Dynamic surface area expansion in a rear door heat exchanger
View Patent ↗A method comprising flowing a liquid through supply pipe couplings to a fin tube assembly of an air-to-liquid heat exchanger and through the fin tube assembly to return pipe couplings, wherein the fin tube assembly forms a central air flow pathway. The method further comprises passing air through components within a rack secured to the rear door heat exchanger and through the fin tube assembly and detecting an operating condition within the rack. The method then automatically moves the fin tube assembly from a retracted position to an extended position in response to the operating condition, wherein the retracted position directs substantially all of the air to exit the rack through the central air flow pathway, and wherein the extended position allows the air to exit through the central air flow pathway and also through first and second side air flow pathways.
1. A method, comprising:
flowing a liquid through a plurality of pivotal supply pipe coupling assemblies to a fin tube assembly of an air-to-liquid heat exchanger and through the fin tube assembly to a plurality of pivotal return pipe coupling assemblies, wherein the fin tube assembly forms a central air flow pathway;
passing air through components within a rack secured to the rear door heat exchanger and through the fin tube assembly;
detecting an operating condition within the rack; and
automatically moving the fin tube assembly from a retracted position to an extended position in response to the operating condition exceeding an operating condition threshold,
wherein the retracted position of the fin tube assembly directs substantially all of the air to exit the rack through the central air flow pathway, wherein the extended position of the fin tube assembly allows the air to exit the rack through the central air flow pathway and also through first and second side air flow pathways, wherein moving the fin tube assembly from the retracted position to the extended position causes the plurality of pivotal supply pipe coupling assemblies to extend across the first side air flow pathway and the plurality of pivotal return pipe coupling assemblies to extend across the second side air flow pathway, and wherein the plurality of pivotal supply pipe coupling assemblies include one or more fin tube sections for cooling the air that exits the rack through the first side air flow pathway and the plurality of pivotal return pipe coupling assemblies include one or more fin tube sections for cooling the air that exits the rack through the second side air flow pathway.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein automatically moving the fin tube assembly includes actuating a hydraulic cylinder secured between a door frame and the fin tube assembly.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sealing a plate between the fin tube assembly and a door frame when the fin tube assembly is in the retracted position.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting an operating condition within the rack includes an air pressure sensor detecting an air pressure within the rack.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
providing air pressure signals from the air pressure sensors to a management entity; and
sending a control signal from the management entity to the actuator.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting an operating condition within the rack includes detecting the temperature of one or more computer system components within the rack.