Elevated temperature cooling with efficiency optimization control

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:
 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;   a pump system comprising one or more pumps, wherein at least one of the pumps is configured to move a dielectric liquid coolant into the at least one tank through the coolant inlet;   one or more mounting members positioned within the interior volume and configured to hold a plurality of rack-mountable servers 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, the at least one pump can move at least a portion of the dielectric liquid coolant across heat producing components in at least two of the rack-mountable servers; and   one or more controllers, wherein at least one of the controllers is configurable to operate the pump system to adjust one or more characteristics of dielectric liquid coolant in the at least one tank.   
     
     
         54 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein at least one of the controllers is configured to maintain dielectric liquid coolant exiting or downstream from the rack-mountable at an elevated temperature. 
     
     
         55 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein at least one of the controllers is configured to maintain dielectric liquid coolant exiting the rack-mountable servers at an elevated 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. 
     
     
         56 . The apparatus of  claim 55 , wherein the elevated temperature is a temperature in the range of 90 degrees F. and 130 degrees F. 
     
     
         57 . The apparatus of  claim 55 , wherein the elevated temperature is a temperature in the range of 100 degrees F. and 110 degrees F. 
     
     
         58 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein at least one of the controllers is configured to determine an optimum elevated temperature of the heated dielectric liquid coolant as it exits the plurality of servers such that the liquid coolant sufficiently cools the plurality of rack-mountable servers while reducing the amount of energy consumed to sufficiently cool the plurality of rack-mountable servers, wherein the elevated temperature is a temperature significantly higher than the typical comfortable room temperature for humans and lower than the maximum permissible temperature of the most sensitive heat generating electronic component in the plurality of rack-mountable servers. 
     
     
         59 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein at least one of the controllers is configured to a adjust flow rate of the dielectric liquid coolant in the at least one tank. 
     
     
         60 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein at least one of the controllers is configured to adjust flow of a fluid in at least one secondary fluid circuit that receives heat from the dielectric liquid coolant. 
     
     
         61 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein the at least one tank is internally shaped to reduce flow of dielectric liquid coolant around the rack-mountable servers to improve dielectric liquid coolant flow over the heat producing components of the rack-mountable servers. 
     
     
         62 . 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 the plurality of rack-mountable servers and the at least one tank in which the dielectric liquid coolant can collect to permit the flow of dielectric liquid coolant through the plurality of rack-mountable servers,   wherein, when the plurality of rack-mountable servers are mountably received, the plurality of rack-mountable servers can be completely submerged within the dielectric liquid coolant such that a volume of dielectric liquid coolant collects in a common manifold area above the plurality of rack-mountable servers to improve the circulation of the liquid coolant through the plurality of rack-mountable servers, thereby enhancing the cooling of each respective rack-mountable server, and   wherein the rack-mountable servers are arranged such that at least one of the pumps can produce vertical flow between two servers that is substantially parallel to vertical flow between two other servers of the rack-mountable servers that are commonly submerged in the volume of dielectric liquid coolant.   
     
     
         63 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , 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. 
     
     
         64 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , wherein the 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 tank through the open top while the other rack-mountable servers remain at least partially submersed in the dielectric liquid coolant and in operation. 
     
     
         65 . The apparatus of  claim 53 , further comprising:
 a secondary cooling circuit comprising a second fluid coolant, and   a fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger,   wherein the fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger is configured to transfer heat from the dielectric liquid coolant to the second fluid coolant,   wherein the secondary cooling circuit is configured to reject heat to a location distal to the at least one tank.   
     
     
         66 . A method of cooling a plurality of rack-mountable servers containing heat generating electronic components commonly submersed within a dielectric liquid coolant inside a tank with an open interior volume, comprising:
 flowing a dielectric liquid coolant in a fluid circuit through the plurality of rack-mountable servers commonly submersed in the dielectric liquid coolant to absorb at least a portion of any heat being generated by the plurality of rack-mountable servers;   monitoring the temperature of the liquid coolant at least one location within the fluid circuit;   thermally coupling the dielectric liquid coolant heated by the plurality of rack-mountable servers to a heat exchanger;   controlling one or more cooling characteristics of the dielectric liquid coolant inside the tank such that a temperature exiting or downstream from the rack-mountable servers is an elevated temperature; and   rejecting at least a portion of the heat absorbed by the dielectric liquid coolant at a location distal to the at least one tank.   
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 66 , wherein the heat exchanger is located distal to the at least one tank. 
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 66 , wherein the heat exchanger is located in or proximate to the at least one tank. 
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 66 , further comprising:
 determining an optimum elevated temperature of the heated dielectric liquid coolant as it exits the plurality of servers such that the liquid coolant sufficiently cools the plurality of rack-mountable servers while reducing the amount of energy consumed to sufficiently cool each respective rack-mountable server, wherein the elevated temperature is a temperature significantly higher than the typical comfortable room temperature for humans and lower than the maximum permissible temperature of the most sensitive heat generating electronic component in the plurality of rack-mountable servers;   periodically determining by a controller the amount of energy needed to reject the absorbed heat for cooling the plurality of rack-mountable servers; and   in response to the periodic determination of the amount of energy needed to reject the heat absorbed by the dielectric liquid coolant from the plurality of rack-mountable servers by a controller, periodically adjusting the amount of heat rejected through the heat exchanger such that the dielectric liquid coolant exiting the plurality of rack-mountable servers at the elevated temperature sufficiently cools the plurality of servers while reducing the amount of energy consumed to sufficiently cool each respective rack-mountable server.   
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 66 , wherein the heat exchanger is located distal to the tank, wherein thermally coupling the liquid coolant to a heat exchanger comprises:
 flowing dielectric fluid from the distally located heat exchanger at a second temperature through a coolant inlet in the tank, wherein the second temperature is lower than the elevated temperature;   flowing at least a portion of the dielectric liquid coolant received into the tank through the coolant inlet through the plurality of servers for absorbing at least a portion of any heat being generated by each of the plurality of servers;   flowing at least a portion of the heated dielectric liquid coolant exiting the plurality of servers at the elevated temperature through a coolant outlet in the tank wherein the coolant outlet is fluidly coupled to the distally located heat exchanger in order for at least a portion of the heat from the heated dielectric coolant to be rejected; and   fluidly coupling the cooled dielectric liquid coolant from the heat exchanger at substantially the second temperature to the coolant inlet to the tank, whereby the dielectric liquid coolant completes a first fluid circuit through the heat exchanger and the plurality of servers in the tank to reject at least a portion of the heat absorbed by the dielectric liquid coolant from the plurality of servers;   and wherein flowing a dielectric liquid coolant through the plurality of servers comprises:   flowing at least a portion of the dielectric liquid coolant received into the tank at approximately the second temperature through the plurality of servers submersed in the dielectric liquid coolant for absorbing at least a portion of any heat being dissipated by the plurality of servers.   
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 66 , further comprising:
 monitoring the flow rate of the dielectric liquid coolant through the fluid circuit;   monitoring the temperature of at least one of the heat-generating electronic components; and   in response to the periodic determination of the amount of energy needed to reject the heat absorbed by the dielectric liquid coolant from the plurality of servers and the flow rate, pumping the dielectric liquid coolant through the first fluid circuit and periodically adjusting the flow rate of the dielectric liquid coolant through the pump and the heat exchanger such that the dielectric liquid coolant exiting the plurality of servers at the elevated temperature sufficiently cools the plurality of servers while reducing the amount of energy consumed to sufficiently cool the plurality of servers.   
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 66 , wherein the heat exchanger is located distal to the tank, wherein flowing a dielectric liquid coolant through the plurality of servers comprises:
 flowing at least a portion of the dielectric liquid coolant at a second temperature in a first fluid portion of a first fluid circuit through each of the plurality of servers wherein the liquid coolant exiting the plurality of servers is heated to an elevated temperature, wherein the second temperature is lower than the elevated temperature; and   wherein thermally coupling the dielectric liquid coolant to the distally located heat exchanger comprises:   thermally coupling the heated dielectric liquid coolant through a coupler to a cooling fluid located in a first portion of a second fluid circuit;   fluidly coupling the heated cooling fluid in the first portion of the second fluid circuit to the distally located heat exchanger for rejecting at least a portion of the heat coupled through the second liquid circuit from the heated dielectric liquid coolant;   fluidly coupling the cooled cooling fluid at substantially the second temperature from the distally located heat exchanger through a second portion of the second fluid circuit to the coupler; and   thermally coupling the cooled cooling fluid through the coupler to the first portion of the first liquid circuit.   
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 66 , further comprising:
 monitoring the flow rate of the cooling fluid in the second fluid circuit;   monitoring the temperature of at least one of the heat producing components of the rack-mountable servers;   periodically determining the energy needed to reject the heat absorbed by the dielectric liquid coolant from the plurality of servers by the cooling of the heated cooling fluid to the second temperature;   in response to the periodic determination by a controller of the amount of energy needed to reject the heat absorbed by the dielectric liquid coolant from the plurality of servers and the flow rate of the cooling fluid, periodically adjusting the flow rate of the cooling fluid through the second fluid circuit such that the dielectric liquid coolant exiting the plurality of servers at the elevated temperature sufficiently cools the plurality of servers while reducing the amount of energy consumed to sufficiently cool each respective server.   
     
     
         74 . The system of  claim 66 , further comprising monitoring the temperature of the cooling fluid in the second fluid circuit. 
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 66 , wherein the elevated temperature is a temperature significantly higher than the typical comfortable room temperature for humans and lower than the maximum permissible temperature of the most sensitive heat generating electronic component in the plurality of servers. 
     
     
         76 . The method of  claim 66 , further comprising a secondary cooling apparatus thermally coupled to the heat exchanger, wherein the secondary cooling apparatus is configured to recover at least a portion of any heat absorbed by the dielectric liquid coolant from the plurality of servers in the tank.