Partitioned, rotating condenser units to enable servicing of submerged IT equipment positioned beneath a vapor condenser without interrupting a vaporization-condensation cycling of the remaining immersion cooling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10143113-B2
Application number	US-201615131513-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2016
Priority date	Feb 1, 2013
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

An immersion cooling tank includes: a tank comprised of a base wall, and perimeter walls, and having a lower tank volume in which a liquid can be maintained and heated to a boiling point to generate a rising plume of vapor; a rack structure within the tank volume that supports insertion of multiple, heat dissipating electronic devices in a side-by-side vertical configuration; and a condenser configured as a plurality of individually rotatable condenser sub-units, with each condenser sub-unit located above a vertical space that extends vertically from the lower tank volume and within which an electronic device can be inserted. Each individual condenser sub-unit can be opened independent of the other sub-units and each other condenser sub-unit can remain in a closed position while a first condenser sub-unit is opened to allow access to a first vertical space and any existing electrical device contained therein below the first condenser sub-unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for providing access to a tank volume of an operating immersion cooling tank, the tank volume having an upper tank volume and a lower tank volume, the method comprising: providing, within the upper tank volume of the operating immersion cooling tank, a condenser configured as a plurality of individually rotatable condenser sub-units, with each of the individually rotatable condenser sub-units located above a vertical space that extends vertically from the lower tank volume up to the upper tank volume and a corresponding one of the individually rotatable condenser sub-units positioned vertically above the vertical space when the corresponding one of the individually rotatable condenser sub-units is in a closed position and within which heat dissipating electronic device(s) are inserted, wherein each of the individually rotatable condenser sub-units is configured to be opened independent of each other individually rotatable condenser sub-unit among the individually rotatable condenser sub-units, and each other individually rotatable condenser sub-unit is configured to remain in the closed position while a first individually rotatable condenser sub-unit from among the plurality of individually rotatable condenser sub-units is opened to allow access to a first section of the vertical space and a first heat dissipating electronic device among the heat dissipating electronic device(s) contained within the first section of the vertical space below the first individually rotatable condenser sub-unit.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the condenser further comprises connecting each of the plurality of individually rotatable condenser sub-units at one end via a hinge mechanism to the immersion cooling tank, the hinge mechanism enabling the corresponding one of the individually rotatable condenser sub-units to be individually rotated from (1) the closed position in which a respective section of the vertical space below the corresponding one of the individually rotatable condenser sub-units within the immersion cooling tank is sealed to allow the corresponding one of the individually rotatable condenser sub-units to condense rising vapors from the lower tank volume to (2) an open position in which exposure and/or access to the respective section of the vertical space is provided.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: filling the lower tank volume with a cooling liquid; and operating at least one of the heat dissipating electronic device(s) within the lower tank volume, wherein:
the at least one of the heat dissipating electronic device(s) includes at least one information handling system, and heat generated and dissipated during operation of the at least one of the heat dissipating electronic device(s) is absorbed by the cooling liquid maintained within the lower tank volume of the operating immersion cooling tank, which causes a portion of the cooling liquid to evaporate and create a rising vapor plume; and
the individually rotatable condenser sub-units are placed gravitationally above and in a direct path of the rising vapor plume.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
rotating the first individually rotatable condenser sub-unit from the closed position of 0 degrees to an open position ranging from greater than 0 degrees to a maximum number of degrees that is sufficiently large to allow access to the first section of the vertical space below the first individually rotatable condenser sub-unit within the tank volume to perform a maintenance operation on the first heat generating electronic device that is placed within or accessible from the first section of the vertical space of the tank volume below the first individually rotatable condenser sub-unit; and
accessing the first heat generating electronic device below the first individually rotatable condenser sub-unit while the first individually rotatable condenser sub-unit is in the open position.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the individually rotatable condenser sub-units includes a separate condensation surface and a separate local conduit for piping condensation fluid to cool the separate condensation surface, and wherein an opening of the first individually rotatable condenser sub-unit does not prevent ongoing condensation of a rising vapor plume occurring at each other individually rotatable condenser sub-unit that remains in the closed position.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein internal conduits of each of the individually rotatable condenser sub-units is coupled to a condensation liquid distribution system that channels condensation fluid through the condenser.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Shelnutt Austin Michael
• Curlee James Don
• Mills Richard Steven

Classifications

• F28D2015/0216

  having particular orientation, e.g. slanted, or being orientation-independent · CPC title

• F28F13/06

  by affecting the pattern of flow of the heat-exchange media {(F28F13/003 takes precedence; static flow control means in header boxes F28F9/026)} · CPC title

• F28D15/0266

  with separate evaporating and condensing chambers connected by at least one conduit; Loop-type heat pipes; with multiple or common evaporating or condensing chambers (F28D15/043 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05K7/20318

  Condensers · CPC title

• H05K7/20827

  within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. air conditioning devices · CPC title