Modular cooling distribution unit, cooling system and data center
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/CN2025/112530
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2025-02-20
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-04
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-27
Smart Images
Figure CN2025112530_27082026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Modular cooling distribution unit, cooling system and data center
[0001] Cross-reference to related applications
[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202510193137.1, filed on February 20, 2025, and entitled “Modular cooling distribution unit, cooling system and data center”, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The present application relates to the field of heat dissipation, and in particular to a modular cooling distribution unit, a cooling system and a data center. BACKGROUND
[0004] With the continuous expansion of the scale of data centers, the high-performance computing capability of data centers also needs to be improved, and therefore a liquid cooling system needs to be provided for the data centers to dissipate heat. In actual applications, the chip power of intelligent computing scenarios is rapidly increasing, resulting in higher and higher total power consumption of the cabinets, and the rated cooling capacity of the corresponding heat dissipation equipment is also increasing. However, the available space in the machine room is limited, and the volume of the heat dissipation equipment with large rated cooling capacity is large. Therefore, the industry has higher and higher requirements for the single-cabinet power density of the cooling distribution unit (CDU) as a core component. SUMMARY
[0005] The present application provides a modular cooling distribution unit, a cooling system and a data center to integrate multiple thermal management modules, thereby improving the single-cabinet power density of the modular cooling distribution unit and reducing the occupied space of the cooling system.
[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a modular cooling distribution unit. The modular cooling distribution unit is provided with a primary side device interface and a secondary side device interface. The modular cooling distribution unit includes a cabinet. The cabinet contains a plurality of thermal management modules, and the plurality of thermal management modules are stacked along the height direction of the cabinet. Each thermal management module of the plurality of thermal management modules includes a shell, and the shell of each thermal management module is provided with a primary side module interface and a secondary side module interface. Specifically, the primary side module interface of each thermal management module is in communication with the primary side device interface of the modular cooling distribution unit, and the secondary side module interface of each thermal management module is in communication with the secondary side device interface of the modular cooling distribution unit. Each thermal management module is configured to exchange heat with the cooling medium flowing from the primary side module interface and the secondary side module interface.
[0007] In the present application, the core devices for liquid cooling distribution are modularized and form independent thermal management modules placed in the cabinet. The modular cooling distribution unit integrates multiple thermal management modules, and each thermal management module can control the heat exchange between the primary side and the secondary side, thereby improving the single-cabinet power density of the modular cooling distribution unit. In data centers requiring high rated cooling capacity, the modular cooling distribution unit can reduce the occupied space of the cooling system. Moreover, even if one of the multiple thermal management modules fails, it will not affect the heat exchange of the remaining thermal management modules.
[0008] The modular cooling distribution unit can also integrate a primary side main pipe and a secondary side main pipe. The primary side main pipe is used to communicate with the cooling pipeline of the primary side, and the secondary side main pipe is used to communicate with the cooling pipeline of the secondary side. Specifically, the primary side main pipe and the secondary side main pipe are arranged in the cabinet. The primary side main pipe communicates the primary side module interface of the multiple thermal management modules with the primary side device interface, and the secondary side main pipe communicates the secondary side module interface of the multiple thermal management modules with the secondary side device interface. In the width direction of the cabinet, the primary side main pipe and the secondary side main pipe are arranged side by side with the multiple thermal management modules. In this technical solution, the modular cooling distribution unit connects the primary side cooling medium circulating in the multiple thermal management modules in parallel to the primary side main pipe, and connects the secondary side cooling medium circulating in the multiple thermal management modules in parallel to the secondary side main pipe, which can simplify the pipeline design of the cooling system.
[0009] The primary side module interface and the secondary side module interface of each thermal management module can be arranged on the rear wall of the shell of the thermal management module, and the rear wall of the shell of the thermal management module can face the rear side of the cabinet. In this way, the primary side module interfaces and the secondary side module interfaces of the multiple thermal management modules are arranged towards the rear side of the cabinet, which is convenient for installation and maintenance, and also simplifies the appearance design towards the user side.
[0010] Each thermal management module further includes a waterway substrate located in the shell. The waterway substrate is provided with isolated primary side waterways and secondary side waterways. The primary side module interface communicates with the primary side waterways, and the secondary side module interface communicates with the secondary side waterways. In this technical solution, the waterway substrate integrates the primary side waterways and the secondary side waterways, and does not need to arrange additional pipelines between the core devices, which is conducive to the miniaturization design of the thermal management module and improves the power density of the thermal management module, thereby arranging more thermal management modules in the limited space of the cabinet, which can be applied to scenes with higher heat dissipation efficiency requirements.
[0011] The location of the aforementioned water channel substrate within the housing is not limited. In some technical solutions, the water channel substrate is fixed to the inner wall of one side of the housing along the height direction of the cabinet, meaning the water channel substrate can be located at the bottom or top of the housing. Therefore, the water channel substrate can be placed on the side with a larger area within the thermal management module, allowing for a thinner substrate design, which is beneficial for the miniaturization of the thermal management module.
[0012] The aforementioned water channel substrate includes two side plates arranged opposite each other along the height direction, one of which is connected to the inner wall. Each thermal management module also includes a heat exchanger, a circulation pump, an expansion tank, a replenishment tank, and a replenishment pump, which are mounted on the other side plate of the aforementioned two side plates. By directly mounting the core components on the water channel substrate, the connection between each core component and the water channel within the substrate can be achieved without the need for additional piping between the core components and the water channel, thereby simplifying the internal structure of the thermal management module.
[0013] The layout of the heat exchanger, circulating pump, expansion tank, replenishment tank, and replenishment pump on the water circuit board is not specifically limited. In some technical solutions, the heat exchanger and replenishment pump can be arranged side by side along the depth direction of the thermal management module, and the circulating pump, replenishment tank, and expansion tank can be arranged sequentially along the depth direction, with the circulating pump and replenishment tank respectively arranged adjacent to the heat exchanger.
[0014] In other technical solutions, the heat exchanger and the replenishment pump can be arranged side by side along the depth direction of the thermal management module, and the circulation pump, expansion tank and replenishment tank can be arranged sequentially along the depth direction, with the circulation pump and the heat exchanger arranged adjacent to each other.
[0015] In other technical solutions, the heat exchanger and replenishment tank can be located on one side of the replenishment pump along the depth direction of the thermal management module, and the expansion tank and circulation pump can be located on the other side of the replenishment pump along the depth direction. The heat exchanger and expansion tank can be arranged side by side along the depth direction, and the replenishment tank and circulation pump can be arranged side by side along the depth direction, with the heat exchanger and replenishment tank being adjacent to each other.
[0016] In other technical solutions, the heat exchanger and the circulating pump can be arranged side by side along the depth direction of the thermal management module, and the replenishment tank, the replenishment pump and the expansion tank can be arranged side by side along the depth direction, with the heat exchanger and the replenishment tank being adjacent to each other.
[0017] The primary and secondary device interfaces are positioned facing the bottom of the cabinet. This allows the modular cooling distribution unit to be installed below the mounting surface, simplifying the piping layout and resulting in a cleaner, more aesthetically pleasing appearance.
[0018] In addition, the modular cooling distribution unit also includes a power supply module, which is located on top of the above-mentioned multiple thermal management modules along the height of the cabinet. The power supply module is used to provide power to the above-mentioned multiple thermal management modules.
[0019] Secondly, this application also provides a cooling system. The cooling system includes a cold plate, liquid-cooled circulation piping, and at least one modular cooling distribution unit as described in the first aspect. The primary-side device interface of the at least one modular cooling distribution unit is connected to the liquid-cooled circulation piping, and the secondary-side device interface of the aforementioned at least one modular cooling distribution unit is connected to the cold plate. The modular cooling distribution unit is used to control the heat exchange between the cold plate and the liquid-cooled circulation piping. In the cooling system of this application, the multiple thermal management modules integrated in the modular cooling distribution unit can independently control the heat exchange between the primary-side liquid-cooled circulation piping and the secondary-side cold plate. This not only improves the power density of a single modular cooling distribution unit and reduces the space occupied by the cooling system, but also maintains a single thermal management module without affecting the normal operation of the other thermal management modules.
[0020] Thirdly, this application also provides a data center. The data center includes servers and the cooling system described in the second aspect above. The cooling system is used to dissipate heat from the servers. This data center's cooling system has a small footprint and high power density, making it suitable for high-power data centers. Attached Figure Description
[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a data center provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a modular cooling distribution unit provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0023] Figure 3 is another schematic diagram of the modular cooling distribution unit provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0024] Figure 4 is a side view of a thermal management module provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0025] Figure 5 is a top view of the thermal management module in Figure 4;
[0026] Figure 6 is a top view of another thermal management module provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0027] Figure 7 is a top view of another thermal management module provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0028] Figure 8 is a top view of another thermal management module provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0029] Figure 9 is a top view of another thermal management module provided in an embodiment of this application.
[0030] Figure Labels: 10-Data Center; 11-Server; 12-Cooling System; 13-Computer Room; 20-Modular Cooling Distribution Unit; 21-Rack; 30-Thermal Management Module; 41-Primary Side Main Pipe; 42-Secondary Side Main Pipe; 50-Control Module; 60-Power Supply Module; 70-Connecting Pipe; 31-Outer Shell; 32-Water Circuit Board; 33-Panel Heat Exchanger; 34-Circulation Pump; 35-Expansion Tank; 36-Replenishment Tank; 37-Replenishment Pump; 38-Power Distribution Module; 101-Primary Side; 102-Secondary Side; 121-Cold Plate; 122-Liquid Cooling Circulation Pipeline; 211-First Compartment; 212-Second Compartment; 311-Interface Panel; 312-Control Panel Detailed Implementation
[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0032] It should be noted that the terminology used in the following embodiments is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to be a limitation of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” “the,” and “this” are intended to also include expressions such as “one or more,” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
[0033] To facilitate understanding of the modular cooling distribution unit, cooling system, and data center provided in this application embodiment, their application scenarios are described below. The modular cooling distribution unit and cooling system of this application can be applied to energy storage systems, data centers, etc. Taking a data center as an example, with the rapid development of data centers, the requirements for construction cycles are becoming shorter and the requirements for energy efficiency are becoming higher. Data centers contain a large number of server racks, and servers generate a large amount of heat when operating for extended periods. To ensure the normal operation of the servers, a cooling system is needed to cool them down. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a data center provided in this application embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the data center 10 includes a server 11 and a cooling system 12, which is used to dissipate heat from the server 11. The cooling system 12 includes a cold plate 121, a liquid cooling circulation pipeline 122, and at least one modular cooling distribution unit 20. Using the modular cooling distribution unit 20 as a dividing point, the data center 10 includes a primary side 101 and a secondary side 102. The server 11 and liquid cooling circulation pipes 122 are located on the primary side 101 of the modular cooling distribution unit 20, while the cold plate 121 is located on the secondary side 102. The modular cooling distribution unit 20 controls the heat exchange between the primary side 101 and the secondary side 102. The data center 10 may also include a server room 13, where the server 11 and liquid cooling circulation pipes 122 can be arranged. The liquid cooling circulation pipes 122 are used to dissipate heat from the server 11. The cold plate 121 is used to exchange heat with the modular cooling distribution unit 20 to dissipate heat transferred from the primary side 101.
[0034] The aforementioned cooling system 12 also includes a cooling medium, which includes water or a refrigerant (including but not limited to refrigerant and ethylene glycol). The cooling medium can flow within the cold plate 121, the liquid cooling circulation pipe 122, and the modular cooling distribution unit 20, and can also circulate between the cold plate 121 and the modular cooling distribution unit 20, and between the liquid cooling circulation pipe 122 and the modular cooling distribution unit 20.
[0035] In high-power data centers, the increasing cooling capacity requirements of cooling systems necessitate more liquid cooling distribution devices to manage the liquid cooling pipelines. This results in a complex and space-consuming layout of the piping between these devices, as well as other connecting components (such as elbows and valve assemblies). Furthermore, space must be reserved for technicians for maintenance. Consequently, the overall space utilization of the cooling system is low, and the system is not compatible with data centers of varying sizes.
[0036] In view of this, this application provides a modular cooling distribution unit, a cooling system, and a data center. The liquid cooling distribution functional area of the cooling system adopts at least one modular cooling distribution unit. Each modular cooling distribution unit can modularize the core components to form multiple independent thermal management modules and place them in the rack, thereby simplifying the structure of the modular cooling distribution unit, improving the single-rack power density of the modular cooling distribution unit, and reducing the space occupied by the cooling system.
[0037] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.
[0038] In this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.
[0039] Furthermore, in this article, directional terms such as "top," "bottom," "upper," and "lower" are defined relative to the orientation of the structure as shown in the attached drawings. It should be understood that these directional terms are relative concepts, used for relative description and clarification, and can change accordingly depending on the orientation of the structure.
[0040] As shown in Figure 1, the cooling system 12 may include at least one modular cooling distribution unit 20. The modular cooling distribution unit 20 is provided with primary-side device interfaces (including a primary-side device input interface A and a primary-side device output interface B) and secondary-side device interfaces (a secondary-side device input interface C and a secondary-side device output interface D). Specifically, the primary-side device output interfaces B of the aforementioned at least one modular cooling distribution unit 20 are all connected to the input end of the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 122; the primary-side device input interfaces A of the aforementioned multiple modular cooling distribution units 20 are all connected to the output end of the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 122; the secondary-side device output interfaces D of the aforementioned at least one modular cooling distribution unit 20 are all connected to the input end of the cold plate 121; and the secondary-side device input interfaces C of the aforementioned multiple modular cooling distribution units 20 are all connected to the output end of the cold plate 121. In other words, the multiple modular cooling distribution units 20 within the cooling system 12 are connected in parallel, and each modular cooling distribution unit 20 can be used to control the heat exchange between the cold plate 121 and the liquid cooling circulation pipeline 122.
[0041] Each modular cooling distribution unit 20 can integrate multiple thermal management modules 30, which can independently control the heat exchange between the primary side 101 and the secondary side 102. This not only increases the power density of a single modular cooling distribution unit 20 and reduces the space occupied by the cooling system 12, but also allows for the maintenance of a single thermal management module 30 without affecting the normal operation of the other thermal management modules 30.
[0042] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a cooling distribution unit provided in an embodiment of this application, and Figure 3 is another schematic diagram of a cooling distribution unit provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the modular cooling distribution unit 20 includes a cabinet 21, which houses multiple thermal management modules 30. The multiple thermal management modules 30 can be stacked along the height direction H of the cabinet 21. Each of the multiple thermal management modules 30 can be used to control the heat exchange between the primary side 101 and the secondary side 102.
[0043] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the cabinet 21 can also accommodate a primary-side main pipe 41 and a secondary-side main pipe 42. Specifically, the cabinet 21 may include a first compartment 211 for accommodating multiple thermal management modules 30, and a second compartment 212 for accommodating the primary-side main pipe 41 and the secondary-side main pipe 42. Within the first compartment 211, multiple thermal management modules 30 can be stacked sequentially along the height direction H of the cabinet 21 (the vertical direction as shown in Figures 2 and 3). The second compartment 212 can be located on one side of the first compartment 211 along the length direction L of the cabinet 21 (the horizontal direction as shown in Figure 2), meaning that multiple thermal management modules 30, the primary-side main pipe 41, and the secondary-side main pipe 42 are arranged side-by-side along the length direction L of the cabinet 21. Of course, in other embodiments of this application, multiple thermal management modules 30, the primary-side main pipe 41, and the secondary-side main pipe 42 can also be arranged side-by-side along the width direction W or the height direction H of the cabinet 21. In this embodiment, the modular cooling distribution unit 20 connects multiple thermal management modules 30 to the primary side main pipe 41 and the secondary side main pipe 42, so that the multiple thermal management modules 30 are connected in parallel, realizing the integration of the thermal management modules 30 with the primary side main pipe 41 and the secondary side main pipe 42, thereby simplifying the piping design of the cooling system 12.
[0044] The thermal management module 30 integrates the core components of the liquid cooling distribution unit. Figure 4 is a side view of a thermal management module provided in an embodiment of this application, and Figure 5 is a top view of the thermal management module in Figure 4. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the thermal management module 30 includes a housing 31 and a water channel substrate 32, with the water channel substrate 32 located inside the housing 31. Isolated primary and secondary water channels are provided within the water channel substrate 32. The housing 31 of the thermal management module 30 is provided with a primary-side module interface (including a primary-side module input interface a and a primary-side module output interface b) and a secondary-side module interface (a secondary-side module input interface c and a secondary-side module output interface d). The primary-side module interface of the thermal management module 30 is connected to the primary-side device interface of the cabinet 21 via a primary-side main pipe 41, and the secondary-side module interface of the thermal management module 30 is connected to the secondary-side device interface of the cabinet 21 via a secondary-side main pipe 42. Specifically, the primary-side module input interface a is connected to the primary-side device input interface A, the primary-side module output interface b is connected to the primary-side device output interface B, the secondary-side module input interface c is connected to the secondary-side device input interface C, and the secondary-side module output interface d is connected to the secondary-side device output interface D. In the thermal management module 30, the primary-side module input interface a and the primary-side module output interface b of the primary-side module interface are respectively connected to the primary-side water circuit, and the secondary-side module input interface c and the secondary-side module output interface d of the secondary-side module interface are respectively connected to the secondary-side water circuit. Therefore, the water circuit board 32 integrates the primary-side water circuit and the secondary-side water circuit, eliminating the need for additional piping between the core components. This facilitates the miniaturization design of the thermal management module 30 and increases its power density, allowing for the placement of more thermal management modules 30 within the limited space of the cabinet 21, making it suitable for scenarios with higher heat dissipation efficiency requirements.
[0045] The position of the aforementioned water channel substrate 32 within the housing 31 is not limited. As shown in FIG2, in the modular cooling distribution unit 20, multiple thermal management modules 30 can be stacked sequentially along the height direction H of the cabinet 21. In the thermal management module 30, the water channel substrate 32 is fixed to the inner wall of the housing 31 along the height direction. That is, along the height direction H of the cabinet 21, the water channel substrate 32 can be located at the bottom (as shown in FIG4) or the top of the housing 31. In some other embodiments, the water channel substrate 32 can also be fixed to the inner wall of the housing 31 along the length direction L. That is, along the length direction L, the water channel substrate 32 can be located on the left or right side of the housing 31.
[0046] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the thermal management module 30 may further include a heat exchanger 33 and a circulation pump 34. The housing 31 includes two opposing side plates. One of the two side plates (the bottom plate shown in Figure 4) is connected to the inner wall of the housing 31, and the heat exchanger 33 and circulation pump 34 are respectively mounted on the other side plate (the top plate shown in Figure 4). Taking the water channel substrate 32 located at the bottom of the housing 31 as an example, the heat exchanger 33 and circulation pump 34 can be upside down and mounted on the water channel substrate 32. Therefore, by mounting the heat exchanger 33 and circulation pump 34 on the water channel substrate 32, the heat exchanger 33 and circulation pump 34 can be connected to the water channels within the water channel substrate 32 respectively, without the need for additional piping between the heat exchanger 33 and the water channels, or between the circulation pump 34 and the water channels. In addition, the housing 31 of the thermal management module 30 may also include an interface panel 311, which is provided with the aforementioned primary module input interface a, primary module output interface b, secondary module input interface c, and secondary module output interface d.
[0047] As shown in Figure 5, the thermal management module 30 of this application may further include an expansion tank 35, a replenishment tank 36, and a replenishment pump 37. The circulation pump 34, expansion tank 35, replenishment tank 36, and replenishment pump 37 are respectively mounted on the water channel substrate 32 and are located on the same side of the water channel substrate 32 as the heat exchanger 33. That is, in one embodiment, the water channel substrate 32 of the thermal management module 30 is fixed inside the housing 31, and the core components of the thermal management module 30 for cooling distribution (such as the heat exchanger 33, circulation pump 34, expansion tank 35, replenishment tank 36, and replenishment pump 37) are all disposed on the water channel substrate 32, and the core components are connected to the water channel substrate 32 through the installation on the water channel substrate 32.
[0048] In addition, the thermal management module 30 can also be electrically controlled. Figure 6 is a top view of another thermal management module provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the thermal management module 30 may also include a power distribution module 38, which is isolated from the core components used for cooling distribution to achieve water-electricity isolation. The power distribution module 38 may be located on the side of the water channel substrate 32 away from the interface panel 311. The water channel substrate 32 and the power distribution module 38 are disposed on the bottom plate of the outer casing 31 at the same layer to reduce the height of the thermal management module 30, thereby allowing more thermal management modules 30 to be arranged along the height direction H in the first compartment 211, further improving the power density of the first compartment 211. The power distribution module 38 may include a power supply and a controller. The power supply may be connected to the core components disposed on the water channel substrate 32 to supply electrical energy to these core components. The controller may be connected to the power supply and the aforementioned core components to control the operating state of the thermal management module 30 and the flow rate of the cooling medium.
[0049] In the embodiments of this application, the relative positions of the heat exchanger 33, the circulation pump 34, the expansion tank 35, the replenishment tank 36, and the replenishment pump 37 are not limited.
[0050] For example, in some embodiments, the heat exchanger 33 and the circulation pump can be arranged adjacent to the interface panel 331. As shown in FIG5, in one embodiment, the heat exchanger 33 and the circulation pump 34 are arranged side by side along the length direction L and adjacent to the interface panel 331. The replenishment pump 37 is located on the side of the heat exchanger 33 away from the interface panel 311 along the width direction W, the replenishment tank 36 is located on the side of the circulation pump 34 away from the interface panel 311 along the width direction W, and the expansion tank 35 is located on the side of the replenishment tank 36 away from the circulation pump 34 along the width direction W.
[0051] Figure 7 is a top view of another thermal management module provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, in another embodiment, the heat exchanger 33 and the circulation pump 34 are arranged side by side along the length direction L and are adjacent to the interface panel 331. The replenishment pump 37 is located on the side of the heat exchanger 33 away from the interface panel 311 along the width direction W, the expansion tank 35 is located on the side of the circulation pump 34 away from the interface panel 311 along the width direction W, and the replenishment tank 36 is located on the side of the expansion tank 35 away from the circulation pump 34 along the width direction W.
[0052] In some other embodiments, the heat exchanger 33 and the replenishment tank 36 may be arranged adjacent to the interface panel 331. Figure 8 is a top view of another thermal management module provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, in one embodiment, the heat exchanger 33 and the replenishment tank 36 are arranged side by side along the length direction L and are adjacent to the interface panel 331. The replenishment pump 37 is located along the width direction W on the side of the heat exchanger 33 and the replenishment tank 36 away from the interface panel 311, the expansion tank 35 is located along the width direction W on the side of the replenishment pump 37 away from the heat exchanger 33, and the circulation pump 34 is located along the width direction W on the side of the replenishment pump 37 away from the replenishment tank 36. That is, the heat exchanger 33 and the replenishment tank 36 are located along the width direction W between the replenishment pump 37 and the interface panel 331, and the expansion tank 35 and the circulation pump 34 are located along the width direction W on the side of the replenishment pump 37 away from the interface panel 331.
[0053] Figure 9 is a top view of another thermal management module provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9, in another embodiment, the heat exchanger 33 and the replenishment tank 36 are arranged side by side along the length direction L and are adjacent to the interface panel 331. The circulation pump 34 is located on the side of the heat exchanger 33 away from the interface panel 311 along the width direction W, and the replenishment pump 37 is located on the side of the replenishment tank 36 away from the interface panel 311 along the width direction W, and the replenishment pump 37 is located on the side of the replenishment pump 37 away from the replenishment tank 36 along the width direction W.
[0054] As shown in Figure 3, in the modular cooling distribution unit 20, the primary side module input interface a, primary side module output interface b, secondary side module input interface c, and secondary side module output interface d of the thermal management module 30 are disposed on the rear wall of the housing 31, which faces the rear side of the cabinet 21 along the width direction W. Thus, the interfaces of multiple thermal management modules 30 are all positioned facing one side of the cabinet 21 for ease of installation and maintenance. Specifically, the housing 31 of the thermal management module 30 may also include a control panel 312 disposed opposite to the interface panel 311. In this embodiment, the interface panel 311 and the control panel 312 are located at opposite ends of the thermal management module 30. Therefore, when the thermal management module 30 is placed in the first compartment 211, the interface panel 311 can face the rear side of the cabinet 21 for connection to the primary side main pipe 41 and the secondary side main pipe 42; the control panel 312 can face the front side of the cabinet 21 for user viewing and control.
[0055] Referring to Figure 3, each thermal management module 30 can be connected to both the primary-side main pipe 41 and the secondary-side main pipe 42 via connecting pipes 70. In the above embodiment, multiple thermal management modules 30 are stacked sequentially along the height direction H of the cabinet 21, and the primary-side module interfaces and secondary-side module interfaces of the aforementioned multiple thermal management modules 30 are arranged facing the same side of the cabinet 21. The primary-side main pipe 41 and the secondary-side main pipe 42 are arranged on one side of the aforementioned multiple thermal management modules 30 along the length direction L of the cabinet 21. Therefore, the primary-side module interfaces of the aforementioned multiple thermal management modules 30 are connected to the primary-side main pipe 41 via primary-side connecting pipes 71, which extend along the length direction L of the cabinet 21. The secondary-side module interfaces of the aforementioned multiple thermal management modules 30 are connected to the secondary-side main pipe 42 via secondary-side connecting pipes 72, which extend along the length direction L of the cabinet 21. Therefore, the primary-side connecting pipes 71 and secondary-side connecting pipes 72 are alternately arranged parallel to each other along the height direction H of the cabinet 21. When placing the cabinet 21, the primary side connecting pipe 71 and the secondary side connecting pipe 72 are located on the rear side of the cabinet 21.
[0056] The modular cooling distribution unit 20 can also integrate a power supply module to power the multiple thermal management modules 30, thereby further improving the integration of the modular cooling distribution unit 20. As shown in Figure 2, specifically, the modular cooling distribution unit 20 also includes a control module 50 and a power supply module 60. The control module 50 and power supply module 60 can be located in the first compartment 211 or in the second compartment 212. In one embodiment, the control module 50 is located at the top of the multiple thermal management modules 30 along the height direction of the cabinet 21, and the multiple thermal management modules 30 are electrically connected to the control module 50 respectively. The control module 50 is used to control the operating status of the multiple thermal management modules 30. The power supply module 60 is located at the top of the control module 50 along the height direction of the cabinet 21, and the multiple thermal management modules 30 are electrically connected to the power supply module 60 respectively. The power supply module 60 is used to provide power to the multiple thermal management modules 30. In this embodiment, the aforementioned multiple thermal management modules 30, control module 50, and power supply module 60 are stacked sequentially along the height direction H, with the primary side main pipe 41 and secondary side main pipe 42 located on one side of the multiple thermal management modules 30 along the length direction L. Of course, in other embodiments, the aforementioned multiple thermal management modules 30, control module 50, power supply module 60, primary side main pipe 41, and secondary side main pipe 42 can also be arranged side-by-side along the length direction L; or, the aforementioned multiple thermal management modules 30, primary side main pipe 41, and secondary side main pipe 42 can be stacked sequentially along the height direction H, with the control module 50 and power supply module 60 located on one side of the multiple thermal management modules 30 along the length direction L.
[0057] The primary and secondary device interfaces of the modular cooling distribution unit 20 can be positioned facing the bottom of the cabinet 21. Therefore, when the modular cooling distribution unit 20 is applied to the cooling system 12, the pipes output by the modular cooling distribution unit 20 to the primary side 101 and the secondary side 102 can be arranged at the bottom, allowing other components or loads of the cooling system 12 to be arranged above the pipes.
[0058] In one embodiment, the second compartment 212 can not only accommodate the primary side main pipe 41 and the secondary side main pipe 42, but also house valve assemblies, filter cartridges, and other devices connected to the pipelines, thereby simplifying the output piping of the modular cooling distribution unit 20. Furthermore, in scenarios with multiple modular cooling distribution units 20, when maintenance or control of a single modular cooling distribution unit 20 is required, each device can be operated directly within that modular cooling distribution unit 20, simplifying operation.
[0059] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A modular cooling distribution unit, characterized in that, The modular cooling distribution unit is equipped with a primary-side device interface and a secondary-side device interface; The modular cooling distribution unit includes a cabinet, and multiple thermal management modules are stacked inside the cabinet along the height direction of the cabinet. Each of the plurality of thermal management modules has a primary-side module interface and a secondary-side module interface on its outer casing. The primary-side module interface of each thermal management module is connected to the primary-side device interface of the modular cooling distribution unit, and the secondary-side module interface of each thermal management module is connected to the secondary-side device interface of the modular cooling distribution unit. Each thermal management module is used to perform heat exchange on the cooling medium flowing in from the primary-side module interface and the secondary-side module interface.
2. The modular cooling distribution unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cabinet is equipped with a primary side main pipe and a secondary side main pipe. The primary side main pipe connects the primary side module interface of the multiple thermal management modules to the primary side device interface. The secondary side main pipe connects the secondary side module interface of the multiple thermal management modules to the secondary side device interface. Along the width of the cabinet, the primary side main pipe and the secondary side main pipe are arranged side by side with the plurality of thermal management modules.
3. The modular cooling distribution unit as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, For each thermal management module, the primary side module interface and the secondary side module interface are located on the rear wall of the housing, which faces the rear side of the cabinet.
4. The modular cooling distribution unit as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Each thermal management module further includes a water circuit board located within the housing. The water circuit board has isolated primary water circuits and secondary water circuits. The primary side module interface is connected to the primary water circuit, and the secondary side module interface is connected to the secondary water circuit.
5. The modular cooling distribution unit as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The water channel substrate is fixed to the inner wall of one side of the housing along the height direction.
6. The modular cooling distribution unit as described in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The water channel substrate includes two side plates arranged opposite each other along the height direction, and one of the two side plates is connected to the inner wall; Each thermal management module further includes a heat exchanger, a circulation pump, an expansion tank, a replenishment tank, and a replenishment pump, wherein the heat exchanger, the circulation pump, the expansion tank, the replenishment tank, and the replenishment pump are installed on the other side plate of the two side plates.
7. The modular cooling distribution unit as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The heat exchanger and the replenishment pump are arranged side by side along the depth direction of the thermal management module. The circulation pump, the replenishment tank and the expansion tank are arranged sequentially along the depth direction, and the circulation pump and the replenishment tank are respectively arranged adjacent to the heat exchanger.
8. The modular cooling distribution unit as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The heat exchanger and the replenishment pump are arranged side by side along the depth direction of the thermal management module. The circulation pump, the expansion tank and the replenishment tank are arranged side by side along the depth direction, and the circulation pump is adjacent to the heat exchanger.
9. The modular cooling distribution unit as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The heat exchanger and the replenishment tank are located on one side of the replenishment pump along the depth direction of the thermal management module, and the expansion tank and the circulation pump are located on the other side of the replenishment pump along the depth direction; the heat exchanger and the expansion tank are arranged side by side along the depth direction, the replenishment tank and the circulation pump are arranged side by side along the depth direction, and the heat exchanger and the replenishment tank are arranged adjacent to each other.
10. The modular cooling distribution unit as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The heat exchanger and the circulating pump are arranged side by side along the depth direction of the thermal management module. The replenishment tank, the replenishment pump and the expansion tank are arranged sequentially along the depth direction, and the heat exchanger and the replenishment tank are arranged adjacent to each other.
11. The modular cooling distribution unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The primary-side device interface and the secondary-side device interface are positioned facing the bottom of the cabinet.
12. The modular cooling distribution unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The modular cooling distribution unit also includes a power supply module, which is located on top of the plurality of thermal management modules along the height direction, and is used to provide electrical energy to the plurality of thermal management modules.
13. A cooling system, characterized in that, The device includes a cold plate, a liquid cooling circulation pipeline, and at least one modular cooling distribution unit as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein at least one primary-side device interface of the modular cooling distribution unit is connected to the liquid cooling circulation pipeline, and at least one secondary-side device interface of the modular cooling distribution unit is connected to the cold plate; the modular cooling distribution unit is used to control the heat exchange between the cold plate and the liquid cooling circulation pipeline.
14. A data center, characterized in that, Includes a server and a cooling system as described in claim 13; the cooling system is used to dissipate heat from the server.