Immersion cooling device and control method thereof

Abstract

To provide an immersion cooling device capable of selectively cooling an electronic component required to be cooled.SOLUTION: An immersion cooling device comprises: a container which stores therein a cooling liquid; a substrate 11 which is disposed so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid in the container and to which a plurality of electronic components 30 are mounted; and nozzles 32 which eject the cooling liquid such that the cooling liquid flows from one end to other ends of the substrate 11 over a surface on which the electronic components 30 are provided. The plurality of nozzles 32 are provided so that a plurality of cooling liquid currents flowing from the one end to the other ends of the substrate 11 are formed in parallel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an immersion cooling apparatus suitable for use in cooling servers in a data center, for example, and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses that electronic devices such as servers and storage devices are cooled in a data center by immersing them in a cooling liquid. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6658312 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the cooling performance is improved by appropriately narrowing the width of the coolant flow path at a position corresponding to the electronic components that become hot. However, although it is possible to increase the average flow velocity in that region by narrowing the flow path width, depending on the position of the electronic component in the width direction, it may not be possible to increase the flow velocity to the desired level, and sufficient cooling may not be achieved.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an immersion cooling apparatus and a control method thereof that can selectively cool electronic components that require cooling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The immersion cooling device of the present disclosure includes a container that stores a cooling liquid therein, a substrate on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted and that is disposed so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid within the container, and a nozzle that ejects the cooling liquid so that the cooling liquid flows from one end to the other end of the substrate over a surface on which the electronic components are provided, the nozzle being provided in plurality so that a plurality of flows of cooling liquid from one end to the other end of the substrate are formed in parallel on one of the substrates. , selectively cooling each of the electronic components. .

[0007] The control method of the present disclosure is a control method of an immersion cooling apparatus including a container storing a cooling liquid therein, a substrate mounted with a plurality of electronic components and disposed within the container so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid, and a nozzle for ejecting the cooling liquid so that the cooling liquid flows from one end of the substrate to the other end over the surface on which the electronic components are provided, the nozzle being provided in plurality so that a plurality of flows of the cooling liquid from one end of the substrate to the other end are formed in parallel on one substrate, and the flow rate of the cooling liquid ejected from each nozzle is controlled by a control unit. , so as to selectively cool each of said electronic components. Adjust. Effect of the Invention

[0008] It is possible to selectively cool electronic components that require cooling. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an immersion cooling apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a specific example of the inside of the liquid vat rack of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 3 is a perspective view showing the flow of a cooling liquid for each substrate in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the flow rate of each nozzle is changed from that in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, a number of embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. [First embodiment] The first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an immersion cooling apparatus 1. The immersion cooling apparatus 1 includes a liquid bath rack (container) 3, a pump unit 5, and a cooling device 7.

[0011] The liquid vat rack 3 is a bottomed container in which the cooling liquid Lq is stored. The liquid vat rack 3 has a bottomed main body 3a having side walls 3b on all four sides, and an opening / closing lid 3c provided on the top surface of the main body 3a. The cooling liquid Lq is an electrically insulating liquid, such as silicone oil, etc. The cooling liquid Lq is filled to a height sufficient to completely immerse the substrate 11 placed in the main body 3a of the liquid tank rack 3.

[0012] The opening / closing cover 3c opens and closes by rotating around one end.

[0013] A plurality of substrates 11 are installed within the main body 3a of the liquid vat rack 3. Each substrate 11 is, for example, a substrate constituting a server, and is arranged at predetermined intervals with its longitudinal direction oriented vertically.

[0014] A pump unit 5 is connected to the liquid vat rack 3 via a liquid supply pipe 13 and a liquid return pipe 15 . A downstream end 13a of the liquid supply pipe 13 is connected to a side wall portion 3b of the liquid tank rack 3. An upstream end 13b of the liquid supply pipe 13 is connected to a heat exchanger 17 installed inside the pump unit 5. An upstream end 15a of the liquid return pipe 15 is connected to the side wall 3b of the liquid tank rack. A downstream end 15b of the liquid return pipe 15 is connected to a liquid pump 19 installed inside the pump unit 5.

[0015] The pump unit 5 includes the above-mentioned heat exchanger 17 and liquid pump 19 therein. The heat exchanger 17 exchanges heat between the cooling water supplied from the cooling device 7 and the cooling liquid supplied from the liquid pump 19 via a cooling liquid discharge pipe 21. The cooling liquid is cooled by exchanging heat with the cooling water in the heat exchanger 17. The liquid pump 19 may be driven by, for example, an electric motor, and the discharge amount may be varied by a control unit (not shown).

[0016] The cooling device 7 cools the cooling water by exchanging heat with outside air. The cooling device 7 includes a fan 23, and outside air for cooling is taken in by the fan 23. The start / stop and rotation speed of the fan 23 are controlled by a control unit (not shown).

[0017] A cooling water supply pipe 25 and a cooling water return pipe 26 are provided between the cooling device 7 and the heat exchanger 17 of the pump unit 5. The cooling water cooled by the cooling device 7 is supplied to the heat exchanger 17 via the cooling water supply pipe 25. The cooling water after heat exchange in the heat exchanger 17 is returned to the cooling device 7 via the cooling water return pipe 26.

[0018] The cooling device 7 may be omitted. In this case, the heat exchanger 17 provided in the pump unit 5 is changed to an air-cooling type that cools the coolant using outside air.

[0019] Fig. 2 shows a plurality of substrates 11 installed in the main body 3a of the liquid vat rack 3. In the example shown in Fig. 2, four substrates 11 are provided in the width direction of the substrate 11 (x direction in Fig. 2) and twelve substrates 11 are provided in the depth direction (y direction in Fig. 2). However, the number of substrates 11 provided is not limited to this. A plurality of electronic components 30, such as a CPU, a power supply unit, a memory, a storage such as a hard disk or an SSD (Solid State Drive), and a communication unit, for configuring the server are mounted on each board 11. These electronic components 30 generate heat during operation of the server and are cooled by the coolant Lq.

[0020] A gripping portion 11a is fixed to the upper end of each substrate 11 so that an operator can grip the substrate.

[0021] Perforated walls 11b are provided so as to be perpendicular to the upper ends of the substrates 11. The perforated walls 11b stand on the surface side on which the electronic components 30 are provided. The perforated walls 11b are made of, for example, punched metal with a large number of holes formed therein. The flow rate of the cooling liquid flowing on the surface of the substrates 11 can be adjusted by appropriately setting the number and diameter of the holes in the perforated walls 11b.

[0022] Side plates 11c extending in the up-down direction are provided on both sides of each substrate 11. The side plates 11c are provided so as to stand on the surface side on which the electronic components 30 are provided, and are provided continuously over the entire longitudinal direction (up-down direction, z direction) of the substrate 11. The side plates 11c surround both sides of the substrate 11, thereby guiding the flow of the cooling liquid Lq flowing over the surface of the substrate 11.

[0023] A plurality of nozzles 32 are provided below each substrate 11. The nozzles 32 eject the cooling liquid so that the cooling liquid flows from one end (lower end) of the substrate 11 to the other end (upper end) over the surface of the substrate 11 on which the electronic components 30 are provided. A plurality of nozzles 32 are provided for each substrate 11. Specifically, a plurality of nozzles 32 are provided in parallel in the width direction (x direction) of the substrate 11. As a result, a plurality of parallel flows of cooling liquid Lq are formed from the lower end to the upper end of the substrate 11. The number of nozzles 32 may be two or more for one substrate 11, and is set appropriately depending on the flow of cooling liquid Lq, the cooling performance required by design, and the like.

[0024] Similarly, the nozzles 32 are provided in the depth direction (the y direction in FIG. 2) corresponding to each substrate 11. Therefore, although not shown, the nozzles 32 are also provided between each substrate 11 arranged in the y direction.

[0025] 3, each nozzle 32 is provided with a flow rate adjustment unit 34. The flow rate adjustment unit 34 adjusts the flow rate of the cooling liquid Lq discharged from the nozzle 32. An example of the flow rate adjustment unit is a flow rate adjustment valve. The flow rate adjustment unit 34 is controlled by a control unit (not shown).

[0026] The upstream side of each flow rate adjustment unit 34 is connected to a main supply pipe 38 via a branch pipe 36. The upstream side of the main supply pipe 38 is connected to the downstream end 13a (see FIG. 1) of the liquid feed pipe 13. Therefore, the cooling liquid Lq guided from the liquid feed pipe 13 is distributed to each branch pipe 36 via the main supply pipe 38.

[0027] The control unit is composed of, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and a computer-readable storage medium. A series of processes for realizing various functions is stored in a storage medium or the like in the form of a program, for example, and the CPU reads the program into the RAM or the like and executes information processing and arithmetic processing to realize various functions. The program may be installed in a ROM or other storage medium in advance, may be provided in a state stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or may be distributed via a wired or wireless communication means. The computer-readable storage medium may be an SSD, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a semiconductor memory, or the like.

[0028] Next, the operation of the immersion cooling apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, liquid pump 19 is started by a command from the control unit, so that cooling liquid Lq flows and is guided to heat exchanger 17. In heat exchanger 17, cooling liquid Lq is cooled by heat exchange with cooling water cooled by cooling device 7. The cooling liquid Lq leaving heat exchanger 17 is guided to liquid vat rack 3 through liquid feed pipe 13. The cooling liquid Lq guided to liquid vat rack 3 is distributed to each branch pipe 36 from liquid feed pipe 13 through main supply pipe 38 as shown in Fig. 3. The cooling liquid Lq guided to each branch pipe 36 has its flow rate adjusted by flow rate adjustment unit 34 based on a command from the control unit, and is then guided to nozzle 32 and discharged.

[0029] The cooling liquid Lq discharged from each nozzle 32 is led to the lower end of the substrate 11, and while being guided by the side plate 11c, passes over the surface of the substrate 11 on which the electronic components 30 are provided, and heads toward the upper end of the substrate 11. At this time, the heat generated by the electronic components 30 is absorbed by the cooling liquid Lq, and the electronic components 30 are cooled.

[0030] The cooling liquid Lq that has cooled the electronic components 30 passes through holes in the perforated wall 11b provided at the upper end of the board 11 and is discharged from above the board 11. The cooling liquid Lq discharged from above the board 11 joins and is mixed with the cooling liquid Lq stored in the main body 3a of the liquid vat rack 3.

[0031] A portion of the cooling liquid Lq stored in the main body 3a is extracted from the liquid return pipe 15 and guided via the liquid pump 19 to the heat exchanger 17 where it is cooled, and then guided again to the liquid tank rack 3 via the liquid delivery pipe 13.

[0032] The flow rate of each nozzle 32 is changed according to the amount of heat generated by the electronic component 30 by a command from the control unit. In Fig. 3, the amount of discharge from each nozzle 32 is the same. The flow rate of the cooling liquid Lq discharged from each nozzle 32 is indicated by the size of the arrow. The pattern in which the same flow rate is discharged from each nozzle 32 as in Fig. 3 is used when the load of each electronic component 30 is in a normal state that is assumed in advance. On the other hand, when the load of a specific electronic component 30 is greater than the normal state and the amount of heat generated is predicted to be greater than normal, the discharge amount of the nozzle 32 corresponding to the specific electronic component 30a is made greater than the discharge amount of the other nozzles 32, as shown in FIG. 4. Specifically, the discharge amount of the nozzle 32 located directly below the specific electronic component 30a is made greater. The amount of heat generated by the electronic component 30 is predicted, for example, by increasing the discharge amount of the nozzle 32 corresponding to the electronic component 30a (e.g., CPU) whose amount of heat generated increases according to the calculation load, in accordance with the time when the calculation load increases in advance from a program executed by a server. The amount of heat generated by the electronic component 30 may also be predicted by analyzing a flow field and a temperature field using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics).

[0033] The effects of the present embodiment described above are as follows. Since multiple nozzles 32 are provided in parallel in the width direction (x direction) of the substrate, multiple parallel flows of cooling liquid Lq are formed upward from the lower end of substrate 11. This makes it possible to selectively cool electronic components 30 that require cooling by appropriately setting the flow rate distribution of cooling liquid Lq in the width direction.

[0034] The amount of cooling in the width direction (x direction) can be appropriately changed by controlling the flow rate adjuster 34 provided in each nozzle 32. This enables cooling according to the load of the electronic component 30.

[0035] By increasing the discharge flow rate of the nozzle 32 corresponding to the electronic component 30a (see FIG. 4) that is predicted to become relatively hot, it is possible to selectively cool the electronic component 30a that becomes hot.

[0036] In addition, instead of or in addition to predicting the amount of heat generated by the electronic components 30 as described above, the temperature of each electronic component 30 may be measured by a temperature sensor, and the flow rate adjustment unit 34 may be controlled based on the measurement results.

[0037] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a turbulence promoting member that promotes cooling of the electronic component 30 is provided. Therefore, in the following description, only the configuration that differs from the first embodiment will be described, and the same reference numerals will be used to denote common items, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0038] 5, a turbulence promoting member 40 is provided so as to face the electronic component 30. A predetermined gap is provided between the turbulence promoting member 40 and the electronic component 30.

[0039] The turbulence promoting member 40 includes a plurality of flat plate-shaped bodies (advancing and retreating members) 40a. The plate-shaped bodies 40a are stacked at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction (z direction). Each plate-shaped body 40a is arranged so that its flat surface is perpendicular to the flow of the cooling liquid Lq discharged from the nozzle 32.

[0040] Each plate-like body 40a is held by a holding portion (not shown) and is moved toward and away from the electronic component 30 by an actuator (not shown). The movement of each plate-like body 40a toward and away from the electronic component 30 is controlled by a control portion.

[0041] When the load on each electronic component 30 is in a normal state that is assumed in advance, each plate-like body 40a is in a retracted position so as to be separated from each electronic component 30. When the load of a particular electronic component 30a is greater than normal and is predicted to generate more heat than normal, or when a temperature sensor measures that the electronic component 30a generates a large amount of heat, the plate-like body 40a1 facing the electronic component 30 that generates a large amount of heat is protruded so as to approach the electronic component 30. This narrows the flow area of ​​the cooling liquid Lq flowing over the electronic component 30a. As shown by the arrows in Fig. 6, the flow of the cooling liquid Lq discharged from the nozzle 32 is disturbed, improving the heat transfer performance of the electronic component 30a that generates a large amount of heat, and accelerating cooling.

[0042] It is not necessary to provide the turbulence promoting members 40 so as to cover the entire surface of the substrate 11, but they may be provided only in an area corresponding to an electronic component 30 (eg, a CPU) that is expected to generate a large amount of heat.

[0043] The immersion cooling apparatus and the control method thereof described in each of the embodiments described above can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0044] An immersion cooling apparatus (1) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a container (3) storing a cooling liquid therein, a substrate (11) having a plurality of electronic components (30) mounted thereon and arranged so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid within the container, and a nozzle (32) for ejecting the cooling liquid so that the cooling liquid flows from one end of the substrate to the other end over the surface on which the electronic components are provided, the nozzles being provided in plurality so as to form a plurality of parallel streams of cooling liquid flowing from one end of the substrate to the other end.

[0045] The cooling liquid is discharged from the nozzle, causing the cooling liquid to flow over the surface of the board immersed in the cooling liquid, thereby cooling the electronic components mounted on the board. A plurality of nozzles are provided so that a plurality of parallel flows of the cooling liquid are formed from one end of the substrate to the other end, and by appropriately setting the flow rate distribution of the cooling liquid in the width direction, it is possible to selectively cool electronic components that require cooling.

[0046] The immersion cooling apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a flow rate adjuster (34) provided in each of the nozzles to adjust the flow rate of the cooling liquid to be discharged, and a control unit that controls each flow rate adjuster.

[0047] By controlling the flow rate adjusting unit provided on each nozzle, the amount of cooling in the width direction can be appropriately changed.

[0048] In an immersion cooling apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit controls the flow rate adjustment unit so that the flow rate of the nozzle corresponding to an electronic component among the plurality of electronic components that is predicted to become relatively hot is greater than the flow rate of the other nozzles.

[0049] By increasing the flow rate of the nozzles corresponding to electronic components predicted to become relatively hot, it is possible to selectively cool the electronic components that become hot. The temperature of an electronic component can be predicted based on, for example, an analysis of a flow field and a temperature field using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and a predicted calculation load.

[0050] An immersion cooling apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of each of the electronic components, and the controller controls the flow rate adjuster based on a measurement value of the temperature sensor.

[0051] The temperature of each electronic component is measured by a temperature sensor, and the flow rate adjustment unit is controlled based on the measurement results, thereby achieving a flow rate distribution according to the amount of heat generated by each electronic component.

[0052] In one embodiment of the immersion cooling apparatus of the present disclosure, a turbulence promoting member (40) that operates to disturb the flow of cooling liquid flowing over the electronic components is provided, and the control unit operates the turbulence promoting member that corresponds to the electronic component predicted to be at a relatively high temperature or the electronic component measured to be at a relatively high temperature.

[0053] The turbulence promoting member corresponding to the electronic component predicted or measured to be at a high temperature is operated. This allows the turbulence promoting member to disturb the flow of the cooling liquid flowing over the electronic component, improving the heat transfer performance and accelerating cooling.

[0054] In the immersion cooling apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the turbulence promoting member includes an advancing and retracting member (40a) that advances and retreats relative to the electronic component.

[0055] By advancing the retractable member relative to the electronic component, the flow area of ​​the cooling liquid flowing over the electronic component is narrowed, and the flow is disturbed, thereby facilitating the cooling of the electronic component. On the other hand, by moving the retractable member back relative to the electronic component, the flow path of the coolant flowing over the electronic component is returned to its normal flow path area, thereby making it possible to achieve the same amount of cooling as for other electronic components.

[0056] A control method for an immersion cooling apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a control method for an immersion cooling apparatus including a container storing a cooling liquid therein, a substrate having a plurality of electronic components mounted thereon and arranged so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid within the container, and a nozzle for ejecting the cooling liquid so that the cooling liquid flows from one end of the substrate to the other end over the surface on which the electronic components are provided, wherein a plurality of the nozzles are provided so as to form a plurality of parallel flows of cooling liquid from one end to the other end of the substrate, and the flow rate of the cooling liquid ejected from each of the nozzles is adjusted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 Immersion cooling device 3 Liquid tank rack (container) 3a Main body 3b Side wall part 3c Open / close lid 5. Pump unit 7 Cooling device 11 Substrate 11a Gripping part 11b Perforated wall 11c side plate 13 Liquid delivery pipe 13a Downstream end 13b Upstream end 15 Liquid return pipe 17 Heat exchanger 19 Liquid Pump 21 Coolant discharge pipe 23 Fan 25 Cooling water supply pipe 26 Cooling water return pipe 30 Electronic Components 32 Nozzles 34 Flow rate adjustment section 36 Branch Pipe 38 Supply management 40 Turbulence promoter 40a Plate-shaped body (advancing and retreating member) Lq Coolant

Claims

1. A container having a cooling liquid stored therein; a substrate on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted, the substrate being disposed in the container so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid; a nozzle that ejects a cooling liquid so that the cooling liquid flows from one end of the substrate to the other end on the surface on which the electronic components are provided; Equipped with The nozzles are provided in plurality so that multiple flows of cooling liquid are formed in parallel on one substrate from one end to the other end of the substrate, thereby selectively cooling each of the electronic components.

2. a flow rate adjusting unit provided in each of the nozzles to adjust the flow rate of the cooling liquid discharged; A control unit for controlling each flow rate adjustment unit; The immersion cooling apparatus of claim 1 .

3. 3. The immersion cooling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the flow rate adjustment unit so that a flow rate of the nozzle corresponding to the electronic component predicted to have a relatively high temperature among the plurality of electronic components is larger than a flow rate of the other nozzles.

4. a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of each of the electronic components; The immersion cooling apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit controls the flow rate adjustment unit based on a measurement value of the temperature sensor.

5. A container having a cooling liquid stored therein; a substrate on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted, the substrate being disposed in the container so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid; a nozzle that ejects a cooling liquid so that the cooling liquid flows from one end of the substrate to the other end on the surface on which the electronic components are provided; Equipped with the nozzles are provided in a plurality so that a plurality of flows of cooling liquid are formed in parallel from one end of the substrate to the other end of the substrate; a flow rate adjusting unit provided in each of the nozzles to adjust the flow rate of the cooling liquid discharged; A control unit for controlling each flow rate adjustment unit; Equipped with the control unit controls the flow rate adjustment unit so that a flow rate of the nozzle corresponding to the electronic component predicted to have a relatively high temperature among the plurality of electronic components is larger than a flow rate of the other nozzles; a turbulence promoter that operates to disturb the flow of the cooling liquid flowing over the electronic component; The control unit operates the turbulence promoting member corresponding to the electronic component predicted to have a relatively high temperature.

6. A container having a cooling liquid stored therein; a substrate on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted, the substrate being disposed in the container so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid; a nozzle that ejects a cooling liquid so that the cooling liquid flows from one end of the substrate to the other end on the surface on which the electronic components are provided; Equipped with the nozzles are provided in a plurality so that a plurality of flows of cooling liquid are formed in parallel from one end of the substrate to the other end of the substrate; a flow rate adjusting unit provided in each of the nozzles to adjust the flow rate of the cooling liquid discharged; A control unit for controlling each flow rate adjustment unit; A temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of each of the electronic components; Equipped with The control unit controls the flow rate adjustment unit based on a measurement value of the temperature sensor, a turbulence promoter that operates to disturb the flow of the cooling liquid flowing over the electronic component; The control unit operates the turbulence promoting member corresponding to the electronic component measured to have a relatively high temperature.

7. The immersion cooling apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the turbulence promoting member comprises an advancing and retracting member that advances and retracts relative to the electronic component.

8. A container having a cooling liquid stored therein; a substrate on which a plurality of electronic components are mounted, the substrate being disposed in the container so as to be immersed in the cooling liquid; a nozzle that ejects a cooling liquid so that the cooling liquid flows from one end of the substrate to the other end on the surface on which the electronic components are provided; A method for controlling an immersion cooling apparatus comprising: the nozzles are provided in plurality so that a plurality of flows of cooling liquid are formed in parallel on one of the substrates from one end to the other end of the substrate; A method for controlling an immersion cooling apparatus, the method comprising adjusting a flow rate of the cooling liquid discharged from each of the nozzles so as to selectively cool each of the electronic components.

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