Coolant and ambient temperature control for chillerless liquid cooled data centers

• US 9,750,165 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2015
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chainer, Timothy J., David, Milnes P., Iyengar, Madhusudan K., Parida, Pritish R., Simons, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ciric, Ljiljana
• Application Number:
  US14/792,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20150316334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 165289
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 27/02 for controlling the distribution of heat-exchange media between different channels static flow control means in header boxes F28F9/026; arrangements of guide plates or guide vanes F28F9/22, F28F25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1932 to control the temperature of a plurality of spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/201 Cooling arrangements using cooling fluid
• 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

Cooling control methods and systems include measuring a temperature of air provided to one or more nodes by an air-to-liquid heat exchanger; measuring a temperature of at least one component of the one or more nodes and finding a maximum component temperature across all such nodes; comparing the maximum component temperature to a first and second component threshold and comparing the air temperature to a first and second air threshold; and controlling a proportion of coolant flow and a coolant flow rate to the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and the one or more nodes based on the comparisons.

Claims

1. A cooling system comprising:

one or more nodes, each node having at least one temperature sensor to monitor a temperature of internal node components;

an air-to-liquid heat exchanger configured to accept a liquid coolant input and to provide cooled air to the one or more nodes;

a temperature sensor to monitor a temperature of the air provided by the air-to-liquid heat exchanger;

a liquid cooling system configured to provide liquid coolant to components of the one or more nodes;

a valve configured to control coolant flow to the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and the liquid cooling system based on the temperature of internal node components and the temperature of the air provided by the air-to-liquid heat exchanger; and

a pump configured to provide liquid coolant to the liquid cooling system and the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, having a pump strength that is based on the temperature of internal node components and the temperature of the air provided by the air-to-liquid heat exchanger.

2. The cooling system of claim 1, further comprising control logic configured to compare a maximum internal node component temperature to a first and second component threshold and to compare the air temperature to a first and second air threshold.

3. The cooling system of claim 2, wherein the control logic is further configured to control the valve and the pump according to said comparisons.

4. The cooling system of claim 1, further comprising a flow rate valve configured to limit a coolant flow to the air-to-liquid heat exchanger based on the temperature of internal node components and the temperature of the air provided by the air-to-liquid heat exchanger.

5. The cooling system of claim 1, further comprising a flow rate valve configured to limit a coolant flow to the liquid cooling system based on the temperature of internal node components and the temperature of the air provided by the air-to-liquid heat exchanger.

6. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the valve is a three-way valve that connects the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and the liquid cooling system to the pump in parallel.

7. The cooling system of claim 1, wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and the liquid cooling system are connected serially and the valve is a two-way bypass valve.

8. The cooling system of claim 7, wherein the two-way bypass valve provides a bypass for the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, such that opening the two-way bypass valve allows coolant to flow directly to the liquid cooling system.