US 7,385,810 B2Granted

Apparatus and method for facilitating cooling of an electronics rack employing a heat exchange assembly mounted to an outlet door cover of the electronics rack

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsRichard C. Chu, Michael J. Ellsworth, Jr., Donald W. Porter, Roger R. Schmidt, Robert E. Simons

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Abstract

Apparatus and method are provided for facilitating cooling of an electronics rack employing a heat exchange assembly mounted to an outlet door cover hingedly affixed to an air outlet side of the rack. The heat exchange assembly includes a support frame, an air-to-liquid heat exchanger, and first and second perforated planar surfaces covering first and second main sides, respectively, of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is supported by the support frame and includes inlet and outlet plenums disposed adjacent to the edge of the outlet door cover hingedly mounted to the rack. Each plenum is in fluid communication with a respective connect coupling, and the heat exchanger further includes multiple horizontally-oriented heat exchange tube sections each having serpentine cooling channel with an inlet and an outlet coupled to the inlet plenum and outlet plenum, respectively. Fins extend from the heat exchange tube sections.

Claims26

Dependent claims

An apparatus for facilitating cooling of an electronics rack, the apparatus comprising:

a heat exchange assembly configured to mount to an outlet door cover for an electronics rack, wherein air moves through the electronics rack from an air inlet side to an air outlet side thereof and the outlet door cover is hingedly mounted along one edge to the electronics rack at the air outlet side of the electronics rack, and wherein the heat exchange assembly comprises:
a support frame for facilitating mounting of the heat exchange assembly to the outlet door cover, wherein when mounted to the outlet door cover, the heat exchange assembly covers at least a portion of an opening in the outlet door cover;
an air-to-liquid heat exchanger supported by the support frame, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger having an inlet plenum and an outlet plenum disposed adjacent to the edge of the outlet door cover hingedly mounted to the electronics rack when the heat exchange assembly is mounted to the outlet door cover, wherein the inlet plenum and the outlet plenum are each in fluid communication with a respective connect coupling of the heat exchange assembly, the respective connect couplings residing adjacent to the edge of the outlet door cover hingedly mounted to the electronics rack when the heat exchange assembly is mounted to the outlet door cover, and wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger further comprises at least one heat exchange tube section, each heat exchange tube section comprising a coolant channel having an inlet and an outlet, each coolant channel inlet being coupled to the inlet plenum and each coolant channel outlet being coupled to the outlet plenum, and wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger further comprises a plurality of fins extending from the at least one heat exchange tube section;
at least one of a first perforated surface covering a first main side of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger or a second perforated surface covering a second main side of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, each perforated surface containing air flow openings to allow inlet-to-outlet air flow through the electronics rack to pass through the heat exchange assembly;
and
wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is configured and positioned to cool air exhausting from the electronics rack into a data center containing the electronics rack, and thereby reduce demand on one or more data center air-conditioning units.

3 more elements

A cooled electronics system comprising:

an electronics rack, the electronics rack having:
an air inlet side and an air outlet side, the air inlet and air outlet sides respectively enabling ingress and egress of external air;
at least one electronics drawer;
at least one air moving device, the at least one air moving device being capable of causing external air to flow from the air inlet side of the electronics rack, across the at least one electronics drawer to the air outlet side of the electronics rack;
an outlet door cover hingedly mounted along one edge to the electronics rack at the air outlet side of the electronics rack, the outlet door cover having an opening therein;
a heat exchange assembly mounted to the outlet door cover of the electronics rack to reside within the opening in the outlet door cover, the heat exchange assembly comprising:
a support frame mounting the heat exchange assembly to the outlet door cover;
an air-to-liquid heat exchanger supported by the support frame, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger having an inlet plenum and an outlet plenum disposed adjacent to the edge of the outlet door cover hingedly mounted to the electronics rack, wherein the inlet plenum and the outlet plenum are each in fluid communication with a respective connect coupling of the heat exchange assembly, the respective connect couplings residing adjacent to the edge of the outlet door cover hingedly mounted to the electronics rack, and wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger further comprises at least one heat exchange tube section, each heat exchange tube section comprising a serpentine coolant channel having an inlet and an outlet, each coolant channel inlet being coupled to the inlet plenum and each coolant channel outlet being coupled to the outlet plenum, and wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger further comprises a plurality of fins extending from the at least one heat exchange tube section;
at least one of a first perforated surface covering a first main side of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger or a second perforated surface covering a second main side of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, each perforated surface containing air flow openings to allow inlet-to-outlet air flow through the electronics rack to pass through the heat exchange assembly when the outlet door cover is closed to the electronics rack;
and
wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is configured and positioned to cool air exhausting from the electronics rack into a data center containing the electronics rack, and thereby reduce demand on one or more data center air-conditioning units.

8 more elements

A method for facilitating cooling of an electronics rack, the method comprising:

providing a heat exchange assembly configured to mount to an outlet door cover for an electronics rack, wherein air moves through the electronics rack from an air inlet side to an air outlet side thereof and the outlet door cover is hingedly mounted along one edge to the electronics rack at the air outlet side of the electronics rack, and wherein the heat exchange assembly comprises:
a support frame facilitating mounting of the heat exchange assembly to the outlet door cover;
an air-to-liquid heat exchanger supported by the support frame, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger having an inlet plenum and an outlet plenum disposed adjacent to the edge of the outlet door cover hingedly mounted to the electronics rack when the heat exchange assembly is mounted to the outlet door cover, wherein the inlet plenum and the outlet plenum are each in fluid communication with a respective connect coupling of the heat exchange assembly, the respective connect couplings residing adjacent to the edge of the outlet door cover hingedly mounted to the electronics rack when the heat exchange assembly is mounted to the outlet door cover, and wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger further comprises at least one heat exchange tube section, each heat exchange tube section comprising a serpentine coolant channel having an inlet and an outlet, each coolant channel inlet being coupled to the inlet plenum and each coolant channel outlet being coupled to the outlet plenum, and wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger further comprises a plurality of fins extending from the at least one heat exchange tube section;
at least one of a first perforated surface covering a first main side of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger or a second perforated surface covering a second main side of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, each perforated surface containing air flow openings to allow inlet-to-outlet air flow through the electronics rack to pass through the heat exchange assembly;
mounting the heat exchange assembly to the outlet door cover by affixing the support frame to the outlet door cover, wherein the heat exchange assembly resides within the opening in the outlet door cover;
and
wherein when in operation, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger cools air exhausting from the electronics rack into a data center containing the electronics rack, and thereby reduces demand on one or more data center air-conditioning units.

4 more elements

An apparatus for facilitating cooling of an electronics rack, the apparatus comprising:

a heat exchange assembly configured to mount to an air outlet side of an electronics rack, wherein air moves through the electronics rack from an air inlet side to the air outlet side thereof, and wherein the heat exchange assembly comprises:
a support frame configured to pivotally couple to the electronics rack at the air outlet side thereof, wherein when pivotally coupled to the electronics rack, and in an operative position, the support frame at least partially overlies the air outlet side of the electronics rack;
an air-to-liquid heat exchanger supported by the support frame, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger having an inlet plenum and an outlet plenum, wherein the inlet plenum and the outlet plenum are each in fluid communication with a respective connect coupling of the heat exchange assembly, the respective connect couplings residing adjacent to an edge of the support frame pivotally coupled to the electronics rack, and wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger further comprises at least one heat exchange tube section, each heat exchange tube section comprising a coolant channel having an inlet and an outlet, each coolant channel inlet being coupled to the inlet plenum, and each coolant channel outlet being coupled to the outlet plenum;
and
wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger of the heat exchange assembly is configured to cool air egressing from the air outlet side of the electronics rack when the support frame is in the operative position adjacent to the air outlet side of the electronics rack, the air outlet side of the electronics rack being a back side of the electronics rack, thereby reducing demand on one or more air-conditioning units of a data center containing the electronics rack.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.