsink structure 42. The RAM insulator cooling opening 45 in the manifold PCB base 6 allows insulating coolant to accumulate in a volume defined by the side walls defined by the third horizontal tank heatsink 50. This allows the insulating coolant to cool the RAM DIMM board 43 in the volume, and then overflow and combine with the remaining coolant on the manifold PCB base 6 and in the base of the chassis 4, from which it can be drained by the pump 1.

[0079] Because there is only a very small space between the RAM DIMM boards 43, it is difficult to implement nozzles and hoses that can deliver coolant to the small gaps, for example, in the form of a shower that drips coolant onto the RAM DIMM boards 43. The method employed in this disclosure overcomes this problem by using small holes that penetrate the circuit board. Nothing needs to be removed to access the RAM DIMM boards 43.

[0080] Therefore, it can be seen that the coolant for the first horizontal tank heatsink structure 42 and the second horizontal tank heatsink structure 44 is supplied directly to the base of the respective tank heatsink structures through openings 45 and 46 in the manifold PCB base 6. This helps the coolant pass through all heat-generating electrical components as it moves from the base to the top of the tanks. Furthermore, the holes in the manifold PCB base 6 can be positioned exactly where they are needed. The RAM insulator cooling openings 45 are positioned particularly regularly between each RAM slot.

[0081] Next, referring to Figure 13A, a first side cross-sectional view of the manifold assembly portion of this embodiment is shown, illustrating the flow of insulating coolant to the first horizontal tank heat sink structure 42. This figure shows the flow of insulating coolant from the inlet insulator flow 22 through the PCB manifold inlet nozzle 5(a) and the insulator nozzle inlet hole 28, through the accumulated insulating coolant flow 26 in the gap, and through the insulator cooling opening 46 to the horizontal outlet insulator flow 23. The figure also shows the power supply component 41(a) of the power supply unit 41.

[0082] Next, referring to Figure 13B, a second side cross-sectional view of the manifold assembly portion of this embodiment is shown, illustrating the flow of insulating coolant to the third horizontal heatsink 50. As shown here, this embodiment is provided with multiple third horizontal heatsinks 50. This figure shows the flow of insulating coolant from the inlet insulator flow 22 through the PCB manifold inlet nozzle 5(a) and the insulator nozzle inlet hole 28, through the accumulated insulating coolant flow 26 in the gap, to the nozzle cooling opening 29. The insulating coolant then flows through the horizontal heatsink inlet nozzle 47, the horizontal heatsink hose or pipe 48, and the horizontal heatsink outlet nozzle 49, as described above. This figure also shows high-temperature electronic components cooled by the third horizontal heatsink 50.

[0083] Referring next to Figure 14A, an isometric view from the rear of the manifold portion of this embodiment is shown. Further referring to Figure 14B, an isometric exploded view from the front of the manifold portion is shown. This allows for a clearer view of the structure of the manifold portion and the horizontal heatsink. Similar to the second embodiment, the gasket extension 15(a) is shaped to control and / or balance the flow. The shape of the gasket extension 15(a) can be matched to the layout of electronic components on the manifold PCB base 6, for example, the gasket extension 15(a) may be located where no electronic components are mounted on the manifold PCB base 6.

[0084] For example, with respect to the general conditions of this disclosure described above, further optional and / or advantageous features can be considered. For example, one or more electrical interfaces may comprise multiple electrical interfaces arranged at regular intervals. In this case, multiple openings may be arranged (regularly) in the spaces between the multiple regularly spaced electrical interfaces. This may be useful for cooling spaced circuit boards, such as memory boards (DIMMs, etc.). It will be understood that in some cases multiple support structures may be provided, and furthermore / or the support structure may provide only one support structure volume.

[0085] In some embodiments, the electronic component has an upper surface that is far from the second surface of the circuit board, and the internal receptacle volume of the receptacle structure may be positioned to receive heat from the upper surface of the electronic component. This may be such that a portion of the internal receptacle volume adjacent to the electronic component is defined by the base portion of the receptacle structure and / or the upper surface of the electronic component.

[0086] Optionally, lower electronic components (or electrical interfaces for receiving such components) may be provided and mounted on the first surface of the circuit board within the gap.

[0087] Each of at least one electronic component comprises one of the following: an integrated circuit, a power supply, a RAM component, and a disk drive component (e.g., an HDD or SSD). In some embodiments, the manifold substrate may be formed partially or entirely by a chassis. A pump is not required, and for example, the flow of the insulating coolant may be possible by convection alone (optionally, convection may be combined with a pump to produce the flow of the insulating coolant).

[0088] Now that specific embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and changes are possible. As stated above, the arrangement of components, heat sinks, support structures, and other configurations can be changed, combined, or configured in a variety of different ways, the ones disclosed herein being merely examples. The configuration of the electronic devices and / or other electronic devices cooled by the heat sinks may vary considerably. The exact shape and / or size of the heat sink device may also be changed. The structure of the heat sink device can also be changed; for example, other multi-part assemblies can be used, or it can be a device configured as a single unit.

[0089] A heat sink outlet hose or pipe 32 and a connecting hose or pipe 34 are used to connect the PCB mounted inline component shower 33 and the PCB mounted end component shower 35, but it is possible to integrate the pipes and showers into a single unit.

[0090] The liquid inlets may be positioned in different orientations, and in fact, in some embodiments, multiple liquid inlets may be provided. This allows for different nozzle inlet points and / or arrangements. The nozzles may be provided in different numbers, shapes, sizes, and spacings.

[0091] While the primary outflow of liquid coolant from the receptacle portion is described by overflow, the receptacle portion may also be provided with holes to allow the liquid coolant to flow into the rest of the (sealable) internal volume of the chassis.

[0092] In some configurations, the gasket may be omitted, for example, by integrating the circuit board with the gear tray (or other circuit board).

[0093] The type of heat exchanger may vary. The heat exchanger and / or pumps may have a different configuration than shown and / or be located in a different place (even outside the chassis, although this is a less preferred embodiment). The number and type of pumps may also be changed from those shown.

[0094] All features disclosed herein can be combined in any combination, except for combinations in which at least some of such features and / or steps are mutually exclusive. In particular, preferred features of the present invention are applicable to all aspects of the invention and can be used in any combination. Similarly, features described in non-essential combinations can be used separately (without combination).

Claims

1. A manifold for distributing an insulating coolant within a chassis so that it can receive heat from at least one electronic component mounted within the chassis, A circuit board having first and second oppositely oriented surfaces, A substrate that is at least partially separated from the circuit board and Equipped with, The gap between the first surface of the circuit board and the substrate is configured to receive and contain an insulating coolant. A manifold in which one or more openings are provided in the circuit board or substrate so that an insulating coolant contained in the gap can flow across the opposite surface or substrate of the circuit board.

2. The manifold according to claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic component is mounted on the second surface of the circuit board or above the second surface of the circuit board.

3. One or more electrical interfaces Furthermore, The manifold according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each of the one or more electrical interfaces is mounted on the circuit board to accept its respective electronic component.

4. The manifold according to claim 3, wherein the one or more electrical interfaces include a plurality of electrical interfaces arranged at regular intervals, and the one or more openings include a plurality of openings arranged in the space between the plurality of electrical interfaces arranged at regular intervals.

5. One or more fluid connectors Furthermore, The manifold according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each of the one or more fluid connectors is positioned on the second surface of the circuit board to receive an insulating coolant through at least one of the one or more openings.

6. A support structure that is on or attached to the circuit board and provides one or more support structure volumes. Furthermore, The manifold according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each support structure volume is configured to house one or more electronic components from the at least one electronic component, and the support structure cooperates with the circuit board such that an insulating coolant received through one or more openings accumulates within the one or more support structure volumes.

7. The manifold according to claim 6, wherein the support structure is arranged such that an insulating coolant received through one or more openings accumulates in at least one volume of the support structure and overflows from at least one volume of the support structure.

8. The manifold according to claim 6 or 7, as dependent on claim 3, wherein each of the one or more electrical interfaces is mounted on the circuit board in relation to the respective support structure volume to receive the one or more electronic components mounted inside the support structure volume.

9. The manifold according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the one or more openings include a plurality of openings, and two or more of the plurality of openings are arranged to open to at least one of the one or more support structure volumes.

10. The at least one electronic component includes an electronic component mounted on the second surface of the circuit board or on a further circuit board. The aforementioned manifold is A receptacle structure that defines an internal receptacle volume adjacent to the aforementioned electronic component, A receptacle conduit is arranged to supply the insulating coolant from at least one of the one or more openings to the internal receptacle volume so that the insulating coolant accumulates in the internal receptacle volume to receive heat from the electronic component. A manifold according to any of the prior claims, further comprising the following:

11. The manifold according to claim 10, wherein the internal receptacle volume is configured such that the accumulated insulating coolant overflows from the internal receptacle volume.

12. The manifold according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the electronic component has an upper surface that is far from the second surface of the circuit board, and the internal receptacle volume of the receptacle structure is arranged to receive heat from the upper surface of the electronic component.

13. The manifold according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the electronic component is mounted perpendicular to the second surface of the circuit board, and the internal receptacle volume of the receptacle structure is arranged to receive heat from the surface of the electronic component.

14. The lower electronic components mounted on the first surface of the circuit board within the gap A manifold according to any of the prior claims, further comprising the following:

15. Coolant inlet, which receives the conduit for carrying the insulating coolant and is arranged to transfer the insulating coolant to the gap. A manifold according to any of the prior claims, further comprising the following:

16. The manifold according to claim 15, wherein each of the coolant inlets is fitted into the respective holes of the circuit board or substrate so as to allow insulating coolant to flow from the fluid connector to the gap.

17. At least one gasket is positioned to seal the gap between the first surface of the circuit board and the substrate, thereby partially defining the gap. A manifold according to any of the prior claims, further comprising the following:

18. The manifold according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each of the at least one electronic component comprises one of an integrated circuit, a power supply, a RAM component, and a disk drive component.

19. The chassis that defines the internal volume of the chassis, Multiple electronic components mounted on the internal volume of the chassis, A manifold for distributing an insulating coolant according to any of the preceding claims, configured to receive an insulating coolant and guide the received insulating coolant to cool at least one of the plurality of electronic components, A heat exchanger is arranged to receive an insulating coolant, transfer heat from the received insulating coolant to a heat sink, and guide the insulating coolant to the manifold. A cooling module equipped with a cooling module.

20. A pump arranged to flow the insulating coolant from the heat exchanger to the manifold. The cooling module according to claim 19, further comprising:

21. The cooling module according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the manifold is configured to allow an insulating coolant to flow out and accumulate in the internal volume of the chassis.

22. The cooling module according to any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein the chassis internal volume comprises a base, and the circuit board of the manifold is oriented parallel or perpendicular to the base.

23. The heat exchanger is a cooling module according to any one of claims 19 to 22, located within the chassis.

24. The cooling module according to any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein the heat sink comprises a secondary liquid coolant, and the secondary liquid coolant is received from outside the cooling module in the heat exchanger.

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