Information handling system thermal control by energy conservation

• US 9,020,656 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2012
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Shelnutt, Austin, Florez-Larrahondo, German, Parthasarathy, Sharadha, Duncan, Tyler
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAUGHLIN, NATHAN L
• Application Number:
  US13/431,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20130258582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 700/291, 700/295, 700/297, 700/300
• US Class Current: 700/299
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1927 using a plurality of sensors G05D23/1902, G05D23/1917, and G05D23/1919 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20727 within server blades for removing heat from heat source
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20836 Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A thermal state within an information handling system enclosure is managed within predetermined constraints by estimating thermal energy introduced to the enclosure by power dissipation to electronic components and thermal energy removed from the enclosure by a cooling airflow generated by a fan. A desired bulk temperature of a cooling airflow is attained at a predetermined position in an enclosure by selecting a fan speed and power allocation to the components that conserves energy within the enclosure at a predetermined thermal state.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

an enclosure having an inlet and an outlet;

plural components disposed in the enclosure and operable to cooperate to process information;

a cooling fan disposed in the enclosure and operable to generate a cooling airflow from the inlet to the outlet with a selected of plural available fan speeds;

a power supply operable to power the plural components;

an inlet temperature sensor operable to sense airflow temperature at the inlet; and

a thermal manager interfaced with the cooling fan, power supply and inlet temperature sensor, the thermal manager operable to apply power dissipated by the power supply to one or more of the components and the inlet airflow temperature to set a speed of the cooling fan that maintains a predetermined thermal state in the enclosure proximate the one or more of the components, the thermal manager further operable to determine that the plural available fan speeds will not maintain the predetermined thermal state and, in response, to select one or more components of the one or more components to power down to allow available fan speeds to maintain the predetermined thermal state, the selected component having a predetermined thermal profile.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the thermal manager is further operable to reduce power consumption by one or more of the plural components if the cooling fan set on full speed fails to establish the predetermined thermal state.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the thermal manager reduces power consumption by powering down one or more unmonitored components of the plural components, the one or more unmonitored components lacking a thermal sensor.

4. The information handling system of claim 3 wherein the one or more of unmonitored components comprises a mezzanine card.

5. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the thermal manager reduces power consumption by throttling a monitored component of the plural components, the monitored component having a thermal sensor that provides a temperature associated with the monitored component to the thermal manager.

6. The information handling system of claim 5 wherein the thermal manager is further operable to apply the temperature associated with the monitored component to determine a throttled state for the monitored component that will maintain the predetermined thermal state in the enclosure.

7. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the thermal manager comprises a relationship between the cooling fan speed and an airflow rate through the enclosure.

8. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the enclosure comprises a chassis having plural slots, each slot operable to accept a processing module, the thermal manager applying power dissipated by the power supply for each processing module to maintain a predetermined thermal state for each processing module.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the information handling system comprises a blade server and the processing modules comprise blade modules.

10. A method for managing a thermal state in an information handling system enclosure, the method comprising:

powering components in the enclosure to process information;

flowing air with a fan from an inlet over the components to an outlet;

sensing the temperature of the air at the inlet;

sensing power dissipated by the powering components in the enclosure;

applying the inlet temperature and the power dissipated to determine a speed for the fan that maintains a predetermined thermal state at a predetermined position within the enclosure;

determining that available fan speeds will not maintain the predetermined thermal state; and

in response to determining, selecting one or more components of the components to power down to allow available fan speeds to maintain the predetermined thermal state, the selected component having a predetermined thermal profile.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising

determining that a highest available fan speed is inadequate to maintain the predetermined thermal state;

and

in response to determining, reducing power consumption of one or more of the components to maintain the predetermined thermal state.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the applying the inlet temperature and power dissipated to determine a speed for the fan further comprises determining an airflow rate for the enclosure and fan that absorbs thermal energy produced by the components, wherein the thermal energy produced by the components relates in a predetermined manner with the power dissipation.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

sensing the temperature of the air at the outlet; and

comparing the temperature of the air at the outlet with an expected temperature of the predetermined thermal state.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

sensing the temperature of at least one component;

determining that a highest available fan speed is inadequate to maintain the predetermined thermal state; and

in response to determining, reducing power consumed by the at least one component.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the at least one component comprises a processor.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein reducing power consumed by the processor further comprises reducing power consumed to reduce the temperature sensed at the processor to a predetermined temperature.

17. A system for managing a thermal state in an information handling system enclosure, the system comprising:

a fan operable to provide a cooling airflow at plural selectable speeds;

a temperature sensor operable to sense air temperature at an inlet of the information handling system enclosure;

a power manager operable to determine power provided to run electronic components disposed within the information handling system enclosure, the electronic components operable to cooperate to process information; and

a thermal manager interfaced with the fan, the temperature sensor and the power manager, the thermal manager operable to apply the sensed inlet air temperature and the determined power for a set of less than all of the components to select a fan speed to manage the thermal state in the information handling system enclosure associated with the set of less than all of the components within predetermined constraints;

wherein the thermal manager is further operable to determine that none of the plural selectable fan speeds will maintain the predetermined constraints and, in response, to select one or more components of the components to power down to allow a selected of the plural selectable fan speeds to maintain the predetermined constraints, the selected component having a predetermined thermal profile.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the thermal manager is further operable to power down one or more of the components to manage the thermal state in the information handling system enclosure.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the power manager is further operable to determine power provided to run components in each of plural modules and the thermal manager is further operable to apply the determined power in each of the plural modules to manage the thermal state in each of the plural modules.