Manifold module

Abstract

A manifold module, relating to the technical field of cold plate liquid cooling. The manifold module comprises a manifold, and a liquid supply pipe and a liquid return pipe are connected onto the manifold. The manifold module further comprises an outer frame, and an accommodating cavity and a liquid collecting cavity are formed in the outer frame. The manifold, at least part of the liquid supply pipe, and at least part of the liquid return pipe are accommodated in the accommodating cavity, and the liquid collecting cavity is communicated with the accommodating cavity, so that leaked liquid present in the accommodating cavity can be collected into the liquid collecting cavity. The manifold module is additionally provided with the outer frame capable of collecting leaked liquid leaking from the position of the manifold, thereby solving the problem of significant potential risks to hardware and data of servers caused by leakage of cooling working mediums at pipe connection positions on manifolds, and improving the operational security and stability of the servers.

Description

A water distribution module

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on January 19, 2024, with application number 202410084559.0 and invention name “A water collection module”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of cold plate liquid cooling, and in particular to a water distribution module. Background Art

[0003] At present, cold plate liquid cooling technology is a mainstream heat dissipation technology for servers.

[0004] In existing systems, cold plate liquid cooling systems consist of a cold plate, a manifold, and supply and return pipes connected between the manifold and the cold plate. The manifold acts as a water distribution and collection device connecting the supply and return pipes. Cold plate liquid cooling systems utilize a cold plate in contact with heat-generating components like the motherboard, distributing liquid coolant to the cold plate through the manifold, thereby dissipating heat from the motherboard.

[0005] In the process of implementing the present invention, the inventors discovered that the prior art has at least the following problems:

[0006] To reduce the maintenance time and cost of cold plate liquid cooling systems, quick connectors are often used to connect the supply and return pipes and the manifold. However, defects in the quick connectors can lead to the risk of liquid cooling fluid leakage, which can pose a significant threat to the server's hardware and data security.

[0007] Therefore, how to avoid the huge hidden dangers to the hardware and data security of the server caused by the leakage of liquid cooling medium at the joint connection of the manifold is a technical problem that technical personnel in this field currently need to solve.

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] The purpose of this application is to provide a water distribution module, which can solve the problem of great hidden dangers to the hardware and data security of the server caused by leakage of liquid cooling medium at the joint connection of the water distribution module.

[0010] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application provides a water distribution module, comprising a water distribution device, to which a liquid supply pipe and a liquid return pipe are connected, and the water distribution module further comprises an outer frame;

[0011] The outer frame is provided with a receiving cavity, in which the manifold, at least a part of the liquid supply pipe and at least a part of the liquid return pipe are received;

[0012] A liquid collecting chamber is further provided in the outer frame, and the liquid collecting chamber is communicated with the accommodating chamber, so that the leaked liquid in the accommodating chamber can be collected in the liquid collecting chamber.

[0013] In some embodiments, a support structure is further included, which is connected to the outer frame and is used to support the outer frame to form a diversion slope inside the outer frame for diverting leaked liquid.

[0014] In some embodiments, the outer frame includes a liquid collecting shell located at the bottom, and the liquid collecting cavity is provided in the liquid collecting shell;

[0015] The liquid collection housing includes:

[0016] Bottom plate, the bottom plate is provided with a diversion slope;

[0017] The enclosure assembly is arranged on the bottom plate and is arranged around the outer periphery of the guide slope to form a liquid collecting cavity.

[0018] In some embodiments, the liquid collecting housing further comprises a baffle, and the baffle and the enclosure assembly form a closed-loop enclosure structure on the bottom plate to prevent leaked liquid from splashing out of the outer frame.

[0019] In some embodiments, the outer frame further comprises an outer cover, which is connected to the liquid collecting housing;

[0020] The outer cover comprises a positioning plate assembly, and the liquid supply pipe and the liquid return pipe pass through the positioning plate assembly and are positioned at the positioning plate assembly.

[0021] In some embodiments, the positioning plate assembly includes:

[0022] A first positioning plate, wherein a first positioning groove and a second positioning groove are provided on the first positioning plate, and both the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove are upwardly open positioning grooves;

[0023] A second positioning plate is provided with a third positioning groove and a fourth positioning groove, and the third positioning groove and the fourth positioning groove are both positioning grooves opening downward;

[0024] Among them, the second positioning plate is docked with the first positioning plate, so that the first positioning groove and the third positioning groove are staggered to form a liquid supply positioning structure for positioning the liquid supply pipe, and the second positioning groove and the fourth positioning groove are staggered to form a liquid return positioning structure for positioning the liquid return pipe.

[0025] In some embodiments, an observation window is further provided on the outer frame, and a liquid level indicator is provided on the inner side wall of the liquid collecting shell. The observation window is used to observe the indicated liquid level of the leaked liquid in the liquid collecting shell.

[0026] In some embodiments, the observation window is rotatably connected to the top of the outer frame, and the observation window is flipped toward the outside of the outer frame to form an installation and removal opening for installing and removing the liquid supply pipe and the liquid return pipe.

[0027] In some embodiments, a liquid collecting tank is provided in the liquid collecting housing, and the liquid level indicator is provided on the inner wall of the liquid collecting tank, and the liquid level indicator includes a warning scale line.

[0028] In some embodiments, it also includes a liquid extraction tube, a liquid extraction component, a liquid leakage detection sensor and a control component. The control component is electrically connected to the liquid leakage detection sensor and the liquid extraction component. The liquid extraction component is connected to the liquid collection tank through the liquid extraction tube to control the liquid extraction component to open and extract the leaked liquid in the liquid collection tank when the leakage in the liquid collection tank exceeds the warning scale line.

[0029] Compared to the above-mentioned background technology, the water distribution module provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a water distribution unit, to which a liquid supply pipe and a liquid return pipe are connected. Furthermore, the water distribution unit also includes an outer frame, in which a receiving chamber and a liquid collecting chamber are provided. The water distribution unit, at least a portion of the liquid supply pipe, and at least a portion of the liquid return pipe are received in the receiving chamber; the liquid collecting chamber is connected to the receiving chamber, so that liquid leakage in the receiving chamber can be collected in the liquid collecting chamber. It can be seen that, on the one hand, since the water distribution unit, at least a portion of the liquid supply pipe, and at least a portion of the liquid return pipe are received in the receiving chamber, the leakage points in the connection between the water distribution unit and the liquid supply pipe, and the leakage points in the connection between the water distribution unit and the liquid return pipe are all located in the receiving chamber, thus ensuring that liquid leakage at the water distribution unit position is collected by the outer frame. On the other hand, liquid leakage in the receiving chamber can be collected in the liquid collecting chamber, further ensuring that liquid leakage at the water distribution unit position will not leak out and affect the hardware and data security of the server. Compared with the traditional setting method, the water distribution module provided in the embodiment of the present application is equipped with an outer frame that can collect leaked liquid at the position of the water distribution and collection device, thereby solving the problem of great hidden dangers to the hardware and data security of the server caused by leakage of liquid cooling medium at the pipe connection on the water distribution and collection device, and improving the safety and stability of the server operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without any creative work.

[0031] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of a water distribution module in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG2 is a top view of FIG1 ;

[0033] FIG3 is a cross-sectional view of a water distribution module in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the outer frame of the water distribution module shown in FIG3;

[0035] FIG5 is a right side view of the outer frame shown in FIG4 ;

[0036] FIG6 is a bottom view of the outer frame shown in FIG4 ;

[0037] FIG7 is a front view of the outer frame shown in FIG4 ;

[0038] FIG8 is a cross-sectional view of the outer frame shown in FIG4 .

[0039] in:

[0040] 1- water collection module;

[0041] 11-manifold, 12-liquid supply pipe, 13-liquid return pipe, 14-outer frame, 15-accommodation cavity, 16-liquid collection cavity, 17-support structure;

[0042] 141-outer cover, 142-liquid collecting housing;

[0043] 1411- positioning plate assembly, 1412- observation window;

[0044] 1421-base plate, 1422-enclosure assembly, 1423-baffle;

[0045] 14211-Diversion slope. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0047] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0048] It should be noted that the directional terms such as "upper end, lower end, left side, right side" described below are all defined based on the drawings in the specification.

[0049] Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 3, the water distribution module 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a water distribution manifold 11, to which is connected a liquid supply pipe 12 and a liquid return pipe 13. The liquid supply pipe 12 and the liquid return pipe 13 are connected to the water distribution manifold 11 in pairs, and both the liquid supply pipe 12 and the liquid return pipe 13 are connected to the cold plate. The liquid supply pipe 12 is used to transport the liquid cooling medium distributed by the water distribution manifold 11 to the cold plate, and the liquid return pipe 13 is used to return the liquid cooling medium after heat exchange in the cold plate to the water distribution manifold 11. The number of liquid supply pipes 12 and liquid return pipes 13 can be set according to the working components on the server that require liquid cooling, and this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0050] Please also refer to FIG. 4 . The water distribution and collection module 1 further includes an outer frame 14 . The outer frame 14 is provided with a receiving cavity 15 and a liquid collecting cavity 16 .

[0051] Taking a liquid supply pipe 12 and a liquid return pipe 13 on the sub-manifold 11 as an example, the sub-manifold 11, at least part of the liquid supply pipe 12 and at least part of the liquid return pipe 13 are accommodated in the accommodating chamber 15; the liquid collecting chamber 16 is connected to the accommodating chamber 15, so that the leaked liquid in the accommodating chamber 15 can be collected in the liquid collecting chamber 16.

[0052] It can be understood that since the sub-manifold 11, at least part of the liquid supply pipe 12 and at least part of the return liquid pipe 13 are accommodated in the accommodating chamber 15, the leakage points at the connecting part between the sub-manifold 11 and the liquid supply pipe 12, and the connecting part between the sub-manifold 11 and the return liquid pipe 13 are all located in the accommodating chamber 15, so that it can be ensured that the leaked liquid at the position of the sub-manifold 11 is collected by the outer frame 14.

[0053] It should be noted that the liquid supply pipe 12 and the liquid return pipe 13 are both connected to the manifold 11 through quick connectors. Based on this, the connection positions between the manifold 11, the liquid supply pipe 12 and the corresponding quick connectors, as well as the connection positions between the manifold 11, the liquid return pipe 13 and the corresponding quick connectors are all located within the accommodating cavity 15, so as to ensure that no liquid leaks to the outside of the outer frame 14.

[0054] On the basis of the above, the leaked liquid in the accommodating chamber 15 can be collected in the liquid collecting chamber 16, further ensuring that the leaked liquid at the position of the sub-collector 11 will not leak out and affect the hardware and data security of the server.

[0055] Compared with the traditional setting method, the water distribution module 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application is equipped with an outer frame 14 that can collect leaked liquid at the position of the water distribution device 11, thereby solving the problem of great hidden dangers to the hardware and data security of the server caused by the leakage of liquid cooling medium at the pipe connection on the water distribution device 11, and improving the safety and stability of the server operation.

[0056] In order to facilitate the diversion of the leaked liquid entering the liquid collection chamber 16 to achieve the purpose of liquid collection, a diversion slope 14211 can also be set inside the outer frame 14. The diversion slope 14211 is inclined to one side so that the leaked liquid entering the liquid collection chamber 16 can flow down along the diversion slope 14211 to achieve liquid collection.

[0057] Please refer to Figures 6, 7 and 8 together. The water distribution module 1 also includes a support structure 17, which is connected to the outer frame 14. The support structure 17 is used to support the outer frame 14 to form a diversion slope 14211 inside the outer frame 14 for diverting leaked liquid.

[0058] Of course, the support structure 17 can be a support leg or a folding plate structure, such as an L-shaped folding plate.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 4 , the outer frame 14 includes an outer cover 141 and a liquid collecting shell 142 located at the bottom. The liquid collecting chamber 16 is provided in the liquid collecting shell 142 .

[0060] It can be seen that in order to facilitate liquid collection, a liquid collection shell 142 is set at the bottom of the outer frame 14, and the liquid collection cavity 16 is located in the liquid collection shell 142. The liquid collection shell 142 can be connected to the bottom of the outer cover 141 by detachable connectors such as bolts and screws.

[0061] It should be noted that two of the above-mentioned support structures 17 can be provided, and the two support structures 17 are respectively provided on both sides of the outer frame 14 along the length direction. In order to facilitate the formation of a diversion slope 14211 inside the liquid collection shell 142 that can divert the leaked liquid, the bottom surface of the support structure 17 can be set to be inclined to the diversion slope 14211, or the bottom surface of the support structure 17 is not parallel to the diversion slope 14211. In this way, when the bottom surface of the support structure 17 is placed flat on the horizontal plane, the diversion slope 14211 can be inclined at a preset angle to the horizontal direction, that is, the diversion slope 14211 is inclined toward one side, so that the leaked liquid can flow down along the diversion slope 14211 to achieve the purpose of collecting liquid.

[0062] Specifically, the liquid collecting shell 142 includes a bottom plate 1421 and a surrounding plate assembly 1422, wherein the guide slope 14211 is arranged on the bottom plate 1421, the surrounding plate assembly 1422 is arranged on the bottom plate 1421, and the surrounding plate assembly 1422 is arranged around the outer periphery of the guide slope 14211 to form a liquid collecting chamber 16.

[0063] For example, for a rectangular (four-sided) guide slope 14211 , the bottom edge and two side edges adjacent to the bottom edge of the guide slope 14211 can be provided with enclosures, that is, the guide slope 14211 and the three enclosures together form a liquid collecting chamber 16 .

[0064] In addition, the liquid collection housing 142 also includes a baffle 1423, which is disposed on the top edge of the diversion slope 14211. The baffle 1423 and the enclosure assembly 1422 form a closed-loop enclosure structure on the bottom plate 1421, thereby forming a liquid collection box or tray structure. The upper end of the liquid collection box structure is open for receiving liquid dripping from the accommodating chamber 15. The function of the baffle 1423 is to prevent the leaked liquid from splashing out of the outer frame 14 when it falls onto the diversion slope 14211, thereby affecting the safe operation of the server.

[0065] It should be noted that the bottom and top edges of the aforementioned diversion slope 14211 are based on the actual working posture of the outer frame 14. When the bottom surface of the support structure 17 is placed flat on a horizontal surface, the diversion slope 14211 is inclined at a predetermined angle to the horizontal direction. In this case, the higher side of the diversion slope 14211 is the top edge, and the lower side is the bottom edge.

[0066] Please refer to FIG. 5 . The outer cover 141 is disposed on the outside of the liquid collecting housing 142 . The outer cover 141 includes a positioning plate assembly 1411 . The liquid supply pipe 12 and the liquid return pipe 13 pass through the positioning plate assembly 1411 and are positioned therein.

[0067] Correspondingly, a fixing plate may be provided on the opposite side of the positioning plate assembly 1411 , and the fixing plate is used to fix the manifold 11 , and the manifold 11 is fixedly installed on the inner side of the fixing plate.

[0068] In this embodiment, the positioning plate assembly 1411 includes a first positioning plate and a second positioning plate.

[0069] Among them, the first positioning plate can be connected to the liquid collection shell 142, for example, connected to the baffle 1423 by screws, and the first positioning plate is provided with a first positioning groove and a second positioning groove, and the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove are both positioning grooves opening upward; the second positioning plate is provided with a third positioning groove and a fourth positioning groove, and the third positioning groove and the fourth positioning groove are both positioning grooves opening downward.

[0070] It should be emphasized that the second positioning plate is docked with the first positioning plate, so that the first positioning groove and the third positioning groove are staggered to form a liquid supply positioning structure for positioning the liquid supply pipe 12, and the second positioning groove and the fourth positioning groove are staggered to form a liquid return positioning structure for positioning the liquid return pipe 13.

[0071] Of course, according to actual application needs, the first positioning groove, the second positioning groove, the third positioning groove and the fourth positioning groove are all U-shaped grooves, and the shape and structure of the liquid supply positioning structure are adapted to the shape and structure of the liquid supply pipe 12. Similarly, the shape and structure of the liquid return positioning structure are adapted to the shape and structure of the liquid return pipe 13, and the number of the first positioning groove, the second positioning groove, the third positioning groove and the fourth positioning groove is adjusted according to the actual number of liquid supply pipes 12 and liquid return pipes 13. This can ensure the stability of the positioning of the liquid supply pipe 12 and the liquid return pipe 13, and prevent the liquid supply pipe 12 and the liquid return pipe 13 from vibrating during the operation of the server. It can not only ensure the stable distribution of the liquid cooling medium in the manifold 11, but also effectively avoid the leakage of liquid cooling medium from the weak position of the pipeline connection due to the vibration of the liquid supply pipe 12 and the liquid return pipe 13, thereby greatly improving the safety of the server operation.

[0072] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3 , the outer frame 14 is further provided with an observation window 1412 , and the inner side wall of the liquid collecting housing 142 is provided with a liquid level indicator. The observation window 1412 is used to observe the indicated liquid level of the leaked liquid in the liquid collecting housing 142 .

[0073] In this embodiment, the observation window 1412 is a transparent window, through which the amount of liquid leakage in the outer frame 14 can be directly observed, which is conducive to timely handling of the leakage.

[0074] In some embodiments, the observation window 1412 is rotatably connected to the top of the outer frame 14 . The observation window 1412 is turned toward the outside of the outer frame 14 to form an installation and removal opening for installing and removing the liquid supply pipe 12 and the liquid return pipe 13 .

[0075] That is to say, in addition to being able to observe the amount of liquid leakage in the outer frame 14, the observation window 1412 can also serve as an installation and removal port for installing and removing the liquid supply pipe 12 and the liquid return pipe 13. In this way, when the manifold 11 needs to be maintained, the manifold 11 and the pipelines thereon can be repaired and replaced by opening the installation and removal port without removing the outer frame 14, thereby greatly improving work efficiency.

[0076] In some embodiments, a liquid collecting tank is provided in the liquid collecting shell 142, and the liquid collecting tank extends along the arrangement direction of the liquid supply pipe 12 and the liquid return pipe 13 on the sub-collector 11, or in other words, the liquid collecting tank extends along the length direction of the sub-collector 11, and the liquid level indicator is provided on the inner wall of the liquid collecting tank, and the liquid level indicator includes a warning scale line.

[0077] The so-called warning scale line refers to the warning level of the amount of liquid leakage in the outer frame 14. When the amount of liquid leakage in the outer frame 14 exceeds the warning scale line, the leaked liquid needs to be extracted in time.

[0078] In some embodiments, the water collection module 1 also includes a liquid extraction pipe, a liquid extraction component, a liquid leakage detection sensor and a control component. The liquid extraction component can be a liquid extraction pump. The control component is electrically connected to the liquid leakage detection sensor and the liquid extraction component. The liquid extraction component is connected to the liquid collection tank through the liquid extraction pipe. The control component is used to control the liquid extraction component to open and extract the leaked liquid in the liquid collection tank when the leakage in the liquid collection tank exceeds the warning scale line.

[0079] It should be noted that, in this specification, relational terms such as first and second are merely used to distinguish one entity from other entities, but do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities.

[0080] The above provides a detailed introduction to the water distribution and collection module provided by this application. This document uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above examples is intended only to facilitate understanding of the solution and core concept of this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various improvements and modifications to this application without departing from the principles of this application, and such improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A water distribution and collection module, comprising a water distributor and collector, wherein a liquid supply pipe and a liquid return pipe are connected to the water distributor and collector, and it is characterized in that, The manifold module further includes an outer housing; An accommodation cavity is provided inside the outer housing, and the manifold, at least part of the liquid supply pipe, and at least part of the liquid return pipe are accommodated in the accommodation cavity; A liquid collection cavity is also provided inside the outer housing, and the liquid collection cavity is communicated with the accommodation cavity, so that the leaked liquid appearing in the accommodation cavity can be collected into the liquid collection cavity.

2. The manifold module according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a support structure, the support structure is connected to the outer housing, and the support structure is used to support the outer housing to form a diversion slope inside the outer housing for guiding the leaked liquid.

3. The manifold module according to claim 2, wherein, The outer housing includes a liquid collection housing at the bottom, and the liquid collection cavity is provided in the liquid collection housing; The liquid collection housing includes: A bottom plate, and the bottom plate is provided with the diversion slope; A surrounding plate assembly, the surrounding plate assembly is provided on the bottom plate, and the surrounding plate assembly surrounds the outer periphery of the diversion slope to form the liquid collection cavity.

4. The manifold module according to claim 3, wherein The liquid collection housing further includes a baffle, and the baffle and the surrounding plate assembly form a closed enclosure structure on the bottom plate to prevent the leaked liquid from splashing out of the outer housing.

5. The manifold module according to claim 3, wherein The outer housing further includes an outer cover, and the outer cover is connected to the liquid collection housing; The outer cover includes a positioning plate assembly, and the liquid supply pipe and the liquid return pipe pass through the positioning plate assembly and are positioned by the positioning plate assembly.

6. The manifold module according to claim 5, wherein, The positioning plate assembly includes: A first positioning plate, the first positioning plate is provided with a first positioning groove and a second positioning groove, and both the first positioning groove and the second positioning groove are positioning grooves with upward openings; A second positioning plate, the second positioning plate is provided with a third positioning groove and a fourth positioning groove, and both the third positioning groove and the fourth positioning groove are positioning grooves with downward openings; Wherein, the second positioning plate is butt-jointed and installed with the first positioning plate, so that the first positioning groove and the third positioning groove are staggered to form a liquid supply positioning structure for positioning the liquid supply pipe, and the second positioning groove and the fourth positioning groove are staggered to form a liquid return positioning structure for positioning the liquid return pipe.

7. The manifold module according to claim 3, wherein An observation window is also provided on the outer housing, an indication liquid level is provided on the inner side wall of the liquid collection housing, and the observation window is used to observe the indication liquid level where the leaked liquid is located in the liquid collection housing.

8. The manifold module according to claim 7, characterized in that, The observation window is rotatably connected to the top of the outer housing, and after the observation window is turned outward of the outer housing, it forms a disassembly and assembly opening for disassembling and assembling the liquid supply pipe and the liquid return pipe.

9. The manifold module according to claim 7, wherein A liquid collection groove is provided in the liquid collection housing, and the indication liquid level is provided on the inner wall of the liquid collection groove, and the indication liquid level includes a warning scale line.

10. The diverting and collecting water module according to claim 9, characterized in that, It further includes a liquid extraction pipe, a liquid extraction assembly, a leaked liquid detection sensor, and a control assembly. The control assembly is electrically connected to the leaked liquid detection sensor and the liquid extraction assembly. The liquid extraction assembly is connected to the liquid collection groove through the liquid extraction pipe to control the liquid extraction assembly to start and extract the leaked liquid in the liquid collection groove when the leaked liquid in the liquid collection groove exceeds the warning scale line.

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