Clustered Liquid Cooling Assembly for High-Density Rack Heat Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard cooling systems are inadequate for high-density racks that house numerous heat-generating components, as they fail to effectively manage the significant thermal energy produced by these components.
Innovation Solution
A cooling assembly comprising liquid cooling units arranged in groups and clusters, with each unit thermally connected to a heat-generating component, and configured to maintain a temperature difference between the inlet and outlet heat-transfer liquid within specified thresholds, utilizing a main liquid inlet and outlet, and incorporating immersion cooling techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the number of heat-generating components in a rack is increased to achieve high-density configuration, then the surface area occupied by the data center is reduced and equipment density per unit area is optimized, but the thermal energy generated increases significantly making standard cooling systems inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling assembly is segmented into multiple liquid cooling units, each serving specific heat-generating components. These units are further organized into groups and clusters, allowing distributed thermal management across the rack. Each cooling unit independently manages thermal loads from its associated components, enabling effective cooling of high-density configurations without overwhelming a single centralized cooling system.
2Ease of operation
If standard cooling systems are used for high-density racks, then the system complexity remains low and ease of operation is maintained, but the cooling capacity is insufficient to manage the significant thermal energy produced
Solution Approach 1:
Each liquid cooling unit is equipped with its own pump, allowing independent operation and self-regulation of coolant flow. This modular self-service architecture enables each cooling unit to autonomously manage its thermal load without requiring complex centralized control, maintaining ease of operation while significantly increasing overall cooling capacity through parallel operation of multiple units.
3Temperature
If liquid cooling units are arranged in parallel groups within series clusters, then the temperature difference between inlet and outlet liquid is maintained within thresholds, but the device complexity increases compared to simple cooling configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling assembly is divided into modular liquid cooling units that can be independently configured into groups and clusters. This segmentation allows flexible arrangement where units with similar thermal loads are grouped together and then clustered in series, enabling temperature difference control while maintaining manageable structural complexity through standardized modular components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different groups of liquid cooling units are assigned to different clusters based on local thermal requirements. Each cluster handles specific temperature ranges and thermal loads, allowing optimized temperature difference control for each local region while the overall system maintains moderate complexity through this localized differentiation approach.
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
The solution provides efficient cooling capacity to maintain high-density racks below safe temperature thresholds, allowing for increased component density while optimizing thermal management.
Implementation Method 1
Each liquid cooling unit is in thermal contact with a corresponding one of the heat-generating components to be cooled
Implementation Method 2
the heat-transfer liquid flowing in the internal liquid conduit collecting thermal energy from the corresponding heat-generating component
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling assembly and method for cooling a plurality of heat-generating components. The cooling assembly includes a main liquid inlet for receiving a heat-transfer liquid, a main liquid outlet for discharging the heat-transfer liquid and a plurality of liquid cooling units. Each liquid cooling unit is in thermal contact with a corresponding heat-generating component and includes an internal liquid conduit, the heat-transfer liquid flowing in the internal liquid conduit collecting thermal energy from the corresponding heat-generating component. The liquid cooling units are arranged in a plurality of groups, each group comprising one or more liquid cooling units fluidly connected in parallel to one another. The groups are arranged in at least one cluster, each cluster comprising two or more groups fluidly connected in series.