Passive two-phase cooling with forced cooling assist

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10136554-B2
Application number	US-201715475700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

Techniques that facilitate two-phase liquid cooling electronics are provided. In one example, a system comprises a pump and a valve. The pump circulates a coolant refrigerant through a two-phase refrigerant system associated with an electronic component. The valve controls a flow path of the coolant refrigerant that flows through the two-phase refrigerant system. Furthermore, the valve modifies the flow path of the coolant refrigerant through the two-phase refrigerant system in response to a determination that an operation of the pump satisfies a defined criterion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a pump that circulates a coolant refrigerant through a two-phase refrigerant system associated with a first electronic component;
a valve that controls a flow path of the coolant refrigerant that flows through the two-phase refrigerant system, wherein the valve modifies the flow path of the coolant refrigerant through the two-phase refrigerant system in response to a determination that an operation of the pump satisfies a defined criterion; and
a controller that transfers, based on the determination that the operation of the pump satisfies the defined criterion, at least a portion of information associated with the first electronic component to a second electronic component.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller modifies a processing state of the first electronic component based on the determination that the pump satisfies the defined criterion.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller modifies the flow path based on sensor data provided by one or more sensors associated with the pump.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller modifies the flow path based on sensor data provided by one or more sensors associated with a fan that provides air to the first electronic component.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the determination is a first determination and the defined criterion is a first defined criterion, and wherein the controller reduces an amount of processing by the first electronic component based on a second determination that the pump satisfies a second defined criterion.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the determination is a first determination and the defined criterion is a first defined criterion, and wherein the controller modifies a flow rate of the coolant refrigerant provided by the pump based on a second determination that the pump satisfies a second defined criterion.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a heat exchanger that transfers heat, from air in the system, to the two-phase refrigerant system.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a condenser to condense, to a liquid phase of the coolant refrigerant, a portion of the coolant refrigerant associated with a vapor phase of the coolant refrigerant.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the two-phase refrigerant system associated with the first electronic component improves computational efficiency of the first electronic component.

10. A system, comprising:
an enclosure, comprising:
a two-phase cooling system that comprises a first electronic component and a pump that circulates a coolant refrigerant through the two-phase cooling system; and
one or more sensors that monitor the pump associated with the two-phase cooling system; and

a controller that is:
coupled to the one or more sensors;
regulates one or more control valves associated with the pump based on sensor data provided by the one or more sensors; and
transfers, based on a determination that operation of the pump satisfies a defined criterion, at least a portion of information associated with the first electronic component to a second electronic component.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the controller modifies a flow rate of the coolant refrigerant through the pump based on the determination that the sensor data satisfies the defined criterion.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Chainer Timothy Joseph
• Parida Pritish Ranjan
• Schultz Mark Delorman

Classifications

• G05D23/1919

  characterised by the type of controller · CPC title

• H05K7/20836

  Thermal management, e.g. server temperature control · CPC title

• H05K7/20809

  within server blades for removing heat from heat source · CPC title

• H05K7/20727

  within server blades for removing heat from heat source · CPC title

• H05K7/2029

  using a liquid coolant with phase change in electronic enclosures (in cabinets of standardized dimensions H05K7/20536; in server cabinets H05K7/20709; in vehicle electronic casings H05K7/20845; in power control electronics H05K7/2089; in displays H05K7/20954) · CPC title