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US 9,596,787 B1Granted
Cooling electronic devices in a data center
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsMadhu Krishnan Iyengar, Christopher G. Malone, Gregory P. Imwalle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A data center cooling system includes an outer container that defines a first volume; an inner container that defines a second volume and is positioned within the first volume, the inner container including an air outlet that includes an airflow path between the first and second volumes; a liquid seal to fluidly isolate a liquid phase of a non-conductive coolant that fills at least a portion of the first and second volumes from an ambient environment; and a plurality of electronic heat-generating devices at least partially immersed in the liquid phase of the non-conductive coolant to transfer a heat load to the non-conductive coolant.
Claims26
A data center cooling system, comprising:
- an outer container that defines a first volume, the outer container comprising a base and a chimney that extends vertically from the base and above a portion of a top surface of the outer container, the base comprising a first portion of the first volume and the chimney comprises a second portion of the first volume that is in fluid communication with the first portion;
- an inner container that defines a second volume and is positioned within the first volume, the inner container comprising an air outlet that comprises an airflow path between the first and second volumes;
- a liquid seal to fluidly isolate a liquid phase of a non-conductive coolant that fills at least a portion of the first and second volumes from an ambient environment;
- a plurality of electronic heat-generating devices at least partially immersed in the liquid phase of the non-conductive coolant to transfer a heat load to the non-conductive coolant;
- and
- a cooling module mounted in the first volume and at least partially immersed in the liquid phase of the non-conductive coolant to cool the liquid phase of the non-conductive coolant, wherein the cooling module is positioned within the base and the chimney and extends through the first and second portions of the first volume.
3 more elements
A method for cooling electronic heat-generating devices in a data center, comprising:
- enclosing a plurality of electronic heat-generating devices in a first volume defined by a first container;
- immersing the plurality of electronic heat-generating devices in a liquid phase of a non-conductive coolant;
- enclosing the first container in a second volume of a second container, the non-conductive coolant filling at least a portion of the first and second volumes, the second container comprising a base and a chimney that extends vertically from the base and above a portion of a top surface of the first container, the base comprising a first portion of the second volume and the chimney comprising a second portion of the second volume that is in fluid communication with the first portion;
- sealing the liquid phase of the non-conductive coolant from an ambient environment;
- transferring a heat load from the plurality of electronic heat-generating devices to the liquid phase of the non-conductive coolant;
- cooling the liquid phase of the non-conductive coolant with a cooling module that is at least partially immersed within the liquid phase of the non-conductive coolant in the first volume of the first container and extends through the first and second portions of the second volume;
- and
- cooling, with the cooling module, a mix of air and a first portion of a vapor phase of the non-conductive coolant in a top portion of the chimney to condense the first portion of the vapor phase to the liquid phase of the non-conductive coolant.
5 more elements
A system comprising:
- a first housing adapted to enclose a plurality of server assemblies, at least one of the server sub-assemblies comprising a top that sealingly engages the first housing and a server board coupled to the top;
- a second housing that encloses the first housing, the second housing comprising a base housing and an extension housing that is coupled to a lateral side of the base housing and extends vertically from the base housing;
- a dielectric coolant enclosed within the first and second housings to cool the server board, the dielectric coolant comprising a liquid phase substantially contained within the second housing and a vapor phase substantially contained within the first housing;
- and
- a cooling coil positioned in the extension housing and mounted in the second volume to cool the liquid phase of the dielectric coolant, and condense the vapor phase of the dielectric coolant in the extension housing to the liquid phase of the dielectric coolant, the cooling coil at least partially immersed in the liquid phase of the dielectric coolant to cool the liquid phase of the dielectric coolant.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.