Abstract:
Cooled electronic systems and cooling methods are provided, wherein a field-replaceable bank of electronic components is cooled by an apparatus which includes an enclosure at least partially surrounding and forming a compartment about the electronic components, a fluid disposed within the compartment, and a heat sink associated with the electronic system. The field-replaceable bank extends, in part, through the enclosure to facilitate operative docking of the electronic components into, for instance, one or more respective receiving sockets of the electronic system. The electronic components of the field-replaceable bank are, at least partially, immersed within the fluid to facilitate immersion-cooling of the components, and the heat sink is configured and disposed to physically couple to the enclosure and facilitates rejection of heat from the fluid disposed within the compartment when the field-replaceable bank of electronic components is operatively inserted into the electronic system.
Abstract:
Methods of fabricating cooling apparatus are provided which facilitate cooling a multi-component assembly, such as a hub module assembly. The cooling apparatus includes a first liquid-cooled heat sink configured to facilitate removal of heat generated by one or more first electronic components of the multi-component assembly, and a second liquid-cooled heat sink configured to facilitate removal of heat generated by one or more second electronic components of the multi-component assembly. The first liquid-cooled heat sink is separably coupled to the multi-component assembly, and the second liquid-cooled heat sink is fixedly secured to the multi-component assembly. Fluid couplers fluidically couple the first and second liquid-cooled heat sinks to facilitate liquid coolant flow through the fixedly-secured, second liquid-cooled heat sink from the separably-coupled, first liquid-cooled heat sink.
Abstract:
Apparatuses are provided for cooling an electronic component(s), which include a heat sink coupled to the electronic component(s), and having a coolant-carrying channel for a first coolant. The first coolant provides two-phase cooling to the electronic component(s), and is discharged from the heat sink as coolant exhaust, which includes coolant vapor. The apparatus further includes a node-level condensation module coupled to the heat sink to receive the coolant exhaust. The condensation module is cooled via a second coolant, and facilitates condensing the coolant vapor in the coolant exhaust. A controller automatically controls the liquid-cooling of the heat sink and/or the liquid-cooling of the node-level condensation module. A control valve adjusts a flow rate of the second coolant of the node-level condensation module, with the valve being automatically controlled by the controller based on a characterization of the coolant vapor in the coolant exhaust.
Abstract:
Energy efficient control of cooling system cooling of an electronic system is provided based, in part, on weighted cooling effectiveness of the components. The control includes automatically determining speed control settings for multiple adjustable cooling components of the cooling system. The automatically determining is based, at least in part, on weighted cooling effectiveness of the components of the cooling system, and the determining operates to limit power consumption of at least the cooling system, while ensuring that a target temperature associated with at least one of the cooling system or the electronic system is within a desired range by provisioning, based on the weighted cooling effectiveness, a desired target temperature change among the multiple adjustable cooling components of the cooling system. The provisioning includes provisioning applied power to the multiple adjustable cooling components via, at least in part, the determined control settings.
Abstract:
A method is provided which includes providing a cooling apparatus for an electronics rack which includes a door assembly configured to couple to an air inlet side of the electronics rack. The door assembly includes: one or more airflow openings facilitating passage of airflow through the door assembly and into the electronics rack; one or more air-to-coolant heat exchangers disposed so that airflow through the airflow opening(s) passes across the heat exchanger(s), which is configured to extract heat from airflow passing thereacross; and one or more airflow redistributors disposed in a direction of airflow through the airflow opening(s) downstream of, and at least partially aligned to, the heat exchanger(s). The airflow redistributor(s) facilitates redistribution of the airflow passing across the air-to-liquid heat exchanger(s) to a desired airflow pattern at the air inlet side of the electronics rack, such as a uniform airflow distribution across the air inlet side of the rack.
Abstract:
A coolant-conditioning unit is provided which includes a facility coolant path, having a facility coolant flow control valve, and a system coolant path accommodating a system coolant, and having a bypass line with a system coolant bypass valve. A heat exchanger is coupled to the facility and system coolant paths to facilitate transfer of heat from the system coolant to facility coolant in the facility coolant path, and the bypass line is disposed in the system coolant path in parallel with the heat exchanger. A controller automatically controls a regulation position of the coolant bypass valve and a regulation position of the facility coolant flow control valve based on a temperature of the system coolant, and automatically adjusts the regulation position of the system coolant bypass valve to facilitate maintaining the facility coolant flow control valve at or above a specified, partially open, minimum regulation position.
Abstract:
Cooling methods are provided which include providing a heat sink having a housing with a compartment, a coolant inlet, and a coolant outlet. The housing is configured for a coolant to flow from the coolant inlet through the compartment to the coolant outlet, wherein the coolant is transferring heat extracted from one or more electronic components. The heat sink further includes one or more heat pipes having a first portion disposed within the compartment of the housing and a second portion disposed outside the housing. The heat pipe(s) is configured to extract heat from the coolant flowing through the compartment, and to transfer the extracted heat to the second portion disposed outside the housing. The second portion outside the housing is disposed to facilitate conducting the extracted heat into the ground.
Abstract:
A heat sink, and cooled electronic structure and cooled electronics apparatus utilizing the heat sink are provided. The heat sink is fabricated of a thermally conductive structure which includes one or more coolant-carrying channels coupled to facilitate the flow of coolant through the coolant-carrying channel(s). The heat sink further includes a membrane associated with the coolant-carrying channel(s). The membrane includes at least one vapor-permeable region, which overlies a portion of the coolant-carrying channel(s) and facilitates removal of vapor from the coolant-carrying channel(s), and at least one orifice coupled to inject coolant onto at least one surface of the coolant-carrying channel(s) intermediate opposite ends of the channel(s).
Abstract:
Vapor condensers and cooling apparatuses are provided herein which facilitate vapor condensation cooling of a coolant employed in cooling an electronic device or electronic subsystem. The vapor condenser includes a thermally conductive base structure having an operational orientation when the condenser is facilitating vapor condensate formation, and a plurality of thermally conductive condenser fins extending from the thermally conductive base structure. The plurality of thermally conductive condenser fins have a varying cross-sectional perimeter along at least a portion of their length. The cross-sectional perimeters of the plurality of thermally conductive condenser fins are configured to increase in a direction of condensate travel when the thermally conductive base structure is in the operational orientation and the vapor condenser is facilitating vapor condensate formation.
Abstract:
A method is provided for dissipating heat from a rack. The method includes: disposing a coolant-cooled heat exchanger within the rack, and providing a coolant control apparatus. The coolant control apparatus includes at least one coolant recirculation conduit coupled in fluid communication between a facility coolant supply and return, wherein the facility coolant supply and return facilitate providing facility coolant to the heat exchanger. The control apparatus further includes a coolant pump(s) associated with the recirculation conduit(s) and a controller which monitors a temperature of facility coolant supplied to the heat exchanger, and redirects facility coolant, via the coolant recirculation conduit(s) and coolant pump(s), from the facility coolant return to the facility coolant supply to, at least in part, ensure that facility coolant supplied to the heat exchanger remains above a dew point temperature.