JP7555191B2 - Manifold, cooling device, and information processing system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a manifold, a cooling device, and an information processing system.

In recent years, in the field of electronic devices, due to the increase in heat generation from electronic components, attempts have been made to adopt liquid-cooling cooling mechanisms that circulate a liquid refrigerant instead of the air-cooling cooling mechanisms that have traditionally been used.

For example, in the case of a rack-mounted server that has multiple slots for inserting server blades, a manifold is used to provide piping for the cooling liquid for each server blade that is inserted into the slot.

The coolant flows into the manifold, which temporarily stores it to smooth out any increases or decreases in flow rate. The coolant is then distributed from the manifold to each branch and delivered to the pipes provided for each server blade. This allows multiple server blades to be cooled efficiently.

For example, technologies such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 have been disclosed.

JP 2009-170877 A JP 2018-74100 A

For example, when a server is installed in a cold region, if the server is turned off for inspection, the coolant remaining in the manifold may freeze and expand in volume. The manifold may not be able to withstand the pressure caused by the expansion of the coolant volume, and may be damaged.

According to one aspect, a manifold is provided that has a pipe having a liquid inlet and a drain outlet for draining the liquid that has flowed in from the inlet, and a gas layer whose volume decreases by an amount corresponding to the change in the volume of the liquid due to the liquid cooling and expansion.

Even if the coolant inside the manifold freezes and expands in volume, the manifold will not be destroyed.

FIG. 2 is an example of an external view of a server system according to each embodiment. 2 is an example of a cooling system connected to the cooling plates according to the embodiments. 4 is a diagram for explaining a flow of a coolant in the cooling system according to each embodiment. FIG. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a water supply pipe or a drain pipe of a conventional manifold. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a water supply pipe or a drainage pipe of the manifold according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a water supply pipe or a drainage pipe of a manifold according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a water supply pipe or a drainage pipe of a manifold according to a third embodiment.

The following describes the embodiment with reference to the drawings.

Figures 1(a) and (b) are examples of external views of a server system 100 according to each embodiment.

The server system 100 shown in FIG. 1(a) is an example of an information processing system. The server system 100 includes a blade server 110, a cooling system 120, a power supply unit 130, and a server rack 140.

The blade server 110 includes multiple system boards 111 and multiple IO system boards 112.

The system board 111 and the IO system board 112 are examples of information processing devices. The system board 111 and the IO system board 112 are servers that can be inserted into and removed from the server rack 140. Inside the system board 111 and the IO system board 112, a circuit board is provided on which one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) are mounted. These CPUs are fitted with cooling plates for conducting heat from the CPUs to the coolant. The heat from the CPUs is conducted to the coolant by flowing the coolant inside the cooling plate. The cooling plate (C/P) is made of a metal with good thermal conductivity, such as copper or aluminum.

The cooling system 120 is a system for cooling the heat generated by the blade server 110.

The power supply unit 130 is a unit that can be inserted and removed from the server rack 140 and supplies power to the system board 111 and the IO system board 112.

The server rack 140 is a rack that mounts the blade servers 110, the cooling system 120, the power supply units 130, etc.

Details of the cooling system 120 are shown in Figure 1(b).

The cooling system 120 includes a water supply side manifold 150 and a drain side manifold 160. The water supply side manifold 150 and the drain side manifold 160 are manufactured from metals such as stainless steel, copper, and aluminum, or resins such as cross-linked polyethylene (PE), polybutene (PB), and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS).

The water supply manifold 150 is a pipe for supplying coolant to the cooling plates mounted on the system board 111 and the IO system board 112.

The drain manifold 160 is a pipe for discharging the coolant that has absorbed heat from the system board 111 and the IO system board 112 to the radiator.

The cooling liquid is supplied from the water supply side manifold 150 and discharged from the discharge side manifold 160 via the cooling plate.

The water supply side manifold 150 includes a water supply port 151, a water supply pipe 152, a water supply pipe 153 for the system board, a water supply pipe 154 for the IO system board, an air vent valve 155, and an electric valve 156. The water supply side manifold 150 may also include various sensors and filters. The coolant used may be, for example, water, a propylene glycol-based antifreeze liquid, or a fluorine-based inert liquid.

The water supply port 151 supplies the coolant that has been cooled by heat exchange in a radiator or the like to the water supply pipe 152.

The water supply pipe 152 branches the cooling liquid supplied from the water supply port 151 into the water supply pipe 153 for the system board and the water supply pipe 154 for the IO system board.

The system board water supply pipe 153 supplies the cooling liquid branched off from the water supply pipe 152 to the cooling plate mounted on the system board 111.

The IO system board water supply pipe 154 supplies the cooling liquid branched off from the water supply pipe 152 to the cooling plate mounted on the IO system board 112.

The air vent valve 155 is provided to release air that has accumulated in the water supply pipe 152. If air accumulates in the water supply pipe 152, the air will flow into the pump that adjusts the inflow rate via the system board water supply pipe 153 and the IO system board water supply pipe 154. This will cause the pump to not operate normally, making it impossible to adjust the inflow rate of the cooling liquid at the water supply port 151. The air vent valve 155 can be used to release air that has accumulated in the water supply pipe 152.

The motor-operated valve 156 opens and closes the valve using an electric motor, appropriately controlling the flow of cooling liquid supplied to the water supply pipe 152.

The drain side manifold 160 includes a drain port 161, a drain pipe 162, a system board drain pipe 163, an IO system board drain pipe 164, and a check valve 165.

The drain outlet 161 drains the cooling liquid that has absorbed heat from the system board 111 and the IO system board 112 into the radiator.

The drainage pipe 162 receives the cooling liquid that has absorbed the heat from the system board 111 and the IO system board 112 via the system board drainage pipe 163 and the IO system board drainage pipe 164.

The system board drainage pipe 163 is connected to a cooling plate mounted on the system board 111, and supplies the cooling liquid supplied from the cooling plate to the drainage pipe 162.

The drainage pipe 164 for the IO system board is connected to a cooling plate mounted on the IO system board 112, and supplies the cooling liquid supplied from the cooling plate to the drainage pipe 162.

The check valve 165 prevents the cooling liquid supplied to the drain pipe 162 from flowing back into the system board drain pipe 163 or the IO system board drain pipe 164 instead of into the drain outlet 161.

With the cooling system 120 configured in this way, the heat generated by the system board 111 and the IO system board 112 can be absorbed by the cooling liquid.

Figures 2(a), (b), and (c) show an example of a cooling system 120 to which a cooling plate according to each embodiment is connected.

Figure 2(a) is a diagram illustrating a cooling system 120 to which a cooling plate is connected.

In addition to the components described in FIG. 1(b), the cooling system 120 includes a cooling plate 210 for the system board and a cooling plate 220 for the IO system board. The cooling plate 210 for the system board and the cooling plate 220 for the IO system board are examples of plates for thermal cooling.

The system board cooling plate 210 is a plate for absorbing heat generated by the CPU and other components mounted on the system board 111.

The system board cooling plate 210 is mounted on the system board 111 together with the CPU and other components.

Furthermore, the system board cooling plate 210 is connected to the system board water supply pipe 153, thereby allowing the cooling liquid to flow into the inside of the system board cooling plate 210. The system board cooling plate 210 is connected to the system board drainage pipe 163, thereby draining the cooling liquid that has flowed into the inside of the system board cooling plate 210.

The IO system board cooling plate 220 is connected to the IO system board water supply pipe 154 to allow the cooling liquid to flow into the interior of the IO system board cooling plate 220. The IO system board cooling plate 220 is connected to the IO system board drain pipe 164 to drain the cooling liquid that has flowed into the interior of the IO system board cooling plate 220.

Figure 2(b) is a detailed diagram of the cooling plate 210 for the system board.

The cooling liquid flows in through the system board cooling plate inlet 211, passes through multiple cooling plates 213, and flows out through the system board cooling plate outlet 212.

Figure 2(c) is a detailed diagram of the cooling plate 220 for the IO system board.

The cooling liquid flows in through the cooling plate inlet 221 for the IO system board, passes through multiple cooling plates 223, and flows out through the cooling plate outlet 222 for the IO system board.

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the flow of coolant in the cooling system 120 according to each embodiment.

The cooling liquid supplied from the water supply port 151 is supplied to the system board water supply pipe 153 or the IO system board water supply pipe 154 via the water supply pipe 152. At this time, the cooling liquid is supplied to the water supply pipe 152 so that the water supply pipe 152 is filled as much as possible during operation to prevent air from flowing into the pump.

The cooling liquid that flows into each system board water supply pipe 153 or IO system board water supply pipe 154 flows into the system board cooling plate 210 mounted on the system board 111 or the IO system board cooling plate 220 mounted on the IO system board 112. At this time, the cooling liquid absorbs the heat generated by the system board 111 or the IO system board 112.

The cooling liquid that absorbs heat from the system board 111 or the IO system board 112 flows into the drain pipe 162 via the system board drain pipe 163 or the IO system board drain pipe 164.

As with the water supply pipe 152, it is desirable to control the amount of coolant flowing into the drain pipe 162 so that the drain pipe 162 is filled as much as possible during operation to prevent air from entering the pump.

The coolant that flows into the drain pipe 162 flows into the radiator via the drain port 161. The coolant is cooled in the radiator and is supplied to the water supply port 151 via the pump.

By circulating the cooling liquid in this manner, the system board 111 and the IO system board 112 are cooled.

Figures 4(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the water supply piping and drainage piping of a conventional manifold.

Figures 4(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the water supply pipe when the cross section of dotted line 301 in Figure 3 is viewed from the direction of arrow 302, and the drainage pipe when the cross section of dotted line 303 is viewed from the direction of arrow 304.

As mentioned above, it is desirable to control the inflow of cooling liquid so that the water supply pipes and drainage pipes are filled as much as possible to prevent air from entering the pump (Figure 4(a)). If the power is turned off when the water supply pipes and drainage pipes are full, as in Figure 4(b), the cooling liquid will freeze and expand due to the external environment, etc., and part of the water supply pipe or drainage pipe 401 will be damaged.

Example 1
5(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the water supply pipe 152 or the water drain pipe 162 of the manifold according to the first embodiment.

Figures 5(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the water supply pipe 152 when the cross section of the dotted line 301 in Figure 3 is viewed from the direction of the arrow 302, and the drain pipe 162 when the cross section of the dotted line 303 is viewed from the direction of the arrow 304.

Figure 5(a) is a cross-sectional view of the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162 of the manifold according to the first embodiment before the coolant freezes.

A partition wall 510 is provided in the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162 at a position (upper part) opposite the water supply port 151 or the drain port 161 (lower part).

Partition 510 is an example of a wall.

An air layer 511 is formed between the partition wall 510 and the inner wall of the water supply pipe 152 (or the drain pipe 162), and the cooling liquid flowing in from the water supply port 151 does not flow into the air layer 511. In addition, by controlling the cooling liquid layer 512 to be filled to capacity, air can be prevented from flowing into the pump. The air layer 511 is an example of a gas layer, and gases other than air can also be used. For example, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, helium, etc. can be used. Nitrogen is particularly suitable for practical use because its volume change has little temperature dependency and is inexpensive.

Moreover, the gas layer (air layer 511) does not need to be sealed at atmospheric pressure or under pressure, and may be depressurized to a low vacuum of about 10 ⁵ Pa.

Since gas has a lower thermal conductivity than solids, providing the air layer 511 improves the insulation of the manifold itself and increases the freeze resistance of the coolant. Furthermore, if the air layer 511 is in a low vacuum state, the heat conduction through the gas is reduced, so the freeze resistance can be further improved.

The partition 510 is made of a material that deforms under pressure when the coolant freezes and expands. The partition 510 is made of a material that is almost resistant to deformation under the pressure caused by the inflow of coolant. For example, flexible and elastic materials such as rubber and resin are used to make the partition.

Figure 5(b) is a cross-sectional view of the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162 of the manifold according to the first embodiment when the coolant freezes.

When the cooling liquid freezes while the cooling liquid layer 512 is full of cooling liquid, the volume of the frozen cooling liquid increases by approximately 1.1 times. The expansion of the volume of the cooling liquid exerts pressure on the partition wall 510. The pressure exerted on the partition wall 510 causes the partition wall to deform. This reduces the pressure in the direction of the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162, preventing damage to the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162.

In the above embodiment, the air layer 511 is formed by providing the partition wall 510, but the air layer 511 may be constantly formed by controlling the inflow rate of the cooling liquid flowing in from the water supply port 151. In this case, however, it is necessary to control the inflow rate so that the air in the air layer 511 does not flow into the water supply pipes 153 for each system board or the water supply pipes 154 for the IO system board.

Example 2
Before starting operation, the coolant may be circulated as a test. In such cases, the coolant is drained before transportation, but it is difficult to completely drain the coolant from the manifold. As a result, the manifold may be transported to a cold region with water remaining in it and temporarily stored outside.

Even during this temporary storage, any coolant remaining in the manifold may freeze and cause damage to the manifold.

The manifold of Example 2 can prevent damage to the manifold even if the coolant remaining in part of the manifold freezes as described above.

Figures 6(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162 of the manifold according to the second embodiment.

Figures 6(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the water supply pipe 152 when the cross section of the dotted line 301 in Figure 3 is viewed from the direction of the arrow 302, and the drain pipe 162 when the cross section of the dotted line 303 is viewed from the direction of the arrow 304.

Figure 6 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162 of the manifold according to the first embodiment before the coolant freezes.

A partition 610 is provided on the side wall (excluding the area near the water supply port) inside the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162. The partition 610 is made of a material that deforms due to the pressure generated when the coolant freezes and expands. The partition 610 is made of a material that is almost resistant to deformation due to the pressure generated by the inflow of the coolant. For example, a flexible and elastic material such as rubber or resin is used to make the partition.

An air layer 611 is formed between the partition wall 610 and the inner wall of the water supply pipe 152 (or the drain pipe 162), and the cooling liquid flowing in from the water supply port 151 does not flow into the air layer 611. During operation, the cooling liquid layer 612 is controlled to be filled to capacity, thereby preventing air from flowing into the pump. The air layer 611 is an example of a gas layer, and can be applied to gases other than air.

Figure 6 (a) shows a state in which cooling liquid remains in part of the manifold's water supply pipe 152 or drain pipe 162.

Figure 6(b) is a cross-sectional view of the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162 of the manifold according to the second embodiment when the coolant freezes.

When the cooling liquid in the cooling liquid layer 612 freezes, the cooling liquid expands and the pressure causes the partition wall 610 to deform as shown in FIG. 6(b). Although the air layer 611 is compressed, no pressure is applied (or the pressure is reduced) to the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162, so damage to the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162 can be prevented.

Example 3
The manifold of the third embodiment is intended to relieve pressure on almost all sides of the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162.

Figures 7(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162 of the manifold according to the third embodiment.

Figures 7(a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of the water supply pipe 152 when the cross section of the dotted line 301 in Figure 3 is viewed from the direction of the arrow 302, and the drain pipe 162 when the cross section of the dotted line 303 is viewed from the direction of the arrow 304.

Figure 7 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162 of the manifold according to the third embodiment before the coolant freezes.

Partition wall 710 is provided on the side wall (except near the water inlet) inside water supply pipe 152 or drain pipe 162, and on the opposite side (upper part) from water supply port 151 or drain port 161 (lower part). Partition wall 710 is made of a material that deforms due to the pressure when the coolant freezes and expands. Partition wall 710 is made of a material that is almost resistant to deformation due to the pressure caused by the inflow of coolant. For example, a flexible and elastic material such as rubber or resin is used to make the partition wall.

An air layer 711 is formed between the partition wall 710 and the inner wall of the water supply pipe 152 (or the drain pipe 162), and the cooling liquid flowing in from the water supply port 151 does not flow into the air layer 711. In addition, by controlling the cooling liquid layer 712 to be filled with water during operation, air can be prevented from flowing into the pump. The air layer 711 is an example of a gas layer, and can be applied to gases other than air.

Figure 7(b) is a cross-sectional view of the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe of the manifold according to the third embodiment when the coolant freezes.

When the cooling liquid in the cooling liquid layer 712 freezes, the cooling liquid expands and the pressure causes the partition wall 710 to deform as shown in FIG. 7(b). Although the air layer 711 is compressed, no pressure is applied (or the pressure is reduced) to the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162, so damage to the water supply pipe 152 or the drain pipe 162 can be prevented.

In the example of FIG. 7(b), the cooling liquid is frozen when the manifold is full, but in the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, even if cooling liquid remains in part of the manifold's water supply pipe 152 or drain pipe 162, the partition wall 710 provided along the side surface deforms when the cooling liquid freezes, thereby preventing damage to the water supply pipe 152 or drain pipe 162.

The table below shows the experimental results regarding the ratio of air and liquid layers in the manifold and whether or not the manifold was damaged when frozen when filled with water.

As mentioned above, by providing a partition within the manifold so that the air gap within the manifold is 4% or more, damage to the manifold during freezing can be prevented.

Not limited to the above examples, damage to the manifold can be prevented by providing a partition in a position where air does not flow into the pump and forming an air layer.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Server system 110 Blade server 111 System board 112 IO system board 120 Cooling system 130 Power supply unit 140 Server rack 150 Water supply manifold 160 Water discharge manifold 210 Cooling plate for system board 220 Cooling plate for IO system board 510, 610, 710 Partition wall 511, 611, 711 Air layer 512, 612, 712 Cooling liquid layer

Claims (9)

a water supply pipe having a plurality of first connection ports arranged in a longitudinal direction and connected to a plurality of pipes for supplying liquid to a plurality of cooling targets, the liquid flowing in from a water supply port arranged below at least a portion of the plurality of first connection ports in the longitudinal direction , the liquid being supplied from the water supply port via a pump and branched into the plurality of pipes to be supplied to the plurality of cooling targets ;
a drain pipe that recovers the liquid supplied from the water supply pipe through the plurality of pipes toward the plurality of cooling targets from a plurality of second connection ports arranged in a longitudinal direction, and drains the liquid from a drain port arranged below at least some of the plurality of second connection ports in the longitudinal direction to the pump ;
having
At least one of the water supply pipe and the drainage pipe is
a wall that separates the inner wall of the water supply pipe or the drainage pipe from the liquid, and is positioned above the water supply inlet or the drainage outlet in the longitudinal direction so that the pressure applied by the volumetric expansion caused by freezing of the liquid causes the volume of the gas layer between the inner wall to decrease, and the manifold is deformed into a convex curved shape toward the inner wall. The manifold according to claim 1, wherein the wall is positioned so that the liquid supplied from the water supply pipe through the multiple pipes toward the multiple cooling objects can be drained from the drain pipe. The manifold according to claim 2, characterized in that the wall is provided along the longitudinal side of the inner wall of the water supply pipe or the drainage pipe. 3. The manifold according to claim 2, wherein the wall is provided along the side surfaces of all inner walls except for the connection portions of the water supply port and the drain port of the water supply pipe and the drain pipe to the plurality of pipes . The manifold according to claim 2, characterized in that the wall is provided along the side surface facing the inner wall of the water supply pipe or the drainage pipe. A manifold according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the wall is made of resin. A manifold as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the wall is made of rubber. a water supply pipe having a plurality of first connection ports arranged in the longitudinal direction, each of which supplies liquid to a plurality of cooling targets, the liquid flowing in from a water supply port arranged lower in the longitudinal direction than at least a portion of the plurality of first connection ports , the liquid being supplied from the water supply port via a pump and branched to the plurality of pipes to supply the liquid to the plurality of cooling targets ; and a drainage pipe recovering the liquid supplied from the water supply pipe through the plurality of pipes to the plurality of cooling targets from a plurality of second connection ports arranged in the longitudinal direction, and draining the liquid from a drainage port arranged lower in the longitudinal direction than at least a portion of the plurality of second connection ports to the pump ;
a plurality of thermal cooling plates connected to the water supply pipe and the drainage pipe via the plurality of pipes ;
having
At least one of the water supply pipe and the drainage pipe is
a wall that separates the inner wall of the water supply pipe or the drainage pipe from the liquid, and is positioned higher in the longitudinal direction than the water supply inlet or the drainage outlet so that the pressure applied by the volumetric expansion caused by freezing of the liquid causes the volume of the gas layer between the inner wall to decrease, and the wall deforms into a convex curved shape toward the inner wall. a water supply pipe having a plurality of first connection ports arranged in the longitudinal direction, each of which supplies liquid to a plurality of cooling targets, the liquid flowing in from a water supply port arranged lower in the longitudinal direction than at least a portion of the plurality of first connection ports , the liquid being supplied from the water supply port via a pump and branched to the plurality of pipes to supply the liquid to the plurality of cooling targets ; and a drainage pipe recovering the liquid supplied from the water supply pipe through the plurality of pipes to the plurality of cooling targets from a plurality of second connection ports arranged in the longitudinal direction, and draining the liquid from a drainage port arranged lower in the longitudinal direction than at least a portion of the plurality of second connection ports to the pump ;
a plurality of thermal cooling plates connected to the water supply pipe and the drainage pipe via the plurality of pipes ;
an information processing device that stores a processor that is one of the plurality of cooling targets and is disposed at a position where heat generated from the stored processor can be absorbed by a liquid flowing in at least one of the plurality of plates for thermal cooling ;
having
At least one of the water supply pipe and the drainage pipe is
an information processing system comprising: a wall that separates the inner wall of the water supply pipe or the drain pipe from the liquid, and is positioned above the water supply inlet or the drain outlet in the longitudinal direction so that the pressure applied by the volumetric expansion caused by freezing of the liquid causes the volume of the gas layer between the inner wall to decrease, and the gas layer deforms into a convex curved shape toward the inner wall.

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