Liquid cooling device and testing method for liquid cooling device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of liquid cooling testing. Disclosed are a liquid cooling device and a testing method for a liquid cooling device. The liquid cooling device comprises a cold water circulation system, a cold plate circulation system, and a data acquisition module. The cold water circulation system forms a heat exchange connection with the cold plate circulation system by means of a heat exchanger, so as to cool a refrigerant in the cold plate circulation system; the cold plate circulation system comprises a cold plate module; the cold plate module comprises a case and several rotating assemblies connected in parallel; each rotating assembly is rotatably connected to the case; each rotating assembly comprises a detection assembly, a regulating valve and at least two cold plate bodies connected in series and having a heat source; the data acquisition module is in communication connection with the detection assembly; and the data acquisition module is configured to acquire refrigerant performance data detected by the detection assembly. The liquid cooling device solves the problem of the current lack of performance testing for series-parallel combined two-phase cold plate liquid cooling systems.

Description

A liquid cooling device and a test method for the liquid cooling device.

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This disclosure claims the benefit and priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 202411441712.7, filed on October 16, 2024, entitled “A liquid cooling device and a testing method for a liquid cooling device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of liquid cooling technology, and in particular to a liquid cooling device and a testing method for the liquid cooling device. Background Technology

[0004] Currently, with the booming development of cloud computing and big data, liquid cooling data center heat dissipation technology with low PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness, an indicator for evaluating the energy efficiency of data centers) and high heat dissipation density has emerged.

[0005] Among related technologies, the two-phase cold plate liquid cooling system utilizes the latent heat of vaporization phase change of the working fluid to quickly remove heat, which undoubtedly has the highest cooling efficiency. At the same time, the latent heat of phase change of the working fluid is much greater than the sensible heat, the circulating working fluid flow rate is smaller, the power consumption of the circulating pump is lower, and it will inevitably have a lower PUE value.

[0006] Currently, the existence of two-phase flow patterns and the resulting pressure oscillations in series-parallel combined two-phase cold plate liquid cooling systems is one of the key reasons limiting the large-scale application of this technology. However, current testing mainly focuses on performance testing of a single heat source, including heat dissipation and pressure changes during operation. Little attention is paid to performance testing of two-phase cold plate liquid cooling systems in different application scenarios, and there is a lack of performance testing platforms and research methods for series-parallel combined two-phase cold plate liquid cooling systems. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The first aspect of this disclosure provides a liquid cooling device, including a cold water circulation system and a cold plate circulation system, wherein the cold water circulation system forms a heat exchange connection with the cold plate circulation system through a heat exchanger to cool the refrigerant in the cold plate circulation system;

[0008] The cold plate circulation system includes a cold plate module, which includes a housing and several parallel rotating components. Each rotating component is rotatably connected to the housing. Each rotating component includes a detection component, a regulating valve, and at least two cold plate bodies with heat sources connected in series. Each rotating component is used to rotate relative to the housing, so that the corresponding cold plate body rotates to a target angle. The detection component is used to detect the refrigerant performance data when the corresponding cold plate body rotates to the target angle. The regulating valve is used to regulate the refrigerant flow rate of the corresponding cold plate body.

[0009] The liquid cooling device also includes a data acquisition module, which is communicatively connected to the detection component and is used to acquire refrigerant performance data detected by the detection component.

[0010] In some embodiments, the housing is provided with a first mounting cavity, and each of the rotating components is rotatably disposed in the first mounting cavity, and the rotation axes of each of the rotating components are parallel to each other.

[0011] In some embodiments, the cold plate module further includes a plurality of liquid phase quick connectors and a plurality of gas phase quick connectors, and the rotating assembly is connected to the corresponding liquid phase quick connectors and gas phase quick connectors to form a cold plate branch.

[0012] The housing is further provided with a second mounting cavity, which is separated from the first mounting cavity. Each of the liquid phase quick connectors and each of the gas phase quick connectors are located in the second mounting cavity.

[0013] In some embodiments, the second mounting cavity is provided with a liquid inlet pipe and a gas outlet pipe, the liquid inlet pipe and the gas outlet pipe are located on the same inner wall of the housing, and the liquid inlet pipe is located above the gas outlet pipe. Each of the liquid phase quick connectors is connected to the liquid inlet pipe, and each of the gas phase quick connectors is connected to the gas outlet pipe.

[0014] In some embodiments, each of the rotating components further includes a rotating bracket, which is U-shaped and whose two ends are rotatably connected to the inner walls of the two sides of the first mounting cavity. The rotating bracket is used to install the detection component, the regulating valve, and at least two cold plate bodies connected in series with the heat source on the corresponding cold plate branch.

[0015] In some embodiments, the rotating bracket is provided with a receiving groove for accommodating the cold plate body, the depth of the receiving groove being greater than or equal to the thickness of the cold plate body, and the width of the receiving groove being equal to the width of the cold plate body.

[0016] In some embodiments, the housing is provided with a plurality of fixing holes, and the fixing holes correspond one-to-one with the rotating bracket;

[0017] The cold plate module also includes several fasteners, which cooperate with the corresponding fixing holes to fix the positions of the corresponding rotating bracket and the housing.

[0018] In some embodiments, the detection component includes a flow sensor, a temperature sensor, and a pressure sensor, wherein the number of cold plate bodies on any cold plate branch is two, the number of flow sensors is one, the number of pressure sensors is four, and the number of temperature sensors is three.

[0019] The flow sensor and the pressure sensor are provided between the liquid phase quick connector and the regulating valve. The pressure sensor and the temperature sensor are provided between the two cold plate bodies, between the regulating valve and one of the cold plate bodies, and between the gas phase quick connector and the other cold plate body.

[0020] In some embodiments, the liquid cooling device further includes a control module, which is communicatively connected to the data acquisition module, the chilled water circulation system, each regulating valve in the cold plate circulation system, and each heat source. The control module is used to control the opening and closing of each regulating valve in the chilled water circulation system, the cold plate circulation system, and each heat source to switch between different test scenarios, and to control the opening degree of each regulating valve according to the data acquired by the data acquisition module in the same test scenario, so as to adjust the refrigerant flow rate of the corresponding cold plate branch where the regulating valve is located.

[0021] In some embodiments, the control module is configured to receive refrigerant performance data of the corresponding cold plate branch collected by the data acquisition module, and determine whether the refrigerant performance data of the corresponding cold plate branch meets the refrigerant performance data required for the cold plate circulation system to be in a stable state. Furthermore, when the refrigerant performance data of the corresponding cold plate branch does not meet the refrigerant performance data required for the cold plate circulation system to be in a stable state, the control module determines a corresponding drive control signal for adjusting the regulating valve to control the opening degree of the regulating valve, thereby ensuring that the refrigerant performance data of the corresponding cold plate branch meets the refrigerant performance data required for the cold plate circulation system to be in a stable state.

[0022] In some embodiments, the liquid cooling device further includes a data recording module, which is communicatively connected to the data acquisition module and the control module. The data recording module is used to record the refrigerant performance data of each cold plate branch when the cold plate circulation system is in a stable state, and transmit it to the control module.

[0023] In some embodiments, the liquid cooling device further includes a prompting module, which is communicatively connected to the control module. The prompting module is used to provide text or sound prompts when the refrigerant performance data of the corresponding cold plate branch reaches the refrigerant performance data required for the cold plate circulation system to be in a stable state.

[0024] In some embodiments, the chilled water circulation system includes a chiller unit and a first circulating water pump, the heat exchanger includes a chilled water pipe connected to the chilled water circulation system, and the first circulating water pump is used to transport chilled water from the chiller unit to the chilled water pipe and return it to the chiller unit for further cooling.

[0025] In some embodiments, the cold plate circulation system further includes a second circulating water pump, and the heat exchanger further includes a refrigerant pipe connected to the cold plate circulation system. The second circulating water pump is used to transport refrigerant from the refrigerant pipe to the cold plate module and return it to the refrigerant pipe for further cooling.

[0026] In some embodiments, both the cold water circulation system and the cold plate circulation system further include a liquid storage tank. The liquid storage tank in the cold water circulation system is used to store cold water to ensure that the cold water circulation system has water circulation under different load conditions. The liquid storage tank in the cold plate circulation system is used to store refrigerant to ensure that the cold plate circulation system has refrigerant circulation under different load conditions.

[0027] In some embodiments, a drying filter is provided between the second circulating water pump and the cold plate module, and sight glasses are provided between the drying filter and the cold plate module, as well as on both sides of the refrigerant pipe.

[0028] This disclosure also provides a testing method for a liquid cooling device, used to test the liquid cooling device described in any of the above claims, the testing method for the liquid cooling device comprising:

[0029] Control the opening of the regulating valves and corresponding heat sources of the rotating components under test in the cold water circulation system and cold plate circulation system;

[0030] Control the rotation of the rotating component to be tested, so that the cold plate body of the rotating component to be tested is adjusted to the target angle;

[0031] After the cold plate circulation system is in a stable state, the detection component of the rotating component to be tested is turned on, and the refrigerant performance data detected by the detection component is collected through the data acquisition module. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments or related technologies of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1 is a connection diagram of the liquid cooling device in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0034] Figure 2 is a plan view of the cold plate module in the liquid cooling device shown in Figure 1;

[0035] Figure 3 is an elevation view of the cold plate module in the liquid cooling device shown in Figure 1;

[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the four cold plate branches in the first position of the cold plate module shown in Figure 3;

[0037] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a single cold plate branch in the cold plate module shown in Figure 3 in the second position;

[0038] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a single cold plate branch in the cold plate module shown in Figure 3 in the third position;

[0039] Figure 7 is a connection diagram of another liquid cooling device in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0040] Figure 8 is a control block diagram of the liquid cooling device shown in Figure 7;

[0041] Figure 9 is a flowchart of the test method for the liquid cooling device in the embodiments of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0043] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present disclosure, the present disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0044] Please refer to Figures 1 and 7. The liquid cooling device provided in this embodiment is suitable for dual-phase cold plate liquid cooling and includes a cold water circulation system 10, a cold plate circulation system 20, and a data acquisition module 30.

[0045] The cold water circulation system 10 forms a heat exchange connection with the cold plate circulation system 20 through the heat exchanger 13 to cool the refrigerant in the cold plate circulation system 20.

[0046] The chilled water circulation system 10 includes a chiller unit 11 and a first circulating water pump 12. The heat exchanger 13 (or condenser) includes a chilled water pipe 131 connected to the chilled water circulation system 10. The first circulating water pump 12 is used to transport chilled water from the chiller unit 11 to the chilled water pipe 131 of the heat exchanger 13 and return it to the chiller unit 11 for further cooling.

[0047] The core function of the chiller unit 11 is refrigeration. It absorbs heat by evaporating refrigerant in the evaporator, thereby reducing the temperature of the circulating water. The first circulating water pump 12 is responsible for transporting the chilled water cooled by the chiller unit 11 to the chilled water pipe 131 of the heat exchanger 13, and enabling the cooled water to return to the chiller unit 11 for further cooling, forming a closed-loop circulation system.

[0048] In other words, in the chilled water circulation system 10, the chiller unit 11 is responsible for providing the cold source, while the first circulating water pump 12 is responsible for delivering the cold source to the area that needs to be cooled (i.e., the chilled water pipe 131 of the heat exchanger 13). The two work together to maintain the stable operation of the entire system.

[0049] In addition, the chilled water circulation system 10 also includes a storage tank 14 or a buffer tank and a flow meter (volumetric flow meter). The storage tank 14 is located between the chiller unit 11 and the first circulating water pump 12. The storage tank 14 is used to store chilled water to ensure that the chilled water circulation system 10 has sufficient water for circulation under different load conditions. The flow meter is located between the first circulating water pump 12 and the heat exchanger 13. The flow meter is used to detect the flow rate of chilled water in the chilled water circulation system 10.

[0050] The cold plate circulation system 20 includes a second circulating water pump 21 and a cold plate module 22. The heat exchanger 13 also includes a refrigerant pipe 132, which is connected to the cold plate circulation system 20. The second circulating water pump 21 is used to transport refrigerant from the refrigerant pipe 132 of the heat exchanger 13 to the cold plate module 22 and return it to the refrigerant pipe 132 for further cooling.

[0051] Please refer to Figures 2 and 3 together. The cold plate module 22 includes a housing 221 and several parallel rotating components 222. Each rotating component 222 is rotatably connected to the housing 221. Each rotating component 222 includes a detection component, a regulating valve 2225, and at least two cold plate bodies 2226 connected in series with heat sources. Each rotating component 222 is used to rotate relative to the housing 221, so that the corresponding cold plate body 2226 rotates to a target angle. The detection component is used to detect the refrigerant performance data when the corresponding cold plate body 2226 rotates to the target angle. The regulating valve 2225 is used to regulate the refrigerant flow rate of the cold plate branch where the corresponding cold plate body 2226 is located.

[0052] Specifically, the second circulating water pump 21 is responsible for transporting the refrigerant condensed in the heat exchanger 13 from the refrigerant pipe 132 of the heat exchanger 13 to the cold plate module 22, and enabling the refrigerant after heat exchange in the cold plate module 22 to return to the refrigerant pipe 132 of the heat exchanger 13 for re-condensation, forming a closed-loop circulation system. During measurement, the power consumption of the cold plate heat source is first set, and the performance data of the corresponding cold plate branch is detected by the detection components on the corresponding cold plate branch. At the same time, the flow distribution of each cold plate branch is automatically adjusted by the regulating valve 2225.

[0053] Meanwhile, considering that the cold plate body 2226 is at different installation angles, the gas phase density is low and it accumulates at the top, while the liquid phase density is high and it concentrates at the bottom, affecting the two-phase flow and the contact between the heat source at the bottom of the cold plate body 2226, thus affecting the phase change heat transfer and internal pressure oscillation, this disclosure sets the component containing the cold plate body 2226 as a rotating component 222, so that the angle of the cold plate body 2226 required for the test can be adjusted as needed during the test. Each rotating component 222 includes a detection component, a regulating valve 2225 and at least two cold plate bodies 2226 connected in series with heat sources. Each rotating component 222 is used to rotate relative to the housing 221, so that the corresponding cold plate body 2226 rotates to the target angle. During the test, the angle of the cold plate required for the test can be adjusted, and a single branch or up to four branches of the rotating component 222 can be fixed at any angle, thereby meeting the performance test of the cold plate circulation system 20 under different cold plate angles.

[0054] The so-called performance test mainly includes heat dissipation performance test and pressure oscillation characteristics (pressure oscillation characteristics involve the dynamic response of the system, including pressure fluctuations and stability issues that may occur during the refrigerant flow process).

[0055] In addition, the cold plate circulation system 20 also includes a liquid storage tank 14, which is used to store refrigerant to ensure that the cold plate circulation system 20 has enough refrigerant for circulation under different load conditions; a dryer filter 24 is provided between the second circulating water pump 21 and the cold plate module 22, and sight glasses 25 are provided between the dryer filter 24 and the cold plate module 22, as well as on both sides of the refrigerant pipe 132 of the heat exchanger 13.

[0056] The data acquisition module 30 is connected to the detection component in communication. The data acquisition module 30 is used to collect the refrigerant performance data detected by the detection component.

[0057] Of course, depending on the actual testing needs, the detection components mainly include flow sensor 2222, temperature sensor 2223 and pressure sensor 2224.

[0058] In other words, the data acquisition module 30 is communicatively connected to the flow sensor 2222, the temperature sensor 2223, and the pressure sensor 2224. The data acquisition module 30 is used to acquire the flow data detected by the flow sensor 2222, the temperature data detected by the temperature sensor 2223, and the pressure data detected by the pressure sensor 2224.

[0059] In this way, after the test scenario is adjusted and the system reaches a stable state, the data acquisition module 30 collects the flow data detected by the flow sensor 2222, the temperature data detected by the temperature sensor 2223, and the pressure data detected by the pressure sensor 2224, and records the heat dissipation performance and pressure oscillation of the system measurement points under different power consumption and different cold plate angles in real time.

[0060] Taking the cold plate module 22 with four parallel rotating components 222 as an example:

[0061] For example, to perform a single cold plate test: turn on the chiller unit 11 and the first circulating water pump 12 of the cold water circulation system 10, and the second circulating water pump 21 of the cold plate circulation system 20; turn off the regulating valves 2225 in any three of the four parallel rotating components 222, and the heat sources corresponding to the remaining cold plate bodies 2226 in the remaining rotating component 222, leaving only the heat source corresponding to one cold plate body 2226 in the working state; then control the rotating component 222 to be tested to rotate, so that the cold plate body 2226 of the rotating component 222 to be tested is adjusted to the corresponding target angle; when the system reaches a stable state, the data acquisition module 30 collects the flow data detected by the flow sensor 2222, the temperature data detected by the temperature sensor 2223, and the pressure data detected by the pressure sensor 2224, and records the performance data of each refrigerant in real time, completing the test of the heat dissipation performance of the cold plate circulation system 20 and the pressure oscillation of the system measurement points under different power consumption.

[0062] For example, to perform a series cold plate test: turn on the chiller unit 11 and the first circulating water pump 12 of the cold water circulation system 10, and the second circulating water pump 21 of the cold plate circulation system 20. Turn off the regulating valves 2225 in any three of the four parallel rotating components 222, and keep the heat sources corresponding to at least two cold plate bodies 2226 in one rotating component 222 in working state. Then control the rotating component 222 to be tested to rotate, so that the cold plate body 2226 of the rotating component 222 to be tested is adjusted to the corresponding target angle. When the system reaches a stable state, the flow data detected by the flow sensor 2222, the temperature data detected by the temperature sensor 2223, and the pressure data detected by the pressure sensor 2224 are collected by the data acquisition module 30, and the performance data of each refrigerant are recorded in real time to complete the test of the heat dissipation performance of the cold plate circulation system 20 and the pressure oscillation of the system measuring points under different power consumption.

[0063] For example, in the series-parallel coupled cold plate test: turn on the chiller unit 11 and the first circulating water pump 12 of the cold water circulation system 10, and the second circulating water pump 21 of the cold plate circulation system 20. Turn on all the regulating valves 2225 in the four parallel rotating components 222 inside the test device to keep the heat source corresponding to the cold plate body 2226 in the four parallel rotating components 222 in working state. Then control the rotation of each rotating component 222 to be tested so that the cold plate body 2226 of the rotating component 222 to be tested is adjusted to the corresponding target angle. When the system reaches a stable state, the data acquisition module 30 collects the flow data detected by the flow sensor 2222, the temperature data detected by the temperature sensor 2223, and the pressure data detected by the pressure sensor 2224, and records the performance data of each refrigerant in real time to complete the test of the heat dissipation performance of the cold plate circulation system 20 and the pressure oscillation of the system measurement points under different power consumption.

[0064] The beneficial effects of this liquid cooling system mainly include:

[0065] The liquid cooling device provided in this disclosure is suitable for performance testing (mainly including heat dissipation performance testing and pressure oscillation characteristic testing) of a series-parallel combined high-power dual-phase cold plate liquid cooling system. In particular, considering that the cold plate body 2226 is at different installation angles, the gas phase density is low and it accumulates at the top, while the liquid phase density is high and it concentrates at the bottom, affecting the two-phase flow and the contact between the heat source at the bottom of the cold plate body 2226, and thus affecting the phase change heat transfer and internal pressure oscillation, this disclosure sets the component where the cold plate body 2226 is located as a rotating component 222, so that the angle of the cold plate body 2226 can be adjusted as needed during testing. It is not only suitable for the scenario where the cold plate body 2226 is installed horizontally, but also for the scenario where the cold plate body 2226 is installed at any angle. The test scenarios involved include, but are not limited to, single cold plate performance testing, series testing of two cold plates, and series-parallel coupling testing of four branches.

[0066] Using the above setup, the limits of the liquid cooling device's heat dissipation performance in different test scenarios can be tested. It can also test the pressure oscillation characteristics under different scenarios, thereby guiding the design of the server heat dissipation system. At the same time, it can dynamically allocate traffic according to the traffic demand of different branches to eliminate heat dissipation risks.

[0067] In addition, the above-mentioned liquid cooling device can also be directly applied to server products, such as OAM (Open Acceleration Module) form GPUs (corresponding to the horizontally arranged cold plate body 2226 state) and PCIe (General Purpose Computer Bus Interface) card form GPUs (corresponding to the vertically arranged cold plate body 2226 state).

[0068] Please refer to Figures 4, 5, and 6. The housing 221 has a first mounting cavity 2211 and a second mounting cavity 2212. The second mounting cavity 2212 is separated from the first mounting cavity 2211, and the volume of the first mounting cavity 2211 is larger than that of the second mounting cavity 2212. Each rotating component 222 is rotatably disposed in the first mounting cavity 2211, and the rotation axes of each rotating component 222 are parallel to each other. The cold plate module 22 also includes several liquid phase quick connectors 223 and several gas phase quick connectors 224. The rotating components 222 and the corresponding liquid phase quick connectors 223 and the corresponding gas phase quick connectors 224 form cold plate branches. Each liquid phase quick connector 223 and each gas phase quick connector 224 is disposed in the second mounting cavity 2212.

[0069] In this way, the refrigerant condensed by the radiator is transported from the refrigerant pipe 132 of the heat exchanger 13 to each cold plate branch. The refrigerant enters the cold plate body 2226 in the corresponding cold plate branch through the liquid phase quick connector 223 in each cold plate branch to cool the heat source. Then, it flows out of the corresponding cold plate branch from the gas phase quick connector 224 in the corresponding cold plate branch and flows back to the refrigerant pipe 132 of the heat exchanger 13, thus forming a liquid cooling cycle.

[0070] In addition, the second mounting cavity 2212 is provided with a liquid inlet pipe 225 and a gas outlet pipe 226. The liquid inlet pipe 225 and the gas outlet pipe 226 are located on the same inner wall of the housing 221, and the liquid inlet pipe 225 is located above the gas outlet pipe 226. Each liquid phase quick connector 223 is connected to the liquid inlet pipe 225, and each gas phase quick connector 224 is connected to the gas outlet pipe 226.

[0071] As can be seen, one end of each cold plate branch is connected to the liquid inlet pipe 225 through the corresponding liquid phase quick connector 223. The liquid inlet pipe 225 is used to distribute the condensed refrigerant to the corresponding cold plate branch. The other end of each cold plate branch is connected to the gas outlet pipe 226 through the corresponding gas phase quick connector 224. The refrigerant formed after heat exchange flows through the gas outlet pipe 226 to the main circuit of the cold plate circulation system 20 and returns to the refrigerant pipe 132 of the heat exchanger 13.

[0072] To facilitate the rotation of each rotating component 222, each rotating component 222 also includes a rotating bracket 2221. The rotating bracket 2221 is U-shaped, and its two ends are rotatably connected to the inner walls of the two sides of the first mounting cavity 2211. The rotating bracket 2221 is used to install the flow sensor 2222, temperature sensor 2223, pressure sensor 2224, regulating valve 2225 and at least two series-connected cold plate bodies 2226 with heat sources (preferably two series-connected cold plate bodies 2226 with heat sources) on the corresponding cold plate branch.

[0073] In this way, by rotating and adjusting the rotating bracket 2221, the angle of the cold plate body 2226 required for the test can be adjusted as needed during the test. Each rotating bracket 2221 is equipped with a flow sensor 2222, a temperature sensor 2223, a pressure sensor 2224, a regulating valve 2225, and two cold plate bodies 2226 connected in series with heat sources. During the test, the angle of the cold plate required for the test can be adjusted, and the rotating components 222 of a single branch or up to four branches can be fixed at any angle, thereby meeting the heat dissipation performance test and pressure oscillation characteristics of the cold plate circulation system 20 under different cold plate angles.

[0074] To facilitate the installation of the cold plate body 2226, the rotating bracket 2221 is provided with a receiving groove 22211 for accommodating the cold plate body 2226. The depth of the receiving groove 22211 is greater than or equal to the thickness of the cold plate body 2226, and the width of the receiving groove 22211 is equal to the width of the cold plate body 2226.

[0075] To facilitate the fixing of the rotating bracket 2221 after its angle is adjusted, the housing 221 is provided with several fixing holes 2213, each corresponding to a rotating bracket 2221. Correspondingly, the cold plate module 22 also includes several fasteners 23, which cooperate with the corresponding fixing holes 2213 to fix the position of the corresponding rotating bracket 2221 and housing 221. Of course, the fasteners 23 can be fastening screws.

[0076] It should be noted that, depending on the requirements of the test scenario, the rotating component 222 can be fixed at any angle for a single branch or up to four branches. The rotation function is mainly achieved by the U-shaped rotating bracket 2221. The outer side of the rotating bracket 2221 is connected to a freely rotatable quick connector and a hose. When rotation is required, the rotating bracket 2221 can be rotated, and the angular displacement can be absorbed through the freely rotatable quick connector and hose. When the target angle is reached, the rotating component 222 can be locked by hand-tightening the fastening screw.

[0077] Please refer to Figure 4. All four cold plate branches in the cold plate module 22 are in a horizontal position, or in other words, each cold plate branch is in a 0° horizontal position.

[0078] Please refer to Figure 5. One of the four cold plate branches of the cold plate module 22 is in a 90° vertical position, while the other three cold plate branches are in a 0° horizontal position.

[0079] Please refer to Figure 6. One of the four cold plate branches of the cold plate module 22 is in a 180° position, while the other three cold plate branches are in a 0° horizontal position.

[0080] In some embodiments, the number of cold plate bodies 2226 on any cold plate branch is two, the number of flow sensors 2222 is one, the number of pressure sensors 2224 is four, and the number of temperature sensors 2223 is three. Specifically, a flow sensor 2222 and a pressure sensor 2224 are provided between the liquid phase quick connector 223 and the regulating valve 2225; a pressure sensor 2224 and a temperature sensor 2223 are provided between the two cold plate bodies 2226, between the regulating valve 2225 and one of the cold plate bodies 2226 (the side closer to the regulating valve 2225), and between the gas phase quick connector 224 and the other cold plate body 2226 (the side farther from the regulating valve 2225).

[0081] With this setup, the power consumption of the heat source corresponding to the cold plate body 2226 is first set during measurement. The heat dissipation performance and pressure oscillation characteristics of the dual-phase cold plate liquid cooling system are measured by three temperature sensors 2223 and four pressure sensors 2224 on the branch where the heat source is located. The flow distribution of each cold plate branch is automatically adjusted by regulating valve 2225.

[0082] Therefore, please refer to Figure 7. The liquid cooling device also includes a control module 40. The control module 40 is communicatively connected to the data acquisition module 30, the first circulating water pump 12, the second circulating water pump 21, the regulating valve 2225, and each heat source. The control module 40 is used to control the opening and closing of the first circulating water pump 12, the second circulating water pump 21, each regulating valve 2225, and each heat source to switch different test scenarios. It is also used to control the opening degree of each regulating valve 2225 according to the data collected by the data acquisition module 30 in the same test scenario, so as to adjust the refrigerant flow rate of the cold plate branch where the corresponding regulating valve 2225 is located.

[0083] The control module 40 receives the flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch collected by the data acquisition module 30, and determines whether the flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch meet the requirements for the cold plate circulation system 20 to be in a stable state. Furthermore, the control module 40 determines the corresponding drive control signal for adjusting the regulating valve 2225 when the flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch do not meet the requirements for the cold plate circulation system 20 to be in a stable state, thereby controlling the opening degree of the regulating valve 2225 so that the flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch meet the requirements for the cold plate circulation system 20 to be in a stable state.

[0084] In this embodiment, please refer to Figure 8 as well. The control module 40 includes a receiving unit 41, a judging unit 42, and a control unit 43. The receiving unit 41 receives the flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch collected by the data acquisition module 30. The judging unit 42 is communicatively connected to the receiving unit 41 and is used to judge whether the flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch have reached the required values ​​for the cold plate circulation system 20 to be in a stable state. The control unit 43 is communicatively connected to the judging unit 42 and is used to determine the corresponding drive control signal for adjusting the regulating valve 2225 when the flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch have not reached the required values ​​for the cold plate circulation system 20 to be in a stable state. This control unit controls the opening of the regulating valve 2225 so that the flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch reach the required values ​​for the cold plate circulation system 20 to be in a stable state.

[0085] It should be emphasized that when the judgment unit 42 determines that the flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch have not reached the required flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch when the cold plate circulation system 20 is in a stable state, the control unit 43 can calculate the flow rate, temperature, and pressure data differences that still need to be adjusted, and determine the corresponding drive control signal for adjusting the regulating valve 2225, so as to control the opening of the corresponding regulating valve 2225, so that the flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch reach the required flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch when the cold plate circulation system 20 is in a stable state.

[0086] In some embodiments, the liquid cooling device further includes a data recording module 50, which is communicatively connected to the data acquisition module 30 and the control module 40. The data recording module 50 is used to record the flow rate data, temperature data and pressure data of each cold plate branch when the cold plate circulation system 20 is in a stable state, and transmit them to the control module 40.

[0087] In other words, the data recording module 50 records the flow rate, temperature, and pressure data of each cold plate branch when the cold plate circulation system 20 is in a stable state. This allows the control module 40 to adjust the opening of the corresponding regulating valve 2225 based on the data recorded by the data recording module 50, so that the flow of refrigerant can be distributed to each corresponding cold plate branch. In this way, the flow can be dynamically allocated according to the flow requirements of different cold plate branches to eliminate heat dissipation risks.

[0088] In some embodiments, the liquid cooling device further includes a prompting module 60, which is communicatively connected to the control module 40. The prompting module 60 is used to provide text or sound prompts when the flow rate data, temperature data, and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch reach the flow rate data, temperature data, and pressure data required for the cold plate circulation system 20 to be in a stable state.

[0089] Of course, depending on actual needs, the prompt module 60 can be a sound broadcaster. When the flow rate, temperature and pressure data of the corresponding cold plate branch reach the flow rate, temperature and pressure data required for the cold plate circulation system 20 to be in a stable state, the sound broadcaster can broadcast the sound to prompt the on-site test personnel about the current status of the system.

[0090] Of course, based on the actual safety requirements of the test, in order to ensure that there is no leakage during the test and thus avoid the leakage affecting the normal operation of the working components in the two-phase liquid cooling system, a leak-proof structure can be further set in the cold plate module 22.

[0091] In some embodiments, the leak-proof structure may include a sealing receiving groove disposed at the bottom of the rotating bracket 2221. That is, the receiving groove 22211 disposed at the bottom of the rotating bracket 2221 and used to receive the cold plate body 2226 in the above embodiment is configured as a sealing receiving groove. In this way, the sealing receiving groove can not only serve to receive the cold plate body 2226, but also accommodate the cold plate body 2226 in a relatively sealed groove.

[0092] Understandably, as the rotation angle of the rotating bracket 2221 is adjusted, when the rotating bracket 2221 rotates to a 90° vertical or 180° horizontal position, if leakage occurs at the cold plate body 2226 and its pipe connections, the leakage will drip into the housing 221 of the cold plate module 22 due to gravity, potentially causing a subsequent safety accident due to leakage. Therefore, a sealing receiving groove is provided at the bottom of each rotating bracket 2221 to house the corresponding cold plate body 2226 and its pipe connections. This way, even if leakage occurs at the pipe connections of the cold plate body 2226, the leakage will remain in the sealing receiving groove as the rotating bracket 2221 rotates, preventing further leakage.

[0093] Furthermore, a leakage storage structure or leakage collection structure for containing leakage can also be provided below the rotating bracket 2221. For example, a liquid storage tank can be provided below the rotating bracket 2221, or a liquid collection rack can be provided below the rotating bracket 2221. The liquid storage tank or liquid collection rack can be located at the bottom of the housing 221 of the cold plate module 22. The liquid storage tank or liquid collection rack is connected to the sealed receiving tank so that when the leakage in the sealed receiving tank reaches the threshold, the leakage is extracted and contained in the liquid storage tank or liquid collection rack.

[0094] This configuration, by placing a liquid storage tank or collection rack below the rotating bracket 2221, can effectively collect any potential leaks, preventing liquid from leaking outside the equipment and reducing the impact on the surrounding environment. At the same time, connecting the liquid storage tank or collection rack to the sealed container allows for convenient monitoring of leaks, timely maintenance and cleaning, ensuring the normal operation of the equipment. By collecting leaks in a timely manner, the risk of operators coming into contact with harmful liquids is reduced, improving the safety of the working environment. This can solve the problem of corrosion or damage to the equipment caused by untimely handling of leaks.

[0095] Please refer to Figure 9. This disclosure provides a testing method for a liquid cooling device, used to test the liquid cooling device described in the above specific embodiments. The testing method for the liquid cooling device includes:

[0096] S1: Control the opening of the regulating valve 2225 and the corresponding heat source of the rotating component 222 under test in the cold water circulation system 10 and the cold plate circulation system 20;

[0097] S2: Control the rotation of the rotating component 222 to be tested, so that the cold plate body 2226 of the rotating component 222 to be tested is adjusted to the target angle;

[0098] S3: After the cold plate circulation system 20 is in a stable state, the detection component of the rotating component 222 to be tested is turned on, and the refrigerant performance data detected by the detection component is collected through the data acquisition module 30.

[0099] The liquid cooling device and its testing methods disclosed herein may include the following test scenarios, which can be switched automatically or manually:

[0100] Test Scenario 1: Single Cold Plate Test

[0101] Turn on the chiller unit 11 and the first circulating water pump 12 of the cold water circulation system 10, and the second circulating water pump 21 of the cold plate circulation system 20. Turn off the regulating valves 2225 in any three of the four parallel rotating components 222, and the heat source corresponding to any one of the cold plate bodies 2226 in the remaining rotating component 222, leaving only the heat source corresponding to one cold plate body 2226 in the working state. Then adjust the rotating component 222 to be tested to the corresponding target angle. When the system reaches a stable state, the flow data detected by the flow sensor 2222, the temperature data detected by the temperature sensor 2223, and the pressure data detected by the pressure sensor 2224 are collected by the data acquisition module 30, and the performance data of each refrigerant are recorded in real time to complete the test of the heat dissipation performance of the cold plate circulation system 20 and the pressure oscillation of the system measurement points under different power consumption.

[0102] Test Scenario 2: Series Cold Plate Test

[0103] Turn on the chiller unit 11 and the first circulating water pump 12 of the cold water circulation system 10, and the second circulating water pump 21 of the cold plate circulation system 20. Turn off the regulating valves 2225 in any three of the four parallel rotating components 222, keeping only the heat sources corresponding to the two cold plate bodies 2226 in one rotating component 222 in the working state. Then adjust the rotating component 222 to be tested to the corresponding target angle. When the system reaches a stable state, the flow data detected by the flow sensor 2222, the temperature data detected by the temperature sensor 2223, and the pressure data detected by the pressure sensor 2224 are collected by the data acquisition module 30. The performance data of each refrigerant are recorded in real time to complete the test of the heat dissipation performance of the cold plate circulation system 20 and the pressure oscillation of the system measuring points under different power consumption.

[0104] Test Scenario 3: Series-Parallel Coupled Cold Plate Test

[0105] Turn on the chiller unit 11 and the first circulating water pump 12 of the cold water circulation system 10, and the second circulating water pump 21 of the cold plate circulation system 20. Turn on all the regulating valves 2225 in the four parallel rotating components 222 inside the test device to keep the heat source corresponding to the cold plate body 2226 in the four parallel rotating components 222 in working state. Then adjust each rotating component 222 to be tested to the corresponding target angle. When the system reaches a stable state, the flow data detected by the flow sensor 2222, the temperature data detected by the temperature sensor 2223, and the pressure data detected by the pressure sensor 2224 are collected by the data acquisition module 30. The performance data of each refrigerant are recorded in real time to complete the test of the heat dissipation performance of the cold plate circulation system 20 and the pressure oscillation of the system measuring points under different power consumption.

[0106] The liquid cooling device and its testing method disclosed herein are applicable to the testing of heat dissipation performance and pressure oscillation characteristics of a series-parallel combined high-power dual-phase cold plate liquid cooling system. In particular, considering that the cold plate body 2226 is positioned at different installation angles, the gas phase, due to its low density, tends to accumulate at the top, while the liquid phase, due to its high density, concentrates at the bottom, affecting the two-phase flow and the contact between the two phases and the heat source at the bottom of the cold plate body 2226, thereby affecting phase change heat transfer and internal pressure oscillation, this disclosure sets the component containing the cold plate body 2226 as a rotating component 222. This allows the angle of the cold plate body 2226 to be adjusted as needed during testing. This is applicable not only to scenarios where the cold plate body 2226 is installed horizontally, but also to scenarios where the cold plate body 2226 is installed at any angle. The test scenarios involved include, but are not limited to, single cold plate performance testing, series testing of two cold plates, and series-parallel coupling testing of four branches.

[0107] The above setup allows for testing the limits of the liquid cooling device's heat dissipation performance in different test scenarios, as well as its pressure oscillation characteristics under various conditions. This provides guidance for server cooling system design and enables dynamic flow allocation based on the flow requirements of different branches, mitigating heat dissipation risks. Furthermore, the aforementioned liquid cooling device and testing methods can be directly applied to server products, such as OAM (Open Acceleration Module) form factor GPUs (corresponding to the horizontally arranged 2226 state of the cold plate) and PCIe (General Purpose Computer Bus Interface) card form factor GPUs (corresponding to the vertically arranged 2226 state of the cold plate).

[0108] It should be noted that in this specification, relational terms such as first and second are used only to distinguish one entity from several other entities, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities.

[0109] The liquid cooling device and its testing method provided in this disclosure have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this disclosure. The descriptions of the embodiments above are merely for the purpose of helping to understand the solution and core ideas of this disclosure. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications to this disclosure without departing from its principles, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0110] List of reference numerals: 10-Cold water circulation system; 11-Chiller unit; 12-First circulating water pump; 13-Heat exchanger; 131-Cold water pipe; 132-Refrigerant pipe; 14-Storage tank; 20-Cold plate circulation system; 21-Second circulating water pump; 22-Cold plate module; 221-Box; 2211-First mounting cavity; 2212-Second mounting cavity; 2213-Fixing hole; 222-Rotating assembly; 2221-Rotating bracket; 22211-Receiving groove; 2222-Flow sensor; 2223-Temperature sensor; 2224-Pressure sensor; 2225-Regulating valve; 2226-Cold plate body; 223-Liquid phase quick connector; 224-Gas phase quick connector; 225-Liquid inlet pipe; 226-Gas outlet pipe; 23-Fasteners; 24-Dryer filter; 25-Sight glass; 30-Data acquisition module; 40-Control module; 41-Receiving unit; 42-Judgment unit; 43-Control unit; 50-Data recording module; 60-Prompt module.

Claims

1. A liquid cooling device, characterized by, It includes a cold water circulation system and a cold plate circulation system. The cold water circulation system forms a heat exchange connection with the cold plate circulation system through a heat exchanger to cool the refrigerant in the cold plate circulation system. The cold plate circulation system includes a cold plate module, which includes a housing and several parallel rotating components. Each rotating component is rotatably connected to the housing. Each rotating component includes a detection component, a regulating valve, and at least two cold plate bodies with heat sources connected in series. Each rotating component is used to rotate relative to the housing, so that the corresponding cold plate body rotates to a target angle. The detection component is used to detect the refrigerant performance data when the corresponding cold plate body rotates to the target angle. The regulating valve is used to regulate the refrigerant flow rate of the corresponding cold plate body. The liquid cooling device also includes a data acquisition module, which is communicatively connected to the detection component and is used to acquire refrigerant performance data detected by the detection component.

2. The liquid cooling device of claim 1, wherein, The housing is provided with a first mounting cavity, and each of the rotating components is rotatably disposed in the first mounting cavity, and the rotation axes of each of the rotating components are parallel to each other.

3. The liquid cooling device of claim 2, wherein, The cold plate module also includes several liquid phase quick connectors and several gas phase quick connectors. The rotating assembly is connected to the corresponding liquid phase quick connector and gas phase quick connector to form a cold plate branch. The housing is further provided with a second mounting cavity, which is separated from the first mounting cavity. Each of the liquid phase quick connectors and each of the gas phase quick connectors are located in the second mounting cavity.

4. The liquid cooling device of claim 3, wherein, The volume of the first mounting cavity is larger than the volume of the second mounting cavity.

5. The liquid cooling device of claim 3, wherein, The second mounting cavity is provided with a liquid inlet pipe and a gas outlet pipe. The liquid inlet pipe and the gas outlet pipe are located on the same inner wall of the housing, and the liquid inlet pipe is located above the gas outlet pipe. Each liquid phase quick connector is connected to the liquid inlet pipe, and each gas phase quick connector is connected to the gas outlet pipe.

6. The liquid cooling device of claim 3, wherein, Each of the rotating components further includes a rotating bracket, which is U-shaped and whose two ends are rotatably connected to the inner walls of the two sides of the first mounting cavity. The rotating bracket is used to install the detection component, the regulating valve, and at least two cold plate bodies connected in series with the heat source on the corresponding cold plate branch.

7. The liquid cooling device of claim 6, wherein, The rotating bracket is provided with a receiving groove for accommodating the cold plate body. The depth of the receiving groove is greater than or equal to the thickness of the cold plate body, and the width of the receiving groove is equal to the width of the cold plate body.

8. The liquid cooling device of claim 7, wherein, A liquid storage tank or liquid collection rack is provided below the rotating bracket 2221, and the liquid storage tank or liquid collection rack is connected to the receiving tank.

9. The liquid cooling device of claim 6, wherein, The housing is provided with a number of fixing holes, and each fixing hole corresponds to a rotating bracket. The cold plate module also includes several fasteners, which cooperate with the corresponding fixing holes to fix the positions of the corresponding rotating bracket and the housing.

10. The liquid cooling device of claim 3, wherein, The detection component includes a flow sensor, a temperature sensor, and a pressure sensor. The number of cold plate bodies on any of the cold plate branches is two, the number of flow sensors is one, the number of pressure sensors is four, and the number of temperature sensors is three. The flow sensor and the pressure sensor are provided between the liquid phase quick connector and the regulating valve. The pressure sensor and the temperature sensor are provided between the two cold plate bodies, between the regulating valve and one of the cold plate bodies, and between the gas phase quick connector and the other cold plate body.

11. The liquid cooling device of claim 1, wherein, The liquid cooling device further includes a control module, which is communicatively connected to the data acquisition module, the cold water circulation system, each regulating valve in the cold plate circulation system, and each heat source. The control module is used to control the opening and closing of each regulating valve in the cold water circulation system and the cold plate circulation system, and each heat source, to switch between different test scenarios. It is also used to control the opening degree of each regulating valve according to the data acquired by the data acquisition module in the same test scenario, so as to adjust the refrigerant flow rate of the corresponding cold plate branch where the regulating valve is located.

12. The liquid cooling device of claim 11, wherein, The control module is used to receive the refrigerant performance data of the corresponding cold plate branch collected by the data acquisition module, and to determine whether the refrigerant performance data of the corresponding cold plate branch meets the refrigerant performance data required for the cold plate circulation system to be in a stable state. Furthermore, when the refrigerant performance data of the corresponding cold plate branch does not meet the refrigerant performance data required for the cold plate circulation system to be in a stable state, the control module determines a corresponding drive control signal to adjust the regulating valve, thereby controlling the opening degree of the regulating valve so that the refrigerant performance data of the corresponding cold plate branch meets the refrigerant performance data required for the cold plate circulation system to be in a stable state.

13. The liquid cooling device of claim 12, wherein, The liquid cooling device further includes a data recording module, which is communicatively connected to the data acquisition module and the control module. The data recording module is used to record the refrigerant performance data of each cold plate branch when the cold plate circulation system is in a stable state, and transmit it to the control module.

14. The liquid cooling device of claim 13, wherein, The liquid cooling device also includes a prompting module, which is communicatively connected to the control module. The prompting module is used to provide text or sound prompts when the refrigerant performance data of the corresponding cold plate branch reaches the refrigerant performance data required for the cold plate circulation system to be in a stable state.

15. The liquid cooling device of claim 1, wherein, The chilled water circulation system includes a chiller unit and a first circulating water pump. The heat exchanger includes a chilled water pipe connected to the chilled water circulation system. The first circulating water pump is used to transport chilled water from the chiller unit to the chilled water pipe and return it to the chiller unit for further cooling.

16. The liquid cooling device of claim 15, wherein, The cold plate circulation system also includes a second circulating water pump, and the heat exchanger also includes a refrigerant pipe connected to the cold plate circulation system. The second circulating water pump is used to transport the refrigerant from the refrigerant pipe to the cold plate module and return it to the refrigerant pipe for further cooling.

17. The liquid cooling device of claim 16, wherein, Both the cold water circulation system and the cold plate circulation system further include a liquid storage tank. The liquid storage tank in the cold water circulation system is used to store cold water to ensure that the cold water circulation system has water circulation under different load conditions. The liquid storage tank in the cold plate circulation system is used to store refrigerant to ensure that the cold plate circulation system has refrigerant circulation under different load conditions.

18. The liquid cooling device of claim 17, wherein, The storage tank of the cold water circulation system is located between the chiller unit and the first circulating water pump.

19. The liquid cooling device of claim 16, wherein, A drying filter is provided between the second circulating water pump and the cold plate module, and sight glasses are provided between the drying filter and the cold plate module, as well as on both sides of the refrigerant pipe.

20. A method of testing a liquid cooling device for testing a liquid cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that, The testing method for the liquid cooling device includes: Control the opening of the regulating valves and corresponding heat sources of the rotating components under test in the cold water circulation system and cold plate circulation system; Control the rotation of the rotating component to be tested, so that the cold plate body of the rotating component to be tested is adjusted to the target angle; After the cold plate circulation system is in a stable state, the detection component of the rotating component to be tested is turned on, and the refrigerant performance data detected by the detection component is collected through the data acquisition module.

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