Arrangement for the direct liquid cooling system of an it infrastructure

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement for the direct liquid cooling (DLC) system of an IT infrastructure, wherein the arrangement comprises at least one IT rack (1) having a plurality of slots (2), arranged one above the other in the vertical direction (z) of the IT rack (1), for slot-in units (2.1) of a direct liquid cooling (DLC) system and / or of an IT infrastructure, characterised in that the direct liquid cooling (DLC) system has at least two different slot-in units (2.1), each of which is inserted in one of the slots (2).

Description

[0001] Arrangement for direct liquid cooling of an IT infrastructure

[0002] The invention is based on an arrangement for direct liquid cooling (DLC) of an IT infrastructure, wherein the arrangement comprises at least one IT rack with a plurality of plug-in units for plug-in devices of a direct liquid cooling system and / or an IT infrastructure, arranged one above the other in the vertical direction of the IT rack. Such an arrangement with coolant distribution units designed as plug-in devices is known from US 11,395,443 B2. A similar arrangement is described in US 2007 / 0274043 Ai.

[0003] US 9,668,382 B2 and US 11,310,939 B2 describe known coolant distribution units (CDUs) in which all components required to provide a cooled liquid are housed in a single rack-mounted unit, including, but not limited to: redundant pumps, a heat exchanger, an expansion tank, a pressure and / or temperature sensor, a three-way valve with a bypass valve, an AC power supply, a control unit, a service valve, a filter, an automatic vent valve, and a pressure relief valve. For recooling the CDU, the rack-mounted unit may include a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger and a supply and return connection for the cooled liquid.Instead of a liquid-liquid heat exchanger, an air-liquid heat exchanger can be provided, which is supplied with air from the environment of the plug-in unit by a fan, preferably a filter fan, for the recooling of the cooling liquid of the direct liquid cooling.

[0004] The known arrangements have the disadvantage that the coolant distribution unit is prone to failure and expensive due to its complexity. Accordingly, replacement in the event of failure is also associated with high costs.

[0005] The object of the invention is therefore to further develop an arrangement of the type described above in such a way that it is not susceptible to failure and, in the event of a failure, can be replaced at low cost. This object is achieved by an arrangement having the features of claim 1.

[0006] The dependent claims each relate to advantageous embodiments of the invention.

[0007] The arrangement can accordingly comprise direct liquid cooling with at least two different plug-in units, each inserted into one of the slots. In particular, the assembly provided in the prior art as a coolant distribution unit and designed as a single device, such as a plug-in unit, can be modularly constructed, with at least two different plug-in units, each inserted into one of the slots. At least two assemblies of the coolant distribution unit can be designed independently of one another and thus can be replaced independently of one another.

[0008] The direct liquid cooling system can comprise multiple modules, at least two of which are configured as different plug-in units. The different plug-in units can be functional modules of a coolant distribution unit (CDU). Thus, the combination of functional modules known from the prior art in a coolant distribution unit can be resolved into a single module housing, resulting in multiple, independently configured modules. These modules can each be configured as a plug-in unit with its own housing.

[0009] The modules designed as different plug-in units can complement each other functionally. In particular, the at least two different plug-in units have a different function with regard to direct liquid cooling, preferably a different function of a coolant distribution unit (CDU).

[0010] The at least two modules designed as different plug-in units can interact in such a way that they jointly perform the function of a coolant distribution unit (CDU). For example, a first of the two modules can be a pump unit, and the second module can be a coolant distribution unit that has all the functional components of a coolant distribution unit, but no pump. The pump unit can have multiple redundant pumps. Multiple pump units can be provided, each forming a plug-in unit. The multiple pump units can be redundant, both with respect to one another and with respect to each pump unit, in that each pump unit has multiple pumps.

[0011] The plug-in units, in particular the plug-in units forming functional assemblies of a coolant distribution unit, can be selected from: a pumping unit (RPU) for coolant, preferably with 2N redundant pumps, a heat exchanger, an expansion tank, a pressure and / or temperature sensor, a three-way valve with a bypass valve, an AC power supply, a control unit, a service valve, a filter, preferably a filter fan, an automatic vent, and a pressure relief valve. The plug-in units can be provided in multiple units, preferably redundantly, particularly preferably as mutually independent plug-in units.

[0012] The plug-in devices can be designed to be at least partially hot-swappable, preferably with regard to a connection to a coolant circuit of the direct liquid cooling and / or a connection to a power supply.

[0013] For example, a power supply, such as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) or a power supply unit (PSU), can be designed as a plug-in device, in particular as a hot-swappable plug-in device.

[0014] A pump unit (reservoir pumping unit - RPU) of the direct liquid cooling system can be designed as at least one of the at least two plug-in units. The pump unit preferably has a plurality of plug-in units or is formed from a plurality of plug-in units, wherein the plug-in units are preferably identical parts. The identical parts preferably have the same function. In the case of a pump unit, the identical parts have a pumping capacity. The identical parts can have the same pumping capacity. The pump units can be connected in series. Their pumping capacities can be added together. In the event of a failure of one of the pump units, the remaining pump unit or units can take over the pumping capacity of the failed pump unit.

[0015] If the multiple plug-in units of the pumping unit are identical parts, they can be redundant with respect to their pumping capacity for a coolant of the direct liquid cooling system, preferably connected in series. The multiple plug-in units of the pumping unit can be configured so that, in the event of a failure of one of the multiple plug-in units of the pumping unit, the remaining plug-in units of the pumping unit provide the required pumping capacity.

[0016] One of the plug-in devices can be a power supply, preferably a DC voltage supply for plug-in devices accommodated in the plug-in units. The DC voltage supply can have a rectifier and a power distribution, for example, a busbar that runs along a rear side of the IT rack in the vertical direction of the IT rack and is supplied with a DC voltage by the rectifier. At least one of the plug-in devices for direct liquid cooling accommodated in the plug-in units can be electrically connected to the power distribution, in particular the busbar. The plug-in device itself then does not require a power supply unit, such as a power pack, making the plug-in device more cost-effective to provide, less susceptible to failure, and smaller in size.

[0017] In one embodiment, the power distribution can be a busbar, for example a copper busbar, particularly preferably a busbar that is accommodated in a contact guard that has contact openings for electrically contacting the busbar. The power distribution, in particular the busbar, is particularly preferably designed as a straight strip. The plug-in devices, in particular, but not exclusively, the plug-in devices for direct liquid cooling, can be operated with direct voltage. A DC voltage supply can be provided in the IT rack, which extends at least in the vertical direction of the IT rack and with which plug-in devices inserted into the plug-in devices can be supplied with DC voltage. The DC voltage supply, in particular the power distribution, for example a busbar, can have self-contacting.For this purpose, the power distribution, such as a busbar, and the withdrawable devices can have complementary contact elements on their rear side facing the power distribution, which engage when the withdrawable devices are arranged in a position fully inserted into the drawers, wherein the electrical contact is disengaged when the withdrawable devices are inserted into the drawers in a position not fully inserted.

[0018] The arrangement can be part of an IT cabinet, a row of IT cabinets, or a data center. The arrangement can therefore, in particular, be part of a control cabinet housing. In addition to direct liquid cooling, the control cabinet housing can, in a known manner, have air cooling for the components requiring cooling accommodated in the control cabinet. For this purpose, cooled air can be passed through the control cabinet housing. It can be provided that the control cabinet housing has an air-liquid heat exchanger on an air outlet side, for example on a front or rear side. The heat exchanger can be designed, for example, as a rear-door heat exchanger. This allows heated air flowing through the control cabinet to be released into the control cabinet environment as cooled air.Alternatively or additionally, for example, in a cabinet row in a cold aisle / warm aisle configuration, cooled air can enter the enclosure from a cold aisle via the front or rear of the cabinet and enter the warm aisle on the opposite side as heated air. The cooled air can be discharged into the cold aisle, for example, by an air-to-liquid heat exchanger located in a raised floor of the data center. The cooled air can also be provided in the cold aisle in other ways.

[0019] To further increase the ease of maintenance of direct liquid cooling, the direct liquid cooling system can be modular, with multiple interconnected modules, each of which can be one of the plug-in units. This enables direct liquid cooling designs in which particularly failure-prone modules or assemblies are provided redundantly. For example, multiple pump modules can be provided for liquid transport. The pump modules can be connected in parallel. Each pump module can have multiple pumps, which in turn are preferably connected in parallel.

[0020] In one embodiment, the direct liquid cooling system comprises at least one pump module, which is designed independently of other functional modules of the liquid cooling system. The at least one module, or one of the modules of the direct liquid cooling system, can be a plug-in device of the direct liquid cooling system. Optionally, the plug-in device can be connected to the DC voltage supply in the manner described above. However, it can also have its own voltage supply, for example, a power supply unit.If the arrangement for supplying a direct liquid cooling system (DLC) with electrical energy is part of a switch cabinet housing, a row of switch cabinets, or a data center and also includes an air cooling system with at least one air-liquid heat exchanger, it can be provided that a return line of the air-liquid heat exchanger is connected to a supply line of the direct liquid cooling system, in particular to a supply line of a liquid-liquid heat exchanger of the direct liquid cooling system. In this way, it is possible for the heated liquid exiting the air-liquid heat exchanger to still be used as a heat sink for recooling the cooling liquid of the primary circuit of the direct liquid cooling system.This is possible because liquid cooling systems can be operated with a higher flow temperature than the air passing through the control cabinet in order to enable, in particular, effective heat transfer from the component requiring cooling to the liquid in the primary circuit of the liquid cooling system.

[0021] In one embodiment, the return line of an air-to-liquid heat exchanger accommodated in a switch cabinet door can be connected to a flow line of a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger of the direct liquid cooling system, in particular to the external circuit of the direct liquid cooling system. The air-to-liquid heat exchanger can also assume an alternative position relative to the switch cabinet, a row of switch cabinets, or a data center that includes the DLC. For example, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger can be arranged in a raised floor of a data center and configured to blow cooled air into a cold aisle, which was previously passed as heated air out of the warm aisle and through the raised floor and the air-to-liquid heat exchanger. The heat exchanger can also be part of an inline cooling unit that is integrated into a row of switch cabinets.For example, the switch cabinet row can separate a cold aisle from a hot aisle, with heated air being drawn in from the hot aisle via the rear of the inline cooling unit, passed through the air-liquid heat exchanger in the inline cooling unit, and blown out as cooled air into the cold aisle at the front.

[0022] In one embodiment, the arrangement is a component of a switch cabinet housing or an IT rack in which, in addition to the components of the arrangement according to the invention, only components of a liquid cooling system and optionally components of an air-liquid cooling system are arranged. Such a switch cabinet housing or such an IT rack can be a component of a switch cabinet row, for example, arranged in a row of switch cabinets or IT racks and configured to provide cooled liquid for liquid cooling of components housed in adjacent switch cabinet housings or IT racks. Optionally, the switch cabinet housing or IT rack comprising the arrangement can also have at least one air-liquid heat exchanger for providing cooled air for cooling the aforementioned components.The liquid circuit of the air-liquid heat exchanger can be connected to a liquid circuit of the external circuit of a liquid-liquid heat exchanger of the liquid cooling system in the manner described above, in particular such that the return of the air-liquid heat exchanger is connected to the flow of the external circuit of the liquid-liquid heat exchanger. The return of the external circuit of the liquid-liquid heat exchanger can be connected to a recooling system, for example, a chiller. The flow of the chiller can be connected to the flow of the air-liquid heat exchanger. However, the air-liquid heat exchanger and the liquid-liquid heat exchanger of the direct liquid cooling system can also be designed independently of one another and each connected to the recooler for providing chilled liquid.The air-liquid heat exchanger can also be omitted and only liquid cooling can be implemented.

[0023] If the arrangement comprises a DC voltage supply, a plurality of first dummy coupling connectors can be arranged along a power distribution system, in particular a busbar, spaced apart in the vertical direction from one another for the tool-free connection of direct liquid cooling modules and / or an IT infrastructure to the power distribution system, for example a busbar. The plug-in devices to be accommodated in the drawers can have connectors complementary to the first dummy coupling connectors. The mutually complementary connectors can be self-centering, so that when the plug-in devices are inserted into the drawers and a fully inserted position of the plug-in devices is reached in the drawers, secure contact is achieved between the plug-in devices and the busbar.The direct liquid cooling system may comprise at least one coolant distribution channel running along the rear side of the IT rack in the vertical direction of the IT rack, wherein a plurality of second blind coupling connectors are arranged along the coolant distribution channel at a distance from one another in the vertical direction for the tool-free connection of assemblies of the direct liquid cooling system and / or an IT infrastructure to the coolant distribution channel.

[0024] The inserts may have a linear guide for direct liquid cooling assemblies and / or an IT infrastructure, wherein the linear guide extends parallel to a plug-in direction of the first and / or second dummy coupling connectors.

[0025] The direct liquid cooling system can comprise multiple plug-in units, each of which is accommodated in one of the slots, and of which at least two plug-in units are configured as redundant plug-in units, preferably redundant pumping units, for example, each as a reservoir pumping unit (RPU). All of the plug-in units, but preferably at least one of the plug-in units of the direct liquid cooling system, can be connected to a power distribution system, in particular a busbar, in particular via a blind coupling plug connection, so that easy replacement is possible in the event of a failure.

[0026] One of the plug-in devices can be a rectifier. The rectifier can be embodied, for example, as a power supply unit (PSU) that is housed as a plug-in device in one of the plug-in units. The PSU can have a dummy coupling connector on a rear side facing the power distribution unit, via which the PSU is electrically connected to a power distribution unit in order to supply DC voltage to the power distribution unit, for example, a busbar of the power distribution unit.

[0027] The at least one plug-in device of the direct liquid cooling system can be a coolant distribution unit (CDU) or at least one module of a coolant distribution unit. The coolant distribution unit preferably comprises several independently configured modules. The coolant distribution unit can preferably comprise at least two redundant modules. The redundant modules can be configured as identical parts and connected in parallel. Particularly preferably, the coolant distribution unit comprises at least two modules with different functionalities. The modules can each be configured as a plug-in device for insertion into one of the modules.

[0028] Components of the coolant distribution unit (CDU) can be, for example: at least one pump unit for coolant, preferably with 2N redundant pumps, at least one heat exchanger, at least one expansion tank, at least one pressure and / or temperature sensor, at least one three-way valve with bypass valve, at least one AC power supply, at least one control unit, at least one service valve, at least one filter, preferably a filter fan, at least one automatic vent, at least one pressure relief valve. Individual components can be designed as a separate plug-in unit. Several components can form a common plug-in unit. The components can be designed to be hot-swappable, preferably with regard to a connection to a coolant circuit, if available, and / or a connection to a power supply, if available.

[0029] It can be provided that the pump unit of the CDU is designed as a separate plug-in device. The pump unit preferably has a plurality of plug-in devices. The plurality of plug-in devices of the pump unit can be identical parts. The plurality of plug-in devices of the pump unit can be connected in series with regard to their pumping capacity for the coolant. The plurality of pump units can be configured such that even if one of the plurality of pump units fails, the required pumping capacity can be provided by the remaining pump units. For this purpose, it can be provided that the plurality of pump units are operated at a reduced pumping capacity during normal operation, i.e. if none of the plurality of pump units has failed. If one of the pump units fails, the remaining pump units can increase their pumping capacity so that the pumping capacity lost due to the failure is compensated.After the failed pump unit has been replaced, the multiple pump units can return to normal operation.

[0030] In the prior art coolant distribution units (CDUs), all of the aforementioned components, as far as they are required for the respective application, are often arranged in the same housing, thus forming a single device. If one of the aforementioned components fails, the entire CDU must be replaced. This leads to an interruption of the cooling capacity provided by the CDU and thus, potentially, to the failure of the IT infrastructure cooled by the CDU.

[0031] At least one of the components of the coolant distribution unit, preferably a control unit and / or an expansion tank of the coolant distribution unit, can be arranged outside a housing of the coolant distribution unit (CDU) and inside or outside the IT rack. For example, an expansion tank of the coolant distribution unit can be arranged on a roof of the IT rack.

[0032] The at least one assembly of the coolant distribution unit can be a control device of the coolant distribution unit, which is electrically connected to the power supply, in particular the busbar, and is preferably designed as a plug-in device that is accommodated in one of the plug-in units.

[0033] The at least one component of the coolant distribution unit can be an expansion tank that is fluidically connected, preferably directly, to a coolant distribution channel of the direct liquid cooling system. The expansion tank can particularly preferably be arranged outside the IT rack, for example, on the roof of the IT rack.

[0034] Multiple assemblies of the coolant distribution unit can be housed as individual plug-in units, each in a rack. The assemblies of the coolant distribution unit, designed as independent plug-in units, can comprise at least two identical or structurally identical assemblies, preferably several identical or structurally identical pump units, for example, RPUs, of the coolant distribution unit. For example, at least two of the identical or structurally identical pump units can be designed as redundant pump units. To achieve redundancy, the pump units can be connected in parallel.

[0035] The at least one plug-in unit can be a direct liquid cooling assembly, in which the plug-in unit has a housing in which at least two redundant, preferably parallel-connected, pumps are arranged. The housing can also be free of at least one compressor, one expansion means, and one condenser. Preferably, the housing can be free of all other active components of a refrigeration machine. In this way, an embodiment of the invention can be provided in which the particularly failure-prone pump units can be replaced easily and during operation. This can be further optimized by providing not just one of the plug-in units with at least two redundant pumps, but several of these plug-in units, which particularly preferably supply a coolant distribution channel with cooled coolant in a fluidically parallel manner.

[0036] In one embodiment, in addition to the at least two redundant pumps, a heat exchanger can be accommodated in the housing. For component cooling of an IT infrastructure, the redundant pumps can be used to convey or pump coolant through an inner circuit of the heat exchanger. If the heat exchanger is a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, an outer circuit of the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger can be connected or connectable to a cooling liquid cooler. Alternatively, the outer circuit of the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger can be connected to the return of an air-to-liquid heat exchanger of an existing IT infrastructure, as already described.

[0037] The housing can have at least one supply line and a first return line on an outer side for connecting the inner circuit to a coolant distribution channel of the direct liquid cooling system. Furthermore, a single-pole or double-pole electrical contact for the electrical connection to the power distribution system, such as a busbar, can be provided on the outer side, preferably on a rear side of the housing facing the power distribution system. If the heat exchanger is a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, a second supply line and a second return line can preferably be provided for connecting the outer circuit to a recooler. Preferably, all of the supply lines and returns, as well as the electrical contact, can be designed as blind coupling plug connectors.

[0038] At least one additional plug-in device can be accommodated or receivable in at least one additional slot. The at least one additional plug-in device can be a server or an uninterruptible power supply (backup battery unit - BBU).

[0039] The direct liquid cooling system can comprise at least one additional plug-in unit, preferably a coolant-carrying assembly of a coolant distribution unit of the direct liquid cooling system. The plug-in unit can be or comprise a heat exchanger. Furthermore, the plug-in unit can be or comprise an expansion tank. The additional plug-in unit should be accommodated in one of the plug-in units without making contact with the busbar.

[0040] The withdrawable devices and the additional withdrawable devices can have standardized housings that have the same dimensions, particularly with regard to their depth direction, i.e., in the direction of insertion of the withdrawable devices into the drawers. Furthermore, the first dummy coupling connectors formed on the rear sides facing the busbar are preferably designed identically regardless of the withdrawable device type.

[0041] The IT rack's slots can accommodate only plug-in units for direct liquid cooling. This means that the IT rack can be integrated into a switch cabinet row containing components requiring cooling. For this purpose, the IT rack that exclusively accommodates plug-in units for liquid cooling can have suitable interfaces, such as baying connectors, to adjacent IT racks in the switch cabinet row, including fluidic transitions between the IT rack that exclusively accommodates plug-in units for liquid cooling and the adjacent IT racks in the switch cabinet row, which can accommodate, for example, servers requiring cooling.

[0042] At least one of the plug-in devices may be or comprise a heat exchanger, preferably a liquid-liquid heat exchanger, an expansion tank, a pump unit, a control unit or a DC voltage supply.

[0043] Further details of the invention are explained with reference to the following figures.

[0044] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a direct liquid cooling system; Figure 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a plug-in device designed as a pump unit;

[0045] Figure 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a direct liquid cooling system with additional rear door air cooling;

[0046] Figure 4 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of a plug-in device;

[0047] Figure 5 shows a further embodiment of a plug-in device;

[0048] Figure 6 shows yet another embodiment of a plug-in device;

[0049] Figure 7 shows an embodiment of an arrangement according to the invention in front view (a) and side view (b); and

[0050] Figure 8 shows yet another embodiment of an inventive

[0051] Arrangement in side view of the IT rack.

[0052] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of direct liquid cooling (DLC). Cooled liquid is provided by a recooler 16, which can be designed, for example, as a chiller, with or without a refrigeration machine. For this purpose, the recooler 16 has, in particular, an air-liquid heat exchanger and at least one fan, with which ambient air is transported through the air-liquid heat exchanger. The cooled liquid provided by the recooler is fed to a coolant distribution unit (CDU), in particular via the supply line of an external circuit of the CDU. The liquid provided by the recooler leaves the CDU as heated liquid via a return line of the external circuit, and the external circuit of the CDU, which simultaneously forms the liquid circuit of the recooler 16, is designated by the reference numeral 17.

[0053] The coolant distribution unit CDU has, in particular, a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger and at least one pump for transporting liquid through the inner circuit 15 of the CDU. The flow of the inner circuit of the CDU is connected to a return of a coolant distribution channel, and the return of the inner circuit 15 of the CDU is connected to a flow of the coolant distribution channel 7. The coolant distribution channel 7 can have, spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction, thus in the vertical direction, several connections, on the one hand, to a flow of the coolant distribution channel 7, via which cooled coolant is provided, and on the other hand, to a return of the coolant distribution channel 7, via which heated coolant is discharged. The plug-in devices 2 can be, for example, server plug-ins of an IT infrastructure, which are connected to the distribution channel 7, for example, in the manner known from US 2007 / 0274043 Ai.In the plug-in devices, the cooling liquid, which is preferably an electrically non-conductive coolant, flows over the components that require cooling, for example CPUs, GPUs, or other components that have a high power loss and, moreover, a high temperature sensitivity, so that air cooling is unsuitable due to the lower thermal conductivity of air compared to liquid.

[0054] Figure 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a plug-in device that can be used in an arrangement according to the invention. The plug-in device 2.1 has a housing 13, which can be standardized, for example, with regard to its dimensions, for example at least to the extent that, upon insertion of the plug-in device 2.1 into a slot of an IT rack, both the first and the second dummy coupling plug connections 6.1, 6.2 for the electrical contacting of the power distribution, on the one hand, and the fluidic connection to the direct liquid cooling, in particular a coolant distribution channel, can be made automatically, i.e., in particular without tools. Three redundant pumps 14 are arranged in the housing 13, which are connected in particular in parallel to one another. A heat exchanger 12, in particular a liquid-liquid heat exchanger, is also arranged in the housing 13.The only active components within the housing 13 are thus the pumps 14, which are provided in triplicate and connected in parallel. The pump unit shown in Figure 2 thus exhibits a very high degree of failure insensitivity. Due to the use of the first and second dummy coupling connectors 6.1, 6.2, the entire unit, i.e., the plug-in unit 2.1, can be replaced quickly and without significant downtime in the event of all pumps failing or if pump performance decreases. Further redundancy of the direct liquid cooling (DLC) can be achieved by providing several of the plug-in units 2.1 shown in Figure 2, which in turn are connected in parallel with one another, so that even if all of the three pumps 14 in this case fail, one of the several plug-in units 2.1, the continued operation of the DLC is ensured and downtime can be essentially completely avoided.

[0055] Figure 3 shows an embodiment in which the arrangement according to the invention is accommodated in a switch cabinet housing designed in the manner of an IT cabinet with several 19-inch rack units arranged vertically one above the other. The rack units 2.1 in the rack units 2 of the IT rack 1 are partially occupied by servers and partially by built-in devices 2.1 for direct liquid cooling. For example, a top rack unit 2 of the IT rack 1 is occupied by a DC voltage supply 3, which is provided as a built-in device 2.1. A bottom rack unit 2 is occupied by a coolant distribution unit (CDU). A coolant distribution channel 7 with its supply line and return line is arranged at the rear of the IT rack 1. The supply line and return line of the coolant distribution channel 7 are connected to the coolant distribution unit CDU. A rear door heat exchanger 200 is connected to the rear of the IT rack 1.This has an air-to-liquid heat exchanger and several fans. With the help of the rear door heat exchanger, cooled air is drawn through the front of the IT rack 1, past the server bays 2.1 requiring cooling, and into the rear door heat exchanger 200, where the heated air passes through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and is discharged as cooled air into the surroundings of the enclosure. The supply line of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger of the rear door cooling unit 200 is fed by a recooler 16, for example, a chiller. The return line of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger of the rear door cooling unit 200 is connected to a supply line of an external circuit of the CDU. The heated liquid emitted by the air-to-liquid heat exchanger thus serves as a heat sink for the CDU.A liquid-liquid heat exchanger 12 is arranged in the CDU, via which heat is transferred from an inner circuit of the CDU, with which the CDU is connected to the coolant distribution channel 7, to the outer circuit of the CDU.

[0056] All plug-in devices 2.1, except for the DC power supply 3 itself, can be designed as DC devices, operating, for example, at an operating voltage of 48 V. The entire power distribution within the IT rack can thus be carried out at a DC voltage level that is less hazardous than the mains voltage, thereby increasing the operational reliability of the IT rack.

[0057] The modular design of the direct liquid cooling further allows, for example, the expansion tank 10 to be arranged on an upper side of the IT rack 1, that is to say in particular above the coolant distribution channel 7, in a manner that is advantageous for operation.

[0058] Figures 4 to 6 show different expansion stages of a plug-in device 2.1, which is designed as a pumping unit (RPU) in the embodiment according to Figure 4. The RPU shown in Figure 4 has only two pumps 14 connected in parallel, which are accommodated in a housing 13 with two power supplies 19, one for each of the pumps 14. A first dummy coupling connector 6.1 serves for the connection to the DC voltage source and a pair of second dummy coupling connectors 6.2 for the connection to the internal circuit of the DLC, so that the pumping unit (RPU) shown in Figure 4 can supply the coolant distribution channel (not shown) of the DLC with cooled coolant.

[0059] In an extension of the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the embodiment shown in Figure 5 not only provides a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger 12, but also features triple redundancy for the pumps 14. Accordingly, three power supplies 19 are also provided for the independent supply of the three pumps 14. The embodiment shown in Figure 5 is suitable, for example, for use in a control cabinet according to Figure 3, in which the external circuit of the CDU is connected to an air-to-liquid heat exchanger, for example, to such a heat exchanger of a rear-door cooling unit 200.

[0060] Deviating again from the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the embodiment shown in Figure 6 provides an air-liquid heat exchanger 12 and a pair of fans 20 instead of a liquid-liquid heat exchanger for cooling the coolant. An expansion tank 10 is also arranged in the housing. A pair of redundant pumps 14 are powered by a pair of independent power supplies 19.

[0061] Figure 7 shows, in front view (a) and side view (b), an exemplary embodiment of an arrangement for supplying a direct liquid cooling system with electrical energy. The arrangement comprises an IT rack 1 having a plurality of plug-in units 2 for plug-in devices 2.1 of a direct liquid cooling system, arranged one above the other in the vertical direction z. In addition to the plug-in units 2.1 for direct liquid cooling, further plug-in units 2.1 are also provided, which in this case are designed as servers. The rectifier PSU is also designed as a plug-in unit 2.1. Extending along the rear R of the IT rack 1 as the power distribution 5 is a busbar of a DC voltage supply 3 for the plug-in units 2 or the plug-in devices 2.1 accommodated therein. The busbar is fed by the rectifier PSU, in particular supplied with a DC voltage. The plug-in units 2.1 of the direct liquid cooling DLC, insofar as they require a supply of electrical energy, are each accommodated in one of the plug-in units 2 and electrically contacted with the busbar. The expansion tank 10, which does not require an electrical power supply, is arranged in a physically advantageous position on the top side, i.e., outside the IT rack 1. A control unit 9 is designed as a separate plug-in unit, independent of other DLC components, and is directly contacted with the DC voltage supply 3, in particular with the busbar of the power distribution 5. The plug-in units 2.1 have first dummy coupling connectors 6.1 for the tool-free connection of the plug-in units 2.1 to the busbar. Complementary dummy coupling connectors can be arranged on the rear side of the housings of the plug-in units 2.1 facing the busbar.In an analogous manner, second blind coupling connectors, which are fluid-conducting, can be arranged on the rear side for connection to a supply line and a return line of the coolant distribution channel 7.

[0062] While the embodiment shown in Figure 7 includes both server installations and thus components requiring cooling, as well as various assemblies of a direct liquid cooling system (DLC) for cooling the servers, in the embodiment shown in Figure 8, the IT rack 1 is equipped exclusively with components of a direct liquid cooling system (DLC). In particular, several of the plug-in units 2.1 are designed as redundant pump units (RPU). These can, for example, be designed as one of the embodiments according to Figures 2 and 4. The two plug-in units 2.1 form the heat exchanger 12 and the expansion tank 10. The DC voltage supply 3 is also designed as a plug-in unit, as is the control unit 9. The DC voltage supply 3 is the only component of the arrangement shown in Figure 8 that is supplied with mains voltage.Furthermore, the arrangement ensures that all components and devices for power distribution, in particular the busbar 5, are at a low DC voltage, for example 48 V.

[0063] The features given in the above description may be relevant in any combination for the realization of embodiments of the invention, the scope of protection being determined solely by the claims.

[0064] List of reference symbols:

[0065] 1 IT rack

[0066] 2 slots

[0067] 2.1 Plug-in device

[0068] 3 DC power supply

[0069] 5 Busbar

[0070] 6.1 first blind coupling connector

[0071] 6.2 second blind coupling connector

[0072] 7 Coolant distribution channel

[0073] 8 Linear guide

[0074] 9 Control unit io Expansion tank ii Additional plug-in unit

[0075] 12 heat exchangers

[0076] 13 housings

[0077] 14 Pump

[0078] 15 inner circle

[0079] 16 dry coolers

[0080] 17 Outer circle

[0081] 19 Power supply

[0082] 20 fans

[0083] 200 rear door cooling unit

[0084] BBU interruption of free power supply

[0085] CDU coolant distribution unit

[0086] DLC direct liquid cooling

[0087] PSU rectifier

[0088] RPU pump unit

[0089] R back x plug-in direction z height direction

Claims

Claims:

1. Arrangement for the direct liquid cooling (DLC) of an IT infrastructure, wherein the arrangement has at least one IT rack (1) with a plurality of inserts (2) arranged one above the other in the height direction (z) of the IT rack (1) for insert devices (2.1) of a direct liquid cooling (DLC) and / or an IT infrastructure, characterized in that the direct liquid cooling (DLC) has at least two different insert devices (2.1), which are each inserted into one of the inserts (2).

2. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the direct liquid cooling (DLC) comprises several modules, of which at least two are designed as different plug-in devices (2.1).

3. Arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the plug-in devices (2.1) are selected from: a pumping unit (RPU) for coolant, preferably with 2N redundant pumps, a heat exchanger, an expansion vessel, a pressure and / or temperature sensor, a three-way valve with bypass valve, an AC power supply, a control unit, a service valve, a filter, preferably a filter fan, an automatic vent, a pressure relief valve.

4. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, in which the plug-in devices (2.1) are designed to be hot-swappable, preferably with regard to a connection to a coolant circuit of the direct liquid cooling (DLC) and / or a connection to a power supply.

5. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, in which a pump unit (RPU) of the direct liquid cooling (DLC) is designed as at least one of the at least two plug-in devices (2.1).

6. Arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the pump unit (RPU) forms several of the plug-in devices (2.1), wherein the plug-in devices (2.1) formed by the pump unit (RPU) are preferably identical parts.

7. Arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of plug-in devices (2.1) of the pump unit (RPU) are identical parts, which are preferably redundant with respect to their pumping capacity for a coolant of the direct liquid cooling (DLC), preferably connected in series.

8. Arrangement according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the plurality of plug-in devices (2.1) of the pump unit (RPU) are configured such that, in the event of a failure of one of the plurality of plug-in devices (2.1) of the pump unit (RPU), a required pumping power is provided by the remaining plug-in devices (2.1) of the pump unit (RPU).

9. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, in which at least a first of the plug-in devices (2.1) of the direct liquid cooling (DLC) is a coolant distribution unit (CDU) and the second is an assembly of a coolant distribution unit (CDU), the first plug-in device (2.1) being free of the assembly.

10. Arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the at least one assembly of the coolant distribution unit (CDU), preferably a control unit (9) and / or an expansion tank (10) of the coolant distribution unit (CDU), is arranged outside a housing (13) of the first plug-in device (2.1) and inside or outside the IT rack (1).

11. Arrangement according to claim 10, wherein in the case that the at least one module is arranged within the IT track (1), the module is one of the at least two plug-in devices (2.1) which are inserted into at least one of the plug-in units (2).

12. Arrangement according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the at least one assembly is an expansion vessel (10) which is fluidically connected, preferably directly, to a coolant distribution channel (7) of the direct liquid cooling (DLC), wherein the expansion vessel (10) is particularly preferably arranged outside the IT rack (1).

13. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, in which the direct liquid cooling (DLC) modules designed as individual plug-in units (2.1) comprise at least two identical or identically constructed Assemblies, preferably several similar or identical pump units (RPU), of which particularly preferably at least two of the similar or identical pump units (RPU) are designed as redundant pump units (RPU).

14. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, in which at least one of the plug-in devices (2.1) has a housing (13) in which at least two redundant, preferably parallel-connected, pumps (14) are arranged, wherein the housing (13) is otherwise free of at least one compressor, one expansion means and one condenser, and preferably free of all other active components of a refrigeration machine.

15. Arrangement according to claim 14, wherein furthermore at least one heat exchanger (12) is accommodated in the housing (13), wherein for the component cooling of an IT infrastructure with the redundant pumps (14) cooling liquid is conveyed or can be conveyed through an inner circuit (15) of the heat exchanger (12), and wherein, if the heat exchanger (12) is a liquid-liquid heat exchanger, preferably an outer circuit (17) of the liquid-liquid heat exchanger is connected or can be connected to a recooler (16) for cooling liquid.

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