Smart rack liquid cooling manifold system having integrated controller(s) providing server-level liquid telemetry monitoring, rack liquid flow control, and datacenter communicaton
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid cooling systems for datacenters require complex multi-loop systems due to the sensitivity of cold plates to corrosion and clogging from facility-grade water, leading to energy inefficiencies and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A rack liquid cooling manifold system that integrates an environmentally hardened cold plate assembly and a manifold control unit, allowing the use of facility-grade water in a single cooling loop without the need for a coolant distribution unit, and utilizing a protective coating to prevent fouling and corrosion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional liquid cooling systems use facility-grade water in cold plates, then cooling effectiveness improves, but corrosion and clogging occur leading to system failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coolant distribution unit (CDU) as an intermediary component that acts as a barrier between facility-grade water and the cold plate. The CDU includes a purified water loop that receives facility water, purifies it, and delivers purified coolant to the cold plate, preventing direct contact between corrosive facility water and the cold plate channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple independent loops: a facility water loop, a purified coolant loop, and a cold plate loop. This segmentation isolates the cold plate from corrosive facility water while maintaining efficient heat transfer, resolving the contradiction between cooling effectiveness and system reliability.
2Reliability
If a multi-loop cooling system with coolant distribution unit is used, then corrosion and clogging are prevented, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the purification function directly into the coolant distribution unit, combining multiple functions (purification, distribution, and monitoring) into a single integrated component. This reduces the number of separate systems needed while maintaining protection against corrosion and clogging.
Solution Approach 2:
The coolant distribution unit serves multiple functions simultaneously: it purifies facility water, distributes purified coolant to cold plates, monitors system parameters via integrated sensors, and controls flow distribution. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity while maintaining reliability.
3Reliability
If purified coolant is used in a separate cooling loop, then cold plate contamination is avoided, but energy inefficiencies increase due to temperature gradients
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates temperature sensors and flow sensors that provide real-time feedback to the CDU controller. The controller dynamically adjusts purification levels and flow distribution to minimize temperature gradients and energy waste while maintaining protection against contamination and clogging.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system transitions from a static multi-loop design to a dynamic system where the CDU continuously adjusts purification intensity, flow rates, and distribution based on real-time thermal demands and sensor feedback, optimizing energy efficiency while maintaining reliability.
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 a more efficient, cost-effective, and less cumbersome liquid cooling system that effectively manages cooling liquid flow based on telemetry data, enhancing the cooling capacity and reducing energy inefficiencies associated with temperature gradients.
Implementation Method 1
Cold plates are a type of heatsink that allows for a liquid coolant to be brought into thermal conduction contact with the heat-generating electronic components of servers
Implementation Method 2
liquid cooling systems using localized cold plates have become a preferred way to provide the required cooling
Data Source
AI summary
A rack liquid cooling manifold (RLCM) system includes a supply manifold to receive a cooling liquid for cooling heat-generating electronic components via a cold plate and a return manifold to exhaust the cooling liquid from the cold plate. The RLCM system includes a manifold control unit (MCU) integrated into the supply manifold or the return manifold that is communicatively coupled to a supply control valve and a datacenter control system. The MCU includes a memory with rack temperature and liquid control (RTLC) code and a processor that processes the RTLC code to cause the MCU to: receive node-level liquid telemetry data originating from one or more liquid telemetry sensors integrated at a respective node; trigger actuation of the supply control valve to control a rate of cooling liquid flow into the supply manifold, partly based on the liquid telemetry data; and communicate rack level information with the datacenter control system.