COOLING SYSTEM FOR THE LIQUID IMMERSION COOLING OF ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS

Abstract

A cooling system for the liquid immersion cooling of electronic components. The system includes a container containing, in an interior, liquid heat transfer fluid into which electronic components are immersed, the container having a gas space above the surface of the liquid heat transfer fluid, and a heat exchanger device in the gas space of the container for forming liquid heat transfer fluid. The cooling system further includes a lock device on the container for exchanging electronic components, and the lock device has a lock space, which lock space is hermetically sealed with respect to the gas space of the container to prevent gas exchange.

Claims

1. A cooling system for the liquid immersion cooling of electronic components comprising a container containing, in the interior, liquid heat transfer fluid, into which electronic components can be immersed, wherein the container has a gas space above the surface of the liquid heat transfer fluid, a heat exchanger device in the gas space of the container for forming liquid heat transfer fluid, wherein the cooling system has a lock device on the container for exchanging electronic components, wherein the lock device has a lock space, which is hermetically sealed with respect to the gas space of the container to prevent gas exchange.

2. The cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a partition is arranged for the hermetic sealing of the lock space, said partition being immersed to an immersion depth in the liquid heat transfer fluid.

3. The cooling system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the immersion depth of the partition is designed to be a variable.

4. The cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a loading system is arranged in the container, the electronic components being able to be transported thereby from the lock device to an operating position for the exchange of said components.

5. The cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a storage device for the intermediate storage of the electronic components is provided in the lock space.

6. The cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a further heat exchanger device is designed as a lock cooling system, which may specifically control the temperature of the heat transfer fluid located in the lock space.

7. The cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lock device and/or the container has a degassing device, non-condensable gases being able to be separated thereby from the gaseous heat transfer fluid.

8. The cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lock device may be flooded with a protective gas via a gas connection.

9. The cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pressure equalization tank is also arranged on the container and/or on the lock device.

10. The cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container is provided with an auxiliary heating system which serves as an aid for the evaporation of the heat transfer fluid.

11. The cooling system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container is designed as a pressure vessel which operates at a negative pressure and/or positive pressure.

Description

[0028] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail by way of the schematic drawings:

[0029] In which:

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a schematic oblique view of a cooling system,

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a schematic front view of a cooling system with an advantageous embodiment of a lock device, and

[0032] FIG. 3 shows a schematic front view of a cooling system with a further embodiment of a lock device.

[0033] Parts which correspond to one another are provided in all of the figures with the same reference numerals.

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a schematic oblique view of a cooling system 1 for the liquid immersion cooling of electronic components 2. The cooling system 1 comprises a container 3 and a lock device 8 for the exchange of electronic components 2. The liquid dielectric heat transfer fluid 4 located in the interior of the container 3 extends into the lock space 81 of the lock device 8. The liquid heat transfer fluid 42 located in the lock space 81 forms together with the partition 82 relative to the gas space 5 of the container 3 a hermetic seal against a gas exchange. For the hermetic seal, the partition 82 is immersed in the liquid heat transfer fluid 4 and thus separates the lock space 81 from the gas space 5 of the container 3 on the gas side.

[0035] In the cooling system 1 an automatic loading system, not shown in FIG. 1, may be arranged in the container 3, the electronic components 2 being able to be transported thereby from the lock device 8 to the operating position 31 for exchanging said components. The electronic components 3 may be transported by gripper arms of robots or linear transport systems, which in an automated manner collect electronic components 2 to be exchanged from the operating position 31 and, for example, deposit said components in the storage device 9 of the lock device 8. In the reverse sequence, electronic components 2 to be installed, which are ready for operation, are collected from the storage device 9 by means of the loading system and transferred into the operating position 31. The lock device 8 itself may also be operated from outside by automated devices.

[0036] For exchanging electronic components 2, the cover 83 of the lock device 8 is opened and a component 2 is deposited in the lock in the storage device 9. From there, defective parts are moved via the lock to the outside. Before opening the cover 83, inert gas may be introduced via a gas connection 11, for example, into the lock space 81, said insert gas then being at least partially discharged together with a proportion of gaseous heat transfer fluid located in the lock space 81 via a degassing device 10. This results in a purging process of the lock space 81, such that when the cover 83 is opened no gaseous heat transfer fluid or only an exceptionally small proportion of gaseous heat transfer fluid escapes from the lock. After the cover 83 is closed, the lock space 81 may be freed of ambient air by a renewed purging process with inert gas. If a pressure equalization in the locks were to be required relative to the atmospheric pressure of the environment, a pressure equalization tank 13 could create the required pressure in the gas space 5. Similarly, a pressure equalization may be carried out during the lock process via an auxiliary heating system 12 which is arranged in the liquid heat transfer fluid 4 in the container 12. In this case, over the lock period the auxiliary heating system 12 enhances the cooling system 1, which otherwise works under negative pressure, and raises the internal pressure in the gas space 5 and thus produces the required pressure equalization. The cooling power of the heat exchanger device 6 is not further influenced thereby. Nevertheless, this may also be used for a pressure regulation.

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a schematic front view of a cooling system 1 with an advantageous embodiment of a lock device 8. A lock cooling system 7 is arranged in the lock device 8, said lock cooling system liquefying the residual components of the gaseous heat transfer fluid and also further reducing the temperature of the liquid heat transfer fluid 4 in the lock space 42. As a result, in particular, the partial pressure of the heat transfer fluid during the lock process of electronic components 2 is reduced in the lock device 8. If a positive pressure is created in the gas space 5, the fluid surface 43 in the lock device 8 rises. As a result, the gas volume in the lock space 81 is reduced. When the cover 83 is opened, therefore, a reduced gas exchange takes place with the ambient air, or no gas exchange takes place when the lock space 81 is completely flooded.

[0038] FIG. 3 shows a schematic front view of a cooling system 1 with a further embodiment of a lock device 8. In this lock device, the fluid surface 41 in the gas space 5 may be at a higher level relative to the fluid surface 43 in the lock space 8 and vice-versa depending on whether a negative pressure or positive pressure prevails in the gas space 5 during the cooling process. The cover 83 which closes relative to the outside is now directly placed on the liquid heat transfer fluid 42 in the lock device 8. After a lock process, the cover 83 seals the lock space 81 entirely relative to the outside air. An exchange of electronic components 2 may now be undertaken directly after opening the cover 83. In this case, a simple loading or emptying of the easily accessible storage device 9 may also be undertaken. After the lock process, the outside air is immediately displaced by the cover 83. To this end, small closable ventilation holes may be arranged in the cover 83.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0039] 1 Cooling system [0040] 2 Electronic component [0041] 3 Container [0042] 31 Operating position [0043] 4 Liquid heat transfer fluid [0044] 41 Fluid surface in gas space [0045] 42 Liquid heat transfer fluid in lock space [0046] 43 Fluid surface in lock space [0047] 5 Gas space [0048] 6 Heat exchanger device [0049] 7 Further heat exchanger device, lock cooling system [0050] 8 Lock device [0051] 81 Lock space [0052] 82 Partition [0053] 83 Cover [0054] 9 Storage device [0055] 10 Degassing device [0056] 11 Gas connection [0057] 12 Auxiliary heating system [0058] 13 Pressure equalization tank