Liquid cooling of remote or off-grid electronic enclosures

Abstract

A cooling system includes an electronic enclosure and a liquid-cooled heat exchanger configured to receive heated air from within the enclosure. A geothermal loop is connected to the heat exchanger to form a closed-loop path. The closed-loop path is suitable for circulating a pressurized liquid refrigerant between the geothermal loop and the heat exchanger to transfer heat from the heated air to the geothermal loop without the refrigerant undergoing a phase change.

1 . A cooling system, comprising:
 an electronic enclosure;   a liquid-cooled heat exchanger located within said enclosure and configured to receive heated air circulating within said enclosure; and   a geothermal loop connected to said heat exchanger to form a closed-loop path suitable for circulating a pressurized liquid refrigerant between said geothermal loop and said heat exchanger to transfer heat from said air to said geothermal loop without said liquid refrigerant undergoing a phase change.   
     
     
         2 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising said liquid refrigerant. 
     
     
         3 . The system as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said liquid refrigerant is a fluorocarbon. 
     
     
         4 . The system as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said liquid refrigerant has a boiling point at standard pressure less than about −20° C. 
     
     
         5 . The system as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said liquid refrigerant has a global warming potential of about 10 or less. 
     
     
         6 . The system as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said liquid refrigerant comprises 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene. 
     
     
         7 . The system as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said liquid refrigerant comprises 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane. 
     
     
         8 . The system as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said liquid refrigerant has a viscosity of about 250 μPa·s or less at about 25° C. 
     
     
         9 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a control system configured to control a flow of said liquid refrigerant through said heat exchanger to maintain a temperature of said liquid refrigerant above a dew point of air flowing over said heat exchanger. 
     
     
         10 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising an air-cooled heat exchanger configured to receive said liquid refrigerant and to transfer heat from said liquid refrigerant to air outside said enclosure. 
     
     
         11 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a fill valve for evacuating and charging said closed-loop path with said refrigerant. 
     
     
         12 . A method, comprising:
 configuring a liquid-cooled heat exchanger to receive heated air from an electronic enclosure; and   connecting said heat exchanger to a geothermal loop to form a closed-loop path suitable for circulating a pressurized liquid refrigerant between said geothermal loop and said heat exchanger to transfer heat from said air to said geothermal loop without said liquid refrigerant undergoing a phase change.   
     
     
         13 . The method as recited in  claim 12 , further comprising filling the closed-loop path with said refrigerant such that said closed-loop path is substantially filled with liquid refrigerant. 
     
     
         14 . The method as recited in  claim 13 , wherein said liquid refrigerant is a fluorocarbon. 
     
     
         15 . The method as recited in  claim 13 , wherein said liquid refrigerant has a boiling point at standard pressure less than about −20° C. 
     
     
         16 . The method as recited in  claim 13 , wherein said liquid refrigerant has a global warming potential of about 10 or less. 
     
     
         17 . The method as recited in  claim 13 , wherein said liquid refrigerant comprises 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoroprop-1-ene. 
     
     
         18 . The method as recited in  claim 13 , wherein said liquid refrigerant comprises 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane. 
     
     
         19 . The method as recited in  claim 12 , further comprising configuring a control system to control a flow of said liquid refrigerant through said heat exchanger to maintain a temperature of said liquid refrigerant above a dew point of air within said enclosure. 
     
     
         20 . The method as recited in  claim 12 , further comprising configuring an air-cooled heat exchanger to receive said liquid refrigerant and to transfer heat from said liquid refrigerant to air outside said enclosure.