Sensor-based non-uniform cooling
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsPradip Bose, Alper Buyuktosunoglu, Timothy Joseph Chainer, Pritish Ranjan Parida, Augusto Javier Vega
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Abstract
Techniques for inducing non-uniform cooling are described. According to an embodiment, a system is provided. The system can comprise at least one processor device that executes components stored in a memory, wherein the components comprise: a flow control device that distributes coolant to a location of the at least one processor device; and a sensor controller component that detects a location of a thermal anomaly of the at least one processor device. The components can also comprise a cooling controller component that adjusts the flow control device to direct the coolant to the location of the thermal anomaly.
Claims19
A system, comprising:
- at least one processor device that executes components stored in a memory, wherein the components comprise:
- a flow control device that distributes coolant through a channel embedded within a substrate of the at least one processor device;
- a sensor controller component that detects that the at least one processor device is experiencing a thermal anomaly;
- a plurality of sensors disposed at an inlet of the channel embedded within the substrate and an outlet of the channel to facilitate determination of a net temperature increase or decrease for the system;
- a cooling controller component that adjusts the flow control device to direct the coolant to the substrate of the at least one processor device experiencing the thermal anomaly, wherein the system is a closed loop system, wherein, in a first loop of the closed loop system, the coolant is pumped from a condenser through the inlet via a chip cooling apparatus and wherein, in a second loop of the closed loop system, the coolant is transferred from the condenser to a wet/dry cooler via the outlet where heat of the at least one processor device is dissipated and then the coolant is transferred back to the condenser by the wet/dry cooler via the inlet.
A computer-implemented method, comprising:
- distributing, by a flow control device operatively coupled to a processor device having a plurality of chips in a stack and a plurality of respective substrates adjacent the plurality of chips, coolant to a substrate of the plurality of substrates of the processor device, wherein the processor device is a device of a plurality of processor devices;
- detecting, by a sensor controller component, that the processor device is experiencing a thermal anomaly, wherein the sensor controller component is coupled to a plurality of sensors disposed at an inlet of a channel embedded within the substrate and an outlet of the channel to facilitate determination of a net temperature increase or decrease for the processor device, and wherein the sensor controller component is coupled to a plurality of sensors disposed at second inlets and second outlets of a second channel adjacent to the processor device;
- detecting, by the sensor controller component, that a second processor device of the processor devices is not experiencing the thermal anomaly;
- based on the detecting a location of the thermal anomaly associated with the processor device, adjusting, by a cooling controller component, the flow control device to direct the coolant through the substrate of the processor device, and wherein the substrate through which the coolant is directed is associated with only an uppermost chip in the stack or only a lowermost chip in the stack;
- and
- based on the detecting that there is no thermal anomaly associated with the second processor device, concurrent with adjusting, by the cooling controller component, the flow control device to direct the coolant through the substrate of the processor device, forgoing adjusting, by the cooling controller component, the flow control device to direct the coolant through the substrate of the second processor device.
A computer program product for a coolant distribution process, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor device to cause the processor device to:
- distribute, by a flow control device, coolant through a substrate of the processor device;
- detect, by a sensor controller component, a location of a thermal anomaly of the processor device, wherein the sensor controller component is coupled to a plurality of sensors disposed at an inlet of a channel embedded within the substrate and an outlet of the channel, and wherein the sensor controller component is coupled to a plurality of sensors disposed at second inlets and second outlets of a second channel adjacent to the processor device;
- and
- based on detection of the location, adjust, by a cooling controller component, the flow control device to direct the coolant through the substrate coupled to the processor device, wherein the flow control device comprises piezoelectric devices that deform to increase or decrease flow impedance to provide the coolant to the location of the thermal anomaly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.