Hybrid single-phase/two-phase cooling loop to enhance cooling of components
View Patent ↗An apparatus for a hybrid single-phase/two-phase cooling loop to enhance cooling of components in a computing device is disclosed. The apparatus includes a single-phase cooling loop routed through a first part of a component. The component includes semiconductor devices. The single-phase cooling loop includes a fluid configured to remain in a liquid state after removing heat from the first part of the component. The apparatus includes a two-phase cooling loop routed through a second part of a component. The two-phase cooling loop includes a dielectric fluid configured to at least partially transition from a liquid state to a gas state at a selected temperature of a semiconductor device of the second part of the component while removing heat from the second part of the component.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a single-phase cooling loop routed through a first part of a component, the component comprising semiconductor devices, the single-phase cooling loop comprising a fluid configured to remain in a liquid state after removing heat from the first part of the component; and
a two-phase cooling loop routed through a second part of the component, the two-phase cooling loop comprising a dielectric fluid configured to at least partially transition from a liquid state to a gas state at a selected temperature while removing heat from a semiconductor device of the second part of the component,
wherein semiconductor devices of the first part of the component comprise a temperature requirement higher than a temperature requirement of the semiconductor device of the second part of the component.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the two-phase cooling loop is a closed loop comprising a pump and a heat exchanger for removing heat from the two-phase cooling loop after removing heat from the second part of the component.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the heat exchanger is one of a liquid-to-air heat exchanger or a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger.
4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the heat exchanger is a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger and wherein a first liquid of the heat exchanger is the dielectric fluid and a second liquid of the heat exchanger is the fluid of the single-phase cooling loop.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second part of the component comprises sections separated from each other and the two-phase cooling loop is split into two or more loops that each traverse a section of the second part of the component.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric fluid of the two-phase cooling loop and a pressure of the two-phase cooling loop are selected to maintain the selected temperature of the semiconductor device of the second part of the component.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the single-phase cooling loop cools the first part of one or more components and cools additional components of a motherboard and wherein the two-phase cooling loop cools the second part of two or more components of the motherboard.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the single-phase cooling loop is an open loop.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid of the single-phase cooling loop is water.
10. An apparatus comprising:
a single-phase cooling loop routed through a first part of one or more components of a motherboard, the one or more components comprising semiconductor devices, the single-phase cooling loop comprising a fluid configured to remain in a liquid state after removing heat from the first part of the one or more components; and
a two-phase cooling loop routed through a second part of the one or more components of the motherboard, the two-phase cooling loop comprising a dielectric fluid configured to at least partially transition from a liquid state to a gas state at a selected temperature while removing heat from a semiconductor device of the second part of the one or more components,
wherein semiconductor devices of the first part of the one or more components comprise a temperature requirement higher than a temperature requirement of the semiconductor device of the second part of the one or more components.
11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the single-phase cooling loop cools one or more additional components of the motherboard.
12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the two-phase cooling loop is a closed loop comprising a pump and a heat exchanger for removing heat from the two-phase cooling loop after removing heat from the second part of the one or more components.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the heat exchanger is a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger and wherein a first liquid of the heat exchanger is the dielectric fluid and a second liquid of the heat exchanger is the fluid of the single-phase cooling loop.
14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the second part of the one or more components comprises sections separated from each other and the two-phase cooling loop is split into two or more loops that each traverse a section of the second part of the one or more components.
15. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the dielectric fluid of the two-phase cooling loop and a pressure of the two-phase cooling loop are selected to maintain the selected temperature of the semiconductor device of the second part of the one or more components.
16. A system comprising:
a motherboard comprising one or more components, the one or more components of the motherboard comprising a first part and a second part, each of the first part and the second part comprising semiconductor devices;
a single-phase cooling loop routed through the first part of the one or more components of the motherboard, the single-phase cooling loop comprising a single-phase fluid configured to remain in a liquid state after removing heat from the first part of each of the one or more components;
a two-phase cooling loop routed through the second part of the one or more components of the motherboard, the two-phase cooling loop comprising a dielectric fluid configured to at least partially transition from a liquid state to a gas state at a selected temperature while removing heat from a semiconductor device of the second part of the one or more components, wherein semiconductor devices of the first part of the one or more components comprise a temperature requirement higher than a temperature requirement of the semiconductor device of the second part of the one or more components;
a two-phase pump in the two-phase cooling loop configured to pump the dielectric fluid through the two-phase cooling loop;
a single-phase pump in the single-phase cooling loop configured to pump the single-phase fluid through the single-phase cooling loop;
a heat exchanger in the two-phase cooling loop configured to remove heat from the dielectric fluid of the two-phase cooling loop; and
a cooling tower and/or chiller in the single-phase cooling loop configured to remove heat from the single-phase fluid of the single-phase loop.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the motherboard comprises one or more additional components and wherein the single-phase cooling loop cools the one or more additional components.