Dual Coolant Path Heat Exchanger for Failure-Tolerant Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchangers in data centers lack redundancy and efficiency, leading to potential system failures and increased energy consumption when handling varying heat loads.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design with two distinct, fluidly isolated coolant paths, each with alternating cooling elements, ensuring equal heat load distribution and failure tolerance by allowing one path to operate independently if the other fails, while minimizing energy consumption through optimized sizing and flow control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single coolant path is used in existing heat exchangers, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates due to lack of redundancy and failure tolerance
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is divided into multiple independent coolant paths (first coolant path and second coolant path), each with separate cooling tubes. This segmentation allows one path to fail without affecting the other, providing redundancy and failure tolerance while maintaining system operation.
2Use of energy by moving object
If coolant paths are not equally sized, then the device complexity is reduced, but the energy efficiency deteriorates due to uneven heat load distribution
Solution Approach 1:
Each coolant path is equipped with its own flow control device (first flow control device and second flow control device), allowing independent adjustment of coolant flow rates. This enables optimization of heat load distribution across different paths based on local requirements, improving energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger system allows dynamic adjustment of coolant flow in each path through flow control devices. This enables the system to adapt to varying heat loads and operating conditions, optimizing energy efficiency by directing more flow to paths handling higher heat loads.
3Reliability
If redundancy is added to existing heat exchangers, then the reliability is improved, but the energy consumption increases due to inefficient heat load distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates flow control devices that can respond to operating conditions and adjust coolant flow distribution. This feedback mechanism ensures that redundant paths are efficiently utilized, maintaining system reliability while optimizing energy consumption by directing flow where it is most needed.
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 design provides failure-tolerant operation with reduced energy consumption by ensuring each coolant path handles a similar heat load during normal and failure conditions, maintaining system reliability and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a first cooling tube... configured to receive a portion of the air... and remove heat from the portion of the air
Implementation Method 2
heat exchanger for moving heat from fluid (e.g., air) flowing through the heat exchanger to a single-phase or two-phase coolant flowing within the heat exchanger
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger may include a first coolant path for circulating a first coolant and a second coolant path for circulating a second coolant, where the first coolant path including a plurality of first cooling tubes, where the second coolant path including a plurality of second cooling tubes, where the first coolant path is fluidly isolated from the second coolant path in the heat exchanger, and where the first cooling tubes and the second cooling tubes are arranged in series and such that the first cooling tubes alternate with the second cooling tubes in an airflow direction.