Commmonly submersed servers with velocity augmentation and partial recirculation in tank

An apparatus for holding and cooling rack-mountable servers having heat-producing electronic components, comprising:

• a tank defining an open interior volume and having a coolant inlet for receiving a dielectric liquid coolant within the open interior volume and having a coolant outlet for allowing the coolant to flow from the open interior volume, the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet being fluidly coupled to each other;
• a volume of dielectric liquid coolant in the tank;
• one or more mounting members positioned within the interior volume and configured to hold a plurality of rack-mountable servers in a horizontally stacked relationship with one another, with the rack-mountable servers in a vertical orientation within the interior volume such that the plurality of servers are commonly at least partially submersed in the volume of the dielectric liquid coolant;
• one or more pumps configured to move at least portion of the dielectric liquid coolant in the tank;
• a controller configured to maintain a temperature of the dielectric liquid coolant in the range of about 90° F. to about 130° F.;
• a plurality of fluid velocity augmentation devices;
• and
• a liquid-to-liquid or liquid-to-refrigerant heat exchanger outside of the tank, wherein the volume of dielectric liquid coolant is thermally coupled to a distal location via the liquid-to-liquid or liquid-to-refrigerant heat exchanger,
• wherein the coolant inlet, the coolant outlet, and the mounting members are configured such that the one or more pumps are operable to move at least a portion of the dielectric liquid coolant vertically across heat producing components of one of the rack-mountable servers in parallel flow with dielectric liquid coolant moved vertically across heat producing components of at least one other of the rack-mountable servers,
• wherein each of the plurality of fluid velocity augmentation devices is configured to increase the velocity of flow of the dielectric liquid coolant through at least one of the rack-mountable servers or between adjacent ones of the rack-mountable servers,
• wherein at least one passage is defined in the tank that is outside of the vertically oriented rack-mountable servers, wherein at least one of the passages is in fluid connection with one or more of the fluid velocity augmentation devices, and wherein a circuit is formed in which a first portion of heated dielectric liquid coolant is moved vertically by the one or more fluid velocity augmentation devices across the vertically oriented rack-mountable servers, wherein the first portion of the dielectric liquid coolant is split into a second portion and a third portion after passing through the vertically oriented rack-mountable servers, wherein the second portion of the dielectric liquid coolant flows out of the tank and through the liquid-to-liquid or liquid-to-refrigerant heat exchanger such that heat is rejected to the distal location, and wherein the third portion flows through the at least one passage back to the one or more fluid velocity augmentation devices;
• wherein the one or more mounting members hold the rack-mountable servers such that at least one of the rack-mountable servers is independently removable, through an opening in the top of the tank, from the volume of dielectric liquid coolant while at least two other rack-mountable servers remain commonly submersed in the volume of dielectric liquid coolant in the tank and sufficiently submersed to maintain cooling by the flow of the dielectric liquid coolant in the tank across heat producing electronic components of the at least two other rack-mountable servers, wherein any one or more of the servers can be removed while at least one other of the servers remains operating;
• wherein at least one of the one or more mounting members is capable of mounting a first rack-mountable server, a second rack-mountable server, a third rack-mountable server and a fourth rack-mountable server such that:
• a first gap exists between the first rack-mountable server and the second rack-mountable server;
• a second gap exists between the second rack-mountable server and the third rack-mountable server and a third gap exists between the third rack-mountable server and the fourth rack-mountable server;
• wherein dielectric liquid coolant is introduced into the tank through coolant inlet piping coupled to the plurality of fluid augmentation devices, wherein a first fluid augmentation device is positioned such that the fluid augmentation device directs the introduced dielectric liquid coolant into the first gap, wherein a second fluid augmentation device is positioned such that the fluid augmentation device directs the introduced dielectric liquid coolant into the second gap, and wherein a third fluid augmentation device is positioned such that the fluid augmentation device directs the introduced dielectric liquid coolant into the third gap.