Multiple rack systems with common liquid cooling apparatus

Abstract

Apparatus, systems, and method for efficiently cooling computing devices having heat-generating electronic components, such as, for example, independently operable servers, immersed in a dielectric liquid coolant in a tank.

1 - 52 . (canceled) 
     
     
         53 . An apparatus for holding and cooling rack-mountable servers containing heat-generating electronic components, comprising:
 a plurality of racks configured to receive rack-mountable servers; and   one or more pump systems comprising one or more pumps and one or more heat exchangers;   wherein at least one of the racks comprises:
 at least one 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; and 
 one or more mounting members positioned within the interior volume and configured to hold a plurality of rack-mountable servers in a vertical orientation within the interior volume such that the plurality of rack-mountable servers can be commonly submersed in a volume of the dielectric liquid coolant in the at least one tank and such that, when the plurality of rack-mountable servers are commonly submersed in a volume of the dielectric liquid coolant, at least a portion of the dielectric liquid coolant can be vertically moved across heat producing components in at least two of the rack-mountable servers, 
 wherein the rack-mountable servers are mountable in the at least one tank such that at least one of the rack-mountable servers is independently removable from a volume of dielectric liquid coolant and from the at least one tank without the need to remove the other rack-mountable servers from the volume of dielectric liquid coolant in the at least one tank and such that the other rack-mountable servers can remain operating while submersed in the volume of dielectric liquid coolant, 
   wherein at least one of the pumps is configured to move dielectric liquid coolant in at least two of the racks and across at least one of the heat exchangers,   wherein at least one of the heat exchangers is configured to remove heat from dielectric electric coolant that has been heated by heat producing components in at least two of the racks, and   wherein the at least one pump is configurable to move across heat producing components of at least two of the rack-mountable servers when the at least two of the rack-mountable servers are commonly submerged a volume of dielectric liquid coolant in the at least one tank.   
     
     
         54 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , further comprising a controller configured to control flow of dielectric liquid coolant in at least two of the racks. 
     
     
         55 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein the at least one tank comprises an open top, wherein the rack-mountable servers are mountable such that at least one of the rack-mountable servers can be removed from the at least one tank through the open top while the other rack-mountable servers remain at least partially submersed in the dielectric liquid coolant and in operation. 
     
     
         56 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , further comprising a controller configured to maintain liquid coolant exiting the rack-mountable servers at a temperature that is significantly higher than comfortable room temperature and lower than the maximum permissible temperature of the most sensitive heat generating electronic component of the rack-mountable servers. 
     
     
         57 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein at least one of the rack-mountable servers submersed in the dielectric liquid coolant comprises an unsealed case housing two or more electronic components of the at least one rack-mountable server. 
     
     
         58 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein at least one of the mounting members is configured to receive standard rack-mountable servers from at least two different sources such that the commodity servers are commonly in the volume of dielectric liquid coolant. 
     
     
         59 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein the at least one pump is configured to move a portion of the dielectric liquid coolant across the other rack-mountable servers while the at least one rack-mountable server in at least one of the racks is removed from a volume of dielectric liquid coolant in the rack. 
     
     
         60 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein the rack-mountable servers are mount able to allow vertical flow across heat producing components of the rack-mountable servers. 
     
     
         61 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein the rack-mountable servers are arranged to allow the pump to produce parallel vertical flow of the dielectric liquid coolant across heat producing components in at least two of the rack-mountable servers commonly submerged in the volume of dielectric liquid coolant. 
     
     
         62 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein the rack-mountable servers are arranged to allow the pump to produce parallel bottom-to-top flow of the dielectric liquid coolant across heat producing components in at least two of the rack-mountable servers commonly submerged in the volume of dielectric liquid coolant. 
     
     
         63 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein the dielectric coolant comprises mineral oil. 
     
     
         64 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein, when the plurality of rack-mountable servers are mountably received and the dielectric liquid coolant is moved in the at least one tank, at least two of the respective rack-mountable server is completely submerged within the dielectric liquid coolant such that a volume of dielectric liquid coolant collects in a common area above the plurality of rack-mountable servers and at or near the surface of the dielectric liquid coolant. 
     
     
         65 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein at least some of the rack-mountable servers are held in a row, wherein, when the plurality of rack-mountable servers are mountably received in the at least one tank and the dielectric liquid coolant is moved within the at least one tank, heated dielectric liquid coolant at the surface of the volume of dielectric liquid coolant is moved crossways relative to the direction of the row of rack-mountable servers. 
     
     
         66 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein:
 the one or more mounting members are configured to mountably receive the plurality of rack-mountable servers above the bottom of the at least one tank to form a volume between each respective rack-mountable server and the at least one tank to permit the flow of dielectric liquid coolant through the plurality of rack-mountable servers.   
     
     
         67 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , further comprising:
 a secondary cooling circuit comprising a second liquid coolant, and   a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger,
 wherein the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger is configured transfer heat from the dielectric liquid coolant to the second liquid coolant, 
 wherein the secondary cooling circuit is configured to reject heat to a location distal to the at least one tank. 
   
     
     
         68 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , further comprising a plurality of nozzles in at least one of the racks configured to direct dielectric liquid coolant from the cooling inlet piping toward a desired entry point into the rack-mounted servers to augment the fluid velocity of the liquid coolant through the rack-mounted servers. 
     
     
         69 . A method for cooling and maintaining rack-mounted servers containing heat-generating electronic components, comprising:
 pumping dielectric liquid coolant to move the dielectric liquid coolant across heat producing components of rack-mounted servers operating in at least two racks, wherein two or more of the rack-mounted servers in at least one of the racks are commonly submerged in a volume of the dielectric liquid coolant;   removing one or more rack-mounted servers from a volume of dielectric liquid coolant in at least one of the racks while one or more other rack-mounted servers remain operating and submersed in the volume of dielectric liquid coolant in the at least one rack and while a portion of the dielectric liquid coolant is moved over heat producing components of at least one of the rack-mounted servers; and   replacing or reinstalling, while the other rack-mounted servers remain submerged in the volume of dielectric liquid coolant and in operation, at least one of the removed rack-mountable servers.   
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 69 , wherein moving the dielectric liquid coolant comprises moving the dielectric liquid coolant vertically across heat producing components in at least two of the rack-mountable servers. 
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 69 , further comprising disconnecting the replaced server and connecting the replacement server.