Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130014926 | DATA CENTER COOLANT SWITCHAANM Iyengar; Madhusudan K.AACI WoodstockAAST NYAACO USAAGP Iyengar; Madhusudan K. Woodstock NY USAANM Parida; Pritish R.AACI FishkillAAST NYAACO USAAGP Parida; Pritish R. Fishkill NY USAANM Schultz; Mark D.AACI OssiningAAST NYAACO USAAGP Schultz; Mark D. Ossining NY US - A data center cooling system is operated in a first mode; it has an indoor portion wherein heat is absorbed from components in the data center, and an outdoor heat exchanger portion wherein outside air is used to cool a first heat transfer fluid (e.g., water) present in at least the outdoor heat exchanger portion of the cooling system during the first mode. The first heat transfer fluid is a relatively high performance heat transfer fluid (as compared to the second fluid), and has a first heat transfer fluid freezing point. A determination is made that an appropriate time has been reached to switch from the first mode to a second mode. Based on this determination, the outdoor heat exchanger portion of the data cooling system is switched to a second heat transfer fluid, which is a relatively low performance heat transfer fluid, as compared to the first heat transfer fluid. It has a second heat transfer fluid freezing point lower than the first heat transfer fluid freezing point, and the second heat transfer fluid freezing point is sufficiently low to operate without freezing when the outdoor air temperature drops below a first predetermined relationship with the first heat transfer fluid freezing point. | 01-17-2013 |
20130081781 | ENERGY EFFICIENT DATA CENTER LIQUID COOLING WITH GEOTHERMAL ENHANCEMENT - A data center cooling system is operated in a first mode, and has an indoor portion wherein heat is absorbed from components in the data center by a heat transfer fluid, and an outdoor heat exchanger portion and a geothermal heat exchanger portion. The first mode includes ambient air cooling of the heat transfer fluid in the outdoor heat exchanger portion and/or geothermal cooling of the heat transfer fluid in the geothermal heat exchanger portion. Based on an appropriate metric, a determination is made that a switch should be made from the first mode to a second mode; and, in response, the data center cooling system is switched to the second mode. The second mode is different than the first mode. | 04-04-2013 |
20130138252 | DYNAMICALLY LIMITING ENERGY CONSUMED BY COOLING APPARATUS - Cooling apparatuses and methods are provided which include one or more coolant-cooled structures associated with an electronics rack, a coolant loop coupled in fluid communication with one or more passages of the coolant-cooled structure(s), one or more heat exchange units coupled to facilitate heat transfer from coolant within the coolant loop, and N controllable components associated with the coolant loop or the heat exchange unit(s), wherein N≧1. The N controllable components facilitate circulation of coolant through the coolant loop or transfer of heat from the coolant via the heat exchange unit(s). A controller is coupled to the N controllable components, and dynamically adjusts operation of the N controllable components, based on Z input parameters and one or more specified constraints, to provide a specified cooling to the coolant-cooled structure(s), while limiting energy consumed by the N controllable components, wherein Z≧1. | 05-30-2013 |
20130138253 | DYNAMICALLY LIMITING ENERGY CONSUMED BY COOLING APPARATUS - Cooling methods are provided which include providing: one or more coolant-cooled structures associated with an electronics rack, a coolant loop coupled in fluid communication with one or more passages of the coolant-cooled structure(s), one or more heat exchange units coupled to facilitate heat transfer from coolant within the coolant loop, and N controllable components associated with the coolant loop or the heat exchange unit(s), wherein N≧1. The N controllable components facilitate circulation of coolant through the coolant loop or transfer of heat from the coolant via the heat exchange unit(s). A controller is also provided to dynamically adjust operation of the N controllable components, based on Z input parameters and one or more specified constraints, and provide a specified cooling to the coolant-cooled structure(s), while limiting energy consumed by the N controllable components, wherein Z≧1. | 05-30-2013 |
20130233523 | COLD PLATE WITH COMBINED INCLINED IMPINGEMENT AND RIBBED CHANNELS - Heat transfer devices and methods for making the same that include a first enclosure having at least one inlet port; a second enclosure having a bottom plate and one or more dividing walls to establish channels, at least one internal surface of each channel having rib structures to create turbulence in a fluid flow; and a jet plate connecting the first enclosure and the second enclosure having impinging jets that convey fluid from the first enclosure to the channels, said impinging jets being set at an angular deviation from normal to cause local acceleration of fluid and to increase a local heat transfer rate. | 09-12-2013 |
20130264045 | PROVISIONING COOLING ELEMENTS FOR CHILLERLESS DATA CENTERS - Systems and methods for cooling include one or more computing structure, an inter-structure liquid cooling system that includes valves configured to selectively provide liquid coolant to the one or more computing structures; a heat rejection system that includes one or more heat rejection units configured to cool liquid coolant; and one or more liquid-to-liquid heat exchangers that include valves configured to selectively transfer heat from liquid coolant in the inter-structure liquid cooling system to liquid coolant in the heat rejection system. Each computing structure further includes one or more liquid-cooled servers; and an intra-structure liquid cooling system that has valves configured to selectively provide liquid coolant to the one or more liquid-cooled servers; | 10-10-2013 |
20130264046 | COOLANT AND AMBIENT TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR CHILLERLESS LIQUID COOLED DATA CENTERS - Cooling control methods and systems include measuring a temperature of air provided to one or more nodes by an air-to-liquid heat exchanger; measuring a temperature of at least one component of the one or more nodes and finding a maximum component temperature across all such nodes; comparing the maximum component temperature to a first and second component threshold and comparing the air temperature to a first and second air threshold; and controlling a proportion of coolant flow and a coolant flow rate to the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and the one or more nodes based on the comparisons. | 10-10-2013 |
20130306273 | APPARATUS FOR THE COMPACT COOLING OF AN ARRAY OF COMPONENTS - An apparatus for the compact cooling of an array of components. The apparatus includes a housing with cover plates on opposing sides of the housing, and a frame between the cover plates. The frame is thermally coupled to each of the cover plates and includes a plurality of channels for passing coolant through the housing. | 11-21-2013 |
20130306292 | APPARATUS FOR THE COMPACT COOLING OF MODULES - An apparatus for the compact cooling of modules. The apparatus includes a clip, a first cover plate coupled to a first side of the clip, a second cover plate coupled to a second side of the clip opposite to the first side of the clip, a first frame thermally coupled to the first cover plate, and a second frame thermally coupled to the second cover plate. Each of the first frame and the second frame may include a plurality of channels for passing coolant through the first frame and the second frame, respectively. Additionally, the apparatus may further include a filler for directing coolant through the plurality of channels, and for blocking coolant from flowing along the first side of the clip and the second side of the clip. | 11-21-2013 |
20130317785 | LIQUID COOLED DATA CENTER DESIGN SELECTION - Input data, specifying aspects of a thermal design of a liquid cooled data center, is obtained. The input data includes data indicative of ambient outdoor temperature for a location of the data center; and/or data representing workload power dissipation for the data center. The input data is evaluated to obtain performance of the data center thermal design. The performance includes cooling energy usage; and/or one pertinent temperature associated with the data center. The performance of the data center thermal design is output. | 11-28-2013 |
20130343005 | THERMAL TRANSFER STRUCTURES COUPLING ELECTRONICS CARD(S) TO COOLANT-COOLED STRUCTURE(S) - Cooling apparatuses and coolant-cooled electronic systems are provided which include thermal transfer structures configured to engage with a spring force one or more electronics cards with docking of the electronics card(s) within a respective socket(s) of the electronic system. A thermal transfer structure of the cooling apparatus includes a thermal spreader having a first thermal conduction surface, and a thermally conductive spring assembly coupled to the conduction surface of the thermal spreader and positioned and configured to reside between and physically couple a first surface of an electronics card to the first surface of the thermal spreader with docking of the electronics card within a socket of the electronic system. The thermal transfer structure is, in one embodiment, metallurgically bonded to a coolant-cooled structure and facilitates transfer of heat from the electronics card to coolant flowing through the coolant-cooled structure. | 12-26-2013 |
20140020418 | DATA CENTER COOLING SYSTEM - A data center cooling system may include heat transfer equipment to cool a liquid coolant without vapor compression refrigeration, and the liquid coolant is used on a liquid cooled information technology equipment rack housed in the data center. The system may also include a controller-apparatus to regulate the liquid coolant flow to the liquid cooled information technology equipment rack through a range of liquid coolant flow values based upon information technology equipment temperature thresholds. | 01-23-2014 |
20140020885 | DATA CENTER COOLING METHOD - A method aspect for removing heat from a data center may use liquid coolant cooled without vapor compression refrigeration on a liquid cooled information technology equipment rack. The method may also include regulating liquid coolant flow to the data center through a range of liquid coolant flow values with a controller-apparatus based upon information technology equipment temperature threshold of the data center. | 01-23-2014 |
20140048243 | ACTIVELY CONTROLLING COOLANT-COOLED COLD PLATE CONFIGURATION - Cooling apparatuses are provided to facilitate active control of thermal and fluid dynamic performance of a coolant-cooled cold plate. The cooling apparatus includes the cold plate and a controller. The cold plate couples to one or more electronic components to be cooled, and includes an adjustable physical configuration. The controller dynamically varies the adjustable physical configuration of the cold plate based on a monitored variable associated with the cold plate or the electronic component(s) being cooled by the cold plate. By dynamically varying the physical configuration, the thermal and fluid dynamic performance of the cold plate are adjusted to, for example, optimally cool the electronic component(s), and at the same time, reduce cooling power consumption used in cooling the electronic component(s). The physical configuration can be adjusted by providing one or more adjustable plates within the cold plate, the positioning of which may be adjusted based on the monitored variable. | 02-20-2014 |
20140049918 | ACTIVELY CONTROLLING COOLANT-COOLED COLD PLATE CONFIGURATION - A method is provided to facilitate active control of thermal and fluid dynamic performance of a coolant-cooled cold plate. The method includes: monitoring a variable associated with at least one of the coolant-cooled cold plate or one or more electronic components being cooled by the cold plate; and dynamically varying, based on the monitored variable, a physical configuration of the cold plate. By dynamically varying the physical configuration, the thermal and fluid dynamic performance of the cold plate are adjusted to, for example, optimally cool the one or more electronic components, and at the same time, reduce cooling power consumption used in cooling the electronic component(s). The physical configuration can be adjusted by providing one or more adjustable plates within the coolant-cooled cold plate, the positioning of which may be adjusted based on the monitored variable. | 02-20-2014 |
20140146845 | THERMALLY DETERMINING FLOW AND/OR HEAT LOAD DISTRIBUTION IN PARALLEL PATHS - A method including obtaining calibration data for at least one sub-component in a heat transfer assembly, wherein the calibration data comprises at least one indication of coolant flow rate through the sub-component for a given surface temperature delta of the sub-component and a given heat load into said sub-component, determining a measured heat load into the sub-component, determining a measured surface temperature delta of the sub-component, and determining a coolant flow distribution in a first flow path comprising the sub-component from the calibration data according to the measured heat load and the measured surface temperature delta of the sub-component. | 05-29-2014 |
20140153607 | CALIBRATING THERMAL BEHAVIOR OF ELECTRONICS - A method includes determining a relationship between indirect thermal data for a processor and a measured temperature associated with the processor, during a calibration process, obtaining the indirect thermal data for the processor during actual operation of the processor, and determining an actual significant temperature associated with the processor during the actual operation using the indirect thermal data for the processor during actual operation of the processor and the relationship. | 06-05-2014 |
20140190681 | ENERGY EFFICIENCY BASED CONTROL FOR A COOLING SYSTEM - A method for controlling a cooling system based on a heat dissipation of an electronic module and an ambient air temperature includes determining a combination of individual controls on components of the cooling system that achieve a specific amount of cooling based on a cooling power relationship for the plurality of components, the heat dissipation of the electronic module and the ambient air temperature, and applying the individual controls to the plurality of components. | 07-10-2014 |
20140192476 | COOLING APPARATUS WITH A RESILIENT HEAT CONDUCTING MEMBER - A cooling structure including a thermally conducting central element having a channel formed therein, the channel being configured for flow of cooling fluid there through, a first pressure plate, and a first thermally conductive resilient member disposed between the thermally conducting central element and the first pressure plate, wherein the first pressure plate, the first thermally conductive resilient member, and the thermally conducting central element form a first heat transfer path. | 07-10-2014 |
20140301036 | SERVER COOLING SYSTEM WITHOUT THE USE OF VAPOR COMPRESSION REFRIGERATION - A system, method, and computer product for cooling a server center without the use of vapor compression refrigeration. An example embodiment involves using outdoor ambient air to cool first server components directly and to cool heat exchanges containing liquid used to cool second server components. | 10-09-2014 |