Immersion Cooling Device with Segmented Inner and Outer Tanks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling devices for data centers, such as immersion cooling systems, face challenges with coolant volume and cost due to the need for large amounts of expensive, high-specific-gravity coolants, which also require significant structural reinforcement and complex piping systems.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device design featuring an inner tank with a separation wall and coolant channel, where an inert fluorine-based coolant is used, and an outer tank with a second coolant that exchanges heat with the inner coolant, reducing the amount of coolant needed and eliminating the need for a coolant distribution unit and associated piping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a large amount of coolant is used to fill the immersion tank and piping system, then the cooling capacity is sufficient, but the cost and weight increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two separate cooling circuits: an inner tank containing the first coolant (fluorinated hydrocarbon) that directly contacts the electronic device, and an outer tank containing the second coolant (water) that provides the primary cooling. This segmentation allows each coolant to be optimized for its specific function while reducing the total volume of expensive first coolant needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The wall portion serving as a heat transfer unit acts as an intermediary between the two coolants. It enables thermal coupling between the first coolant in the inner tank and the second coolant in the outer tank, allowing heat to be transferred from the electronic device through the first coolant, through the wall, to the second coolant, thus eliminating the need for direct contact between the two coolants while maintaining efficient heat transfer.
2Temperature
If the amount of coolant is increased to ensure sufficient cooling, then the cooling performance improves, but the structural reinforcement requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cooling system into inner and outer tanks with separate coolant circuits, the total weight of coolant is reduced. The outer tank uses lighter water as the primary coolant, reducing the overall weight burden on the floor structure while maintaining adequate cooling performance through the heat transfer wall.
3Productivity
If inlet and outlet openings are provided in the cooling tank for coolant circulation, then the coolant can flow between the tank and external units, but the system complexity and piping requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet and outlet openings of the inner tank are merged with the inner wall portion to form an integrated coolant channel. This eliminates the need for separate piping connections and external coolant distribution units, reducing system complexity while maintaining effective coolant circulation. The coolant flows directly from the inner tank through the wall portion heat transfer unit into the outer tank.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner tank with its coolant circulation system is nested within the outer tank system. The inlet and outlet openings of the inner tank communicate with the coolant channel formed by the inner wall portion, creating a nested circulation path that eliminates the need for external piping and distribution units.
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 design reduces the volume and cost of coolant required, decreases the structural reinforcement needed, and eliminates the need for a pump, resulting in a more efficient and cost-effective cooling system with improved thermal management.
Implementation Method 1
a heat transfer unit that is provided between the inner tank and the outer tank and that is configured to transfer heat from the first coolant to the second coolant
Implementation Method 2
a coolant channel through which the first coolant is to flow toward a lower side of the inner tank
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling device includes: an inner tank configured to store a first coolant which is a liquid; a separation wall that is provided in the inner tank, that faces a side wall portion of the inner tank, that forms an accommodating portion in which an electronic device to be immersed in the first coolant is accommodated, and that forms, at at least part of a periphery of the accommodating portion, a coolant channel through which the first coolant is to flow toward a lower side of the inner tank; an outer tank which is disposed outside the inner tank and through which a second coolant flows; and a heat transfer unit that is provided between the inner tank and the outer tank and that is configured to transfer heat from the first coolant to the second coolant.