Cooling electronic devices installed in a subsurface environment

#This disclosure relates to a system and method for cooling electronic devices, including but not limited to computer systems, by installing the electronic devices in subsurface environments such as boreholes, excavations, or bodies of water.

#Large-scale data centers typically house hundreds or thousands of computer systems in high-density configurations (side-by-side racks, with multiple computing nodes per rack) in an above-ground building. Some sources estimate that up to 50% of the electrical power consumption for data centers is dedicated to cooling the environment in which the computer systems operate.

#The heat generated by the internal electronic components of computing devices has long been a significant factor determining the overall system design of computer systems. The most common forms of heat dissipation in early personal computer designs were direct physical contact between the heat-generating integrated circuit chip and a heat-conducting mass such as aluminum, and non-turbulent airflow, typically generated by electrical fans, to circulate cool air through a space interior to the computer system housing. In the early large-scale computing systems of the 1940s and 1950s, heat dissipation consisted primarily of ventilation apertures in housings, followed by ambient-air fans and blowers which cooled by forced air convection.

#The features characteristic of the invention are set forth in the claims and any claims filed later. However, the invention itself and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which the left-most significant digit(s) in the reference numerals denote(s) the first figure in which the respective reference numerals appear, wherein:

#FIG. 1 shows a conceptual cross-section of a containment vessel with convection cooling that encloses electronic devices with flow-over cooling which is designed for subsurface installation according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

#FIG. 2 shows a conceptual cross-section of a containment vessel with convection cooling that encloses electronic devices with cooling which is designed for subsurface installation according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

#Although described with reference to certain embodiments, those with skill in the art will recognize that the disclosed embodiments have relevance to a wide variety of areas in addition to the specific examples described below. Further, elements from one or more embodiments may be used in other embodiments and elements may be removed from an embodiment and remain within the scope of this disclosure.

#All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein; provided, however, to the extent there exists a conflict between this disclosure and a document incorporated by reference, this disclosure shall control.

#For the purposes of the present invention, the terms “electronic device”, “electronic devices”, “computer”, “computer systems”, “computer hardware systems”, “computer cluster”, “physical computer”, “computer server”, and “server” are used interchangeably, and unless otherwise specified comprise any number of electronic components or electronic component assemblies.