Two-Phase Cold Plate Loop for High-Power Server Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air-based thermal management solutions face challenges in efficiently cooling high-power hardware components in server racks due to physical limits and decreasing energy efficiency, necessitating the development of high-efficiency cooling technologies.
Innovation Solution
The design and construction of two-phase cold plate loop (CPL) systems that can be adapted to various server and processor architectures, incorporating serial, parallel, and hybrid flow configurations to optimize flow distribution and pressure drop, while maintaining thermal performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If air-based thermal management solutions are used, then existing infrastructure can be maintained, but cooling efficiency decreases and energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from single-phase air cooling to two-phase liquid cooling, fundamentally changing the thermal management parameter from convection-dominated to phase-change-dominated heat transfer. This parameter change enables significantly higher heat flux removal capability while reducing energy consumption per unit of cooling power
Solution Approach 2:
The patent explicitly utilizes phase transitions of the coolant (liquid to vapor in evaporator, vapor to liquid in condenser) as the core mechanism for heat transfer. The two-phase cooling system leverages the latent heat of vaporization to achieve high-efficiency cooling that air-based systems cannot match
2Power
If hardware power dissipation increases, then computing performance improves, but thermal management becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs hydraulic principles by using liquid coolant flowing through structured channels (evaporator and condenser assemblies) to transport heat. The two-phase flow dynamics, pressure management, and fluid distribution are optimized to reliably handle high power dissipation densities that would overwhelm air cooling systems
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system is segmented into distinct functional modules: evaporator assembly for heat absorption, condenser assembly for heat rejection, and interconnected fluid pathways. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, enabling reliable thermal management of high-power hardware
3Productivity
If two-phase cooling systems are implemented, then cooling efficiency improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the evaporator and condenser assemblies into an integrated two-phase cooling system with interconnected fluid pathways. By combining these components into a closed-loop system, the patent achieves high cooling efficiency while managing complexity through unified design rather than separate independent systems
Solution Approach 2:
The two-phase cooling system is designed to be self-regulating through natural phase change dynamics. The evaporator automatically absorbs heat when coolant enters, and the condenser automatically rejects heat when vapor returns, reducing the need for complex active control mechanisms while maintaining high cooling efficiency
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 two-phase CPL systems effectively manage heat from high-power compute devices by optimizing flow distribution and pressure drop, ensuring stable operation and minimizing temperature drops, thereby enhancing facility efficiency and scalability.
Implementation Method 1
the liquid coolant is routed via conduits into the server to one or more evaporators and undergoes boiling to cool the heat generating components
Implementation Method 2
The resulting two-phase mixture (liquid+vapor) is then routed back out of the server to a heat rejection unit that converts the two-phase mixture back to, or mostly back to, liquid
Implementation Method 3
a heat rejection unit that converts the two-phase mixture back to, or mostly back to, liquid to repeat the cycle
Data Source
AI summary
Arrangements, sub-systems, devices and methods for providing cooling to hardware components, and more specifically to server cold plate loop (CPL) sub-systems, devices and methods for thermal management of hardware in computer server racks and related equipment in computer data centers.