Server Liquid Cooling via Dielectric Coolant and Ambient Air
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing heat density in computer servers due to compacted transistors and the inefficiency of traditional air-cooling methods in enclosed data processing environments lead to high energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, as a significant portion of energy is used in computer room air conditioning (CRAC) systems.
Innovation Solution
A liquid cooling system for computer servers that uses a dielectric coolant to directly cool heat-generating electronic devices via cold plates, with a secondary cooling system that employs ambient air to remove heat outside the server room, reducing the need for large CRAC systems and minimizing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If air cooling with CRAC systems is used to cool servers in enclosed environments, then the servers can be cooled, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the heat-generating electronic components from their original enclosed server environment and places them in an open-air configuration. This allows direct ambient air cooling without requiring energy-intensive CRAC systems, while the heat exchanger selectively removes only the necessary heat from these components.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger acts as an intermediary device between the electronic components and the ambient air. It selectively transfers heat from specific hot spots on the circuit board to the surrounding air, enabling efficient cooling without needing to cool the entire enclosed server environment.
2Area of stationary object
If multiple servers are bundled together in a rack to consolidate resources, then floor space is minimized, but heat removal becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the cooling approach by treating each electronic component or small group of components as an independent cooling zone rather than cooling the entire rack as a single unit. This allows targeted heat removal from each segment, improving overall heat removal efficiency while maintaining compact rack configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
Heat exchangers are positioned as intermediaries between individual electronic components and the ambient air, enabling each component to be cooled independently even when densely packed in a rack configuration. This maintains floor space efficiency while solving the heat removal problem.
3Area of moving object
If transistors are compacted into smaller areas to increase processing power, then device size is reduced, but heat concentration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by providing targeted cooling specifically at the locations of high-density transistor arrays on the circuit board. Heat exchangers are positioned to contact or proximity-cool specific hot spots where heat concentration is highest, rather than applying uniform cooling across the entire device.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger serves as a local intermediary that interfaces directly with high-density transistor regions, extracting heat from these concentrated areas before it can spread to surrounding components. This localized heat extraction manages heat concentration effectively in compact device designs.
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 energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by efficiently cooling servers without heating the air in the server room, allowing for more efficient energy resource utilization and conservation.
Implementation Method 1
uses a dielectric coolant to directly cool heat-generating electronic devices via cold plates
Implementation Method 2
A liquid cooling system for computer servers that uses a dielectric coolant to directly cool heat-generating electronic devices
Implementation Method 3
with a secondary cooling system that employs ambient air to remove heat outside the server room
Implementation Method 4
employs ambient air to remove heat outside the server room
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a system for cooling a computer server including a plurality of server modules (10) mounted on a server rack (50). The system comprising a first cooling system configured to remove heat from the plurality of server modules (10), the first cooling system including a first plurality of conduits (33, 34) for circulating a first cooling medium through the plurality of server modules (10). A second cooling system (42) configured to transfer heat from the first cooling system to a location remote from the computer server. A fluid distribution and collection manifold (60) removably coupled to the server rack (50) and the second cooling system (42). The manifold (60) comprising an outlet line (61) configured to distribute the first cooling medium to the first plurality of conduits (33), and an inlet line (62) configured to collect the first cooling medium from the first plurality of conduits (34); and. A heat exchanger is enclosed within the manifold (60) configured to transfer heat from the first cooling system to the second cooling system (42).