Hybrid liquid cooling arrangement for autonomous and immersion cooled racks
A datacenter rack assembly providing a liquid cooling arrangement to service an autonomous rack and an immersion cooling rack coexisting within the datacenter rack assembly is presented. The datacenter rack assembly comprises an autonomous rack containing at least one electronic processing assembly, an integrated heat exchanger, and at least one liquid cooling block while the immersion cooling rack comprises a dielectric immersion cooling fluid at least one electronic processing assembly immersed in the dielectric immersion cooling fluid, and at least one liquid cooling block. The datacenter rack assembly incorporates a liquid cooling distribution arrangement to control distribution of liquid for cooling of the autonomous and IC racks through various liquid flow distribution channel segments, temperature sensors, and communication-enabled flow control valves based on detected temperature conditions.
1 . A datacenter rack assembly housing racks with different cooling configurations, comprising:
a first rack comprising:
an air-to-liquid heat exchanger configured to provide air-ventilated cooling liquid from a liquid source to the first rack,
at least one electronic processing assembly,
a first internal fluid conduit configured to receive the cooling liquid from the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and circulate the cooling liquid throughout a first at least one liquid cooling block, the first of the at least one liquid cooling block having a first internal fluid distribution channel that is in thermal contact with the first at least one electronic processing assembly;
a second rack, comprising:
a dielectric immersion cooling fluid,
a serpentine convection coil immersed in the dielectric immersion cooling fluid that is structured with multiple hollow coils to receive the cooling liquid exiting the first at least one liquid cooling block and forward the cooling liquid,
a second at least one electronic processing assembly immersed in the dielectric immersion cooling fluid,
a second internal fluid conduit configured to receive the cooling liquid exiting the serpentine convection coil and to circulate the cooling liquid throughout a second at least one liquid cooling block having a second internal fluid distribution channel that is arranged to be in thermal contact with the second at least one electronic processing assembly,
a central flow controller configured to operatively control the circulation of the cooling liquid flowing through the first rack and the second rack; and
a liquid cooling distribution arrangement, fluidly coupled to the first internal fluid conduit of the first rack and fluidly coupled to the second internal fluid conduit of the second rack, the liquid cooling distribution arrangement configured to circulate the cooling liquid throughout the first rack and the second rack, according to the operative control of the central flow controller.
2 . The datacenter rack assembly of claim 1 , wherein the liquid cooling distribution arrangement further comprises:
a first liquid flow distribution channel segment configured to forward the cooling liquid from the liquid cooling source to the first rack; and
a second liquid flow distribution channel segment configured to forward the cooling liquid from the first rack to the second rack.
3 . The datacenter rack assembly of claim 2 , wherein the second liquid flow distribution channel segment is communicatively coupled to a communication-enabled three-way flow control valve controlled by the central flow controller and a third liquid flow distribution channel segment configured to forward cooling liquid to the second rack.
4 . The datacenter rack assembly of claim 3 , further comprising:
a fourth liquid flow distribution channel segment configured to forward cooling liquid from the liquid cooling source to a communication-enabled two-way flow control valve controlled by the central flow controller; and
a fifth liquid flow distribution channel segment configured to return cooling liquid from the first rack and the second rack back to the liquid cooling source.
5 . The datacenter rack assembly of claim 4 , further comprising:
a first temperature sensor, communicatively coupled to the first liquid flow distribution channel segment and the central flow controller, and configured to detect a temperature of the liquid cooling source; and
a second temperature sensor, communicatively coupled to the second liquid flow distribution channel segment and the central flow controller, and configured to detect a temperature of the forwarded cooling liquid from the first rack,
wherein the central flow controller operates to:
when the first temperature sensor detects a temperature of the liquid cooling source to be less than or equal to a first temperature range, control the two-way flow control valve to close and the three-way flow control valve to open and enable the cooling liquid from the first rack to flow to the second rack via the third liquid flow distribution channel segment.
6 . The datacenter rack assembly of claim 5 , wherein the central flow controller further operates to:
when the second temperature sensor detects a temperature of the cooling liquid outputted from the first rack to be less than or equal to a second temperature range, control the two-way flow control valve to close and the three-way flow control valve to open and enable the cooling liquid to flow from the first rack to the second rack via the third liquid flow distribution channel segment, and
when the second temperature sensor detects a temperature of the cooling liquid outputted from the first rack to be in a third range that is greater than the second temperature range, control the three-way flow control valve to close and the two-way flow control valve to open and enable the cooling liquid to flow from the liquid cooling source provided by the fourth liquid flow distribution channel segment to the second via the third liquid flow distribution channel segment.
7 . The datacenter rack assembly of claim 4 , wherein the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth liquid flow distribution channel segments comprise piping, tubing, conduits and/or any suitable sealed fluid conveyance structures formed from metal, rubber, and/or plastic materials.
8 . The datacenter rack assembly of claim 4 , wherein the three-way flow control valve and the two-way flow control valve comprise a communication-enabled electro-mechanical solenoid control fluid valves that are configured to be operationally responsive to temperature bearing electronic control signals.
9 . The datacenter rack assembly of claim 5 , wherein, when the second temperature sensor detects a temperature of the cooling liquid outputted from the first rack to be in the third range, the three-way flow control valve operates to return the cooling liquid from the first rack back to the liquid cooling source via the fifth liquid flow distribution channel segment.
10 . The datacenter rack assembly of claim 5 , wherein the first temperature range detected by the first temperature sensor comprises approximately 20-25° C.
11 . The datacenter rack assembly of claim 6 , wherein the second temperature range detected by the second temperature sensor comprises approximately 40-46° C.
12 . The datacenter rack assembly of claim 6 , wherein the third temperature range detected by the second temperature sensor comprises approximately 47° C. or greater.