TWI891403B - Rack-mounted liquid cooling system - Google Patents

Abstract

A rack-mounted liquid cooling system suitable for installation in a cabinet. The rack-mounted liquid cooling system includes an immersion tank module and a liquid cooling module. The immersion tank module is configured to be mounted within the cabinet, and the immersion tank module includes a casing and a front sealing plate. The casing includes an accommodating space and a front opening that are connected to each other, the front sealing plate is detachably mounted on the casing to cover the front opening, and the accommodating space is configured to receive at least one immersion-type server and allow the circulation of a cooling fluid. The liquid cooling module is configured for installation in the cabinet, and the liquid cooling module is configured to cool the cooling fluid and/or manage and control the flow circulation of the cooling fluid. In addition, a normal direction of the front opening of the casing is parallel to an installation direction of the immersion tank module into the cabinet.

Description

Rack-mount liquid cooling system

The present invention relates to a liquid cooling system, and in particular to a rack-mounted liquid cooling system suitable for installation in a cabinet.

Existing liquid cooling systems are common in data centers and high-performance computing environments, and have been used in many applications for their efficient heat dissipation capabilities. However, the structural design of existing liquid cooling systems often has a significant impact on space occupancy. For example, the common horizontal liquid cooling structure (top-opening liquid cooling structure) requires a larger floor area, which can be a major challenge in data centers with limited space. When a liquid cooling system occupies too much floor space, it may limit the configuration or expansion flexibility of other equipment in the data center. In addition, when introducing a liquid cooling system into an existing data center, it is usually necessary to replan the center's internal space on a large scale or even build a completely new space to accommodate these systems, which not only increases costs but also prolongs the overall deployment time.

Because existing liquid cooling systems are typically complex in design, maintenance personnel often require more space to operate server maintenance. Furthermore, maintenance may require waiting for the coolant to be pumped out of the tank or to dry out, which prolongs repair time and impacts overall system efficiency. When introducing a liquid cooling system or expanding an existing system, the varying sizes of liquid cooling equipment from different vendors present additional challenges and considerations for data center construction planning and subsequent expansion.

The present invention provides a rack-mounted liquid cooling system to solve the problem in the prior art that liquid cooling systems occupy too much floor space and require lengthy maintenance time.

The rack-mounted liquid cooling system disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention is suitable for installation in a cabinet. The rack-mounted liquid cooling system includes an immersion tank module and a liquid cooling module. The immersion tank module is suitable for installation in the cabinet, and the immersion tank module includes a box body and a front sealing door panel. The box body includes a storage space and a front opening that are connected to each other. The front sealing door panel is separately installed in the box body and covers the front opening. The storage space is used to accommodate at least one immersion server and to allow a cooling fluid to circulate. The liquid cooling module is suitable for installation in the cabinet, and the liquid cooling module is used to cool the cooling fluid and/or distribute and control the flow circulation of the cooling fluid. In particular, a normal direction of the front opening of the box body is parallel to an assembly direction of the immersion tank module installed in the cabinet.

The rack-mounted liquid cooling system disclosed in the aforementioned embodiments is suitable for installation in existing cabinets, thereby reducing floor space. By designing the immersion tank module and liquid cooling module to the same specifications as existing cabinets, a reference is provided for planning and expanding data centers. Furthermore, the immersion tank module is configured with its front opening oriented parallel to its assembly direction, allowing for greater flexibility in the configuration and application of existing cabinet space.

The above description of the content of the present invention and the following description of the embodiments are used to demonstrate and explain the principles of the present invention and provide further explanation of the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

The following detailed description of the features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention is sufficient to enable anyone with ordinary skill in the art to understand the technical aspects of the embodiments of the present invention and implement them accordingly. Furthermore, based on the disclosure, patent application, and drawings in this specification, anyone with ordinary skill in the art can easily understand the relevant objectives and advantages of the present invention. The following embodiments further illustrate the concepts of the present invention in detail and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way.

Please refer to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a rack-mounted liquid cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention installed in a cabinet. Figure 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of one of the immersion tank modules of the rack-mounted liquid cooling system of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an exploded schematic diagram of the immersion tank module of Figure 2.

The rack-mounted liquid cooling system 1 of this embodiment is suitable for installation in a cabinet 9. For example, the rack-mounted liquid cooling system 1 is suitable for installation in a cabinet 9 that complies with the OCP standard. The cabinet 9, for example, complies with the ANSI/EIA-RS-310-C standard.

The rack-mounted liquid cooling system 1 includes two immersion tank modules 11 and a liquid cooling module 13. The dimensions of the immersion tank modules 11 and the liquid cooling module 13 meet, for example, the OCP standard, making them suitable for integration with a typical rack-mounted server 8 and installation in an OCP-compliant cabinet 9. As shown in FIG1 , the rack-mounted server 8, the immersion tank modules 11, and the liquid cooling module 13 are all suitable for installation in the cabinet 9 along an assembly direction D1. The dimensions of the immersion tank modules 11 and the liquid cooling module 13 are designed and manufactured in accordance with, for example, the ANSI/EIA-RS-310-C standard.

Each immersion tank module 11 comprises a housing 110 and a front sealing door panel 112, and may further comprise a rear sealing door panel 114. The housing 110 comprises a storage space S1, a front opening T1, and a rear opening T2, which are interconnected. The storage space S1 is located between the front opening T1 and the rear opening T2. The front sealing door panel 112 is separately mounted on the housing 110 and covers the front opening T1, while the rear sealing door panel 114 is separately mounted on the housing 110 and covers the rear opening T2. As a result, the immersion tank module 11 is a front-opening immersion tank. The storage space S1 is used to accommodate at least one submerged server 7 and to circulate a cooling fluid (not shown). A normal direction N1 of the front opening T1 is parallel to an assembly direction D1 of the immersion tank module 11 and the liquid cooling module 13 in the cabinet 9 .

In this embodiment, the box body 110 is, for example, a waterproof box body, and the front sealing door panel 112 and the rear sealing door panel 114 are, for example, both waterproof pressure-sealed door structures.

In this embodiment, the number of immersion tank modules 11 is two, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the rack-mounted liquid cooling system may include one, three, or more immersion tank modules according to actual use requirements.

The present invention is not limited to the height of the immersion tank module 11 and the height of the liquid cooling module 13 shown in the drawings. In other embodiments, the height of the immersion tank module and the height of the liquid cooling module can be adjusted according to actual product requirements.

The liquid cooling module 13 can be, for example, a chiller or a cooling liquid distribution unit (CDU), wherein the chiller fluid is connected to the receiving space S1 of the immersion tank module 11 and is used to cool the cooling fluid, and the cooling liquid distribution unit is used to distribute and control the flow circulation of the cooling fluid in the receiving space S1 and the chiller.

In addition, the rack-mounted liquid cooling system 1 may further include a cooling liquid temporary tank, a liquid extraction motor, and a vacuum motor (not shown). As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the front sealing door panel 112 and the rear sealing door panel 114 each include a hot liquid pipe connection port C1, a cold liquid pipe connection port C2, a liquid extraction pipe connection port C3, and a vacuum pipe connection port C4, which are connected to the storage space S1. The cold liquid pipe connection port C2 is lower than the hot liquid pipe connection port C1, the liquid extraction pipe connection port C3 is lower than the hot liquid pipe connection port C1, and the liquid extraction pipe connection port C3 is lower than the vacuum pipe connection port C4.

The hot liquid pipeline connection port C1 is connected to the liquid cooling module 13 through a hot liquid connecting pipe, the cold liquid pipeline connection port C2 is connected to the liquid cooling module 13 through a cold liquid connecting pipe, the extraction pipeline connection port C3 is connected to the cooling liquid temporary tank through a extraction connecting pipe, and the vacuum pipeline connection port C4 is connected to the vacuum motor through a vacuum connecting pipe.

When a coolant extraction process is executed to discharge the cooling fluid from the accommodating space S1 of the immersion tank module 11, the cold liquid valve on the cold liquid connecting pipe and the hot liquid valve on the hot liquid connecting pipe are switched from an open state to a closed state, thereby isolating the fluid between the accommodating space S1 and the liquid cooling module 13. At the same time, the liquid extraction valve on the liquid extraction connecting pipe is switched from a closed state to an open state, thereby connecting the fluid between the accommodating space S1 and the coolant temporary tank. As a result, the cooling fluid is extracted from the accommodating space S1 through the liquid extraction connecting pipe and flows into the coolant temporary tank.

Furthermore, after the aforementioned coolant extraction process, a coolant drying process may be further included. Specifically, during the coolant drying process, the liquid extraction valve on the liquid extraction connecting pipe switches from an open state to a closed state, isolating the fluid between the storage space S1 and the coolant temporary tank. Furthermore, the vacuum valve on the vacuum connection pipe switches from a closed state to an open state, establishing fluid communication between the storage space S1 and the vacuum motor. The vacuum motor then extracts the coolant and air from the storage space S1 through the vacuum connection pipe.

In this embodiment, the liquid cooling module 13 may be further configured with an automation function to automatically execute the above-mentioned coolant extraction process and coolant drying process before the scheduled maintenance work begins.

In this embodiment, a temperature sensor, pressure sensor, liquid level sensor, and/or leakage sensor may be further installed on the immersion tank module 11. The temperature sensor, for example, monitors the temperature of the cooling fluid in the immersion tank module 11 to ensure it remains within the optimal operating range. It can also provide early warning of abnormal system operation or overheating, helping to prevent damage to the equipment caused by overheating. The pressure sensor, for example, monitors the pressure within the immersion tank module 11 to ensure that the cooling fluid circulates within a safe pressure range. It can also help detect poor sealing or pipe blockages, allowing for timely adjustments or maintenance. For example, the liquid level sensor monitors the cooling fluid level in the immersion tank module 11 to ensure sufficient cooling fluid covers all submerged servers 7, thereby preventing cooling efficiency degradation or equipment overheating due to low liquid levels. The leak sensor monitors for possible cooling fluid leaks to protect the data center environment from liquid damage.

The front sealed door panel 112 may include a display panel P1 and an input/output connection interface F1. The display panel P1 is used to display information such as the temperature and/or pressure within the storage space S1, and the input/output connection interface F1 is used to connect various transmission lines, such as power transmission lines, network transmission lines, and/or image transmission lines. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the rear sealed door panel may also include a display panel and an input/output connection interface.

Please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic perspective view of the submersible server shown in Figure 1 being withdrawn from its storage space. The submersible tank module 11 may further include a plurality of slide rail assemblies L1, which are slidably disposed within the storage space S1 of the housing 110. These slide rail assemblies L1 are used to accommodate the submersible server 7, allowing the submersible server 7 to be slidably inserted into the storage space S1 along an assembly direction D1 or withdrawn from the storage space S1 in the opposite direction of the assembly direction D1.

It should be noted that the vacuum motor and the vacuum pipe connection port are optional. In other embodiments, the rack-mounted liquid cooling system may not include the vacuum motor and the vacuum pipe connection port for performing the above-mentioned coolant drying process.

The rack-mounted liquid cooling system according to the above-described embodiment is suitable for installation in existing cabinets, thereby reducing floor space. By designing and manufacturing the immersion tank module and liquid cooling module to the same specifications as existing cabinets, a reference is provided for planning and expanding data centers. Furthermore, the immersion tank module is configured with its front opening oriented parallel to its assembly direction, allowing for greater flexibility in the configuration and application of existing cabinet space.

In some embodiments, the coolant drying process is performed by configuring a vacuum pipe connection port and a vacuum motor. The accommodating space in the immersion tank module can be evacuated to accelerate the drying and discharge of the coolant, thereby saving maintenance time.

In this embodiment, the server of the present invention can be used for artificial intelligence (AI) computing and edge computing, and can also be used as a 5G server, cloud server, or vehicle network server.

Although the present invention is disclosed above with reference to the preferred embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art may make minor changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of patent protection for the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the patent application attached to this specification.

1: Rack-mount liquid cooling system 11: Immersion tank module 110: Cabinet 112: Front sealing door 114: Rear sealing door 13: Liquid cooling module 7: Immersion server 8: Rack-mount server 9: Cabinet D1: Assembly direction N1: Normal direction S1: Storage space T1: Front opening T2: Rear opening C1: Hot liquid pipe connection port C2: Cold liquid pipe connection port C3: Liquid extraction pipe connection port C4: Vacuum extraction pipe connection port P1: Display panel F1: Input/output interface L1: Rail assembly

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a rack-mounted liquid cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention installed in a cabinet. Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of one of the immersion tank modules of the rack-mounted liquid cooling system of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an exploded view of the immersion tank module of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of the submerged server shown in Figure 1 being removed from its storage space.

1: Rack-mounted liquid cooling system

11: Immersion tank module

13: Liquid cooling module

7: Submerged Server

8: Rack-mounted server

9: Cabinet

D1: Assembly direction

Claims (8)

A rack-mounted liquid cooling system, suitable for installation in a cabinet, comprises: an immersion tank module, suitable for installation in the cabinet, the immersion tank module comprising a housing, a rear sealed door panel, and a front sealed door panel. The housing comprises a rear opening, a receiving space, and a front opening, which are connected to each other. The front sealed door panel is separately mounted on the housing and covers the front opening. The receiving space is used to accommodate at least one immersed server and to allow a cooling fluid to circulate. The rear opening is connected to the rear opening of the receiving space. The receiving space is located between the front opening and the rear opening. The rear sealed door panel is separately mounted on the housing and covers the rear opening. The front sealed door panel and the rear sealed door panel each include a hot liquid pipe connection port and a cold liquid pipe connection port connected to the accommodating space, and the horizontal height of the cold liquid pipe connection port is lower than the horizontal height of the hot liquid pipe connection port; and a liquid cooling module is suitable for installation in the cabinet, and the liquid cooling module is used to cool the cooling fluid and/or distribute and control the flow circulation of the cooling fluid; wherein a normal direction of the front opening is parallel to an assembly direction of the immersion tank module in the cabinet, and each hot liquid pipe connection port is connected to the liquid cooling module through a hot liquid connecting pipe, and each cold liquid pipe connection port is connected to the liquid cooling module through a cold liquid connecting pipe. A rack-mounted liquid cooling system as described in claim 1, wherein the liquid cooling module is a chiller or a cooling liquid distribution device, the chiller fluid is connected to the storage space of the immersion tank module, the chiller is used to cool the cooling fluid, and the cooling liquid distribution device is used to distribute and control the flow circulation of the cooling fluid in the storage space and the chiller. The rack-mounted liquid cooling system as described in claim 1 further includes a cooling liquid temporary tank and a liquid extraction motor, wherein the front sealed door panel and the rear sealed door panel each further include a liquid extraction pipe connection port connected to the accommodating space, and the horizontal height of the liquid extraction pipe connection port is lower than the horizontal height of the hot liquid pipe connection port; wherein each of the liquid extraction pipe connection ports is connected to the cooling liquid temporary tank through a liquid extraction connecting pipe. The rack-mounted liquid cooling system as described in claim 3 further includes a vacuum motor, wherein the front sealed door panel and the rear sealed door panel each further include a vacuum pipe connection port connected to the accommodating space, and the horizontal height of the liquid extraction pipe connection port is lower than the horizontal height of the vacuum pipe connection port; wherein each vacuum pipe connection port is connected to the vacuum motor through a vacuum connecting pipe. The rack-mounted liquid cooling system as described in claim 1, wherein at least one of the front sealed door panel and the rear sealed door panel includes a display panel, and the display panel is used to display temperature and/or pressure information in the accommodating space. A rack-mounted liquid cooling system as described in claim 1, wherein at least one of the front sealed door panel and the rear sealed door panel includes an input/output connection interface, and the input/output connection interface is used to connect a power transmission line, a network transmission line and/or an image transmission line. A rack-mounted liquid cooling system as described in claim 1, wherein the immersion tank module further includes at least one slide rail assembly, which is slidably arranged in the accommodation space of the box, and the at least one slide rail assembly is used to accommodate the at least one immersion server, so that the at least one immersion server can be slidably inserted into the accommodation space along the assembly direction or extracted from the accommodation space in the opposite direction of the assembly direction. The rack-mounted liquid cooling system as described in claim 1, wherein the dimensional specifications of the immersion tank module and the dimensional specifications of the liquid cooling module both meet the OCP standard specifications.