IMMERSION COOLING SYSTEMS FOR ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS
20220322576 · 2022-10-06
Inventors
- Ali Chehade (Moncheaux, FR)
- Gregory Francis Louis Bauchart (Wattrelos, FR)
- Alexandre Alain Jean-Pierre MENEBOO (Harnes, FR)
Cpc classification
H05K7/20781
ELECTRICITY
H05K7/20772
ELECTRICITY
International classification
Abstract
A cooling system (50) including an immersion case, a bladder and a controller is disclosed. The immersion case (54) is configured to house an immersion cooling liquid, and an electronic component (80) configured to be submerged in the immersion cooling liquid. The bladder (56) is configurable between an expanded state and a contracted state and positioned such that the bladder (56) can be at least partially submerged in the immersion cooling liquid when in any one of the expanded state and the contracted state. The controller (58) is connected to the bladder (56) for modulating the bladder (56) between the expanded state and the contracted state to modulate a fluid level of the immersion cooling liquid in the immersion case (54).
Claims
1. A cooling system comprising: an immersion case configured to house: an immersion cooling liquid, and an electronic component configured to be submerged in the immersion cooling liquid; and a bladder configurable between an expanded state and a contracted state and positioned such that the bladder can be at least partially submerged in the immersion cooling liquid when in the expanded state and the bladder can be at least partially submerged in the immersion cooling liquid when in the contracted state; and a controller connected to the bladder for modulating the bladder between the expanded state and the contracted state to modulate a fluid level of the immersion cooling liquid in the immersion case.
2. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the bladder comprises at least one fold, the at least one fold being unfolded in the expanded state and folded in the contracted state.
3. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the bladder is made of an elastically deformable material.
4. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the bladder is made of a material which is thermally resistant up to at least 60° C.
5. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the bladder is configured to be anchored to the immersion case such that the bladder remains at least partially submerged in the immersion cooling liquid when in the expanded state and the contracted state.
6. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the bladder is configured to be anchored to the immersion case such that the bladder is fully submerged in the immersion cooling liquid when in the expanded state only.
7. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the bladder is not anchored to the immersion case and is configured to house a fluid which is more dense than the immersion cooling liquid for remaining at least partially submerged in the immersion cooling liquid when in the expanded state and the contracted state.
8. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the bladder is disposed in the immersion case such that it contacts the electronic component in at least one of the expanded state and the contracted state and is configured to draw heat away from the electronic component.
9. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein: the bladder is configured to house a bladder fluid, the bladder fluid being a gas or a liquid; and the cooling system comprising a pump communicatively connected to the controller and fluidly connected to the bladder, the pump being configured to move the bladder fluid in and out of the bladder.
10. The cooling system of claim 9, further comprising a reservoir fluidly connected to the pump.
11. The cooling system of claim 1, further comprising a level sensor configured to detect the fluid level of the immersion cooling liquid in the immersion case.
12. The cooling system of claim 11, wherein the controller is communicatively connected to the level sensor and to the pump, the controller being configured to control the bladder state in response to data received from the level sensor.
13. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the bladder comprises a plurality of bladders which are fluidly connected to one another.
14. The cooling system of claim 1, further comprising a rack system configured to receive the immersion case.
15. The cooling system of claim 14, wherein when one of the rack system and the immersion case is displaced, the controller modulates the bladder to the contracted state.
16. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the immersion case is configured such that: when the bladder is in the expanded state, the level of the immersion cooling liquid is at a first level in the immersion case and the electronic component is fully submerged in the immersion cooling liquid; and when the bladder is in the contracted state, the level of the immersion cooling liquid is at a second level in the immersion case, the second level being lower than the first level.
17. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the immersion case is configured such that: when the bladder is in the expanded state, the level of the immersion cooling liquid is at a first level in the immersion case and the electronic component is not fully submerged in the immersion cooling liquid; and when the bladder is in the contracted state, the level of the immersion cooling liquid is at a second level in the immersion case, the second level being lower than the first level, and the electronic component is fully submerged in the immersion cooling liquid.
18. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the controller, responsive to a detection of a lowering of the level of the immersion cooling liquid, is configured to cause the bladder to expand in order to maintain the level of the immersion cooling liquid.
19. A method for operating a cooling system, the cooling system comprising an immersion case housing immersion cooling liquid, an electronic component, and a bladder, the method being executed by a processor of a computer system communicatively coupled to a controller of the cooling system, the method comprising: modulating the bladder between an expanded state and a contracted state, the bladder positioned in the immersion case such that the bladder is at least partially submerged in the immersion cooling liquid when in any one of the expanded state and the contracted state to modulate a level of the immersion cooling liquid in the immersion case and to selectively submerge the electronic component.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: detecting the level of the immersion cooling liquid in the immersion case, and responsive to the detected level of the immersion cooling liquid being a predetermined level, causing the modulation of the bladder.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0038] For a better understanding of the present technology, as well as other aspects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following description which is to be used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:
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[0051] The various Figures are not to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0052] Referring to
[0053] The rack system 52 defines a front opening 70, which in part, enables racking and de-racking operations of the immersion case 54. The rack system 52 also defines a rear opening 72 configured to accommodate a cable/tube bundle 74 therethrough. In some embodiments, the rear opening 72 could accommodate a plurality of cable/tube bundles 74 therethrough. The rack system 52 has a single shelf that is configured to house the plurality of immersion cases 54. In some embodiments, the rack system 52 could be configured to house a single immersion case 54. In other embodiments, the rack system 52 could have two or more shelves positioned substantially vertically in the rack system 52.
[0054] The immersion case 54 is configured to receive, and house, immersion cooling liquid and an electronic component 80 in a cavity therein. An upper aperture 82 is provided for access to the cavity. In other embodiments, access to the cavity of the immersion case 54 may be provided in a different manner such as from a side aperture or through a sealable portal. The electronic component 80, which can be submerged in the immersion cooling liquid, may, for example, comprise a server, a hard disk drive, a power supply, and the like. The immersion case 54 is also configured to receive and house a serpentine convection coil 84 therein. It is contemplated that in some embodiments, the serpentine convection coil 84 could be another type of heat exchanger. In some embodiments, the immersion case 54 could be configured to receive two or more electronic components 80 and/or two or more serpentine convection coils 84 therein. As will also be described below, the immersion cooling liquid can aid in cooling the electronic component 80 and in heat exchange through the serpentine convection coil 84. In other embodiments, the serpentine convention coil 84 may be omitted.
[0055] In certain embodiments, the cooling system 50 also includes a level sensor 86 that is connected to the immersion case 54 and that is communicatively connected to the controller 58. The level sensor 86 is configured to detect fluid level (i.e. height) of the immersion cooling liquid within the immersion case 54, and communicate said fluid level to the controller 58. In certain other embodiments, the cooling system 50 may omit the level sensor 86.
[0056] The cable/tube bundle 74 services the immersion case 54 by carrying hot and/or cold fluid and/or electrical current in and/or out the immersion case 54. In some embodiments, the fluid carried by the cable/tube bundles 74 is water. The cable/tube bundle 74 is operatively connected to water blocks (not shown) of the electronic component 80 and to the serpentine convection coil 84.
[0057] The bladder 56, which is configurable between an expanded state (
[0058] More precisely, as shown in
[0059] Furthermore, the bladder 56 is positioned in the immersion case 54 such that the bladder 56 does not contact the electronic component 80 when in the contracted state or the expanded state. In certain other embodiments, in the expanded state, a portion of the bladder 56 contacts a portion of the electronic component 80. As will be described in greater detail below, there could be heat transfer occurring between the bladder 56 and the electronic component 80.
[0060] The bladder 56 is anchored to a bottom wall of the immersion case 54 by a hook 88. It is contemplated that the bladder 56 could be anchored to the immersion case 54 by another connector such as a catch, a clasp, a latch, a clip or a grommet. It is also contemplated that in some embodiments, the bladder 56 could be anchored to another part of the immersion case 54, such as a side wall thereof or even to the serpentine convection coil 84. Anchoring the bladder 56 can help ensure that the bladder 56 remains, at least partially, submerged by the immersion cooling liquid when in the expanded state (i.e. does not float to the surface of the immersion cooling liquid). In other embodiments, the bladder 56 may not be anchored at all.
[0061] The bladder 56 is configured to house a bladder fluid therein. The bladder fluid may be a gas or a liquid. In some embodiments, the bladder fluid may be water. In other embodiments, the bladder fluid may be air. In yet other embodiments, the bladder fluid could be a coolant fluid to enhance heat transfer within the immersion case 54. As will be described in greater detail below, the bladder 56 is configured to expand to the expanded state when bladder fluid flows into the bladder 56 and is configured to contract to the contracted state when some bladder fluid flows out of the bladder 56. As will also be described below, in some embodiments, the bladder 56 could expand and contract without bladder fluid flowing in or out of the bladder 56.
[0062] The bladder 56 may have any expandable configuration which may comprise one or more folds. In certain embodiments, the bladder 56 is made of a material which is not elastically deformable and relies on unfolding of folds for volume expansion in the expanded state. In certain other embodiments, the bladder 56 is made of a material which is elastically deformable and relies predominantly on a stretching of the material for volume expansion in the expanded state.
[0063] Referring to
[0064] In this embodiment, the bladder 56 increases in volume as it expands without elastically deforming. The bladder 56 is made from a non-elastically deformable material such as plastic. For example and without restriction, the non-elastically deformable material could be a mixture of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) or a mixture of aluminium and PE. In addition, the non-elastically deformable material has a stiffness such that it does not crumple under pressure of the immersion cooling liquid. In other embodiments, the bladder 56 may be made of an elastically deformable material and may stretch when in the expanded state.
[0065] Referring to
[0066] In this embodiment, the bladder 56 increases in volume as it expands without elastically deforming. The bladder 56 is made from a non-elastically deformable material such as plastic. For example and without restriction, the non-elastically deformable material could be a PE and PP mixture or an aluminium and PE mixture. In addition, the non-elastically deformable material has a stiffness such that it does not crumple under pressure of the immersion cooling liquid. In other embodiments, the bladder 56 may be made of an elastically deformable material and may stretch when in the expanded state.
[0067] Referring to
[0068] The bladder 56 increases in volume and elastically deforms as it expands. The bladder 56 is made from a material that is configured to elastically deform (e.g. similar to an inflated balloon) such as a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) mixture. The elastically deformable material is configured to not crumple under pressure of the immersion cooling liquid. Alternatively, the bladder 56 may omit the folds 90 and rely solely on material expansion for the volume increase.
[0069] Referring to
[0070] Regardless of the configuration of the bladder 56 (i.e. whether it has folds and whether it is made of an elastically deformable material), the bladder 56 is configured to be thermally resistant up to an upper temperature reached by the immersion cooling liquid (e.g. at least 80° C.) and chemically resistant to the immersion cooling liquid. In other embodiments, the bladder 56 could be thermally resistant up to at least 70° C. In yet other embodiments, the bladder 56 could be thermally resistant up to at least 60° C.
[0071] It is contemplated that in some embodiments, the cooling system 50 could include two or more bladders 56. It is further contemplated that the two or more bladders could be fluidly connected to one another, or could be fluidly sealed from one another.
[0072] A size of the bladder 56 could vary from one embodiment to another. Indeed, in some embodiments, the electrical component 80 could be relatively large, such that a relatively large amount of immersion cooling liquid would be required to achieve a given fluid level in the immersion case 54. As immersion cooling liquid can be expensive, and in order to minimize a required volume of the immersion cooling liquid, a larger bladder 56 may be more suitable to help achieve the given fluid level. In some embodiments, the bladder 56 could be configured to expand to different volumes, such that a single bladder 56 could be suitable for smaller or larger electrical components 80. In certain embodiments, a set of bladders 56 may be provided, each having a different volume capacity.
[0073] The bladder 56 is fluidly connected to a pump 92 by the port 93. The pump 92 is fluidly connected to a reservoir 94, which is configured to contain the bladder fluid, and communicatively connected to the controller 58. The pump 92 is a hydraulic pump. In some embodiments, the pump 92 could be a manual pump. It is contemplated that the pump 92 could be another type of pump, such as, for instance, a pneumatic pump. The pump 92 is also communicatively connected to the controller 58. As will be described in greater detail below, the controller 58 is configured to operate the pump 92 to cause bladder fluid to flow in or out of the bladder 56.
[0074] In some embodiments, the cooling system 50 could have a conductivity sensor disposed within the immersion case 54 that could be communicatively connected to the controller 58. The conductivity sensor could, depending on the bladder fluid, help in detecting whether or not there is a leak in the bladder 56 by measuring conductivity of the fluid in which the conductivity sensor is disposed (i.e. conductivity of the fluid would increase or decrease depending on the bladder fluid). In other embodiments, the conductivity sensor could be a pH sensor.
[0075] It is contemplated that in some embodiments of the cooling system 50, the pump 92 and the reservoir 94 could be omitted. In such embodiments, the bladder 56 may be configured to expand or contract without causing bladder fluid to flow in or out of the bladder 56 (as shown in
[0076] The cooling system 50 also includes a computer system 100. The computer system 100 includes a processor 105 that is communicatively connected to the controller 58. As such, the processor 105 is communicatively connected to the level sensor 86 and to the pump 92. It is contemplated that in some embodiments, the computer system 100 could be omitted.
[0077] Still referring to
[0078] As shown in
[0079] Then, when there is a need and/or a want to cool the electric component 80, the fluid level of the immersion cooling liquid can be increased. In response to a command provided to the controller 58 by the processor 105, the controller 58 is configured to operate the pump 92 to pump some bladder fluid from the reservoir 94 to the bladder 56. Moving bladder fluid into the bladder 56 results in the bladder 56 expanding such that a volume of the bladder 56 increases, which in turn results in the fluid level of the immersion cooling liquid increasing. In embodiments in which the bladder 56 includes the folds 90, as the bladder 56 expands, the folds 90 unfold. In some embodiments, the bladder 56 is configured to expand until the level sensor 86 detects that the immersion cooling liquid has reached a predetermined fluid level. In other embodiments, the bladder 56 could be configured to expand by a predetermined volume. In any case, the fluid level of the immersion cooling liquid increases because of the expansion of the bladder 56 until the second fluid level, higher than the first fluid level, is reached. When the immersion cooling liquid is at the second fluid level, thus when the bladder 56 is in the expanded state, the electronic component 80, the serpentine convection coil 84 and the bladder 56 are fully submerged by the immersion cooling liquid. The bladder 56 remains submerged in the immersion cooling liquid by the hook 88, which anchors the bladder 56, as, in some embodiments, depending on the material of the bladder 56 and/or density of the bladder fluid, the bladder 56 could float to a surface of the immersion cooling liquid.
[0080] In some embodiments, the controller 58 could be configured to operate the pump 92 in response to a predetermined set of conditions rather than a command. In some embodiments, the given predetermined set of conditions could be provided by the processor 105.
[0081] In other embodiments, as mentioned above, the controller 58 could be configured to modulate expansion or contraction of the bladder 56 without the pump 92 and the reservoir 94. Instead, when desired and/or needed, the controller 58 could actuate the actuator to cause expansion or contraction of the bladder 56.
[0082] When the immersion cooling liquid is at the second fluid level, hybrid cooling may occur. Cold water, or another fluid, may be carried by one of the tubes of the cable/tube bundle 74, and supplied to cooling blocks (not shown) mounted on the electronic component 80 to cool the electronic component 80. Subsequently, the water, which has increased in temperature but is expected to still be cooler than the immersion cooling liquid, is supplied to the serpentine convection coil 84. As the water flows through the serpentine convection coil 84, heat transfer between the serpentine convection coil 84 and the immersion cooling liquid induces convection of the immersion cooling liquid within the immersion case 54. The water then exits the serpentine convection coil 84 through another one of the tubes of the cable/tube bundle 74. Mounting the serpentine convention coil 84 upstream of the electronic component 80 along the path of the supplied water is also contemplated.
[0083] As shown in
[0084] In other embodiments, and referring back to
[0085] In some instances, there may be a need to transport the immersion case 54. Having a lower fluid level can help to reduce chances of the immersion cooling fluid spilling out of the immersion case 54. In addition, when there is a need to access the electrical component 80, having a lower fluid level can facilitate access to the electrical component 80. Furthermore, reducing the amount of immersion cooling fluid required to submerge an electrical component 80 in a given immersion case 54 using the bladder 56, can help reduce costs of the cooling system 50. Additionally, the bladder 56 permits quick fluid level adjustment. This can be useful when swift adjustability is required.
[0086] Referring to
[0087] The method 110 begins at step 112 with the processor 105 detecting the fluid level of the immersion cooling liquid in the immersion case 54. The fluid level is detected by the level sensor 86, which communicates with the controller 58, which in turns communicates with the processor 105. In other embodiments, the fluid level of the immersion cooling liquid could be detected by detecting the volume of the bladder 56 and deriving the immersion cooling liquid fluid level therefrom. In response to the detected fluid level, the processor 105 is configured to cause modulation of the bladder 56.
[0088] Then, at step 114, the processor 105 is configured to modulate the bladder 56 between the expanded state and the contracted state by communicating commands with the controller 58, which in turns communicates with the pump 92 to modulate the bladder 56 between the expanded and contracted states.
[0089] Modifications and improvements to the above-described implementations of the present technology may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing description is intended to be exemplary rather than limiting. The scope of the present technology is therefore not intended to be limited by specificities of the shown examples.