Liquid cooling system including hot-swappable components

• US 20060002080A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Gonzales, Christopher A., Lucero, Christopher D., Leija, Javier
• Granted Patent: US 7,420,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.460
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20772 within server blades for removing heat from heat source

Abstract

The specification discloses an apparatus comprising a cold plate having an inlet and an outlet, the cold plate being attachable to a heat source, a heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the outlet of the heat exchanger is coupled to the inlet of the cold plate, and a hot-swappable pump module including at least one pump, the pump module being coupled to the cold plate and to the heat exchanger. The specification also discloses a process comprising cooling a heat source using a closed-loop cooling system comprising a cold plate having an inlet and an outlet, the cold plate being attachable to the heat source, a heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the outlet of the heat exchanger is coupled to the inlet of the cold plate, and a hot-swappable pump module including at least one pump, the pump module being coupled to the cold plate and to the heat exchanger, and removing or installing the pump module while the cooling system is operating. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a cold plate having an inlet and an outlet, the cold plate being attachable to a heat source;

a heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the outlet of the heat exchanger is coupled to the inlet of the cold plate; and

a hot-swappable pump module including at least one pump, the pump module being coupled to the cold plate and to the heat exchanger.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a leak-free connector having a main inlet, a main outlet, and a pump interface including an inlet and an outlet, wherein the main inlet is coupled to the fluid outlet of the cold plate, the main outlet is coupled to the inlet of the heat exchanger, and the hot-swappable pump module is coupled to the pump interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the pump interface is a first pump interface, and wherein the leak-free connector further includes a second pump interface including an inlet and an outlet.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the hot-swappable pump module is a first hot-swappable pump module, and further comprising a second hot-swappable pump module connected to the second pump interface.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the leak-free connector is self-balancing.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the inlet and the outlet of the pump interface include quick connect/disconnect fittings thereon.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the leak-free connector further includes an electrical connector.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the hot-swappable pump module further includes an electrical connector that can couple to the electrical connector of the leak-free connector.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the hot-swappable pump module comprises:

a reservoir having an inlet and an outlet;

a first pump whose inlet is connected to the outlet of the pump interface and whose outlet is connected the inlet of the reservoir; and

a second pump whose inlet is connected to the outlet of the reservoir and whose outlet is connected to the inlet of the pump interface.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the reservoir includes a fluid level sensor.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the hot-swappable pump module includes a logic circuit coupled to the fluid level sensor and to a visual indicator of the fluid level.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a cold plate having an inlet and an outlet, the cold plate being attachable to a heat source;

a heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the outlet of the heat exchanger is coupled to the inlet of the cold plate;

a leak-free connector having a main inlet, a main outlet, and a pump interface including an inlet and an outlet, wherein the main inlet is coupled to the fluid outlet of the cold plate, the main outlet is coupled to the inlet of the heat exchanger; and

a hot-swappable pump module coupled to the pump interface, the hot-swappable pump module including a reservoir and at least one pump.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the pump interface is a first pump interface, and wherein the leak-free connector further includes a second pump interface including an inlet and an outlet.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the hot-swappable pump module is a first hot-swappable pump module, and further comprising a second hot-swappable pump module connected to the second pump interface.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the leak-free connector is self-balancing.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the inlet and the outlet of the pump interface include quick connect/disconnect fittings thereon.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the leak-free connector includes an electrical connector coupled to a power source.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the hot-swappable pump module includes an electrical connector that can couple to the electrical connector of the leak-free connector.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the reservoir has an inlet and an outlet and the hot-swappable pump module includes:

a first pump whose inlet is connected to the outlet of the pump interface and whose outlet is connected the inlet of the reservoir; and

a second pump whose inlet is connected to the outlet of the reservoir and whose outlet is connected to the inlet of the pump interface.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the reservoir includes a fluid level sensor.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the hot-swappable pump module includes a logic circuit coupled to the fluid level sensor and to a visual indicator of the fluid level.

22. A system comprising:

a computer blade having thereon a processor and a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM);

a cold plate having an inlet and an outlet, the cold plate being attached to the processor;

a heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the heat exchanger is mounted to the blade and the outlet of the heat exchanger is coupled to the inlet of the cold plate; and

a mezzanine card attachable to the computer blade, the mezzanine card having thereon a hot-swappable pump module including at least one pump, the hot-swappable pump module being coupled to the cold plate and to the heat exchanger.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising a leak-free connector attached to the blade, the leak-free connector having a main inlet, a main outlet, and a pump interface including an inlet and an outlet, wherein the main inlet is coupled to the fluid outlet of the cold plate, the main outlet is coupled to the inlet of the heat exchanger, and the hot-swappable pump module is coupled to the pump interface.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the inlet and the outlet of the pump interface include quick connect/disconnect fittings thereon.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein the hot-swappable pump module comprises:

a reservoir having an inlet and an outlet;

a first pump whose inlet is connected to the outlet of the pump interface and whose outlet is connected the inlet of the reservoir; and

a second pump whose inlet is connected to the outlet of the reservoir and whose outlet is connected to the inlet of the pump interface.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the reservoir includes a fluid level sensor.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the mezzanine card includes a logic circuit coupled to the fluid level sensor and to a visual indicator of the fluid level.

28. A process comprising:

cooling a heat source using a closed-loop cooling system comprising;

a cold plate having an inlet and an outlet, the cold plate being attachable to the heat source,

a heat exchanger having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the outlet of the heat exchanger is coupled to the inlet of the cold plate; and

a hot-swappable pump module including at least one pump, the pump module being coupled to the cold plate and to the heat exchanger; and

removing or installing the pump module while the cooling system is operating.

29. The process of claim 28 wherein the cooling system further comprises a leak-free connector, the leak-free connector having a main inlet, a main outlet, and a pump interface including an inlet and an outlet, wherein the main inlet is coupled to the fluid outlet of the cold plate, the main outlet is coupled to the inlet of the heat exchanger, and the hot-swappable pump module is coupled to the pump interface.

30. The process of claim 29 wherein the inlet and the outlet of the pump interface include quick connect/disconnect fittings thereon.

31. The process of claim 30 wherein the hot-swappable pump module comprises:

a reservoir having an inlet and an outlet;

a first pump whose inlet is connected to the outlet of the pump interface and whose outlet is connected the inlet of the reservoir; and

a second pump whose inlet is connected to the outlet of the reservoir and whose outlet is connected to the inlet of the pump interface.