THERMOELECTRIC-ENHANCED, INLET AIR COOLING FOR AN ELECTRONICS RACK

• US 20170013746A1
• Filed: 07/06/2015
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: CAMPBELL, Levi A., DAVID, Milnes P., DEMETRIOU, Dustin W., ELLSWORTH, Michael J. Jr., SCHMIDT, Roger R., SIMONS, Robert E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,686,891 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20736 within cabinets for removing heat from server blades
• 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

Thermoelectric-enhanced, rack-level cooling of airflow entering an electronics rack is provided by a cooling apparatus, which includes: an air-to-liquid heat exchanger; a coolant loop coupled to the heat exchanger, the coolant loop including a first loop portion and a second loop portion, where the heat exchanger exhausts heated coolant to the first loop portion and receives cooled coolant from the second loop portion. The cooling apparatus further includes a heat rejection unit and a thermoelectric heat pump(s). The heat rejection unit is coupled to the coolant loop between the first and second loop portions, and provides partially-cooled coolant to the second loop portion. The thermoelectric heat pump is disposed with the first and second loop portions coupled to opposite sides to transfer heat from the partially-cooled coolant within the second loop portion to provide the cooled coolant before entering the air-to-liquid heat exchanger.

Claims

1. A cooling apparatus comprising:

an air-to-liquid heat exchanger associated with an electronics rack and disposed at an air-inlet side of the electronics rack, wherein an airflow enters the electronics rack at the air-inlet side and egresses from the electronics rack at an air-outlet side, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger cooling, at least in part, the airflow entering into the electronics rack;

a coolant loop facilitating coolant flow through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, the coolant loop comprising a first loop portion and a second loop portion, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger exhausting heated coolant to the first loop portion and receiving cooled coolant from the second loop portion;

a heat rejection unit coupled to the coolant loop between the first loop portion and the second loop portion, the heat rejection unit rejecting heat from the heated coolant passing through the first loop portion to provide partially-cooled coolant to the second loop portion; and

at least one thermoelectric heat pump disposed with the first loop portion of the coolant loop coupled to a first side of the at least one thermoelectric heat pump, and the second loop portion of the coolant loop coupled to a second side of the at least one thermoelectric heat pump, wherein the at least one thermoelectric heat pump transfers heat from the partially-cooled coolant within the second loop portion to the heated coolant within the first loop portion to provide the cooled coolant for the air-to-liquid heat exchanger.

2. The cooling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a door assembly coupled to the electronics rack at the air-inlet side of the electronics rack, the door assembly facilitating the cooling, at least in part, of the airflow into the electronics rack, and thereby, cooling of one or more electronic components within the electronics rack, the door assembly comprising:

a door frame with an airflow opening facilitating passage of the airflow through the door assembly and into the electronics rack;

wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is disposed within the door assembly so that, at least in part, the airflow through the airflow opening passes across the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger extracting heat from the airflow passing thereacross.

3. The cooling apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one thermoelectric heat pump and the heat rejection unit are each disposed within at least one of the electronics rack or the door assembly, and the cooling apparatus further comprises a coolant pump in fluid communication with the coolant loop to circulate the coolant through the coolant loop, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, and the heat rejection unit.

4. The cooling apparatus of claim 2, wherein the heat rejection unit comprises a radiator heat exchanger rejecting heat from the heated coolant passing through the radiator heat exchanger to air passing across the radiator heat exchanger, the radiator heat exchanger being located within the door assembly.

5. The cooling apparatus of claim 4, further comprising an air-moving device facilitating the air passing across the radiator heat exchanger, the air-moving device being disposed within the electronics rack.

6. The cooling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat rejection unit comprises:

an air-cooled cooling station comprising;

a coolant-to-air heat exchanger; and

ducting for directing a cooling airflow across the coolant-to-air heat exchanger.

7. The cooling apparatus of claim 6, wherein the air-cooled station comprises a separate, external structure from the electronics rack, and wherein the cooling airflow comprises outdoor air drawn into the air-cooled cooling station.

8. The cooling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first loop portion of the coolant loop comprises a first heat exchange element and the second loop portion of the coolant loop comprises a second heat exchange element, and wherein the heated coolant in the first loop portion passes through the first heat exchange element, and the partially-cooled coolant in the second loop portion passes through the second heat exchange element, the first heat exchange element being coupled to the first side of the at least one thermoelectric heat pump, and the second heat exchange element being coupled to the second side of the at least one thermoelectric heat pump, the first heat exchange element and the second heat exchange element facilitating transfer of heat across the at least one thermoelectric heat pump from the partially-cooled coolant passing through the second heat exchange element to the heated coolant passing through the first heat exchange element.

9. The cooling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling apparatus is associated with only the electronics rack, and provides self-contained, rack-level cooling of the airflow entering the electronics rack.

10. The cooling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coolant loop couples the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, the first loop portion, the heat rejection unit, and the second loop portion in series-fluid communication, the first loop portion being coupled between an outlet of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and an inlet of the heat rejection unit, and the second loop portion being coupled between an outlet of the heat rejection unit and an inlet of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger.

11. A data center comprising:

multiple electronics racks; and

a cooling apparatus for cooling an electronics rack of the multiple electronics racks, the cooling apparatus comprising;

an air-to-liquid heat exchanger associated with the electronics rack and disposed at an air-inlet side of the electronics rack, wherein an airflow enters the electronics rack at the air-inlet side and egresses from the electronics rack at an air-outlet side, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger cooling, at least in part, the airflow entering into the electronics racks;

a coolant loop facilitating coolant flow through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, the coolant loop comprising a first loop portion and a second loop portion, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger exhausting heated coolant to the first loop portion and receiving cooled coolant from the second loop portion;

a heat rejection unit coupled to the coolant loop between the first loop portion and the second loop portion, the heat rejection unit rejecting heat from the heated coolant passing through the first loop portion to provide partially-cooled coolant to the second loop portion; and

at least one thermoelectric heat pump disposed with the first loop portion of the coolant loop coupled to a first side of the at least one thermoelectric heat pump, and the second loop portion of the coolant loop coupled to a second side of the at least one thermoelectric heat pump, wherein the at least one thermoelectric heat pump transfers heat from the partially-cooled coolant within the second loop portion to the heated coolant within the first loop portion to provide the cooled coolant for the air-to-liquid heat exchanger.

12. The data center of claim 11, further comprising a door assembly coupled to the electronics rack at the air-inlet side of the electronics rack, the door assembly facilitating the cooling, at least in part, of the airflow into the electronics rack, and thereby, cooling of one or more electronic components within the electronics rack, the door assembly comprising:

a door frame with an airflow opening facilitating passage of the airflow through the door assembly and into the electronics rack;

wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is disposed within the door assembly so that, at least in part, the airflow through the airflow opening passes across the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger extracting heat from the airflow passing thereacross.

13. The data center of claim 12, wherein the at least one thermoelectric heat pump and the heat rejection unit are each disposed within at least one of the electronics rack or the door assembly, and the cooling apparatus further comprises a coolant pump in fluid communication with the coolant loop to circulate the coolant through the coolant loop, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, and the heat rejection unit.

14. The data center of claim 12, wherein the heat rejection unit comprises a radiator heat exchanger rejecting heat from the heated coolant passing through the radiator heat exchanger to air passing across the radiator heat exchanger, the radiator heat exchanger also being disposed within the door assembly.

15. The data center of claim 14, further comprising an air-moving device facilitating the air passing across the radiator heat exchanger, the air-moving device being disposed within the electronics rack.

16. The data center of claim 11, wherein the heat rejection unit comprises:

an air-cooled cooling station comprising;

a coolant-to-air heat exchanger; and

ducting for directing a cooling airflow across the coolant-to-air heat exchanger.

17. The data center of claim 16, wherein the air-cooled station comprises a separate, external structure from the electronics rack, and wherein the cooling airflow comprises outdoor air drawn into the air-cooled cooling station.

18-20. -20. (canceled)