Rotatable Condenser Sub-Units for Immersion Cooling Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fan-based cooling systems for large-scale server systems are inefficient, requiring high power consumption and facing thermal challenges due to increasing processing and storage density, while also being limited by space and cost constraints, and they struggle with air-quality parameters like temperature, humidity, and airborne contamination.
Innovation Solution
A multi-phase heat transfer immersion cooling system where servers are submerged in a dielectric liquid within a tank, using a rotatable condenser design that allows individual access to servers without disrupting the cooling cycle, utilizing a condensation surface and separate condensation fluid to efficiently manage heat transfer and maintain system integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a conventional fan-based cooling system is used, then servers can be cooled, but power consumption increases exponentially with server density
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical fan-based cooling system with a two-phase liquid cooling system that uses phase change (evaporation and condensation) of liquid to transfer heat. The liquid absorbs heat from servers through evaporation and releases heat through condensation on cooling fins, eliminating the need for high-power fans and reducing power consumption exponentially.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of the cooling liquid - specifically evaporation (liquid to vapor) to absorb heat from servers and condensation (vapor to liquid) to release heat. This phase change mechanism enables efficient heat transfer without requiring mechanical compression or high-power fans, directly addressing the power consumption issue.
2Productivity
If server density is increased to expand processing resources, then more processing power is available, but thermal challenges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is designed to be self-regulating through natural convection and phase change. The liquid automatically circulates, absorbs heat from multiple servers simultaneously through evaporation, and releases heat through condensation without requiring external control or high-power mechanical systems, enabling effective thermal management at high server densities.
Solution Approach 2:
The two-phase cooling system handles high thermal loads through efficient phase transitions. The liquid evaporates to absorb heat from multiple servers and condenses to release heat, providing scalable thermal management that increases effectiveness with server density rather than worsening.
3Reliability
If a sealed condenser is used to maintain cooling cycle, then cooling efficiency is improved, but access to submerged servers is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The condenser is segmented into multiple independent sections or modules that can be individually accessed or serviced. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to access specific areas of the condenser or servers without compromising the entire sealed cooling system, maintaining reliability while enabling repair and maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The condenser design incorporates dynamic or adjustable elements that allow temporary opening or modification of sealed sections during maintenance operations. This dynamic capability enables access to submerged servers during servicing while maintaining the sealed configuration during normal operation to ensure cooling cycle continuity.
4Temperature
If air-based cooling is used, then servers can be cooled, but air quality parameters (temperature, humidity, contamination) become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces air-based cooling with liquid-based two-phase cooling. The liquid absorbs heat from servers through evaporation and condensation, eliminating the need for air circulation. This substitution removes servers from the air environment, preventing exposure to temperature extremes, humidity variations, and airborne contaminants while maintaining effective cooling.
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 provides efficient, low-power cooling for servers by maintaining continuous operation of the cooling cycle during maintenance, reducing power consumption, and enhancing thermal management without the need for extensive air-conditioning, thus increasing server density and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
servers are submerged in a dielectric liquid within a tank, using a rotatable condenser design that allows individual access to servers without disrupting the cooling cycle
Implementation Method 2
multi-phase heat transfer immersion cooling system
Implementation Method 3
utilizing a condensation surface and separate condensation fluid to efficiently manage heat transfer and maintain system integrity
Data Source
AI summary
An immersion cooling tank includes: a tank comprised of a base wall, and perimeter walls, and having a lower tank volume in which a liquid can be maintained and heated to a boiling point to generate a rising plume of vapor; a rack structure within the tank volume that supports insertion of multiple, heat dissipating electronic devices in a side-by-side vertical configuration; and a condenser configured as a plurality of individually rotatable condenser sub-units, with each condenser sub-unit located above a vertical space that extends vertically from the lower tank volume and within which an electronic device can be inserted. Each individual condenser sub-unit can be opened independent of the other sub-units and each other condenser sub-unit can remain in a closed position while a first condenser sub-unit is opened to allow access to a first vertical space and any existing electrical device contained therein below the first condenser sub-unit.