Modular Immersion Cooling Unit for Edge Data Centers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional immersion cooling solutions are inflexible and require significant modifications to existing data center infrastructure, making them unsuitable for mass deployment in edge computing scenarios where high-power devices generate heat, and they lack compatibility with existing cooling systems.
Innovation Solution
A modular immersion cooling unit design that includes a heat exchanger and a secondary loop with a coolant supply and return system, allowing for easy integration with existing data center cooling infrastructure, reducing the amount of coolant needed, minimizing pumping resistance, and enabling efficient energy use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional immersion cooling solutions are deployed, then high-power devices can be cooled effectively, but significant modifications to existing data center infrastructure are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into independent modular units, each capable of self-contained immersion cooling operation. These modules can be deployed individually without requiring comprehensive infrastructure overhaul, thus maintaining cooling effectiveness while reducing implementation complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
A heat exchanger acts as an intermediary component that enables connection between the immersion cooling system and existing data center cooling infrastructure. This mediator allows the system to leverage existing infrastructure resources without requiring direct integration or significant modifications to the original system.
2Productivity
If modular immersion cooling units are used, then deployment speed is improved, but the system must maintain effective cooling capability
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into standardized modular units that can be rapidly deployed independently. Each module contains integrated cooling components and coolant circulation systems, enabling quick installation while maintaining full cooling capability through the modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular units are designed with universal interfaces and standardized configurations that allow them to be deployed in various settings without customization. This universality enables rapid deployment across different locations while ensuring consistent and effective cooling performance in each module.
3Use of energy by moving object
If a secondary loop with heat exchanger is implemented, then energy consumption is reduced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger serves as an intermediary that enables efficient thermal energy transfer between the immersion coolant and the secondary cooling loop. This intermediary mechanism reduces direct energy consumption by the pumping system while the modular design keeps overall system complexity manageable through standardized components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces direct mechanical cooling with a thermal exchange-based secondary loop. Instead of using high-power mechanical cooling systems, the design uses heat exchangers to transfer thermal energy, substituting mechanical energy consumption with more efficient thermal management while maintaining reasonable system complexity through modular implementation.
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 solution allows for quick deployment with minimal infrastructure modifications, reduces energy consumption, improves flow management, and maintains low failure rates, making it suitable for high-power edge computing applications with non-uniform power density.
Implementation Method 1
A heat exchanger for transferring the heat in the immersion coolant to external cooling media (e.g., coolant) is utilized
Implementation Method 2
heat exchanger for transferring the heat in the immersion coolant to external cooling media
Implementation Method 3
The heat exchanger may be packaged within the container. One or more liquid pumps may be used to facilitate the circulation of immersion coolant within the container
Implementation Method 4
One or more liquid pumps may be used to facilitate the circulation of immersion coolant within the container
Implementation Method 5
Immersion cooling is a computer cooling practice by which computer components such as central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), memory, and other electronics including complete servers are completely submerged in a thermally conductive dielectric liquid or coolant
Data Source
AI summary
An IT enclosure and immersion cooling unit is disclosed. The unit comprises: an immersion cooling area to accommodate electronic devices that require cooling, the electronic devices being immersed in coolant; an heat exchanger; an coolant supply line to supply cooler coolant from the heat exchanger to the immersion cooling area; and an coolant return line to return warmer coolant from the immersion cooling area to the heat exchanger, wherein the cooler coolant absorbs heat from the electronic devices in the immersion cooling area and turns into the warmer coolant, wherein heat is extracted from the warmer coolant in the heat exchanger and transferred to external coolant, and wherein the heat exchanger, the coolant supply line, and the coolant return line are packaged within the immersion cooling unit.