Minimizing leakage in liquid cooled electronic equipment

• US 10,085,367 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2015
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chainer, Timothy J., Parida, Pritish R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Dion R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jalali, Amir
• Application Number:
  US14/748,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20160270267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 361699, 361702
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20327 Accessories for moving fluid, for connecting fluid conduits, for distributing fluid or for preventing leakage, e.g. pumps, tanks or manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20772 within server blades for removing heat from heat source
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20781 within cabinets for removing heat from server blades
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control

Abstract

A method of minimizing the volume of coolant leaked in a liquid cooled electronic system. The method includes detecting a coolant leak in a closed liquid cooling loop from a plurality of closed liquid cooling loops in the server rack. The closed liquid cooling loop may be coupled to at least one server in the server rack. The method may further include identifying the location of the coolant leak in the closed liquid cooling loop of an affected server in the server rack, and powering off a pump, from a plurality of pumps in the server rack, pumping coolant in the closed liquid cooling loop having the coolant leak.

Claims

1. A method for minimizing a volume of coolant leaked in a liquid cooled electronic system, comprising:

pumping coolant to a respective server from a plurality of servers in a server rack using a respective pump from a plurality of pumps, the respective pump is in fluid connection with a respective closed liquid cooling loop from a plurality of closed liquid cooling loops in the server rack;

containing the coolant leaking from the respective closed liquid cooling loop in a respective catch basin from a plurality of catch basins in the server rack, each of the catch basins being positioned between each of the plurality of servers in the server rack;

detecting the coolant leaking from the respective closed liquid cooling loop by one of a plurality of basin leak detectors, wherein a respective basin leak detector from the plurality of basin leak detectors is positioned at the respective catch basin from the plurality of catch basins;

powering off the respective pump connected to the respective closed liquid cooling loop with the coolant leaking from the plurality of closed liquid cooling loops in response to detecting the leaked coolant by one of the plurality of basin leak detectors; and

automatically disengaging a liquid to liquid heat exchanger from a plurality of liquid to liquid heat exchangers in the server rack in response to detecting the coolant leaking from one of the plurality of closed liquid cooling loops, the liquid to liquid heat exchanger coupled to the closed liquid cooling loop having the coolant leaking in the server rack such that the liquid to liquid heat exchanger does not receive a facility side coolant.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising reallocating workload from a server coupled to the respective closed liquid cooling loop with the leaking coolant to an unaffected server in the server rack.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising powering off a server coupled to the respective closed liquid cooling loop with the coolant leaking in the server rack.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective closed liquid cooling loop contains an entire volume of coolant provided to at least one server in the server rack.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the server rack receives the facility-side coolant.

6. A method for minimizing a volume of coolant leaked in a liquid cooled electronic system, comprising:

pumping coolant to a respective server from a plurality of servers in a server rack using a respective pump from a plurality of pumps, the respective pump is in fluid connection with a respective closed liquid cooling loop from a plurality of closed liquid cooling loops in the server rack;

containing the coolant leaking from the respective closed liquid cooling loop in a respective catch basin from a plurality of catch basins in the server rack, each of the catch basins being positioned between each of the plurality servers in the server rack;

detecting the coolant leaking from the respective closed liquid cooling loop by one of a plurality of basin leak detectors, wherein a respective basin leak detector from the plurality of basin leak detectors is positioned at the respective catch basin from the plurality of catch basins;

powering off the respective pump connected to the respective closed liquid cooling loop with the coolant leaking from the plurality of closed liquid cooling loops in the server rack in response to detecting the leaked coolant by one of the plurality of basin leak detectors; and

automatically reallocating workload from a server coupled to the closed liquid cooling loop with the coolant leaking to an unaffected server in the server rack.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising powering off the server coupled to the closed liquid cooling loop with the coolant leaking in the server rack.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the respective closed liquid cooling loop contains an entire volume of coolant provided to at least one server in the server rack.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the server rack receives facility-side coolant.