Blade Server Cooling System with Alternating Racks and Coils
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooling systems for data centers and server rooms with high heat generation density struggle to efficiently cool blade-type servers, leading to hot spots and reduced rack density due to the need for large duct areas and high-speed air flows.
Innovation Solution
A server-cooling system that includes a rack with stacked cases, a cooling coil with a coolant passage and fin, axial-flow fans creating one-way air currents, and a shell with ventilation passages, allowing for efficient cooling of multiple racks in a smaller space by linking racks and reducing the number of auxiliary fan units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cooling air is circulated in a housing for each rack, then high heat generation density servers can be cooled, but the duct area becomes large reducing the number of racks that can be placed
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple racks are merged into a single housing structure, sharing common cooling resources (cooling coil, fan unit, ductwork) instead of each rack having its own dedicated cooling system. This consolidation reduces the total duct area while maintaining effective cooling for high heat generation density servers.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure serves multiple functions: it houses multiple racks, contains the cooling coil, accommodates the fan unit, and provides the ventilation passage. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated cooling ducts for each rack, reducing overall duct area.
2Productivity
If high-speed air flow is used for cooling high heat generation density servers, then cooling effectiveness improves, but the duct area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is localized to the specific housing containing the racks, with the cooling coil and fan unit positioned directly within the housing. This localized approach allows high-speed air flow to be generated efficiently without requiring large duct areas, as the cooling components are integrated into the rack housing itself.
3Temperature
If conventional room cooling is used, then the entire room is cooled, but hot spots occur at unexpected places when heat generation density is high
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented to provide localized cooling at the rack level rather than relying on general room cooling. Each housing contains its own cooling coil and fan unit, creating independent cooling zones that can be optimized for specific heat generation densities, preventing hot spots while maintaining overall room temperature control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system effectively reduces power consumption and increases rack density by creating a one-way air flow, allowing for efficient cooling of high heat generation servers without increasing room temperature, and enables the use of fewer fan units while maintaining effective air circulation.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling coil (10) having a coolant passage (15) and a cooling fin (16)
Implementation Method 2
cooling air, which flows under the floor from an air conditioner
Implementation Method 3
a fan unit (12) having axial-flow fans (22) placed therein and producing one-way air currents
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
To cool a blade type server disposed in an air-conditioned room, the following arrangements are made. The first is at least one shell (13) having a ventilation passage disposed in the air-conditioned room (3). The second is, the following are disposed in a ventilation passage: racks (2), in which blade type servers each composed of a case with slim boards housed therein are stacked; cooling coils (10) each having a coolant passage and a cooling fin and cooling a passing air; and at least one fan unit (12) having axial-flow fans placed therein and producing air currents in one direction. The third is the fan unit forces a cooling air to flow in one direction in the ventilation passage thereby to cool the servers in the racks. The cooling coils and racks are disposed alternately so that warmed cooling air after passing through the rack is cooled by the cooling coil and then cools the next rack.