Card Cage With Parallel Flow Paths Having Substantially Similar Lengths

• US 20080007913A1
• Filed: 09/01/2006
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atrenne Computing Solutions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Hybricon Corp. (Celestica Incorporated)
• Inventors: Porreca, Paul J., Tavassoli, Kamran, Sullivan, Robert C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,450,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/699
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20636 within sub-racks for removing heat from electronic boards

Abstract

A card cage configured to hold a set of electronics cards comprises a set of walls having an input and an output and a set of flow paths formed in the set of walls to enable a fluid to flow therein. The set of flow paths includes a first flow path formed between the input and the output and in first wall from the set of walls and a second flow path formed between the input and the output and in a second wall from the set of walls. The first flow path and the second flow path are substantially the same length and a fluid flowing therein experiences substantially the same pressure drop.

Claims

1. A card cage configured to hold a set of electronics cards, the card cage comprising:

a set of walls having an input configured to receive a fluid and an output configured as a fluid exit;

a set of flow paths formed in the set of walls to enable a fluid to flow therein, the set of flow paths including;

a first flow path formed between the input and the output and in at least a portion of a first wall from the set of walls; and

a second flow path formed between the input and the output and in at least a portion of a second wall from the set of walls,

wherein the first flow path and the second flow path are substantially the same length.

2. The card cage of claim 1, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path are formed to cause substantially the same pressure drop when the fluid is flowed therein.

3. The card cage of claim 1, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path form parallel fluid paths.

4. The card cage of claim 1, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path each comprise multiple channels.

5. The card cage of claim 1, wherein the card cage is a high performance, low pressure drop liquid cooled card cage.

6. The card cage of claim 1, further comprising:

a return channel formed between the first flow path and the outlet and the second flow path and the outlet.

7. The card cage of claim 1, wherein a supply manifold is formed at the input.

8. The card cage of claim 7, wherein the supply manifold is configured to substantially equally divide the fluid between the first flow path and the second flow path.

9. The card cage of claim 1, wherein a collector manifold is formed at the output.

10. The card cage of claim 1, wherein the set of walls is configured to couple to a motherboard comprising a set of card connectors configured to mate with the set of electronics cards.

11. The card cage of claim 1, wherein the first fluid flow path and the second fluid flow path each extend through a plurality of walls from the set of walls.

12. The card cage of claim 1, wherein the fluid is chosen from a group comprising air, inert gas, and a coolant liquid.

13. The card cage of claim 1, further comprising at least one of embedded tubing, extruded channels, etched channels, machined channels, machined fins and folded fins formed within the first flow path and the second flow path.

14. A high performance, low pressure drop liquid cooled card cage comprising:

a set of walls configured to form an enclosure;

an input and an output formed in at least one wall from the set of walls;

a motherboard including a set of card connectors configured to engage electronics cards, the motherboard and set of walls arranged to maintain the electronics cards within the enclosure; and

a set of flow paths formed in the set of walls, the set of flow paths including;

a first flow path formed between the input and the output and in at least a portion of a first wall of the set of walls, the first wall disposed in parallel with the card connectors; and

a second flow path formed between the input and the output and in at least a portion of a second wall, the second wall disposed in parallel with the card connectors, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path are substantially the same length and are formed such that a liquid flowing therein experiences substantially the same pressure drop in the first flow path as it does in the second flow path.

15. The card cage of claim 14, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path each comprise multiple parallel channels.

16. The card cage of claim 14, further comprising:

a return channel formed between the first flow path and the output and the second flow path and the output.

17. The card cage of claim 14, wherein a supply manifold is formed at the input.

18. The card cage of claim 17, wherein the supply manifold is configured to substantially equally divide the liquid between the first flow path and the second flow path.

19. The card cage of claim 14, wherein a collector manifold is formed at the output.

20. The card cage of claim 14, further comprising at least one of embedded tubing, extruded channels, etched channels, machined channels, machined fins and folded fins within the first flow path and the second flow path.

21. The card cage of claim 14, wherein the liquid is chosen from a group comprising water, glycol, polyalphaolefin, light mineral oils, fluorochemicals, high flash-point fuels, or some combination thereof.

22. The card cage of claim 14, wherein the set of walls includes four walls and the first flow path and the second flow path are each formed within at least two parallel sidewalls from the four walls.

23. A method of cooling a card cage comprising a set of walls forming an enclosure, the method comprising:

receiving a fluid at an input;

dividing and flowing the fluid between a first flow path and a second flow path having substantially the same length, wherein at least a portion of the first flow path is formed in a first wall from the set of walls and at least a portion of the second flow path is formed in a second wall from the set of walls; and

recombining and outputting the fluid at an output.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the first flow path and the second flow path form parallel fluid paths.

25. The method of claim 23 further comprising maintaining substantially the same pressure drop in the first flow path and the second flow path.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path each comprise multiple channels and the method further comprises dividing the fluid in the first flow path among the first flow path multiple channels and dividing the fluid in the second flow path among the second flow path multiple flow paths.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the fluid is chosen from a group comprising air, inert gas, and a coolant liquid.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising providing at least one of embedded tubing, extruded channels, etched channels, machined channels, machined fins and folded fins within the first flow path and the second flow path.