Integrated heat exchangers in a rack for vertical board style computer systems
View Patent ↗A system for cooling heat-generating objects, such as computer boards situated in a rack, includes an enclosure in which the heat generating objects are situated. The enclosure has an air inlet and an air outlet, and a fan induces airflow into the air inlet, through the enclosure and out the air outlet. A heat exchanger is situated in the enclosure such that the heat exchanger is in a spaced apart relationship with the heat-generating object. Air moving through or past the heat-generating object is warmed, and the heat exchanger removes the heat before the air exits the enclosure.
1. An electronic component enclosure cooling system comprising:
an enclosure located in a room of conditioned air, the enclosure comprising a cabinet and an access door thereto, the cabinet adapted to operatively house at least one substantially horizontal row of spaced apart, substantially vertically oriented electronic component boards;
a plurality of electronic component boards disposed in the at least one row within the cabinet;
an air mover system within the cabinet and adapted to draw the conditioned air into an opening in the enclosure, through the at least one row of boards, out an exit in the enclosure and back into the room;
a first air-to-fluid heat exchanger located within the cabinet and between the opening and the first row of boards and adapted to remove a portion of the heat from the conditioned air before the air passes through the first row;
a second air-to-fluid heat exchanger located within the cabinet between the exit and the at least one row of modules and adapted to remove a portion of the heat from the air before is returned to the room; and
a pump system for pumping a two-phase refrigerant through the plurality of heat exchangers such that the air exiting the enclosure is substantially the same temperature as the conditioned air entering the enclosure.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the air-to-fluid heat exchangers comprise micro-channel heat exchangers.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the refrigerant is non-conductive.
4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the air-to-fluid heat exchangers operate essentially isothermally.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the air-to-fluid heat exchangers provide a uniform air temperature to the plurality of electronic modules in the enclosure.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the air mover system is a fan located adjacent the air exit.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the air mover system comprises a fan located adjacent the air opening.
8. A cooling system for an electronic component enclosure located in a room, the system comprising:
an enclosure comprising a cabinet and at least one access door thereto, the cabinet adapted to house a plurality of substantially horizontal rows of spaced apart, vertically oriented electronic component modules;
a plurality of electronic component modules disposed in a plurality of rows within the cabinet;
an air mover system within the cabinet and adapted to draw room air into an opening in the enclosure, through the rows of modules and out an exit in the enclosure;
a first air-to-fluid heat exchanger located within the cabinet between the opening and a first row of modules, such that the heat exchanger is upstream of the first row of modules to pre-cool the air that passes through the first row;
a second air-to-fluid heat exchanger located within the cabinet downstream of the first row of modules and upstream of a second row of modules to pre-cool the air that passes through the second row of modules;
a third air-to-fluid heat exchanger located within the cabinet between the exit and a third row of modules to cool the air that is returned to the room; and
a pump system for pumping a two-phase refrigerant through the plurality of heat exchangers such that the air exiting the enclosure does not add to the heat load of the room.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the air-to-fluid heat exchangers comprise micro-channel heat exchangers.
10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the refrigerant is non-conductive.
11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the air-to-fluid heat exchangers operate essentially isothermally.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the air-to-fluid heat exchangers provide a uniform temperature to the plurality of electronic modules in the enclosure.
13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the air mover system comprises a fan adjacent the air opening.
14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the air mover system comprises a fan is located adjacent the air exit.
15. A method of cooling electronic components in an enclosure, comprising:
locating an electronic components enclosure in a room of conditioned air, the enclosure comprising a cabinet with an access door thereto, the cabinet adapted to operatively house at least one substantially horizontal row of spaced apart, substantially vertically oriented electronic component boards;
installing a plurality of electronic component boards in the at least one row within the cabinet;
positioning a first air-to-fluid heat exchanger within the cabinet and between an enclosure air inlet and the first row of boards;
positioning a second air-to-fluid heat exchanger within the cabinet between an enclosure air outlet and the at least one row of boards;
providing an air mover system within the cabinet;
drawing the conditioned air into the enclosure through the air inlet, through the first heat exchanger, the at least one row of boards, the second heat exchanger, out the air outlet in the enclosure and back into the room; and
pumping a two-phase refrigerant through the plurality of heat exchangers such that the air exiting the enclosure is substantially the same temperature as the conditioned air entering the enclosure.
16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
removing a portion of the heat from the conditioned air before the air passes through the first row; and
removing a portion of the heat from the air before is returned to the room.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the air-to-fluid heat exchangers comprise micro-channel heat exchangers.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the refrigerant is non-conductive.
19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising operating the heat exchangers essentially isothermally.