Submerged Server Rack Cooling With Dielectric Liquid Circulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling technologies for data centers are inefficient, costly, and unable to meet the increasing heat density demands of servers, leading to high energy consumption and capital investment.
Innovation Solution
A system where servers are submerged in a dielectric liquid coolant within a tank, with a controlled fluid circuit and heat exchanger to maintain an elevated coolant temperature, reducing energy consumption by minimizing temperature differences and optimizing heat rejection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional air cooling systems are used for servers, then servers can operate with standard cooling infrastructure, but energy consumption for cooling becomes excessively high and cooling efficiency is insufficient for high heat density
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies hydraulic cooling by circulating liquid coolant through channels in contact with server components. The liquid cooling system replaces conventional air cooling (pneumatic) with fluid-based heat transfer, achieving superior cooling efficiency for high heat density servers while reducing energy consumption through more effective thermal management
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the cooling medium parameter from gas (air) to liquid (coolant), fundamentally improving heat transfer efficiency. This parameter change enables the system to handle high heat density loads effectively while reducing the energy required for cooling operations
2Loss of energy
If servers are cooled with elevated coolant temperature, then energy consumption is reduced and heat recapture becomes possible, but the temperature difference for heat rejection becomes smaller
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the coolant temperature parameter to an elevated level, balancing multiple objectives: reducing energy consumption by minimizing temperature differences, enabling heat recapture for useful applications, and maintaining sufficient temperature differential for effective heat rejection. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction between energy efficiency and heat rejection capability
3Productivity
If data centers increase server density to improve productivity, then more computing power is available, but heat density increases making cooling more difficult and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements liquid hydraulic cooling systems that can handle high heat density loads generated by increased server density. The liquid coolant efficiently removes heat from densely packed servers, enabling higher productivity without proportionally increasing cooling energy consumption or costs
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
The system achieves efficient and cost-effective cooling by maintaining a higher coolant temperature, reducing energy consumption and irreversibilities, and allowing for heat recapture or low-power dissipation, thereby lowering operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
servers are submerged in a dielectric liquid coolant within a tank
Implementation Method 2
with a controlled fluid circuit and heat exchanger to maintain an elevated coolant temperature
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for cooling a plurality of rack-mountable servers containing heat generating electronic components in a server room including a dielectric liquid cooling apparatus located inside the tank and a secondary cooling apparatus comprising a remote heat exchanger and at least one pump. The volume of dielectric liquid coolant comprises at least one passage in the tank that is outside of the vertically oriented rack-mountable servers. When the at least one pump is operated to move the dielectric liquid coolant vertically across the heat producing components on the vertically oriented servers, a circuit is formed in which a first portion of dielectric liquid coolant is moved vertically upward across the heat producing components on the vertically oriented servers and then downward outside of the rack mountable servers in the at least one passage, while a second portion of the dielectric liquid coolant flows out of the tank.