System and method for thermal management in a multicomponent system
An information handling system includes a chassis and a payload. The chassis directs an airflow along the payload. The payload includes a heatsink for cooling a first component using a first portion of the airflow and an airflow directing heatsink for cooling a second component. The airflow directing heatsink uses both of the first portion of the airflow and a second portion of the airflow for cooling the second component.
1. An information handling system, comprising
a chassis adapted to direct an airflow along a payload; and
the payload, disposed in an internal space of the chassis, comprising:
a heatsink for cooling a first component using a first portion of the airflow; and
an airflow directing heatsink for cooling a second component, wherein the airflow directing heatsink is adapted to:
use both of the first portion of the airflow and a second portion of the airflow for cooling the second component, and
physically divide an entirety of the internal space of the chassis into:
a first area where only the first portion of the airflow flows;
a second area where both the first portion of the airflow and the second portion of the airflow flows; and
an intermediate area between the first area and the second area where a first sub-portion of the first portion of the airflow becomes the second portion of the airflow.
2. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the airflow is offset from the first portion of the airflow.
3. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the airflow directing heatsink comprises:
a first set of heat exchangers disposed proximate to the second component; and
a second set of heat exchangers not disposed proximate to the second component.
4. The information handling system of claim 3 , wherein the second set of heat exchangers are adapted to:
direct a first sub-portion of the second portion of the airflow towards the first set of heat exchangers; and
direct a second sub-portion of the second portion of the airflow away from the first set of heat exchangers.
5. The information handling system of claim 3 , wherein both the first set of heat exchangers and the second set of heat exchangers are thermally connected to the second component via a thermal conduction path.
6. The information handling system of claim 3 , wherein the second set of heat exchangers is disposed downstream from the heatsink.
7. The information handling system of claim 3 , wherein the first set of heat exchangers is disposed downstream from the second set of heat exchangers.
8. The information handling system of claim 1 , wherein the payload further comprises a third component disposed downstream from the airflow directing heatsink.
9. The information handling system of claim 8 , wherein the airflow directing heatsink is adapted to direct a sub-portion of the second portion of the airflow away from the third component.
10. The information handling system of claim 9 , wherein the airflow directing heatsink is adapted to direct the sub-portion of the second portion of the airflow toward the second component.
11. The information handling system of claim 10 , wherein the second component is a high thermal load component and the third component is a low thermal load component.
12. The information handling system of claim 10 , wherein the second component is a processor and the third component is a memory.
13. A method for thermally managing an information handling system, comprising:
exchanging, using a heatsink, first heat from a first component with a first portion of an airflow;
simultaneously, using an airflow directing heatsink:
dividing a second portion of the airflow into a first sub-portion and a second sub-portion, and
exchanging second heat from a second component with the first sub-portion of the second portion of the airflow; and
exchanging, using the airflow directing heatsink, third heat from the second component with both of:
the first portion of the airflow, and
the first sub-portion of the second portion of the airflow,
wherein the exchange of the third heat is performed after the exchange of the second heat.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
exchanging fourth heat from a third component with the first sub-portion of the second portion of the airflow after exchanging the second heat.
15. An information handling system, comprising:
a chassis adapted to direct an airflow along a payload; and
the payload, disposed in an internal space of the chassis, comprising:
a heatsink for cooling a first component using a first portion of the airflow; and
an airflow directing heatsink adapted to:
cool a second component,
direct the airflow to enhance a downstream flowrate of a second portion of the airflow proximate to a high thermal load component, and
physically divide an entirety of the internal space of the chassis into:
a first area where only the first portion of the airflow flows,
a second area where both the first portion of the airflow and the second portion of the airflow flows, and
an intermediate area between the first area and the second area where a first sub-portion of the first portion of the airflow becomes the second portion of the airflow.
16. The information handling system of claim 15 , wherein the heatsink comprises a first heat exchanger, wherein the airflow directing heatsink comprises a second heat exchanger and a third heat exchanger.
17. The information handling system of claim 16 , wherein the first heat exchanger has a higher fluid flow impedance than a fluid flow impedance of the second heat exchanger.
18. The information handling system of claim 16 , wherein the first heat exchanger exchanges a larger quantity of heat than a quantity of heat exchanged by the second heat exchanger.
19. The information handling system of claim 16 , wherein the first component and the second component generate a same thermal dissipation requirement, wherein the first component and the second component are a same type of component, wherein the second component is a high thermal load component.