Dielectric Oil Server Cooling with Heat Pipe Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current oil-cooled computer server cooling systems face inefficiencies due to low oil circulation speed and non-optimal heat exchange designs, leading to insufficient heat recovery for domestic hot water and building heating, while posing risks to electronic components and safety due to high temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A system with a waterproof container filled with dielectric oil, where electronic cards are arranged vertically and thermally coupled with cold plates or heat pipes, with a closed fluid circuit that circulates oil from the bottom to the top, allowing for series cooling of components and efficient heat transfer to a water/oil exchanger, maintaining moderate oil temperatures and achieving high outlet temperatures for effective heat recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the oil circulation speed is increased to improve heat exchange efficiency, then the heat recovery performance improves, but the risk of overheating electronic components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into multiple independent channels, with some channels dedicated to heat exchange and others to component cooling. This segmentation allows the oil to be circulated at high speed through heat exchangers without exposing electronic components to high-velocity hot oil flow, thereby improving heat exchange efficiency while preventing overheating of components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the system are assigned different oil temperatures and flow characteristics. The heat exchange channels receive hot oil at high circulation speed for efficient heat recovery, while the component cooling channels receive cooler oil at controlled flow rates. This local differentiation of oil properties allows simultaneous optimization of heat recovery and component temperature control.
2Productivity
If the oil temperature at system outlet is increased to improve heat recovery for domestic hot water, then the heat recovery efficiency improves, but the safety of personnel and components deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hottest oil, which has completed heat exchange and reached maximum temperature suitable for domestic hot water heating, is extracted from the system at the outlet. This hot oil never contacts electronic components, as components are cooled by cooler oil in separate channels. This extraction approach allows the system to deliver high-temperature oil for heat recovery applications while maintaining component safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses an intermediate heat exchange mechanism where oil transfers heat to water in heat exchangers rather than directly heating components. The water acts as an intermediary medium, receiving heat from the oil through thermal exchange surfaces. This intermediary approach allows high oil temperatures for efficient heat recovery while preventing direct thermal exposure of components to hot oil.
3Temperature
If the oil circulation system is designed for high heat exchange capacity, then the thermal resistance decreases, but the complexity of the cooling system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the heat exchange function and component cooling function into a single integrated oil circulation system. A single oil pump circulates oil through multiple channels that serve dual purposes: heat recovery and component cooling. This merging approach reduces the number of separate systems needed while maintaining effective thermal management through proper channel design and oil flow distribution.
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 configuration enhances thermal resistance between components and the cooling oil, allowing for high oil temperatures at the system outlet while keeping internal components at moderate temperatures, effectively recovering heat for domestic hot water and other applications without exposing all components to high temperatures, thus improving safety and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
Oil is in fact a fluid which is a better conductor of heat than air. It thus allows heat to be evacuated more easily
Implementation Method 2
at least one plate, called a cold plate, each cold plate being thermally coupled to one or more of the electronic components of the same card which generate the most heat
Implementation Method 3
a water/oil exchanger, arranged outside the container... allowing for series cooling of components and efficient heat transfer to a water/oil exchanger
Implementation Method 4
an oil pump, a closed fluid circuit, the fluid containing the dielectric oil circulated by the oil pump
Implementation Method 5
at least one board comprising a heat pipe, the heating zone of which, called the evaporator, is thermally coupled to one or more of the electronic components of the same card which generate the most heat, while the cooling zone, called condenser, is arranged in the upper portion or the lower portion of the container
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
The invention essentially consists of defining a single cooling circuit which allows a dielectric oil to circulate over an electronic board or between the electronic boards of the server(s) immersed in a bath within the container, then in a fluidic series, through specific cooling means (heat pipes) to the hottest components, to draw the oil from the upper part of the container and make it pass through the part of the exchanger so that the dielectric oil gives its heat to the water circuit of the exchanger.