Immersion Cooling CDU Redundancy for Online Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional air cooling systems struggle to manage thermal management risks in high-performance systems due to increased thermal design power, necessitating more effective cooling methods, particularly in data centers and edge computing environments.
Innovation Solution
Implementing immersion cooling systems using dielectric liquids to directly contact electronic components, enabling single-phase or two-phase cooling to efficiently manage heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If 1+1 redundancy with parallel flow paths and pumps is implemented, then system reliability is improved during component failure, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The CDU is divided into multiple independent flow paths (first flow path with first pump, second flow path with second pump) that can operate independently. Each flow path contains complete cooling components including pumps, heat exchangers, and filters, allowing one path to maintain cooling function when the other path experiences component failure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different flow paths are designed with different operational states - one path can be in normal cooling mode while the other path is in maintenance mode or standby mode. This allows localized maintenance of individual components without affecting the entire cooling system, and enables online replacement of pumps and filters in the active path.
2Ease of repair
If online maintenance is enabled during operation, then maintenance complexity is reduced, but maintaining consistent liquid flow and cooling efficiency becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-cooling the coolant in the standby flow path before it is needed. The second flow path (or first flow path when second is active) maintains cooling readiness in advance, so when a pump or filter needs replacement in the active path, the standby path is already prepared to take over immediately without temperature fluctuations or cooling interruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The parallel flow path design ensures continuous cooling function during maintenance. While one pump is being replaced or filter serviced in the active flow path, the standby flow path continues to circulate coolant through the electronic components, maintaining uninterrupted cooling action. The system transitions from one active path to the other without stopping the cooling function.
3Device complexity
If duplicate components are minimized through shared resources, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to maintain cooling during maintenance is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Both flow paths use identical pump models, filter types, and heat exchanger designs, making components universal across the system. The first pump and second pump are interchangeable, and filters from either path can be used in either path. This universality allows maintenance personnel to service one path while the other provides cooling, and enables quick replacement using identical components without custom fabrication.
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
Enhances thermal management by leveraging the higher specific heat and latent heat of vaporization of liquids, improving cooling efficiency and resource utilization in data centers and edge computing setups.
Implementation Method 1
a first pump configured to circulate the coolant along a first flow path between a coolant source and a first heat exchanger, a second pump configured to circulate the coolant along a second flow path between the coolant source and a second heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
a first heat exchanger configured to cool the coolant along the first flow path, a second heat exchanger configured to cool the coolant along the second flow path
Data Source
AI summary
Example method and apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture for immersion cooling systems are disclosed herein. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a tank to hold a coolant, an overflow chamber to direct the coolant toward an outlet, and a plate within the overflow chamber, the plate including a plurality of openings, the coolant to pass through at least one of the plurality of openings before reaching the outlet.