Datacenter Liquid Cooling Valve Control for Temperature Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dry cooling techniques for datacenter liquid cooling arrangements lack effective control and balance of cooling liquid temperatures and heated liquid temperatures, leading to suboptimal cooling efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for controlling and balancing a liquid cooling arrangement using a dry cooling unit, smart control valves, and liquid distribution circuits, which dynamically adjust the liquid flow rate based on detected temperatures and pressure flows to maintain an optimal differential temperature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional dry cooling techniques are used without dynamic control, then the system structure is simple, but the cooling efficiency is suboptimal due to lack of temperature differential control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by implementing smart control valves that dynamically adjust liquid flow rates based on real-time temperature measurements. The system transitions from static cooling to dynamic control where flow rates are continuously optimized to maintain optimal temperature differentials between cooling liquid and heated liquid, thereby improving cooling efficiency without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control through temperature sensors that continuously monitor the temperatures of cooling liquid and heated liquid, and smart control valves that adjust flow rates based on this feedback. The system uses the temperature differential as a feedback signal to optimize cooling efficiency, creating a closed-loop control system that balances performance and complexity
2Temperature
If liquid flow rate is increased to improve cooling, then heat dissipation improves, but energy consumption increases and temperature balance is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the liquid flow rate parameter based on temperature measurements. The smart control valves modify the flow rate to optimize heat dissipation efficiency while minimizing energy consumption, finding the optimal balance point where cooling effectiveness is maximized without excessive energy use
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service through autonomous temperature monitoring and flow rate adjustment. The smart control valves automatically regulate cooling liquid flow based on real-time temperature conditions without external intervention, maintaining optimal heat dissipation while minimizing energy consumption through self-regulating flow control
3Productivity
If uniform cooling is applied to all processing assemblies, then installation is simple, but individual temperature requirements cannot be optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the cooling system into individual controlled zones with separate smart control valves for each processing assembly or group of assemblies. This allows independent optimization of cooling for each segment based on its specific thermal requirements, improving individual cooling optimization while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular valve control architecture
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 achieves improved cooling efficiency by maintaining an optimal temperature differential between the supplied cooling liquid and the returned heated liquid, ensuring efficient heat dissipation and preventing overheating or undercooling in datacenter rack-mounted processing assemblies.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one liquid cooling block being arranged to be in respective thermal contact with the at least one heat-generating electronic processing element
Implementation Method 2
the received cooling liquid absorbs the generated heat and the heated liquid is circulated, via the cooling loop arrangement, back to cooling liquid source for re-cooling
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 2B
AI summary
A liquid cooling method and system for cooling rack-mounted processing assemblies is presented that provides a dry cooling unit, a first liquid distribution circuit to convey the cooling liquid and a second liquid distribution circuit to convey the heated liquid from the rack-mounted processing assemblies, in which each of the rack-mounted data processing assemblies comprises a smart control valve designed to be pressure independent and control the flow rate of the cooling fluid based on detected temperatures and pressure flows. Each of the smart control valves operative to measure current liquid flow rates, current input cooling liquid temperatures, and current output heated liquid temperatures and calculate a current differential temperature, determine a relationship between the current differential temperature and a target temperature value, and dynamically adjust the liquid flow rate of the smart control valve based on the determined relationship and the current liquid flow rate and current input cooling liquid temperature.