An energy supplying arrangement for supplying energy to electronic components

Abstract

A cooling arrangement (100) for cooling electronic components (102), such as data center components, comprises an immersion container (103) having a cooling fluid (107). In addition, the immersion container (103) comprises the electronic components immersed in the cooling liquid (107) as well as back-up power system (104) immersed in the same cooling fluid (107) with the electronic components (102). The arrangement comprises also an electric conductor (105) between the back-up power system (104) and the electronic components (102), wherein the electric conductor (105) is also immersed in the same cooling fluid (107) with the back-up power system (104) and the electronic components (102).

Description

[0001] AN ENERGY SUPPLYING ARRANGEMENT FOR SUPPLYING ENERGY TO ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The invention relates to an energy supplying arrangement for supplying energy to electronic components. The electronic components may be e.g. the electronic components of a data center.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] It is known that e.g., data centers have lots of components which need a continuous electric energy supply. For example, a few milliseconds interruption of an electricity supply might cause unwanted malfunctions to the components or a system utilizing the components.

[0006] Different kinds of back-up power systems are known from prior art, such as an uninterruptible power supply systems (UPS) and energy storage systems (ESS). One solution for a back-up power system 1 supplying energy to a data center 2 in a situation where a normal power supply is interrupted, for example due to blackout of an electric network, is illustrated in Figure 1 describing a prior art solution. The energy is supplied between the back-up power system 1 and the data center 2 by an electric cable 3. In addition, the solution may also have a cooling equipment 4.

[0007] However, there are problems with the known solutions, namely delays between the beginning of the interruption and the suppling energy from the back-up power system should be short enough so that no unwanted malfunctions to the components are caused. Very often the time lag must be short enough, for example below 100 ms.

[0008] There are also additional problems, namely both back-up power system 1 and the data center 2 have components, such as electronic components, generating heat during used and thus both need cooling. In addition, the electric cable 3 between the back-up power system 1 and the data center 2 should be large enough to being enable to supply the energy needed without heating too much. Further, the cable causes voltage drops between the back- i up power system 1 and the data center 2.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An object of the invention is to alleviate and eliminate the problems relating to the known prior art. Especially an object of the invention is to provide an arrangement to a back-up power supply fast enough to electronic components, such as electronic components of a data center. In addition, an object of the invention is to provide also an effective and simple cooling for both the back-up power supply and the electronic components, because they are always also generating heat.

[0011] The invention relates to an energy supplying arrangement for supplying energy to electronic components, such as data center electronic components, according to claim 1 .

[0012] According to an embodiment of the invention an energy supplying arrangement for supplying energy to electrical or electronics components, such as data center components, comprises an immersion container having a cooling fluid. The cooling fluid may be e.g. water and glycol mixture, and advantageously it is dielectric liquid or di-electric fluid, such as hydrofluoroether-based composition or or fluorosilicone oil (fluorosilicone fluid). In addition, the energy supplying arrangement comprises heatgenerating components immersed in the cooling liquid, and a back-up power system, such as a battery pack. Further, the energy supplying arrangement comprises also an electric conductor between the back-up power system and the components which are also generating heat. According to an invention the back-up power system and the electric conductor are all immersed in the same cooling fluid with the heat-generating components.

[0013] The electric conductor comprises or is implemented by a conductive push bar supplying electric current between the back-up power system and the heatgenerating components. The push bar is advantageously immersed in the same cooling liquid with other components, whereupon it can be easily cooled down at the same as the other components of the back-up power system and the electronic components of the data center. Thus, there is even no need for the electric conductor to be covered by a sealing material, whereupon the cooling is even more efficient. According to an embodiment, the back-up power system or at least battery cells and other heat generating electronic components of the back-up power system are arranged in the immersion container and so that most of them are submerged within said cooling fluid. Advantageously the back-up power system or at least battery cells and other heat generating electronic components of the back-up power system are arranged in a bottom portion of the container so to ensure that they are fully immersed in the cooling fluid, but naturally also other portions of the container may be used, such as arranging them to side walls or the like. In addition, it is to be noted that at least portions of the back-up power system, battery cells or other components can be integrated or even fixedly integrated, to the structure of the container, but so that the cooling can still be arranged and ensured.

[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment the immersion container may also comprise a sealed container and a pressure manipulation device for manipulating the pressure inside the sealed container and thereby controlling a boiling point of the cooling fluid to be around a desired operating temperature of the heat-generating components and / or the back-up power system. This is very efficient namely when there happens a phase change from the liquid to the vapour in the boiling point, the cooling fluid (in its phase change) absorbs greater amounts of heat than just when heating in the same phase.

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment the immersion container may also comprise a sealed container and the arrangement comprises advantageously also a condenser with appropriate equipment, such as a heat exchanger, advantageously in a top portion of the sealed container, so to condense the vapour of the cooling fluid back to a liquid form after the phase change.

[0016] Further, according to an advantageous embodiment, the arrangement may comprise a direct-to-component cooling system, wherein the direct-to- component cooling system comprises a heat exchanger and a cooling end to be positioned onto a heated component, such as a chip, like a heated CPU or GPU, for example. The cooling end is arranged to receive the cooling fluid from the heat exchanger and conduit said cooling fluid so to collect heat from the heated component via heat conduction between the heated component and the cooling end, and again to deliver the heated cooling fluid back to the heat exchanger. In the direct-to-component cooling system the cooling fluid may be e.g. water and glycol mixture, and advantageously it is dielectric liquid or di-electric fluid, such as hydrofluoroether-based composition or or fluorosilicone oil (fluorosilicone fluid). It is to be noted that the cooling fluid circuit in the direct-to-component cooling system can be implemented by separate conduits so that the cooling fluid of the direct-to-component cooling system is not in the contact with the cooling fluid of the immersion container.

[0017] The arrangement may also comprise a fluid flow providing device, such as a pump, to provide cooling fluid for the back-up power system and the heatgenerating components in the immersion container.

[0018] The back-up power system may comprise e.g., number of rechargeable Lithium Ion battery cells.

[0019] The present invention offers advantages over the known prior art, namely when the back-up power system and the electric conductor are all immersed with the heat-generating components in the same cooling fluid in the same immersion container, the cooling can be implemented very effectively and in addition in very simple way and with less components than previously, whereupon the entire system is simpler and more reliable. In addition, when all the components are in the same immersion container, they can be arranged very close to each other, whereupon delays running up the back-up power system for supplying energy to the electronic components e.g. of the data center can be minimized clearly below 100 ms, or even below 10 ms, whereupon one can say that the power supply from the back-up system to the electronic components is continuous and constant. Still in addition, when the electric conductor is implemented by the conductive push bar immersed in the cooling fluid, the risk that the conductive push bar is heated too much is eliminated or at least effectively minimized. Furthermore, when using dielectric fluids and when all the components are immersed in the same dielectric fluid, the whole energy supplying arrangement is very fire safe.

[0020] In addition, according to the invention the arrangement may offer an all-in- one data center cooling solution with several advantages, such as space Efficiency via by combining the UPS or backup battery systems with the cooling infrastructure, whereupon the arrangement reduces the footprint required for separate systems. This integration not only saves valuable floor space but also simplifies the layout of data centers, making it more compact and easier to manage. Secondly it offers enhanced cooling efficiency, namely integrating the battery systems into the immersion cooling cabin ensures that all heat-generating components benefit from the same cooling solution. This can lead to more efficient heat dissipation and potentially lower cooling costs, as the same cooling liquid is used for both the computing hardware and the battery system. Thirdly it offers improved heat recovery, namely the addition of heat exchangers to collect waste heat further enhances system efficiency. By capturing and repurposing this heat, data centers can reduce their environmental impact and potentially lower energy costs by utilizing this heat for other purposes, such as heating buildings or powering heating systems.

[0021] Further it offers simplified Infrastructure, namely the arrangement according to the invention offers a streamlined approach to data center design. By having an all-in-one system that incorporates power backup, cooling, and heat recovery, the complexity of the data center infrastructure is significantly reduced. This simplification can lead to easier maintenance and potentially lower operational costs.

[0022] Moreover, it offers scalability, namely the modular nature of the arrangement according to the invention makes scaling up easier and more efficient. As data centers grow or need more capacity, they can add more of these integrated units without the need for significant restructuring or the addition of separate systems for power and cooling. This is particularly advantageous for data centers looking to expand quickly or those transitioning from traditional air cooling to more efficient liquid cooling solutions.

[0023] Still in addition it offers increased reliability, namely having a unified system with fewer separate components reduces potential points of failure and simplifies the management of the infrastructure. This can enhance the overall reliability of the data center, ensuring better uptime and consistent performance.

[0024] Furthermore, it is to be noted that the phase-change cooling can cool down high heat components, such as chips like CPU I GPU and single immersion liquid can cool down other hardware around there previously mentioned components. This way two different temps can be collected with the integrated heat exchangers.

[0025] The exemplary embodiments presented in this text are not to be interpreted to pose limitations to the applicability of the appended claims. The verb "to comprise" is used in this text as an open limitation that does not exclude the existence of also unrecited features. The features recited in depending claims are mutually freely combinable unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0026] The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific example embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0027] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Next the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to exemplary embodiments in accordance with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0029] Figure 1 illustrates a prior art solution for supplying energy from a back-up power system to electronic components,

[0030] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary energy supplying arrangement for supplying energy to electronic components, such as data center components, according to an advantageous embodiment of the current invention, and

[0031] Figure 3 illustrates another exemplary energy supplying arrangement for supplying energy to electronic components, such as data center components, according to an advantageous embodiment of the current invention.

[0032] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Figure 1 illustrates a prior art solution for supplying energy from a back-up power system to electronic components, and is described already in the background of the invention portion.

[0034] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary energy supplying arrangement 100 for supplying energy to electronic components 102, such as data center components, according to an advantageous embodiment of the current invention.

[0035] The energy supplying arrangement 100 for supplying energy comprises an immersion container 103 having a cooling fluid 107, as well as also the electronic components immersed in the cooling liquid 107. In addition, the arrangement comprises the back-up power system 104, such as a battery pack. Further, the energy supplying arrangement comprises also an electric conductor 105 between the back-up power system 104 and the heatgenerating components 102. The electric conductor 105 comprises or is implemented by a conductive push bar 105 supplying electric current between the back-up power system and the electronic components.

[0036] As can be seen in Figure 2, the back-up power system 104 and the electric conductor 105 and the electronic components 102 generating heat are arranged into the same immersion container 103 and all immersed in the same cooling fluid 107.

[0037] The back-up power system or at least battery cells 108 and other heat generating (electronic) components of the back-up power system are arranged advantageously in a bottom portion of the immersion container 103 and so that most of them (advantageously as a whole) are submerged within said cooling fluid 107. Naturally, the components can also be arranged in the other portion of the container, such as to the wall structure, for example, as is described elsewhere in this document.

[0038] The immersion container 103 may also comprise a sealed container and a phase change assisted cooling system 112, where the phase change assisted cooling system comprises a pressure manipulation device 109 for manipulating the pressure inside the sealed container 103. The arrangement, or the phase change assisted cooling system 112, may also comprise a condenser 110 with appropriate equipment, such as a heat exchanger 1 11 , advantageously in a top portion of the sealed container 103, so to condense the vapour of the cooling fluid back to a liquid form 107 after the phase change.

[0039] It is to be noted that the phase-change assisted cooling system 112 is optional, and the electric energy can be supplied to the components without that. In addition, the arrangement may also comprise a fluid flow providing device 106, such as a pump, to provide cooling fluid 107 for the back-up power system and the electronic components in the immersion container 103.

[0040] Figure 3 illustrates another exemplary energy supplying arrangement 100 for supplying energy to electronic components, such as data center components, according to an advantageous embodiment of the current invention, where the arrangement additionally (compared to the arrangement illustrated in Figure 2) comprises a direct-to-component cooling system 113. The direct-to- component cooling system 113 comprises a cooling end 114, which is suitable to be positioned advantageously on the chip 115 to be cooled, such as CPU or GPU, which are operated in higher temperatures than memory combs, for example.

[0041] The direct-to-component cooling system 113 comprises a heat exchanger 116 and suitable inlets and outlets for delivering fluid to the heated component and back from the heated component 115. The heat exchanger is e.g. a plate heat exchanger. The cooling end 114 advantageously has an inlet to receive cooling fluid from the heat exchanger 116 and also outlet to output the fluid collected heat from the heated component 115 and again to conduct if back to the heat exchanger 116. The cooling end 114 is advantageously made of or at least comprises portion of material, which has good thermal conductivity coefficient, such as copper and / or silver. In addition, the cooling end 113 comprises advantageously a flat surface or such a shape that it fits well on the heated component 115, such as the chip.

[0042] The heat exchanger 116 together with a condenser 117 is arranged to manipulate (typically via pressure manipulation) the fluid to a near-saturation fluid (liquid) and again to deliver the near-saturation fluid (liquid) to the heated component 115. The near-saturation fluid (liquid) is heated by the heat of the heated component 115, whereupon the near-saturation fluid (liquid) is met a phase change from liquid to vapor. This phase change process collects very effectively heat from the heated component and thus provide effectively cooling effect to the heated component 115. The vaporized fluid is then conducted, such as pumped, back to the heat exchanger 116 and the condenser 117, where it is condensed back into a liquid state. This process capitalizes on the phase change from liquid to vapor and back to liquid state, utilizing the high latent heat of vaporization to efficiently transfer heat away from the heated electronic components. The direct-to-component cooling system 113 may also comprise a suitable fluid expansion tank and other equipment known by the person skilled in the cooling technology.

[0043] It is to be noted that even if the chip 115 is illustrated in the examples, it is just an example and the heated component 115 can also be any other heated component than the chip.

[0044] The heat exchanger 116 of the direct-to-component cooling system 113 locates advantageously outside the immersion container 103 and is not in contact with the cooling fluid 107 of the immersion container 103. The arrangement comprises advantageously couplings 120 for coupling the conduit to and from the cooling end to the heat exchanger 116.

[0045] In addition, it is to be noted the direct-to-component cooling system 113 offer clear advantages, namely a precise temperature control directly to critical components, such as CPU, GPU. The cooling implemented by the direct-to- component cooling system 1 13 does not interfere with the other cooling systems, such as it does not heat the cooling fluid 107 inside the immersion container 103, nor the other components to be cooled by the cooling fluid 107 inside the immersion container 103. The direct-to-component cooling system 113 is also more effective than traditional cooling solutions and reduces thermal hotspots boosting overall system reliability. Further, it can achieve up to 95% reduction in pumping power, drastically reduce operational expenses, utilize dielectric fluids to negate short-circuit risks, minimize erosion with controlled flow dynamics, surpassing 500 W / cm2heat transfer capabilities, exceptional ambient temperature resilience, and efficiently transport heat over expansive distances.

[0046] Additionally, the invention brings advantage of collecting two different temperature waste heats, to have more re-use possibilities. It is to be noted that the temperature of the cooling fluid 107 in the immersion container 103 is typically lower than that of the cooling fluid in the direct-to-component cooling system 113, because the cooling fluid 107 in the immersion container 103 collect heat from the components, which are not heated as much as the components, which are cooled by the cooling fluid in the direct-to-component cooling system 113. Again, the waste heat collected by these two systems can then be used for different purposes, such as the waste heat 118 collected by the cooling fluid 107 of the immersion container 103 can be used for warming a house or the like nearby the arrangement, and the waste heat 119 collected by the direct-to-component cooling system 113 can be fed to a district heating system or transport efficiently over expansive distances.

[0047] Still, it is to be noted that even if only one cooling end 114 is illustrated in the examples above and in the Figures, the arrangement may comprise one or more cooling ends 114. In addition, more than one cooling ends 114 can be coupled with one heat exchanger 116, or the arrangement may also comprise more than one heat exchangers 116.

[0048] The above description only presents a few embodiments for a solution of the invention. The principle according to the invention can naturally be varied within the scope of protection defined by the claims, regarding for example implementation details and fields of use. In particular, it should be noted that said the arrangements comprising a battery advantageously includes several battery cells and suitable cooling devices so that desired level of energy density and cooling of the battery as well as electronic components are achieved. Even if the data center is disclosed as an example in the description and in connection with the Figures, it should be understood that the electronic components to be supplied with the power and to be cooled down may be also other component or component of other entity that the data center.

[0049] The features recited in dependent claims are mutually freely combinable unless otherwise explicitly stated.

Claims

Claims1. An energy supplying arrangement (100) for supplying energy to electronic components (102), such as data center components, wherein the arrangement comprises:- an immersion container (103) having a cooling fluid (107),- said electronic components (102),- a back-up power system (104), such as a battery pack,- an electric conductor (105) between the back-up power system (104) and the electronic components (102), wherein the back-up power system (104), the electric conductor (105) and the electronic components (102) are all arranged in the immersion container (103) immersed in the same cooling fluid (107), and wherein the back-up power system is integrated in a bottom and / or side portions of the immersion container (103) so to submerge said back-up power system within said cooling fluid (107).

2. An arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the electric conductor (105) comprises a conductive push bar (105) supplying electric current between the back-up power system and the heat-generating components.

3. An arrangement of any previous claims, wherein the cooling fluid (107) comprises water and glycol mixture and advantageously di-electric fluid, such as hydrofluoroether-based composition or fluorosilicone fluid.

4. An arrangement of any previous claims, wherein the arrangement comprises a fluid flow providing device (106), such as a pump, to provide cooling fluid (107) for the back-up power system and the heat-generating components.

5. An arrangement of any previous claims, wherein heat generating components of the back-up power system are arranged in the immersion container (103) so that at least most of them are submerged within said cooling fluid (107).

6. An arrangement of claim 5, wherein components of the back-up power system are integrated in a bottom and / or side portion(s) of the container so to submerged within said cooling fluid (107).

7. An arrangement of any previous claims, wherein the immersioncontainer (103) comprises a sealed container and a pressure manipulation device (109) for manipulating the pressure inside the sealed container (103) and thereby controlling a boiling point of the fluid to be around a desired operating temperature of the heat-generating components (102) and / or the back-up power system (104).

8. An arrangement of any of any previous claims, wherein the immersion container (103) comprises a sealed container and the arrangement comprises a condenser (110) with appropriate equipment, such as a heat exchanger (111 ), advantageously in a top portion of the sealed container, to condense a vapour of the cooling fluid back to a liquid form.

9. An arrangement of any of any previous claims, wherein the arrangement comprises a direct-to-component cooling system (113), wherein the direct-to- component cooling system (113) comprises a heat exchanger (116) and cooling end (114) to be positioned onto a heated component (115), wherein said cooling end (114) is arranged to receive the cooling fluid from the heat exchanger (116) and conduit said cooling fluid so to collect heat from the heated component (1 15) via heat conduction between the heated component (115) and the cooling end (114), and again to deliver said heated cooling fluid back to the heat exchanger (116).

10. An arrangement of claim 9, wherein the heat exchanger (116) of the direct-to-component cooling system (113) locates outside the immersion container (103).

11. An arrangement of any previous claims, wherein the back-up power system (102) comprises number of Lithium Ion battery cells (102).

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