Liquid Immersion Cooling Tank for Modular Server Blades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional data center cooling methods are inefficient due to high noise levels, cold temperatures, and the need for frequent maintenance, which are exacerbated by increasing thermal design power (TDP) of chips and growing rack density, particularly with the use of high-performance GPUs.
Innovation Solution
A liquid immersion cooling system disaggregates servers into modular blades with integrated power, data, and control buses, allowing for optimized heat transfer and fluid dynamics within a cooling tank, eliminating the need for air cooling fans and aggregated architectures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air cooling methods are used with high rack density and high TDP chips, then cooling capability is maintained, but noise level increases and cooling efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical air cooling system (fans, air handlers) with a liquid immersion cooling system. Servers are submerged in dielectric coolant, eliminating the need for high-speed rotating fans and air moving components that generate noise. The liquid cooling system achieves superior heat transfer efficiency while operating silently, as the coolant naturally circulates and absorbs heat without mechanical agitation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the cooling medium from gas (air) to liquid (dielectric coolant). This parameter change enables much higher heat capacity and thermal conductivity, allowing the system to handle high TDP chips and dense rack configurations efficiently. The liquid phase transition and higher specific heat of the coolant provide superior cooling performance compared to air.
2Area of stationary object
If conventional air cooling with heavy IT equipment in vertical racks is used, then space utilization is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to heavy equipment handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the server into modular blade units that can be easily installed and removed from the immersion cooling tank. Each blade is a self-contained module that can be handled individually, reducing the physical strain on technicians. The modular design allows for easy maintenance, upgrades, and replacements without moving heavy entire server racks.
3Reliability
If air cooling systems are used, then cooling is provided, but service events increase due to dust, pollutants, moisture, and vibration-induced reseat errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates an inert protective environment by immersing servers in dielectric coolant. This liquid barrier isolates electronic components from atmospheric contaminants including dust, pollutants, moisture, and oxygen that cause corrosion. The coolant-filled enclosure acts as a sealed inert atmosphere, preventing oxidation and particulate contamination while eliminating the need for complex filtration systems.
4Device complexity
If aggregated server architecture is used, then system integration is simplified, but adaptability and scalability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the server into independent modular blades (compute nodes, storage nodes, network nodes) that can be mixed and matched in various configurations. Each blade is a standardized unit with uniform interfaces, allowing flexible scaling and reconfiguration. This modular architecture provides both simplicity through standardization and adaptability through combinatorial flexibility, enabling customers to scale incrementally and customize their infrastructure.
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 significantly reduces noise, maintenance needs, and improves server reliability by protecting components from dust and pollutants, while efficiently managing heat through a silent and efficient cooling process, enabling higher compute density and scalability.
Implementation Method 1
optimize a heat transfer and fluid dynamics in the liquid cooling tank by immersing the modular blades into a heat flow
Implementation Method 2
Heat flows in the system from a coolest and a lowest point to a hotter and a highest point in the liquid immersion cooling tank
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed computer cooling system includes a liquid immersion cooling tank configured as a server chassis with an integrated power bus, control bus and data bus. The server chassis tank receives and services a plurality of modular blades including disaggregated single server components dedicated to similar functions and resembling a beekeeper's box of vertical and spaced operation, insertion and extraction. The modular blades include at least one management blade, interfaces and peripherals blade, storage blade, CPU blade and one or more GPU blades and other processors. Each blade configures hottest operating components lowest in a heat flow via transverse mounted brackets and vented ends. A blade extraction mechanism includes movable winches for manipulating the plurality of modular blades from a top side of the heat flow and a hydraulic lift for pushing each modular blade from a bottom of the heat flow out of the liquid immersion cooling tank.