阅读说明：本技术 冷却模块和冷却模块机架 (Cooling module and cooling module rack ) 是由 尼尔·埃德蒙兹 纳坦·朗赫斯特 于 2020-03-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供了一种冷却模块和/或包括冷却模块的计算系统。计算系统可以包括：服务器机架,用于将计算单元保持在不同高度；至少两个冷却模块,用于安装在服务器机架中,上述至少两个冷却模块包括包围第一计算单元的第一壳体。这两个冷却模块可以容纳不同类型的信息技术设备,但具有相同的高度。冷却模块可以包含电子装置和液体冷却剂。冷却模块可以具有以下中的一者或更多者：侧壁,其具有加强配件；下壁和/或上壁,其具有接近相对的壁并且内表面比在内部体积的其他部分中更远离其外表面的中央部分；可分开的盖,其具有交叠的脊；以及穿过侧壁的导热部件。(A cooling module and/or a computing system including a cooling module is provided. The computing system may include: a server rack for holding computing units at different heights; at least two cooling modules for mounting in the server rack, the at least two cooling modules including a first housing enclosing a first computing unit. The two cooling modules can accommodate different types of information technology equipment, but with the same height. The cooling module may contain electronics and a liquid coolant. The cooling module may have one or more of the following: a sidewall having a reinforcement fitting; a lower wall and/or an upper wall having a central portion proximate to the opposing wall and having an inner surface that is further from its outer surface than in other portions of the interior volume; a detachable cover having overlapping ridges; and a heat conductive member penetrating the sidewall.)

1. A computing system, comprising:

a server rack for maintaining a plurality of computing units at different levels in a height dimension;

a first cooling module for mounting in the server rack, the first cooling module comprising a first enclosure enclosing a first computing unit, the first enclosure having a first size in the height dimension; and

a second cooling module for mounting in the server rack, the second cooling module comprising a second enclosure enclosing a second computing unit, the second computing unit being a different type of information technology equipment than the first computing unit, the second enclosure having a second size in the height dimension; and

wherein the first size is the same as the second size.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the first housing and the second housing are the same size in all dimensions.

3. The computing system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of the computing units held in the server racks is housed in a respective cooling module, each of the cooling modules having either a same size in the height dimension or one of two different sizes in the height dimension.

4. The computing system of any of the preceding claims, wherein each of the first computing unit and the second computing unit comprises: at least one Computer Processing Unit (CPU); at least one Graphics Processing Unit (GPU); at least one Power Supply Unit (PSU); one or more network switches; and one or more disk drives.

5. The computing system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first computing unit is comprised of a plurality of devices of the same information technology equipment type and/or the second computing unit is comprised of a plurality of devices of the same information technology equipment type.

6. The computing system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second cooling modules are mounted adjacently in the server rack, the first computing unit includes one or more power supply units and the second computing unit includes a type of information technology equipment that is different from a type of the first computing unit.

7. The computing system of claim 6, further comprising:

a third cooling module mounted in the server rack adjacent to the first cooling module on a side opposite the second cooling module, the third cooling module including a third housing enclosing a third computing unit, the third computing unit being a type of information technology equipment different from the type of the first computing unit.

8. The computing system of claim 7, wherein the third housing has a third dimension in the height dimension that is the same as the first dimension and the second dimension.

9. The computing system of any preceding claim, wherein the server rack is configured to hold at least 4 computing units, each computing unit housed in a respective cooling module, each of the cooling modules having the same dimensions in the height dimension.

10. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the first computing unit comprises at least one Power Supply Unit (PSU), and wherein at least one of:

the at least one PSU of the first computing unit is configured to provide sufficient power to power a respective computing unit housed in each of at least 6 other cooling modules;

the at least one PSU of the first computing unit is configured to provide at least 25kW of power;

the at least one PSU of the first computing unit comprises a plurality of PSUs, each PSU configured to provide sufficient power to power all computing units in a single other cooling module; and

the at least one PSU of the first computing unit comprises a plurality of PSUs, a number of PSUs of the plurality of PSUs configured to provide redundancy.

11. The computing system of claim 9 or claim 10, wherein at least two of the cooling modules each comprise a respective power supply unit PSU.

12. The computing system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first cooling module further contains a first cooling liquid sealed with the first computing unit in a first internal volume, and the second cooling module further contains a second cooling liquid sealed with the second computing unit in a second internal volume.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the first cooling module further comprises a first heat exchanger configured to receive the first cooling liquid from the first interior volume and transfer heat from the first liquid coolant to a first radiator coolant, and wherein the second cooling module further comprises a second heat exchanger configured to receive the second cooling liquid from the second interior volume and transfer heat from the second liquid coolant to a second radiator coolant.

14. The computing module of claim 13, wherein the first heat exchanger is within the first housing and the second heat exchanger is within the second housing.

15. The computing module of claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the first and second radiator coolants are both secondary coolant liquid received from outside the first and second cooling modules through respective coolant inlets, the server rack further comprising ducting for providing the secondary coolant liquid to the respective coolant inlets of each of the first and second cooling modules.

16. The cooling module of any of claims 13-15, wherein the first cooling module further comprises a first pump configured to flow the first liquid coolant between the first interior volume and the first heat exchanger, and wherein the second cooling module further comprises a second pump configured to flow the second liquid coolant between the second interior volume and the second heat exchanger.

17. The computing system of any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the first computing unit and the second computing unit is configured to consume 4kW of power.

18. A cooling module for housing a heat-generating electronic device with a liquid coolant within an interior volume, the cooling module comprising a housing defining an upper wall, a lower wall opposite the upper wall, and at least one side wall connecting the lower wall and the upper wall, the lower wall, and the at least one side wall defining the interior volume; and

wherein one or more of:

(a) the at least one sidewall includes a first layer of material and a reinforcement fitting that improves the resilience of the first layer of material to pressure from the interior volume and/or the insulating ability of the first layer of material;

(b) the lower wall and/or the upper wall having a central portion closer to the opposite wall than at least one peripheral portion, or the lower wall defining a surface of the internal volume closer to an outer surface of the lower wall in an edge portion of the internal volume than in other portions of the internal volume;

(c) the housing includes: a base defining the lower wall and a first portion of the at least one side wall; and a cover separable from the base and defining the upper wall and a second portion of the at least one side wall, the base and the cover arranged to cooperate to form the internal volume, and the second portion of the at least one side wall of the cover comprising a ridge arranged to overlap with the first portion of the at least one side wall of the base adjacent the internal volume during the cooperation;

(d) the cooling module further comprises a heat conducting member arranged to have a first portion located within the interior volume and to pass through the at least one side wall so as to have a second portion outside the interior volume and thereby allow heat to be conducted from outside the interior volume into the interior volume.

19. A cooling module according to claim 18, wherein (a) is suitable and the first layer of material is plastic or metal, or (b), (c) or (d) is suitable and the housing is made of plastic, sheet metal or cast metal.

20. A cooling module according to claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the at least one side wall comprises four side walls, such that the housing has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

21. The cooling module of any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein (a) applies and the reinforcement fitting comprises one or more of:

(i) a second layer of material spaced apart from the first layer of material to form a double-walled shell;

(ii) a support structure attached to or integrally formed with the first layer of material, formed perpendicular to the first layer of material, and coupled to one or more of the lower wall, the upper wall, and the at least one side wall of the housing so as to provide reinforcement; and

(iii) a panel attached to the first layer of material and coupled to the lower wall and/or the upper wall of the housing so as to provide reinforcement.

22. The cooling module of claim 21, wherein the second layer of material is plastic or metal, or wherein the reinforcement fitting comprises (ii) a support structure formed with a pattern comprising one or more of: an elongated rib; a cross shape; and a checkerboard grid shape.

23. A cooling module according to claim 21 or claim 22, wherein the reinforcement fitting comprises (iii) a panel, wherein the panel has a reflective inner surface.

24. A cooling module according to any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein (b) applies and wherein the upper and/or lower walls are inclined between the central portion and at least one edge adjacent the at least one side wall.

25. A cooling module according to any one of claims 18 to 24, wherein (b) applies and wherein the peripheral portion is defined by a groove formed along at least one edge adjacent the at least one side wall, the groove being spaced further from the opposing wall than the central portion.

26. The cooling module of claim 24 or claim 25, wherein the interior volume has an elongated shape and the lower wall is sloped at an elongated end of the interior volume.

27. The cooling module of any one of claims 18-26, wherein (b) applies and wherein the cooling module further comprises a pump located on a surface of the interior volume closer to an outer surface of the lower wall.

28. The cooling module of any one of claims 18 to 27, wherein the housing comprises: a base defining the lower wall and a first portion of the at least one side wall; and a cover separable from the base member and defining a second portion of the upper wall and the at least one side wall, the base member and the cover arranged to cooperate to form the interior volume; and is

Wherein the lid comprises a protrusion and the base comprises a sealing member configured to receive the protrusion of the lid when the base member cooperates with the lid so as to form a seal when the internal volume is formed.

29. The cooling module of claim 28, wherein the sealing member is compressible by a protrusion of the cover, or wherein the sealing member comprises a recess arranged to receive the protrusion of the cover when the base member cooperates with the cover.

30. A cooling module according to claim 28 or claim 29, wherein (c) applies and wherein said ridge is longer than said protrusion.

31. A cooling module according to any one of claims 18 to 30, wherein (d) applies and wherein said thermally conductive member is made of metal.

32. A cooling module according to any one of claims 18 to 31, wherein (d) applies and wherein the thermally conductive member is dimensioned to carry at least 10W of thermal power.

33. The cooling module of any one of claims 18 to 32, further comprising:

a heat exchanger configured to receive liquid coolant from the interior volume and transfer heat from the liquid coolant to a radiator coolant.

34. The cooling module of claim 33, wherein the heat exchanger is within the interior volume.

35. The cooling module of claim 33 or claim 34, wherein the heat sink coolant is a second liquid coolant received from outside the cooling module, the cooling module further comprising:

a coolant inlet for receiving the second liquid coolant and providing the received second liquid coolant to the heat exchanger; and

a coolant outlet for receiving the second liquid coolant from the heat exchanger after heat transfer.

36. The cooling module of any one of claims 33 to 35, further comprising:

a pump configured to flow liquid coolant between the heat exchanger and the interior volume.

37. The cooling module of any one of claims 18 to 36, further comprising: the liquid coolant and/or the heat-generating electronic devices within the interior volume.

38. The cooling module of claim 37, wherein the heat-generating electronic device includes a planar circuit board mounted in the interior volume such that a plane of the circuit board extends substantially parallel to the at least one sidewall.

39. The cooling module of claim 37 or claim 38, wherein an amount of liquid coolant within the interior volume is insufficient to cover the heat-producing electronic device.

40. The cooling module of any one of claims 18 to 39, wherein the heat-producing electronic devices comprise one or more of: a computer processing unit; a graphics processing unit; a network switch; a computer storage device; one or more disk drives; and a power supply unit.

41. A computing system, comprising:

a server rack for holding a plurality of computing units;

a first cooling module for mounting in the server rack, the first cooling module comprising a first life thermal electronic device as a first computing unit, the first cooling module according to any one of claims 18 to 40; and

a second cooling module for mounting in the server rack, the second cooling module comprising a second heat-generating electronic device as a second computing unit, the second cooling module according to any one of claims 18 to 40; and

wherein a height of the housing of the first cooling module is the same as a height of the housing of the second cooling module.

42. The computing system of claim 41, further according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a cooling module for housing a heat-generating electronic device within an internal volume (internal volume), and/or a computing system including a plurality of cooling modules mounted in a server rack.

Background

Many types of electrical components generate heat during operation. In particular, electrical computer components such as motherboards, Central Processing Units (CPUs), Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), memory modules, hard disks, and Power Supply Units (PSUs) may dissipate a large amount of heat when in use. Heating electrical components to high temperatures can result in damage, affect performance, or create safety hazards. Accordingly, a great deal of effort has been directed to finding efficient, high performance systems for effectively and safely cooling electrical components.

One type of cooling system uses liquid cooling. Although different liquid cooled assemblies have been shown, the electrical components are typically immersed in a coolant liquid to provide a large surface area for heat exchange between the heat generating electrical components and the coolant.

International patent publication No. WO-2010/130993 and U.S. patent publication No. 2010/0290190 (of the same applicant as the present invention and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference) describe a cooling device that uses sealable modules for housing one or more heat-generating electronic components and a (primary) liquid coolant in which the electronic components are immersed. It can be thermodynamically efficient to immerse the electronic component in a coolant that carries heat away from the electronic component. Heat is transferred from the primary liquid coolant inside the sealable module to the secondary liquid coolant outside the sealable module. This uses a conductive surface (cold plate) with protrusions to reduce the distance between the conductive surface and the device being cooled. In this design, the primary liquid coolant flows by convection, and the expansion of the coolant causes an increase in pressure, thus requiring a large amount of coolant. The housing of the sealable module is typically made of a metal material, but the possibility of using a synthetic plastic material is discussed as an alternative. A plurality of modules may be mounted in the rack.

International patent publication No. WO-2018/096362 discloses a subsequent variation of this design in which a primary liquid coolant is pumped within a sealable module (housing), with a heat exchanger disposed within the housing for transferring heat from the primary liquid coolant to a secondary liquid coolant. The amount of coolant required in this later variation was significantly less than in earlier designs. To avoid significant expansion due to pressure increase, the volume inside the enclosure that is not occupied by primary liquid coolant or hardware (in other words, occupied by air) is kept to a minimum.

These existing designs can provide high cooling efficiency. However, each cooling module is typically designed for cooling one type of electronic component or device. It is desirable to provide a cooling module and a rack for mounting a plurality of cooling modules, wherein different types of electronic components or devices can be efficiently used in a more direct manner.

Disclosure of Invention

Against this background, there is provided a computing system according to claim 1 or claim 41 and a cooling module for housing a heat-generating electronic device within an interior volume according to claim 18.

According to an aspect, there is generally provided a computing system comprising: a server rack for maintaining a plurality of computing units at different levels in a height dimension; first and second cooling modules for mounting in the server rack, each of the first and second cooling modules including a respective housing enclosing a respective computing unit and having the same dimensions in a height dimension. The two computing units have different types of Information Technology Equipment (ITE). Types of ITE may include: at least one Computer Processing Unit (CPU); at least one Graphics Processing Unit (GPU); at least one Power Supply Unit (PSU); one or more network switches; and one or more disk drives. Optionally, all dimensions of the two cooling modules are the same.

In some embodiments, all cooling modules in a server rack may have the same dimensions in the height dimension, even though they accommodate at least two different types of ITE in at least two different cooling modules. Alternatively, when accommodating at least two different types of ITEs (in at least two different cooling modules) and more preferably at least three different types of ITEs (in at least three different cooling modules), all cooling modules in the server rack may have one of two different sizes in the height dimension.

Each of the computing units is optionally composed of a plurality of devices of the same information technology equipment type. One of the compute units may include one or more Power Supply Units (PSUs) while the other compute units include other things (e.g., CPUs or GPUs). The third cooling module may be disposed on a different side of the first cooling module than the second cooling module (and optionally at least the same height and/or the same other dimensions as the first and second cooling modules). Advantageously, two cooling modules, each having one or more PSUs, may be provided in a server rack, but not adjacent. However, two cooling modules each having a CPU or GPU may be adjacently disposed.

Where one or more PSUs are provided in the cooling module, it may be one or more of: sufficient to provide the electrical demand of at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or all other cooling modules (e.g., at least 25kW of power); each PSU is sufficient to provide the electrical requirements of a single other cooling module; and including a plurality of PSUs sufficient to provide redundancy (N + 1). Each computing unit may be rated to consume up to 4kW of power.

The number of cooling modules in a server rack may be at least 4, 6, or 8, and optionally more. All cooling modules preferably have the same height or, more preferably, all cooling modules have the same all dimensions.

Each cooling module may contain a respective cooling liquid sealed from a respective computing unit in a respective interior volume. Each cooling module may also include a respective heat exchanger (which may be within the respective interior volume) configured to receive the respective cooling liquid from the respective interior volume and transfer heat from the respective liquid coolant to the respective radiator coolant. The radiator coolants may all be the same secondary coolant liquid (e.g., water) that is provided to the cooling modules through the ducts in the server racks. A respective pump within each cooling module may facilitate flow of a respective cooling liquid (into and out of the heat exchanger) within the interior volume.

In yet another aspect that can be combined with any of the other aspects disclosed herein, a cooling module can be considered for housing the heat-generating electronic devices with a liquid coolant within the interior volume and typically in the form of a computer server (blade). The cooling module has a housing defining an upper wall, a lower wall opposite the upper wall, and at least one sidewall connecting the lower wall and the upper wall (and preferably defining four sidewalls of a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape). The upper wall, the lower wall, and the at least one side wall define an interior volume. The cooling module has one or more of many fit scenarios to improve the housing. A portion, a majority, or substantially all of the housing may be made of plastic and/or metal (e.g., cast metal or sheet metal, including steel and/or aluminum).

The adaptation scenario may include one or more of the following: (a) the side walls are formed of some type of reinforcing fitting and material (e.g., plastic) layer that improves the resilience (resilience) to pressure from the interior volume and/or its insulating ability; (b) the slope or step in the lower wall and/or the upper wall varies such that the central portion of the opposing wall is closer than the periphery, or such that the thickness of the upper wall structure or the lower wall structure is smaller in the periphery than in the central portion, or is larger in a portion of the periphery than in other portions of the periphery; (c) the housing is divided into a base and a cover that can be brought together to define an interior volume, the cover having an overhang (ridge) located within the base interior volume; (d) a thermally conductive member (e.g., a plate, typically metal) that conducts heat from outside the interior volume to within the interior volume (liquid coolant).

The reinforcement fitting may be one or more of: (i) a second layer of material spaced apart from the first layer to form a double-walled shell; (ii) a support structure attached to or integrally formed with the reinforcement layer (e.g., ribs, pins, fins, or ridges); and (iii) a panel attached to the first layer of material. The support structure may be formed with a pattern comprising one or more of: an elongated rib; a cross shape; and a checkerboard shape. The panel may have a reflective interior surface.

Some or all of the periphery of the interior volume may be defined by a groove (gutter) formed along at least one edge adjacent to at least one sidewall. The trench may be spaced further from the opposing wall than the central portion.

The protrusion from the lid may fit with a sealing member on the base (which may be deformable or compressible in one example, or may be formed by a recess in other examples) to form a seal. The overhang or ridge on the lid is preferably longer than the projection (or at least extends further from the main portion of the lid).

A heat exchanger (which may be within the interior volume) transfers heat from the liquid coolant to the radiator coolant. The radiator coolant may be a secondary liquid coolant, which may be received from outside the cooling module. The pump may cause a flow of liquid coolant within the interior volume. The pump may be located at the end or outside of the elongation in which the height dimension of the internal volume is larger.

The electronic device may include a planar circuit board that may be mounted horizontally (parallel to the lower and/or upper walls) or vertically (parallel to the side walls). The electronic device may be one or more of the following: a computer processing unit; a graphics processing unit; a network switch; a computer storage device; one or more disk drives; and a power supply unit. The amount of liquid coolant is preferably insufficient to cover the heat-generating electronic devices.

In another aspect, a computing system may be considered, comprising: a server rack for holding a plurality of computing units; and two cooling modules having the same height for mounting in the server rack. Optionally, all dimensions of the cooling module are the same. Each cooling module includes a respective electronic device as a computing unit. The two computing units are preferably different types of information technology devices.

Drawings

The invention may be put into practice in a number of ways and preferred embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a front perspective view of an embodiment of a cooling module housing according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a rear perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts an exploded rear perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 according to a first design;

FIG. 4 depicts a front perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 according to a second design;

FIG. 5 depicts a front perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 according to a third design;

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 shows a portion of FIG. 6 in more detail;

FIG. 8 shows a front perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the cover member separated from the base portion;

FIG. 9 shows a front perspective view of a second embodiment of a cooling module housing according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 shows a rear perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 depicts an exploded rear perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of a further embodiment according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 depicts a front view of a server rack loaded with cooling modules according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 14 depicts a front perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 13.

Where the same features are shown in different drawings, the same reference numerals are used.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure relates to improvements in cooling modules (i.e., modules for housing and cooling electronic components or devices) and racks for mounting a plurality of cooling modules. Although these two aspects are interconnected and may be used together in practice, they will be described separately below. It should be appreciated that features from another aspect may be used in one aspect.

Referring first to fig. 1, a front perspective view of an embodiment of a cooling module housing is shown. The cooling module case 10 includes: a base 20; and a cover 30. The base 20 is generally rectangular parallelepiped in shape and defines an internal volume (shown in subsequent figures) that may house electronics and liquid coolant for cooling. From now on, this liquid coolant will be referred to as primary liquid coolant. This is to distinguish it from other coolants used by the cooling module as will be discussed below. The electronic device may be an item of Information Technology Equipment (ITE), examples of which are discussed below.

As shown in fig. 1, the base 20 includes: a rack removal handle 21; a carry handle (carry handle) 22; a clip 29; and a communications and user interface panel 55. The base 20 is typically made of a plastic material and may be molded. Such plastic material is advantageously thermally insulating so that the base does not become too hot to touch during operation of the electronic components or devices within the cooling module 10. The lid 30 is sized and shaped to fit with the base 20 such that when the clip 29 fits over a corresponding mating portion of the lid 30, a seal is formed to enclose the interior volume.

The communications and user interface panel 55 includes at least one communications connector and typically a plurality of communications connectors, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) type connectors (sockets), for interfacing with electronic devices (as will be discussed below) housed within the cooling module 10. In addition, the panel 55 includes any visual indicators and/or buttons (e.g., power buttons) for interfacing the electronics housed inside the cooling module 10 with a user.

Referring next to fig. 2, a rear perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 1 is shown. Where the same features are shown in previous figures, the same reference numerals are used. In this figure, additional features of the base 20 can be seen. Specifically, the base includes: a fluid connector 23; and a power connector 24. The fluid connector 23 is designed to receive a secondary cooling fluid, typically in the form of a secondary coolant liquid (e.g., water), external to the cooling module 10 and provide it to a heat exchanger (not shown) within the cooling module 10. The heat exchanger transfers heat from the primary liquid coolant within the interior volume to the secondary coolant liquid. The secondary coolant liquid thus receives heat from the heat exchanger and then leaves the cooling module 10 via the respective fluid connector 23. When the cooling module 10 is located in a rack, the fluid connectors 23 may be configured to blind mate with suitable connectors in the rack for providing the secondary coolant liquid and, correspondingly, carrying the secondary coolant liquid away.

The base 20 and/or the lid 30 are designed to provide both strength (particularly in terms of resilience to pressure from the interior volume) and thermal insulation. The pressure from the internal volume may be generated by the electronic device heating the primary liquid coolant and thereby causing expansion of the primary liquid coolant and/or air also contained in the internal volume. In particular, it is contemplated that the level of the primary liquid coolant in the interior volume is relatively low, in particular, such that the electronic devices contained in the interior volume are not submerged. Typically, this may be such that the primary liquid coolant occupies no more than 20%, 15%, 10%, or even 5% of the unoccupied internal volume of the electronic device. Thus, a large amount of air will be present in the interior volume during operation, and typically the coefficient of thermal expansion of the air is relatively high compared to the coefficient of thermal expansion of the primary liquid coolant. This will cause a high pressure within the interior volume. Although the base 20 is made of a plastic material, this does not necessarily mean that the heat insulation of the base 20 is high. Thermal insulation of the housing is desirable because the temperature of the primary liquid coolant (and any air) within the interior volume will rise significantly during operation. The same considerations in terms of strength and insulation qualities apply to the cover 30. A number of reinforced fit scenarios in both the base 20 and the cover 30 that improve the recovery and/or insulating qualities of the housing will be discussed below with reference to at least fig. 3-5.

Referring to FIG. 3, an exploded rear perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 according to a first design is depicted. Where the same features are shown in previous figures, the same reference numerals are used. In this first design, the base 20 and the cover 30 are formed using a double-walled structure. Specifically, the inner layer of plastic 26 is formed with a support structure attached to the first layer of plastic 26 or integrally formed with the first layer of plastic 26, the support structure being formed perpendicular to the first layer of plastic. In this case, the support structure takes the form of ribs arranged in a tessellated hexagonal (honeycomb) shape. The support structure is coupled to the lower wall of the base 20. The support structure may allow the first layer of plastic 26 to be thinner than would otherwise be desirable. A second layer of plastic 25 fits over (parallel to) the support structure and the first layer of plastic 26 to form a double wall. On the rear wall of the cooling module 10 a similar structure is provided using a further second layer of plastic 27. The further second layer of plastic 27 is made of the same material as the second layer of plastic 25 (and typically has the same thickness), but has holes through which the fluid connector 23 and the air connector 24 can fit.

The cover 30 is formed with a structure similar to that of the base 20, in particular with reference to the portion of the cover 30 forming the upper wall of the cooling module 10. The first layer of plastic 36 is formed with a support structure attached thereto or integrally formed therewith. Also, a tessellated hexagonal (honeycomb) support structure is used. The second layer of plastic 35 fits over the first layer of plastic 36.

The side of the cover 30 is formed slightly differently from the portion forming the upper wall, and the side of the cover 30 does not use a support structure. A double layer of plastic 34 is provided. The gap between the double layer of plastic 34 allows the clip 29 to fit the cap 30. These are shown in more detail below.

Alternatives to the first design shown in fig. 3 are possible. Referring next to FIG. 4, a front perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is depicted in accordance with a second design. This uses a single wall structure. Where features identical to those shown in previous figures are depicted, the same reference numerals are used. This second design is similar to the first design (shown in fig. 3), but does not use a second layer of plastic (parallel to the first layer of plastic) at least in the base 20. However, support structure is still provided on the first layer of plastic 26 to improve strength (pressure recovery) and thermal insulation.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a front perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is depicted in accordance with a third design. In case the features shown in the previous figures are shown again, the same reference numerals are used. In this configuration, the housing for the base 120 is formed using a first layer of plastic 126 and a face plate 125. The panels are advantageously rigid and may also be made of plastic, but may be made of wood or other materials. The panel is significantly thicker than the first layer of plastic 126 and thus provides both recovery and insulation properties. The panel 126 is secured to the first layer of plastic 126 by an adhesive. The inner surface of the panel 126 (relative to the cooling module 10) may be covered with a reflective material such as a metal foil and/or a separate support structure plate. Reflective materials can reflect radiant heat and prevent it from escaping (similar to that found in house cavity walls and roof structures).

Other features of the cooling module 10 will now be described, regardless of the structure of its housing. Referring now to fig. 6, a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of fig. 1 is shown. Where features of previous figures are shown, the same reference numerals are used. In particular, a first layer of plastic 26 can be seen for the side walls of the base and the lower wall 41 of the base 20. The back removal handle 21, fluid connection 23 and power connector 24 are also visible. Additionally, an interior volume 50 is shown. Within the interior volume 50, a heat exchanger 60 and a primary coolant manifold 70 are disposed. A pressure relief valve 45 is also shown.

The interior volume 50 defines a standardized enclosure (standardized enclosure) for a variety of Information Technology Equipment (ITE) types and configurations for the electronic components or devices housed within the cooling module 10. This can be seen by the size and shape of the interior volume 50. The one or more electronic devices may be generally planar (particularly when mounted on a circuit board or otherwise elongated), and in that case, the one or more electronic devices may be mounted horizontally (the plane of the device being parallel to the lower and/or upper walls) or vertically (the plane of the device being perpendicular to the lower and/or upper walls). The devices may be stacked in either or both dimensions within the interior volume 50.

A number of further adaptation scenarios are shown which individually and collectively improve the performance of the cooling module 10. The cover 30 is adapted such that the inner surface of the upper wall 40 of the cover 30 is inclined. Thus, the upper wall 40 is closer to the lower wall 41 at a central portion of the interior volume 50 and further from the lower wall 41 at a peripheral portion of the interior volume 50. This allows for improved pressure management and also provides a return path for condensation. Although this is shown for a specific (double-walled) structure of the cover 30, this may be applied to the upper wall of the cooling module 10 having an alternative structure.

The base 20 is configured to provide a seal when the lid 30 is coupled to the base 20. A deformable (preferably rubber) seal 28 is provided in the base. A projection 36 extends from the lid 30 and fits into the seal 28 to improve the quality of the seal between the base 20 and the lid 30 by extending deep into the seal and preventing the primary liquid coolant from draining through the seal. Also shown is an overhang 37 that is part of the cover 30. The overhang 37 has a number of advantageous properties. First, overhang 37 improves the ability to properly position cover 30 within the opening provided by base 20. Second, when the cover 30 is placed on the base 20, the overhang 37 directs the condensation return path for the primary liquid coolant and prevents the path from flowing directly to the seal 28. Third, when the cover 30 is placed on a flat surface (e.g., a table) away from the base 20, the overhang 37 causes the cover 30 to extend further from the flat surface than would otherwise be the case. This allows the lid 30 to sit on a flat surface in a safe and controlled manner. In this regard, the overhang 37 is advantageously longer than the projection 36.

A typical level of primary coolant 52 is shown for reference. The lower wall 41 may be adjusted, which may improve the flow of the primary liquid coolant. For example, the lower wall 41 may be shaped in a similar manner as the upper wall 40, and with similar advantages (which may be advantageously achieved even if the upper wall 40 is not so shaped). Additionally and alternatively, coolant wells (not shown) may be provided along the edges of the lower wall 41 to allow for improved coolant collection and redirection toward the heat exchanger 60 (as will be discussed later).

The pressure relief valve 45 is not intended or configured for normal pressure management, in particular because this may lead to loss of evaporated primary coolant. Rather, the pressure relief valve 45 is configured to open only in the event of extreme pressures, such as a runaway event (runaway event).

Also shown in fig. 6 is an input/output (I/O) interface board 80, the I/O interface board 80 allowing connection between electronic components or devices (not shown) within the interior volume 50 and the connector and user interface panel 55. The I/O interface Board 80 may be in accordance with the I/O interface Board described in co-pending international patent application No. PCT/GB2017/053553 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety) filed on 27.11.2017 and entitled "I/O diagnostic Board for Emersion-Cooled Electronics" and disclosed as WO 2018/096360. Alternatives (e.g. variations of the design of the plates described in the co-pending international patent application) are also possible.

Referring next to FIG. 7, a portion of FIG. 6 is shown in greater detail. In addition to the features discussed above, fig. 7 also shows a metal plate 90. The metal plate 90 allows the transfer of heat from electronic components forming part of the cooling module 10 but not located within the interior volume 50. These electronic components may include, for example, circuit boards forming part of the connector and user interface panel 55 coupled through the I/O interface board 80. Heat is effectively transferred from the "dry" region of the cooling module (configured such that the primary liquid coolant cannot flow to or otherwise be accessed by the primary liquid coolant) to the primary liquid coolant through the metal plate 90. Thus, the metal plate 90 is advantageously positioned towards the lower wall 41 or adjacent to the lower wall 41 and preferably below the level 52 of the primary liquid coolant. In most cases, this allows heat to be transferred to the primary liquid coolant.

Referring next to fig. 8, a front perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 1 is shown with the cover member 30 separated from the base 20. Many of the features shown have been depicted in the previous drawings and have been given the same reference numerals. In particular, a cooperating part 39 on the cover 30 for receiving the clip 29 is visible. The clip 29 and cooperating member 39 allow the lid 30 to be opened quickly (accessed quickly) and without the need for tools. Further, the internal portion of the DC power connector 24 is shown in this figure.

The heat exchanger 60 and the primary coolant manifold 70 are also more clearly shown in this figure. The heat exchanger 60 is a plate heat exchanger and is typically sized for 5 kW. The path of the coolant is, for example, according to the path of the coolant described in co-pending international patent application No. PCT/GB2017/053556 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety), entitled "Fluid Cooling System" and published as WO 2018/096362, filed on 11/27/2017. In the method, a primary liquid coolant is received at a heat exchanger 60, and heat is transferred from the primary liquid coolant to a secondary liquid coolant at the heat exchanger 60. The primary liquid coolant is then provided to the manifold 70, from which the primary coolant passes to a particular portion of the internal volume 50 based on one or more electronic devices disposed in the internal volume 50. A Heat Sink (not shown) may be provided on or around one or more electronic devices, particularly in the form described in co-pending international patent application No. PCT/GB2018/052526 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety) entitled "Heat Sink, Heat Sink Arrangement and Module for Liquid electronics Cooling" filed on 6.9.2018 and published as WO 2019/048864. Such a heat sink may facilitate efficient transfer of heat from one or more electronic devices to the primary liquid coolant. The pump 65 causes the flow of the primary liquid coolant. The primary liquid coolant is pumped from the interior volume 50 to the heat exchanger 60 and then travels along the path described above. In this regard, the coolant well (as described above) may effectively allow for efficient flow of the primary liquid coolant by defining a reservoir (reservoir) for the pumped primary liquid coolant. A second pump (not shown) may also be provided in the inner volume, in particular for redundancy. In other words, even when one of the provided pumps fails, the second pump will allow the flow of the primary liquid coolant to continue even to the extent necessary to allow efficient cooling (failure ride-through function). In some embodiments or circumstances, the second pump may also be configured to operate in parallel with the first pump 65.

A plastic housing is preferred (in the embodiments discussed above), and as noted above, in some embodiments the housing may be made only partially of plastic. In other embodiments, the housing need not comprise plastic. The choice of materials that may be used with or as an alternative to plastic may include metals such as cast steel, sheet metal or aluminum. In the case of metal or other generally thermally conductive materials, insulation may be provided around and outside of the enclosure (e.g., using foam) to prevent heat loss. As a result of the material selection, e.g., using plastic as the material of construction, some of the features described herein, such as the rib and double wall arrangement for the structure, may be used, which may not be required in a housing formed of or including metal with an external insulating panel.

Additional embodiments will now be discussed with reference to fig. 9, which shows a front perspective view of a second embodiment of a cooling module 100 in fig. 9. Referring also to fig. 10, a rear perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 9 is shown. The cooling module 100 includes: a top exterior surface 105; a first side outer surface 106; a second side outer surface 107; and a back outer surface 108, each of which is a fascia (fascia plate). The pallet may be molded, made of plastic, or made of sheet metal (e.g., steel or aluminum).

Notably (and unlike the previously discussed embodiments), the main components of the cooling module 100 are fabricated using sheet metal, such as steel or aluminum. This will be discussed with reference to fig. 11, which depicts an exploded rear perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 9 and 10 in fig. 11. In this figure, additional internal features of the cooling module 100 can be seen. Specifically, the cooling module 100 includes: a top thermal shield 110; a first side heat insulator 111; a second side insulation 112; a back insulation 113; an inner box structure 120; and ribs (ribbing) 130.

The inner box structure 120 keeps IT cooled and is fabricated using a sheet metal construction, as discussed above. The inner box structure 120 has an external rib 130 (which may be omitted in a modification). The ribs 130 not only provide additional structural integrity and rigidity, but also hold the insulation 110, 111, 112, 113 in place surrounding the entire interior box 120. The purpose of the insulation 110, 111, 112, 113 is to retain as much heat as possible within the interior box 120, rather than transferring the heat to the surrounding air. This is similar to the method employed in the foregoing embodiment. The outer surface brackets 105, 106, 107, 108 clamp the insulation 110, 111, 112, 113 in place, protect the insulation 110, 111, 112, 113 from any damage (e.g., when the chassis is often pulled in and out of the rack), and provide an aesthetically pleasing "cover". The insulation 110, 111, 112, 113 may be held in place by ribs 130 alone, by being sandwiched between the inner box 120 and the outer surface trays 105, 106, 107, 108, and/or by other methods such as adhesives or fasteners.

Other details of the second embodiment of the cooling module 100 may be the same as the first embodiment of the cooling module 1 as discussed above. Alternatively, these details may vary.

Another aspect of a cooling module according to the present disclosure (with respect to any of the embodiments discussed herein) will now be described in detail. To this end, referring now to fig. 12, a schematic cross-sectional view is shown, according to further embodiments of the present disclosure. The cooling module 150 includes: an inner wall 160 (e.g., having an internal box structure as discussed above); an outer wall 170; insulation 165 between the inner wall 160 and the outer wall 170; a sloped base structure 180 defining a sump (sump) 182; and a pump 190. The details of the inner wall 160, outer wall 170, and insulation 165 can be similar (or identical) to any of the other embodiments described herein (including cooling modules in the form of sheet metal, molded plastic, or die cast).

The inner wall 160 of the cooling module defines a sloped base 180 that creates a sump 182 (e.g., in the form of a trough) at the back (or front, in other words, the elongated end of the cooling module 150) of the cooling module 150. Pump 190 (or multiple pumps) is mounted in sump 182. This allows one or more pumps 190 to have a high coolant level 185 around them. This may facilitate priming of the one or more pumps 190 without requiring a high coolant level throughout the cooling module 150. In other words, the level of coolant 187 exiting sump 182 may be low. This reduces the amount of coolant that needs to be used compared to using a non-tilting susceptor.

In general, a cooling module for containing heat-generating electronic devices within an interior volume along with a liquid coolant may be considered. The cooling module includes a housing defining an upper wall, a lower wall opposite the upper wall, and at least one side wall connecting the lower wall and the upper wall. The upper wall, the lower wall, and the at least one side wall define an interior volume. In essence, this may define a container for the electronic device (or devices), and the container may be sealed to include the liquid coolant. In a preferred embodiment, the at least one side wall comprises four side walls, for example such that the housing has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In an embodiment, the housing comprises: a base defining a lower wall and a first portion of the at least one side wall; and a cover separable from the base and defining an upper wall and a second portion of the at least one side wall. Beneficially, the base and the lid are arranged to cooperate (e.g. by fitting or associating) to form the internal volume. In other words, the container may have a lid that is separate from the base, but may seal the interior volume when the base and lid are brought together. In an embodiment, the heat-generating electronic device comprises ITE, such as one or more of: a computer processing unit; a graphics processing unit; a network switch; a computer storage device; one or more disk drives; and a power supply unit.

In some embodiments, the housing is (substantially) made of plastic. Plastics can advantageously provide ease of manufacture while allowing for thermal insulating properties. Additionally or alternatively, the housing may be made of metal, such as sheet metal or cast metal. Suitable metals may include steel and/or aluminum.

Optionally, the cooling module can include a heat-generating electronic device and/or a liquid coolant within the interior volume. According to some aspects of the disclosure, the lid optionally includes a protrusion, and the base includes a sealing member configured to receive the protrusion of the lid when the base member cooperates with the lid to form a seal when the interior volume is formed. In such a case, the sealing member is preferably compressible by the protrusion of the cover. Alternatively, the sealing member comprises a recess arranged to receive the protrusion of the cap when the base member cooperates with the cap.

The present disclosure provides a number of advantageous features (methods) that are considered in connection with the housing. Any one or more of these features (methods) may be provided in accordance with the present disclosure (in any combination, some combinations also providing synergistic advantages). These advantageous features may improve resilience, robustness, flexibility (in terms of allowing a greater range of electronic devices to be housed in the interior volume), and/or thermal efficiency.

In the first method (a), the at least one sidewall comprises: a first layer of plastic; and a reinforcement fitting (which may be made of plastic) that improves the resilience of the first layer of plastic to pressure from the interior volume and/or the thermal insulating ability of the first layer of plastic (as compared to the first layer of plastic alone). In particular, this may improve resilience, flexibility and thermal efficiency. For example, the reinforcement fitting may include one or more of: (i) a second layer of plastic spaced apart from the first layer of plastic to form a double-walled housing; (ii) a support structure attached to or integrally formed with the first layer of plastic, formed perpendicular to the first layer of plastic and coupled to one or more of the lower wall, the upper wall, and the at least one side wall of the housing to provide reinforcement (e.g., forming ribs, pins, and/or fins), wherein the support structure is optionally formed having a pattern including one or more of elongated ribs, cross shapes, and checkerboard shapes; and (iii) a faceplate attached to the first layer of plastic (and which may be thicker than the first layer) and coupled to the lower and/or upper walls of the housing to provide reinforcement. The panel may have a reflective interior surface.

In the second method (b), the lower wall and/or the upper wall has a central portion that is closer to the opposite wall than at least one peripheral portion, or that defines a surface of the interior volume that is closer to the outer surface of the lower wall in an outer or peripheral portion (i.e., periphery) of the interior volume than in other portions of the interior volume (e.g., an inner or central portion or another peripheral portion). In one aspect, this may improve flexibility and thermal efficiency, among other things. In other aspects, this may allow different heights of liquid coolant to be located within the interior volume, for example defining a sump or trough. In an embodiment, the upper and/or lower wall is/are inclined between the central portion and at least one edge adjacent to the at least one side wall. Additionally or alternatively, the peripheral portion may be defined by a groove formed along at least one edge adjacent to the at least one side wall. In such a case, the trench may be spaced further from the opposing wall than the central portion. For example, the interior volume may have an elongated shape, and the upper and/or lower walls may be inclined at the elongated ends of the interior volume. One or more pumps may be located on a surface of the interior volume closer to the outer surface of the lower wall (e.g., in a sump, groove, or thinner portion of the lower wall). In particular, this may facilitate priming of the one or more pumps without the need for a high coolant level throughout the interior volume. The lower wall may not be a single component and may include a first wall defining an inner surface and a second wall (separate from the first wall) defining an outer surface.

In a third method (c), the second portion of the at least one side wall of the lid comprises a ridge arranged to overlap the first portion of the at least one side wall of the base adjacent the interior volume during cooperation of the base and the lid. This may improve robustness, resilience, flexibility and thermal efficiency. In such a case, the ridge of the lid is advantageously longer than the projection of the lid. This may allow the ridges of the lid to protrude the lid from the surface.

In a fourth method (d), the cooling module further comprises a thermally conductive member arranged to have a first portion located within the interior volume and to pass through the at least one sidewall to have a second portion outside of the interior volume and thereby allow heat to be conducted from outside of the interior volume into the interior volume. In particular, this may improve resilience, flexibility and thermal efficiency. Preferably, the heat conductive member is made of metal (e.g., aluminum). In some embodiments, the thermally conductive member is sized to carry at least 10W of thermal power.

A number of optional features and/or implementation details will now be discussed in accordance with any of the aspects or methods provided herein. For example, the cooling module advantageously further comprises a heat exchanger configured to receive liquid coolant (which may be considered a primary coolant) from the interior volume and transfer heat from the liquid coolant to radiator coolant (which may be considered a secondary coolant). Preferably, the heat exchanger is within the interior volume. This may allow for more efficient cooling. Advantageously, the heat exchanger is configured to avoid significant phase change of the liquid coolant within the interior volume (although some evaporation is possible even without significant phase change). In some embodiments, the radiator coolant is a second liquid coolant, such as water (which may be provided from the building mains water supply), received from outside the cooling module. Then, the cooling module advantageously further comprises: a coolant inlet for receiving (or configured to receive) a second liquid coolant and to provide the received second liquid coolant to the heat exchanger; and a coolant outlet for (or configured to) receive a second liquid coolant from the heat exchanger after the heat transfer. Preferably, the cooling module further comprises a pump configured to flow the liquid coolant between the heat exchanger and (the remainder of) the internal volume. Advantageously, the pump is located or disposed in the interior volume.

The heat-generating electronic devices may include planar circuit boards (e.g., in the case of a CPU, GPU, or network switch). In some embodiments, a planar circuit board is mounted in the interior volume such that a plane of the circuit board extends substantially parallel to the at least one sidewall. For example, the plane of the circuit board may extend substantially perpendicular to the upper or lower wall. Alternatively, the planar circuit board is mounted in the interior volume such that the plane of the circuit board extends substantially parallel to the upper or lower wall (e.g., substantially perpendicular to the at least one side wall). Both options are possible when the cooling module comprises a plurality of planar circuit boards, wherein at least one planar circuit board may be oriented in one way and wherein at least another planar circuit board may be oriented in another way.

Preferably, the amount of liquid coolant within the interior volume is insufficient to cover the heat-generating electronic devices (such that the heat-generating electronic devices are not fully submerged). In embodiments, at least 20%, 25%, 50%, or 75% of the surface area of the heat-generating electronic device is not covered by the liquid coolant. The level of liquid coolant in the cooling module (when horizontally oriented) may not exceed 20%, 15%, 10%, or 5% of the height of the cooling module.

The focus of the foregoing description is on the cooling module 10. Such a cooling module advantageously allows a variety of ITEs to be accommodated therein. Placing different types of ITE in the cooling module may be advantageous for server configurations typically installed in racks. Aspects of the present disclosure related to providing cooling modules within server racks will now be discussed. Referring to fig. 13, a front view of a server rack loaded with cooling modules is depicted. The server rack 200 is loaded with 8 cooling modules: a first cooling module 210; a second module 220; a third cooling module 230; a fourth cooling module 240; a fifth cooling module 250; a sixth cooling module 260; a seventh cooling module 270; and an eighth cooling module 280.

The size of each cooling module(s) in the height dimension (H) of the server rack 200 is the same (although there are alternatives in which the size of each or each cooling module in the height dimension may be selected from only one of the two options). The other external dimensions of all cooling modules are also the same. In fact, each of the cooling modules is according to the embodiment of fig. 1 to 8, but this is not strictly necessary. However, not all cooling modules accommodate the same type of ITE. In this embodiment, the first cooling module 210 comprises a network switch, the second cooling module 220 comprises a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), the third cooling module 230 comprises a Power Supply Unit (PSU), the fourth cooling module 240 comprises a disk drive (a collection of disk drives not configured to act as a redundant array of independent disk drives, also referred to as JBOD), the fifth cooling module 250 comprises a motherboard referred to as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), the sixth cooling module 260 comprises a PSU, the seventh cooling module 270 comprises a CPU and the eighth cooling module 280 comprises a CPU.

This is merely an example and other configurations are possible. Nevertheless, some principles may be understood. First, two computing units are set in adjacent cooling modules (CPU, GPU, network switch, disk drive), and then one power unit (PSU) is set. Furthermore, the power demand of each computing unit is preferably the same (in this case about 4 kW). The cooling modules providing power (in this case, the third cooling module 230 and the sixth cooling module 260) are configured to provide the same amount of power, in this case 25 kW. Each of these cooling modules comprises a redundant power supply (N + 1). Specifically, six PSU devices are provided in each cooling module, each PSU providing 5kW of power. However, the cooling module is only intended to provide 25kW of power. Further, note that the total power demand of each of the computing modules (first cooling module 210, second cooling module 220, fourth cooling module 240, fifth cooling module 250, seventh cooling module 270, and eighth cooling module 280) is 24 kW. Therefore, only one power cooling module should be needed to provide all the power required by all the computing cooling modules. However, again for redundancy purposes, two electrically powered cooling modules are provided.

Referring to fig. 14, a front perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 13 is depicted. In the figure, a height dimension (H), a width dimension (W), and a depth dimension (D) are shown. In this form, the server rack 200 can provide a standardized platform for the liquid cooling modules. Standardized power and secondary coolant connectors may be provided to each module, particularly to mate with coolant connector 23 and power connector 24 (shown in fig. 1-8).

The server rack 200 architecture scales on a modular basis rather than on a rack basis. This allows for improved rack efficiency and reduced cost.

Benefits of aspects of the present disclosure may include: improved thermal efficiency (which may allow the temperature of the secondary liquid coolant to be higher than would otherwise be possible); improved quality and reliability; reduced cost; the cooling module 10 is made easier to transport without the primary coolant, which can still be added before operation; reducing heat loss to the environment; ability to improve service and/or repair; better scale manufacturing capability.

In general and in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, there may be provided a computing system comprising: a server rack for maintaining a plurality of computing units at different levels in a height dimension; a first cooling module for mounting in a server rack, the first cooling module comprising a first housing surrounding a first computing unit, the first housing having a first dimension in a height dimension; and a second cooling module for mounting in the server rack, the second cooling module comprising a second enclosure surrounding a second computing unit, the second computing unit being a different type of information technology equipment than the first computing unit, the second enclosure having a second size in a height dimension. Advantageously, the first dimension is the same as the second dimension. Accommodating different types of ITE flags in different cooling modules of the same front view profile (front profile) within a server rack is a significant departure from existing server racks for cooling modules. Such an approach allows for improved flexibility, scalability and thermal efficiency.

In another sense, a computing system can be considered, the computing system comprising: a server rack for holding a plurality of computing units; a first cooling module as disclosed herein for installation in a server rack, the first cooling module comprising a first thermoelectronic device as a first computing unit; and a second cooling module as disclosed herein for mounting in the server rack, the second cooling module comprising a second heat-generating electronic device as a second computing unit. Advantageously, the height of the housing of the first cooling module is the same as the height of the housing of the second cooling module. Advantageously, the first computing unit and the second computing unit are different types of information technology devices. Cooling modules may be particularly beneficial according to any of these cooling modules described in this disclosure (although this does not mean that they necessarily have all the features of any particular implementation of a cooling module).

In yet another sense, a computing system can be considered, the computing system comprising: a server rack for maintaining a plurality of computing units at different levels in a height dimension; and a plurality of cooling modules, each of the cooling modules housing a respective one of the computing units. All cooling modules have the same size in the height dimension or one of two different sizes in the height dimension. The computational unit comprises at least two different types of ITE (preferably at least three different types of ITE if two different sizes are used). In other words, different types of ITE may be accommodated in cooling modules having the same height or only two different heights (extended embodiments may consider accommodating different types of ITE in cooling modules having only three different heights, but this is less preferred). In a particular embodiment, the other (at least outer) dimensions of the cooling modules are the same for all cooling modules.

Preferably there are more than two cooling modules. In this case, it may be considered to house each of the computing units held in the server racks in a respective cooling module. Each of the cooling modules then advantageously has the same dimensions in the height dimension. In other words, the server rack holds different types of ITEs in modules that all have the same height. In a preferred embodiment, the first housing and the second housing are the same size in all (external and/or internal) dimensions. This may apply to all cooling modules held in the server rack. The server rack may be configured to hold at least 4, 6, or 8 computing units. At least one of the first computing unit and the second computing unit (preferably both and more preferably all cooling modules in the server rack) may be configured to consume (i.e., be rated for) 4kW of power.

Advantageously, each of the first and second computing units (and preferably each of all of the plurality of computing units) comprises: at least one Computer Processing Unit (CPU); at least one Graphics Processing Unit (GPU); at least one Power Supply Unit (PSU); one or more network switches; and one or more disk drives. In some embodiments, the first computing unit is composed of a plurality of devices of the same information technology equipment type and/or the second computing unit is composed of a plurality of devices of the same information technology equipment type. Alternatively, any of the cooling modules held in the server racks may be composed of multiple devices of the same information technology equipment type.

In some embodiments, the first cooling module and the second cooling module are mounted adjacent in the server rack. Thus, the first computing unit may comprise one or more power supply units and the second computing unit comprises a different type of information technology device than the first computing unit (or vice versa). In this case, the computing system may further include: a third cooling module mounted in the server rack adjacent to the first cooling module on a side opposite the second cooling module. The third cooling module advantageously comprises a third housing enclosing a third computing unit, which is a different type of information technology equipment than the first computing unit. Preferably, the third housing has a third dimension in the height dimension that is the same as the first dimension and the second dimension.

In some embodiments, the first computing unit comprises at least one Power Supply Unit (PSU). Thus, one or more of a number of optional features may be provided. For example, the at least one PSU of the first computing unit may be configured to provide sufficient power to power the respective computing unit housed in each of the at least 6 other cooling modules. In another case, the at least one PSU of the first computing unit is configured to provide at least 25kW of power. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one PSU of the first computing unit comprises a plurality of PSUs. Optionally, in this case, each PSU is preferably configured to provide sufficient power to power all computing units in a single other cooling module. In another option where the at least one PSU of the first computing unit includes a plurality of PSUs, many of the plurality of PSUs may be configured to provide redundancy. Preferably, all such options apply. In an embodiment, each of the at least two cooling modules (with at least 3 or 4 cooling modules held in the server rack) includes a respective Power Supply Unit (PSU).

The cooling module may be in accordance with any aspect of the present disclosure. For example, the first cooling module may also contain a first cooling liquid sealed in a first interior volume with the first computing unit and/or the second cooling module may also contain a second cooling liquid sealed in a second interior volume with the second computing unit. Optionally, the first cooling module further comprises a first heat exchanger (which may be within the first housing) configured to receive the first cooling liquid from the first interior volume and transfer heat from the first liquid coolant to the first radiator coolant, and/or the second cooling module further comprises a second heat exchanger (which may be within the second housing) configured to receive the second cooling liquid from the second interior volume and transfer heat from the second liquid coolant to the second radiator coolant.

In a preferred embodiment, both the first and second radiator coolants are secondary coolant liquids received from outside the first and second cooling modules through respective coolant inlets. The server rack then preferably further comprises a duct for providing secondary coolant liquid to the respective coolant inlet of each of the first and second cooling modules.

Optionally, the first cooling module further comprises a first pump configured to flow a first liquid coolant between the first interior volume and the first heat exchanger, and/or the second cooling module further comprises a second pump configured to flow a second liquid coolant between the second interior volume and the second heat exchanger.

Although specific embodiments have now been described, the skilled artisan will appreciate that various modifications and alterations are possible. With respect to the cooling module 10, various different configurations are possible. For example, the housing may comprise a single layer of plastic with any fittings to provide reinforcement and/or thermal insulation to the cooling module. In case a support structure is provided (as shown in fig. 3 and 4), alternatives of ribs are possible, such as a pin-based or fin-based structure. Furthermore, the shape of the support structure need not be based on tessellated hexagons. For example, vertical lines, horizontal lines, cross lines, or other shapes may be provided. Combinations of different shapes may also be possible.

Two stages of liquid cooling (primary liquid coolant and secondary liquid coolant) have been described. However, other cooling stages may be provided, which may involve liquid cooling (i.e. one or more further liquid coolants). At any stage, redundancy may be provided in terms of heat exchangers, coolant manifolds or piping.

While it is believed that all types of ITE have been mentioned in the present disclosure, the skilled artisan will recognize that the present disclosure covers other types of ITE even if not explicitly identified.

All features disclosed herein may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. In particular, the preferred features of each aspect of the disclosure generally apply to all aspects of the disclosure, and the features of all aspects may be used in any combination. Also, features described in non-essential combinations may be used separately (not in combination).

Methods of making and/or operating any of the devices disclosed herein are also provided. The method may comprise the steps of: each of the disclosed features and/or the functional configurations set forth for it are provided with respective features.