U.S. patent application number 11/846510 was filed with the patent office on 2008-04-24 for manifold for a two-phase cooling system.
Invention is credited to Bryan M. Darnton, Brian P. Dunham, Tony E. Hyde, Paul A. Knight, Charles L. Tilton, Donald E. Tilton.
Application Number | 20080093054 11/846510 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39136819 |
Filed Date | 2008-04-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080093054 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tilton; Charles L. ; et
al. |
April 24, 2008 |
Manifold for a Two-Phase Cooling System
Abstract
A manifold for a two-phase cooling system for efficiently
transferring coolant within a multi-phase cooling system. The
manifold for a two-phase cooling system generally includes an
extruded manifold having a supply chamber and a return chamber in
thermal communication with one another to provide for efficient
coolant transfer between a thermal server and a spray module.
Inventors: |
Tilton; Charles L.; (Liberty
Lake, WA) ; Tilton; Donald E.; (Liberty Lake, WA)
; Hyde; Tony E.; (Blanchard, ID) ; Knight; Paul
A.; (Spokane, WA) ; Darnton; Bryan M.;
(Spokane Valley, WA) ; Dunham; Brian P.; (Sagle,
ID) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NEUSTEL LAW OFFICES, LTD.
2534 SOUTH UNIVERSITY DRIVE
SUITE 4
FARGO
ND
58103
US
|
Family ID: |
39136819 |
Appl. No.: |
11/846510 |
Filed: |
August 28, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60841056 |
Aug 29, 2006 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/104.21 ;
137/861 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 7/20681 20130101;
Y10T 137/877 20150401 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/104.21 ;
137/861 |
International
Class: |
F28D 15/00 20060101
F28D015/00 |
Claims
1. A manifold for a coolant thermal management system, comprising:
a plurality of thermal management units in thermal communication
with a plurality of heat producing devices, wherein said thermal
management units each include a fluid inlet that receives a supply
coolant and a fluid exit that returns a return coolant; a thermal
server for thermally conditioning said return coolant; and a
manifold including a supply chamber, a plurality of supply ports
extending from the manifold, a return chamber, and a plurality of
return ports extending from the manifold; wherein said supply ports
are in fluid communication with said supply chamber and said fluid
inlet of said plurality of thermal management units; wherein said
return ports are in fluid communication with said return chamber
and said fluid exit of said plurality of thermal management units;
wherein said thermal server is in fluid communication with said
supply chamber and said return chamber, wherein said supply chamber
transfers said supply coolant from said thermal server to said
plurality of thermal management units and wherein said return
chamber returns said return coolant from said plurality of thermal
management units to said thermal server for thermal
conditioning.
2. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim 1,
wherein said manifold is comprised of an extruded structure.
3. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim 1,
wherein said manifold is comprised of a unitary extruded aluminum
structure.
4. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim 1,
wherein said return chamber is in thermal communication with said
supply chamber.
5. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim 1,
wherein said return chamber is parallel to said supply chamber.
6. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim 1,
wherein said return chamber and said supply chamber extend along a
substantial length of said manifold.
7. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim 1,
wherein said return chamber is adjacent to said supply chamber.
8. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim 1,
wherein said plurality of supply ports and said plurality of return
ports extend from said manifold in pairs.
9. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim 1,
including a top cap attached to an upper end of said manifold and a
bottom cap attached to a lower end of said manifold.
10. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim
1, including a venting chamber within said manifold, wherein said
venting chamber is fluidly connected to said thermal server to
receive gases within said thermal server.
11. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim
1, including an insulation chamber within said manifold, wherein
said insulation chamber at least partially surrounds said return
chamber.
12. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim
11, including an insulating material positioned within said
insulation chamber.
13. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim
1, wherein said return chamber is substantially larger than said
supply chamber.
14. A manifold for a coolant thermal management system, comprising:
a plurality of thermal management units in thermal communication
with a plurality of heat producing devices, wherein said thermal
management units each include a fluid inlet that receives a supply
coolant and a fluid exit that returns a return coolant; a thermal
server for thermally conditioning said return coolant; a manifold
including a supply chamber and a return chamber; and a plurality of
coaxial fluid connectors extending into said manifold and in fluid
communication with said plurality of thermal management units,
wherein said coaxial fluid connectors have an inner tube and an
outer tube surrounding said inner tube; wherein said plurality of
coaxial fluid connectors each include a supply port in fluid
communication with said supply chamber; wherein said plurality of
coaxial fluid connectors each include a return port in fluid
communication with said return chamber; wherein said thermal server
is in fluid communication with said supply chamber and said return
chamber, wherein said supply chamber transfers said supply coolant
from said thermal server to said plurality of thermal management
units and wherein said return chamber returns said return coolant
from said plurality of thermal management units to said thermal
server for thermal conditioning.
15. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim
14, wherein said manifold is comprised of an extruded
structure.
16. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim
14, wherein said manifold is comprised of a unitary extruded
aluminum structure.
17. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim
14, wherein said return chamber is in thermal communication with
said supply chamber.
18. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim
14, including a venting chamber within said manifold, wherein said
venting chamber is fluidly connected to said thermal server to
receive gases within said thermal server.
19. The manifold for a coolant thermal management system of claim
14, including an insulation chamber within said manifold, wherein
said insulation chamber at least partially surrounds said return
chamber.
20. A manifold for a coolant thermal management system, comprising:
a plurality of thermal management units in thermal communication
with a plurality of heat producing devices, wherein said thermal
management units each include a fluid inlet that receives a supply
coolant and a fluid exit that returns a return coolant; a thermal
server for thermally conditioning said return coolant; a manifold
including a supply chamber, a plurality of supply ports extending
from the manifold, a return chamber, and a plurality of return
ports extending from the manifold, wherein said return chamber is
substantially larger than said supply chamber; wherein said
manifold is comprised of a unitary extruded aluminum structure;
wherein said return chamber is parallel to said supply chamber;
wherein said return chamber and said supply chamber extend along a
substantial length of said manifold; wherein said return chamber is
adjacent to and in thermal communication with said supply chamber;
wherein said supply ports are in fluid communication with said
supply chamber and said fluid inlet of said plurality of thermal
management units; wherein said return ports are in fluid
communication with said return chamber and said fluid exit of said
plurality of thermal management units; wherein said plurality of
supply ports and said plurality of return ports extend from said
manifold in pairs; wherein said thermal server is in fluid
communication with said supply chamber and said return chamber,
wherein said supply chamber transfers said supply coolant from said
thermal server to said plurality of thermal management units and
wherein said return chamber returns said return coolant from said
plurality of thermal management units to said thermal server for
thermal conditioning; a top cap attached to an upper end of said
manifold and a bottom cap attached to a lower end of said manifold;
a venting chamber within said manifold, wherein said venting
chamber is fluidly connected to said thermal server to receive
gases within said thermal server; an insulation chamber within said
manifold, wherein said insulation chamber at least partially
surrounds said return chamber; and an insulating material
positioned within said insulation chamber.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] I hereby claim benefit under Title 35, United States Code,
Section 119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.
60/841,056 filed Aug. 29, 2006 (Docket No. ISR-662). The 60/841,056
application is currently pending. The 60/841,056 application is
hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable to this application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The present invention relates generally to fluid
distribution manifolds for two-phase liquid cooling systems and
more specifically it relates to a manifold for efficiently
transferring coolant within a multi-phase cooling system.
[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0006] Any discussion of the related art throughout the
specification should in no way be considered as an admission that
such related art is widely known or forms part of common general
knowledge in the field.
[0007] Modern electronic devices (e.g. microprocessors, circuit
boards and power supplies) and other heat producing devices have
significant thermal management requirements. Conventional dry
thermal management technology (e.g. forced air convection using
fans and heat sinks) simply is not capable of efficiently thermally
managing modern electronics.
[0008] Single-phase liquid thermal management systems (e.g. liquid
cold plates) and multi-phase liquid thermal management systems
(e.g. spray cooling, pool boiling, flow boiling, jet impingement
cooling, falling-film cooling, parallel forced convection, curved
channel cooling and capillary pumped loops) have been in use for
years for thermally managing various types of heat producing
devices.
[0009] Spray cooling technology is being adopted today as the most
efficient option for thermally managing electronic systems. U.S.
Pat. No. 5,220,804 entitled High Heat Flux Evaporative Spray
Cooling to Tilton et al. describes the earlier versions of spray
technology, as it relates to cooling electronics. U.S. Pat. No.
6,108,201 entitled Fluid Control Apparatus and Method for Spray
Cooling to Tilton et al. also describes the usage of spray
technology to cool a printed circuit board. U.S. Pat. No. 6,958,911
entitled Low Momentum Loss Fluid Manifold System to Cader et al.
describes a manifold system for providing coolant to spray
modules.
[0010] The liquid coolant typically used within a spray cooling
system is a dielectric fluid (e.g. perfluorocarbons and
hydrofluoroethers) having a low vaporization temperature at
standard atmospheric pressure. One common brand of dielectric
liquid coolant for two-phase thermal management systems is a
perfluorocarbon manufactured by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing
Company (3M.RTM.) under the federally registered trademark
FLUORINERT.RTM..
[0011] Because of the inherent issues in the related art, there is
a need for a new and improved manifold for a two-phase cooling
system for an efficient coolant transfer system.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The general purpose of the present invention is to provide a
manifold for a two-phase cooling system that has many of the
advantages of the coolant manifolds used in two-phase coolant
systems mentioned heretofore. The invention generally relates to a
coolant transfer manifold which includes an extruded manifold
having a supply chamber and a return chamber in thermal
communication with one another.
[0013] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the
features of the invention in order that the detailed description
thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present
contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are
additional features of the invention that will be described
hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims
appended hereto.
[0014] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment
of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited in its application to the details of
construction or to the arrangements of the components set forth in
the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The
invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced
and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that
the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose
of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
[0015] An object is to provide a manifold for a two-phase cooling
system for efficiently transferring coolant within a multi-phase
cooling system.
[0016] Another object is to provide a manifold for a two-phase
cooling system that utilizes an extruded structure for the
manifold.
[0017] An additional object is to provide a manifold for a
two-phase cooling system that provides a supply chamber and a
return chamber that co-exist in a single manifold structure.
[0018] A further object is to provide a manifold for a two-phase
cooling system that is cost effective to produce and efficient to
install.
[0019] Another object is to provide a manifold for a two-phase
cooling system that transfers heat from the return chamber to the
supply chamber in operation to improve the heat transfer
coefficients in a spray module.
[0020] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will
become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects
and advantages are within the scope of the present invention. To
the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention
may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying
drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the
drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the
specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of
the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of
the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same
becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate
the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and
wherein:
[0022] FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of a two-phase cooling
system incorporated within a server rack.
[0023] FIG. 2 is an upper perspective view of the manifold attached
to a rack.
[0024] FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of the manifold.
[0025] FIG. 4 is an upper perspective view of an exemplary spray
module.
[0026] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5-5 of
FIG. 3 illustrating the internal structure of the manifold.
[0027] FIG. 6 is an end view of a manifold end cap.
[0028] FIG. 7 is an upper perspective view of a fluid coupling
assembly having male and female portions.
[0029] FIG. 8 is a top cross sectional view of an alternative
manifold embodiment.
[0030] FIG. 9 is a top view of a cable and tube management arm
system.
[0031] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the fluid
communications of the present invention.
[0032] FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view taken along line 11-11 of
FIG. 3 illustrating the supply chamber, the return chamber and the
venting chamber.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A. Overview
[0033] Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar
reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several
views, FIGS. 1 through 11 illustrate a manifold for a two-phase
cooling system 10, which comprises an extruded manifold having a
supply chamber and a return chamber in thermal communication with
one another.
B. Rack
[0034] Now referring to FIG. 1, rack system is comprised of a
network rack 12 housing one or more servers 20. As is well known in
the art of computer electronics and datacenters, the rack 12
provides incremental mounting positions to the servers 20. The
servers 20 can be a wide range of sizes ranging from 1 U (1.75'')
to greater than 12 U, or blade style. A typical seven foot tall
rack 12 can provide 42 rack mounting locations.
C. Thermal Server
[0035] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, at the
bottom of rack system 10 is at least one thermal server 30. As
shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the thermal server 30 is
preferably located at the bottom of the rack 12 and pumps coolant
into a manifold 40. The thermal server 30 thermally conditions the
heated return coolant received from the thermal management unit
60.
[0036] Thermal server 30 provides the heat exchanger (condenser),
pumps, and control systems needed to create the two-phase cooling
system. As is generally known in the art, two-phase liquid cooling
is a closed loop process wherein a coolant is pumped to a component
to be cooled, wherein the coolant absorbs heat causing a phase
change of the coolant to at least partially coolant vapor. The
coolant vapor is condensed back into a liquid state and re-pumped.
The coolant of the present invention is preferably a dielectric
fluid, such as FLUORINERT (a trademark of the 3M Corporation), but
is not limited to any particular fluid. For example, the present
invention is applicable to water based systems.
D. Thermal Management Unit
[0037] The thermal management unit 60 is utilized to thermally
manage one or more heat producing devices (e.g. microprocessor).
The thermal management unit 60 is in thermal communication with the
heat producing device either directly (e.g. spraying coolant upon
the heat producing device) or indirectly (e.g. in thermal
communication via a heat spreader or similar device).
[0038] As shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, the thermal management
unit 60 has a fluid inlet 62 and a fluid exit 64. The coolant
enters the thermal management unit 60 and absorbs heat from heat
spreader 66 which is contact with a component being thermally
managed as further shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. The spray
module may be comprised of any thermal management device capable of
thermally managing heat producing devices (e.g. spray modules, cold
plates and the like). It is preferable that a two-phase spray
module is utilized within the present invention.
[0039] The spray module preferably has a separate enclosed
structure for retaining and thermally managing the heat producing
devices. The spray module may have an integral card cage spray
assembly or similar structure for retaining the heat producing
devices. More than one spray module may be utilized within the
present invention as can be appreciated. The spray module may
include one or more spray nozzles for applying atomized coolant
upon the heat producing devices. The spray module may be comprised
of various well-known spray cooling systems currently available for
thermally managing heat producing devices with an atomized
coolant.
E. Manifold
[0040] The manifold 40 is preferably mounted to the rack 12 in a
vertical orientation as illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings. At
each rack spacing, there is preferably a supply port 46 and a
return port 44 to provide and receive coolant with respect to a
corresponding spray module.
[0041] At each port 44, 46 is preferably a male fluid connector 81,
which connects to a female connector 80 as illustrated in FIG. 7 of
the drawings. Each female port 80 delivers coolant to or from a
spray module 60 via tubes (not shown).
[0042] The manifold 40 is preferably extruded from any of the
common aluminum alloys. FIG. 5 illustrates a cross sectional view
of the extruded manifold 40 illustrating the formed recesses, or
pockets, which follow the contour of the manifold.
[0043] By extruding down the length of the manifold 40 a supply
chamber 72 may coexist in the same structure as a return chamber
73. Supply chamber 72 is in fluid connection with supply ports 46,
and conversely, return chamber 73 is in fluid connection with
return ports 44. Both chambers 72, 73 preferably reside in the same
manifold structure which makes the manifold 40 cost effective to
produce, efficient to install, and provides thermal advantages. The
return chamber 73 is preferably substantially larger than said
supply chamber 72 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 11 of the drawings. The
chambers 72, 73 also preferably extend along a substantial length
of the manifold 40 as best illustrated in FIG. 11 of the
drawings.
[0044] For example, according to the preferred embodiment of the
present invention, the coolant being transferred in the supply
chamber 72 absorbs heat from the coolant being transferred in the
return chamber 73. Although each closed loop system will operate at
different states of pressure and temperature depending upon its
design and boundary conditions, with the preferred embodiment the
temperature of the coolant in supply chamber 72 is approximately 37
degrees Celsius, and the temperature of the coolant in the return
chamber is approximately 54 degrees Celsius. By transferring some
of the heat from the coolant in the return chamber 73 fluid to the
coolant in the supply chamber 72, the resulting coolant temperature
in thermal management unit 60 can be increased. The resulting
increase in coolant temperature within the thermal management unit
60 makes the thermal management unit 60 more effective at reducing
electronic component temperatures due to increased heat transfer
coefficients.
[0045] Another novel feature of the present invention is the
creation of insulation chambers 75 within the extruded manifold 40
as further shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings. The insulation chambers
75 reduce the amount of heat that can be transferred from the
coolant, both the supply and return sides, to externally of the
manifold. A significant goal of datacenter level cooling systems is
to reduce the air cooling requirements of a rack system. By
insulating the coolant chambers 72 and 73 from the ambient air,
usually 20 to 25 degrees Celsius, several hundred watts of power
can be kept within the coolant and not released into the local air.
In addition, certain industry safety specifications require a
maximum touch temperature less than 50 degrees Celsius and thus the
insulation barrier helps maintain the desired temperature even
though coolant within manifold 40 may be greater than 50 degrees
Celsius.
[0046] The insulation chambers 75 are shown empty, but they could
be filled with thermally insulating material for increased thermal
performance. In addition, cooling water could flow through the
insulation chambers 75 for increased thermal performance.
[0047] As illustrated in FIG. 3 of the drawings, the manifold 40
preferably has a top cap 51 and a bottom cap 50. Although both caps
can be bonded, only bottom cap 50 is shown in FIG. 6. Preferably,
manifold cap 50 has ridges which protrude 0.100 inches into the
length of manifold 40 and has 0.010 to 0.015 inches in clearance
between the manifold walls and the cap ridges. Though other joining
methods are possible (such as welding or brazing), these protrusion
and clearance dimensions provide ample room for the epoxy adhesive,
such as DP460, which is commercially available through 3M. Pins
(not shown) may be inserted into the outside corners of cap 50 to
align the cap with the manifold channels 71. The pins may be a
permanent feature or provided by a temporary gluing fixture, and
provide the means to accurately align cap 50 to manifold 40 during
the gluing or other joining process. It has been found that a hard
anodizing, with no sealer, applied to both manifold 40 and cap 50
prior to bonding, creates an acceptable bonding surface that can
withstand the rigors the pressure and temperature cycles of the
system. Alternatively, cap 50 may be welded to cap 40.
[0048] FIG. 7 shows the mating pair of fluid connectors, male
connector 81 and female connector 80. Ideally, connectors 80 and 81
create low pressure drops, eject little or no fluid when
disconnected, and provide a relatively tight seal during operation.
A suitable connector is commercially available from FASTER. Another
preferable operation of the connector pair is a snap ring 83 which
resides co-axially on the female connector 80. To connect the
female connector 80 to the male connector 81, the snap ring 83 must
be pulled back exposing the internal threads to female connector
80. When the female connector 80 is turned to the correct torque,
the snap ring 83 automatically moves forward indicating to the user
the connectors 80, 81 have made the proper seal. To separate the
connectors 80, 81, the snap ring 83 is pulled back and then
twisted. This feature ensures that the mating pair is not easily
disconnected by accident. Colors may be applied to the supply and
return side so that users can easily distinguish which connector is
for the supply and which one is for the return. Optionally, the
supply and return connectors can be made different sizes. Because
in a two phase system, pressure drops are more detrimental on the
return side, it is more desirable to use as large of a connector on
the return side as possible. The supply side can be smaller. In the
preferred embodiment of the present invention, the supply side is
0.25 inches and the return side is 0.375 inches in diameter. With
FLUORINERT, the o-ring material is preferably VITON.RTM. (a
trademark of the DuPont corporation).
F. Venting Chamber
[0049] Two-phase liquid cooling systems have several design
challenges, one being non-condensable gases. Non-condensable gasses
are both needed to a small level, but also decrease thermal
performance of the system above a certain level. The need to
regulate non-condensable gases within a system is therefore
necessary in order to provide the level of uptime that computing
systems, especially datacenters, require. The preferred embodiment
of the present invention utilizes such a system.
[0050] Yet another novel feature of the present invention is the
creating of an active venting chamber 74. The purpose of venting
chamber 74 is to provide a place for the vertical separation of the
liquid coolant, vaporized coolant and non-condensables (e.g. air)
as part of the active venting system. A vacuum pump (not shown) is
preferably fluidly connected to the venting chamber 74 and draws
gases and liquid out of the thermal server 30 and pushes it into
venting chamber 74. Liquid coolant falls to the bottom of venting
chamber 74 where it can be circulated back into thermal server 30.
Coolant vapor within venting chamber 74 falls just above the liquid
level within the venting chamber 74. Due to the higher pressures in
comparison to the closed loop system, the vapor readily condenses
to a liquid as to maintain the venting chamber 74 in equilibrium.
Air and other non-condensables rise to the top of the venting
chamber 74 wherein they can be removed via the opening of a release
valve (e.g. solenoid valve) not shown in the drawings.
G. Coaxial Tube Manifold
[0051] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present
invention. A cross sectional view of a coaxial tube manifold 100 is
shown in FIG. 8. Rather than run a supply and return line, this
embodiment uses a single tube with the supply line at least
partially surrounded co-axially by the return line (can also be
visa-versa). This type of co-axial tube system is described U.S.
Pat. No. 6,889,515 which is hereby incorporated by reference.
[0052] A coaxial fluid connector 103 provides the ability to supply
and return coolant within a single connector structure. The coaxial
fluid connector 103 is preferably comprised of an inner tube and an
outer tube surrounding said inner tube as illustrated in U.S. Pat.
No. 6,889,515.
[0053] A return chamber 101 is extruded with supply chamber 102 as
shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings. The coaxial fluid connector 103
mounts protrudes through supply chamber 102 into return chamber
101. The supply coolant enters the supply port 104 of the coaxial
fluid connector 103. The return coolant leaves the coaxial fluid
connector 103 through the return port 105 into the return chamber
101. The coaxial fluid connector 103 is preferably sealed via an
o-ring (not shown) to the supply chamber 102, but it is not
necessary to seal the supply chamber 102 to the return chamber
101.
[0054] Other embodiments of the present invention include having
multiple manifolds connected to a single thermal server 30 so that
two arrays of servers 14 can be cooled with a single thermal server
30. While the manifold 40 is shown with the fluid connectors in an
equally spaced apart manner, in practice it may be more cost
efficient and practical to place them as needed.
H. Cable Arm System
[0055] As shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings, another feature of the
present invention is a cable arm 90 which provides a controlled
bend radius and protection to the tubes (not shown) connecting the
manifold 40 and individual servers 14 mounted in the rack 12. An
arm end 92 mounts to the manifold holes 48 and server end 94
attaches to the back of a server 14 at a PCI location. A plurality
of links 96 are rotatably mounted into a chain structure so that
they do not allow vertical translation of the chain, but allow
horizontal bending to a desired minimum radius.
[0056] What has been described and illustrated herein is a
preferred embodiment of the invention along with some of its
variations. The terms, descriptions and figures used herein are set
forth by way of illustration only and are not meant as limitations.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations are
possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, which is
intended to be defined by the following claims (and their
equivalents) in which all terms are meant in their broadest
reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Any headings utilized
within the description are for convenience only and have no legal
or limiting effect.
* * * * *