Server Canister Segmentation for Reliable Rack Cooling Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of manufacturing rigid liquid manifolds with a large number of quick disconnect fittings for server racks leads to tolerance stack-up issues, making fluid connections difficult and unreliable.
Innovation Solution
A canister system with influent and effluent rigid manifolds and soft manifolds, featuring fixed orientation QD fittings, is used to couple servers to a server rack, mitigating tolerance stack-up by using multiple canisters and soft manifolds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If rigid liquid manifolds with a large number of quick disconnect fittings are used for server racks, then the cooling system can support more servers, but tolerance stack-up occurs making fluid connections difficult and unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid manifold is divided into multiple segments, each containing a subset of QD fittings. These segments are connected through flexible hoses to soft manifolds in the server rack, distributing the connection points across multiple smaller units rather than one large rigid structure, thereby reducing tolerance accumulation
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from purely rigid manifolds to a hybrid system incorporating flexible hoses and soft manifolds. This parameter change in the rigidity of the fluid distribution system allows for movement and tolerance compensation while maintaining fluid delivery to multiple servers
2Quantity of substance
If rigid liquid manifolds with many QD fittings are used, then more servers can be cooled, but manufacturing precision requirements increase due to tolerance stack-up
Solution Approach 1:
The manifold system is segmented into multiple rigid sections connected by flexible hoses, reducing the length and complexity of each rigid section. This segmentation decreases the cumulative tolerance stack-up in each individual rigid manifold while still supporting a large number of servers through the modular expansion
Solution Approach 2:
Flexible hoses and soft manifolds serve as intermediary elements between the rigid manifolds and server QD fittings. These intermediaries absorb manufacturing tolerances and alignment variations, allowing less precise rigid manifolds to still achieve reliable connections with servers
3Device complexity
If fixed orientation QD fittings are used in rigid manifolds, then the structure is simplified, but connection flexibility is reduced due to tolerance stack-up
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates flexible hoses and soft manifolds that can dynamically adjust their position and orientation. This dynamic capability allows the rigid manifolds with fixed orientation fittings to still achieve proper alignment with servers despite tolerance variations, maintaining both structural simplicity and connection flexibility
Data Source
AI summary
A canister for coupling a plurality of servers to a server rack is described herein. The canister includes an influent rigid manifold and an effluent rigid manifold that have respective pluralities of quick-disconnect (QD) fittings arranged in fixed orientations and configured to couple with corresponding QD fittings on the servers. The canister further includes an influent canister QD fitting coupled with the influent rigid manifold and configured to couple with an influent soft manifold of the server rack. The canister also includes an effluent canister QD fitting coupled with the effluent rigid manifold and configured to couple with an effluent soft manifold of the server rack. The canister is one of many canisters configured to mount to the server rack. By using multiple canisters and the soft manifolds, many liquid-cooled servers may be implemented within the server rack without necessitating high tolerance manufacturing of the manifolds.