Rack Outlet Door Evaporator Coil to Prevent Hot Air Recirculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing power dissipation of integrated circuit chips poses a cooling challenge in server applications, leading to higher air flow requirements and re-circulation of hot air, which increases inlet temperatures and reduces the reliability of components in data centers.
Innovation Solution
A vapor-compression heat exchange system is mounted to the outlet door cover of an electronics rack, featuring an evaporator coil, refrigerant plenums, and a vapor-compression unit, which absorbs heat from the outgoing air and exhausts it through a condenser, reducing the temperature of the air entering the rack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If air flow rates are increased to cool high power modules, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but the sensible heat load on room air conditioning increases and re-circulation problems worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heat removal function from the room air conditioning system by installing a dedicated heat exchanger assembly on the rack outlet door. This assembly captures hot air directly at the rack outlet and removes its heat content before it can mix with room air and create re-circulation problems, thereby reducing the sensible heat load on the room AC system while maintaining effective component cooling
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger assembly acts as an intermediary between the rack exhaust air and the room air conditioning system. It provides a dedicated thermal exchange pathway that separates the rack cooling requirements from the room environmental control, allowing hot air to be cooled locally without directly impacting the room AC system's sensible heat load
2Temperature
If air flow rates are increased to cool high power modules, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but re-circulation of hot air increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts hot air directly from the rack outlet using a dedicated heat exchanger assembly before it can re-circulate back to rack inlets. By capturing and cooling this hot air locally at the outlet, the system prevents it from mixing with room air and being drawn back into the rack, thereby eliminating the re-circulation problem while maintaining high cooling effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful hot exhaust air into a beneficial cooling resource by using it as the source side of a heat exchanger. The thermal energy that would otherwise be wasted and cause re-circulation problems is instead used to drive the heat exchange process, cooling the air before it is discharged or recirculated, thereby transforming a harmful factor into a useful function
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 solution effectively reduces the temperature of the air entering the rack, alleviates the heat load on room air conditioning, and enhances the reliability of components by minimizing re-circulation and maintaining uniform temperatures across the air inlet side.
Implementation Method 1
The evaporator coil is mounted to the outlet door cover and covers at least a portion of an opening in the outlet door cover
Implementation Method 2
Air moves through the electronics rack from an air inlet side to an air outlet side
Implementation Method 3
The vapor-compression unit includes a compressor and a condenser disposed separate from the outlet door cover and exhausts heat from refrigerant circulating therethrough
Implementation Method 4
The vapor-compression unit includes a compressor and a condenser disposed separate from the outlet door cover
Implementation Method 5
The expansion valve is in fluid communication with the refrigerant inlet plenum and is also mounted to the outlet door cover
Data Source
AI summary
A vapor-compression heat exchange system for facilitating cooling of an electronics rack. The system includes employing an evaporator coil mounted to an outlet door cover, which is hingedly affixed to an air outlet side of the rack, as well as refrigerant inlet and outlet plenums and an expansion valve also mounted to the outlet door cover and in fluid communication with the evaporator coil. The evaporator coil includes at least one heat exchange tube section and a plurality of fins extending therefrom. Respective connect couplings connect the inlet and outlet plenums in fluid communication with a vapor-compression unit which includes a compressor and a condenser disposed separate from the outlet door cover. The vapor-compression unit exhausts heat from refrigerant circulating therethrough.