Hybrid Immersion Cooling System for Rack-Mounted Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooling methods for rack-mounted electronic equipment, such as fan-based forced-air cooling and immersion cooling, face inefficiencies and high power consumption, limiting the effectiveness of heat management and scalability in large computing facilities.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid liquid cooling system that integrates a closed-loop fluid distribution arrangement with a serpentine convection coil and fluid cooling blocks, utilizing a dielectric immersion cooling liquid to circulate and condition channelized fluid for efficient thermal management, including an external cooling module to condition higher-temperature fluid into lower-temperature fluid for continuous cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If conventional fan-based forced-air cooling is used, then the cooling system is simple to implement, but power consumption increases and cooling efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical fan-based forced-air cooling system with a liquid immersion cooling system. The dielectric liquid directly contacts the electronic components, transferring heat more efficiently without requiring mechanical fans, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining cooling effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs liquid hydraulics through the dielectric cooling liquid that circulates through the system. The liquid medium transfers heat from electronic components to heat exchangers, utilizing fluid dynamics principles to achieve efficient thermal management without mechanical moving parts.
2Productivity
If immersion cooling with dielectric liquid is used, then cooling efficiency improves, but power consumption increases due to pumps and circulation systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes natural convection currents that arise periodically as heated dielectric liquid rises and cooler liquid sinks, creating a circulation pattern without requiring continuous pump operation. This periodic natural circulation reduces energy consumption while maintaining effective heat transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs heat exchangers that passively transfer heat from the dielectric liquid to the surrounding environment through conduction and convection. The thermal gradients themselves drive the cooling process, allowing the system to self-regulate without active control mechanisms or high-power components.
3Temperature
If immersion cooling is implemented, then thermal contact between components and cooling medium improves, but the system requires sealed casings with environmentally unfriendly chemicals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the cooling medium by using dielectric liquids with high boiling points and low volatility. This allows the system to operate with improved thermal contact efficiency while using environmentally benign substances that do not require hermetic sealing, eliminating the environmental harm associated with traditional refrigerants.
4Productivity
If liquid cooling methods are used, then cooling performance improves, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling function directly into the rack structure by integrating heat exchangers and fluid distribution manifolds with the rack framework. This consolidation provides high-performance liquid cooling while reducing overall system complexity by eliminating separate cooling subsystems and interconnections.
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 hybrid system achieves improved cooling performance with reduced thermal variance and power consumption, enabling efficient heat dissipation and maintaining optimal operating temperatures for electronic components while minimizing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
the serpentine convection coil (120) structured to internally convey the channelized fluid to operatively cool ambient temperatures of the dielectric immersion cooling liquid (106) through thermal convection flow
Implementation Method 2
one or more fluid cooling blocks (110A, 112A) arranged to be in direct thermal contact with the one or more heat-generating electronic processing components (110, 112)
Implementation Method 3
The immersion of the electronic components achieves adequate thermal contact between the electronic components and the dielectric cooling liquid
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed systems and structures are directed to providing a hybrid liquid-cooling system for at least one rack-mounted immersion case containing at least one electronic assembly submerged in dielectric immersion cooling liquid. The hybrid liquid cooling system comprises a closed-loop fluid distribution arrangement configured to circulate channelized fluid, an external cooling module configured to thermally condition the channelized fluid circulated by the closed-loop fluid distribution arrangement, a serpentine convection coil structured to internally convey channelized fluid to operatively cool ambient temperatures of the dielectric immersion cooling liquid, and one or more fluid cooling blocks arranged to be in direct thermal contact with one or more heat-generating electronic processing components of the at least one electronic assembly.