Immersed Server Cooling with Cold Plate and Heat Sink
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooling systems for high-performance server components in data centers are limited by the extent of air conditioning available, necessitating a more effective cooling method to manage the increased heat dissipation.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a sealed container with a first cooling medium that encapsulates heat-generating devices, using a cold plate with an internal fluid circuit for direct cooling and a heat sink to transfer heat from the cooling medium, enhancing heat management through a combination of direct contact and fluid circulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If conventional air cooling is used for high-performance server components, then the cooling system is simple and easy to implement, but the cooling capacity is insufficient and the air conditioning load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies liquid cooling through a closed-loop hydraulic system with coolant circulation. A cold plate with internal channels delivers cooled liquid directly to heat-generating components, and a heat exchanger dissipates heat from the coolant. This hydraulic approach provides superior cooling capacity compared to air cooling while maintaining system compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a coolant as an intermediary substance between the heat-generating components and the heat exchanger. The coolant absorbs heat from components via the cold plate and transports it to the heat exchanger for dissipation, enabling efficient heat transfer that neither direct contact nor air cooling can achieve alone.
2Ease of operation
If air conditioning is used to cool the data center, then the system is simple to operate, but the energy consumption increases and sustainability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling function from the general data center air conditioning system and implements it locally at the server level. Each server has its own closed-loop liquid cooling system that independently manages heat dissipation, removing the burden from central air conditioning and significantly reducing overall energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the cooling medium from air to liquid, which has superior heat capacity and thermal conductivity. This parameter change enables more efficient heat removal per unit of energy, reducing the energy consumption of the cooling system while improving cooling effectiveness.
3Temperature
If more air conditioning capacity is provided to cool high-performance components, then the cooling capacity increases, but the device complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests the liquid cooling system within the server structure itself. The cold plate is integrated directly with the motherboard and components, and the coolant circulation system is contained within the server chassis. This nested arrangement provides high cooling capacity without increasing external infrastructure complexity.
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 approach effectively increases the cooling capacity for high-performance components, reducing the air conditioning load and improving the sustainability and efficiency of heat management within data centers.
Implementation Method 1
transferring heat from the at least one heat-generating electronic device to a body of the cold plate and transferring heat from the body of the cold plate to the second cooling medium within the fluid circuit
Implementation Method 2
cooling the at least one heat-generating electronic device with the first medium, cooling the at least one heat-generating electronic device with the cold plate having the internal fluid circuit
Implementation Method 3
cooling the first cooling medium via the heat sink
Implementation Method 4
cooling the first cooling medium via the heat sink at a location upstream from the at least one peripheral heat-generating device
Implementation Method 5
cooling the at least one peripheral heat-generating device with a first cooling medium
Data Source
AI summary
A method of cooling an assembly including at least one heat-generating electronic device and at least one peripheral heat-generating device encapsulated within a container includes cooling the at least one peripheral heat-generating device with a first cooling medium, cooling the at least one heat-generating electronic device with a cold plate having an internal fluid circuit configured to receive a second cooling medium, and cooling the first cooling medium via the heat sink.