External cooling unit design for a data center with two phase fluid thermal loops
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional data center cooling systems face challenges such as high energy consumption, large floor space requirements, and high initial costs, particularly when scaling to support dynamic IT deployment and operation in limited spaces, with existing solutions like refrigeration cycles and indirect evaporative coolers being inefficient or unsuitable for liquid cooling systems.
Innovation Solution
A two-phase cooling system using a refrigerant vapor/gas that switches between natural convection and refrigeration cycle modes, eliminating the need for multiple thermal loops and supportive infrastructure, with a condenser and compressor configuration that allows for efficient phase change and heat transfer without mechanical power in natural convection mode, and with the addition of evaporative cooling and modular design for enhanced efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If traditional refrigeration cycle cooling systems are used, then cooling capacity is provided, but energy consumption is high and floor space requirement is large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs two-phase fluid thermal loops where refrigerant undergoes phase change between liquid and vapor states. The two-phase evaporator converts liquid refrigerant to vapor, absorbing heat efficiently, while the two-phase condenser condenses vapor back to liquid, releasing heat. This phase transition mechanism enables high-density heat transfer in compact spaces, reducing both energy consumption and floor space requirements compared to traditional single-phase refrigeration systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system is divided into separate functional modules: two-phase evaporators integrated with IT equipment racks, two-phase condensers positioned in dedicated cooling rooms, and intermediate thermal storage tanks. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and enables flexible deployment configurations that minimize floor space while maintaining cooling capacity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If cooling system infrastructure is expanded to support dynamic IT deployment, then cooling capacity increases, but floor space requirement and initial costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The two-phase thermal loop system serves multiple functions: it provides cooling for diverse IT equipment configurations (servers, storage, networking), acts as thermal storage through phase change, and enables flexible rack-level cooling deployment. The modular evaporator units can be integrated into different rack configurations, and the system adapts to varying heat loads from different IT workloads, providing universal cooling solutions without requiring separate infrastructure for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates dynamic control mechanisms including variable speed pumps, controllable expansion valves, and intelligent refrigerant distribution that adapt to changing IT equipment heat loads in real-time. This dynamic operation allows the cooling infrastructure to scale flexibly with IT deployment without requiring proportional increases in floor space or initial infrastructure investment.
3Reliability
If multiple thermal loops and supportive infrastructure are implemented, then cooling reliability improves, but device complexity and initial costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the evaporator and condenser functions into an integrated two-phase thermal loop system where refrigerant circulates between phase change components. By combining these functions into a unified closed-loop system with intermediate thermal storage, the design achieves reliable cooling while reducing overall infrastructure complexity compared to traditional multi-loop refrigeration systems that require separate chillers, cooling towers, and piping networks.
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 reduces energy consumption, minimizes floor space, and lowers initial costs by leveraging gravity-driven natural convection and adaptive refrigeration cycles, while supporting both air and liquid cooling systems, thus improving energy efficiency and scalability.
Implementation Method 1
two phase cooling system using a refrigerant vapor/gas that switches between natural convection and refrigeration cycle modes
Implementation Method 2
two-phase evaporators that receive the refrigerant in a liquid form and output the refrigerant in a vapor form
Implementation Method 3
two-phase condensers that receive and condense the refrigerant from a vapor form into a liquid form
Implementation Method 4
natural convection mode, eliminating the need for mechanical power
Implementation Method 5
refrigeration cycle mode with the addition of a compressor
Implementation Method 6
efficient phase change and heat transfer
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling system includes an ingress port to receive refrigerant in a vapor form from an evaporator, an egress port to return refrigerant in a liquid form back to the evaporator, a condenser coupled to the ingress port and the egress port, and a compressor coupled to the ingress port and the condenser. When the cooling system operates in a first mode, the condenser is configured to receive and condense the refrigerant from the vapor form into the liquid form and to return the refrigerant in the liquid form to the regress port. When the cooling system operates in a second mode, the compressor is configured to compress the refrigerant in the vapor form and to supply the compressed refrigerant to the condenser to be condensed therein.