Liquid cooling high-density pluggable modules for a network element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11980009-B2
Application number	US-202217941140-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2022
Priority date	Oct 15, 2019
Publication date	May 7, 2024
Grant date	May 7, 2024

Abstract

A network element include one or more modules each supporting one or more pluggable modules; and a first manifold and a second manifold each configured to connect to a conduit associated with a coldplate, wherein one of the first manifold and the second manifold is an inlet manifold and the other is an outlet manifold for a cooling fluid that flows through the conduit to cool the one or more pluggable modules. The one or more pluggable modules can be each a pluggable optical module that is one of compliant to any of XFP, SFP, XENPAK, X2, CFP, CFP2, CFP4, CFP8, QSFP, QSFP+, QSFP28, OSFP, and QSFP-DD and have a housing that has dimensions similar to any of XFP, SFP, XENPAK, X2, CFP, CFP2, CFP4, CFP8, QSFP, QSFP+, QSFP28, OSFP, and QSFP-DD.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A network element comprising:
one or more modules each supporting a plurality of pluggable modules each having a housing;
a first manifold and a second manifold each configured to connect and disconnect, when the housing is inserted into a corresponding module, to a conduit associated with a coldplate, wherein one of the first manifold and the second manifold is an inlet manifold and the other is an outlet manifold for a cooling fluid that flows through the conduit configured to cool the plurality of pluggable modules; and
a leak mitigation system including a sleeve that surrounds a liquid connection between the conduit and at least one of the first manifold and the second manifold, wherein the leak mitigation system is configured to detect a leak and raise an alarm to a network management system,
wherein the coldplate includes fluid connectors that are configured to blind mate and quickly connect and disconnect.

2. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the fluid connectors are configured as alignment pins for connecting the one or more modules to both electrical and liquid lines.

3. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the one or more modules include Integrated Tunable Laser Assemblies (ITLA).

4. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pluggable modules are each a pluggable optical module that is one of compliant to any of XFP, SFP, XENPAK, X2, CFP, CFP2, CFP4, CFP8, QSFP, QSFP+, QSFP28, OSFP, and QSFP-DD and the respective housing that has dimensions of any of XFP, SFP, XENPAK, X2, CFP, CFP2, CFP4, CFP8, QSFP, QSFP+, QSFP28, OSFP, and QSFP-DD.

5. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the first manifold and the second manifold are in a stacked configuration.

6. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the one or more modules support the plurality of pluggable modules in a plurality of rows, and the network element includes the first manifold and the second manifold separately for each of the plurality of rows.

7. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the cooling fluid includes an electrically inert fluid that is either a single or two-phase flow.

8. The network element of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of pluggable modules includes: fluid connectors configured to connect to the first manifold and the second manifold, and electrical connectors.

9. The network element of claim 8 , wherein the fluid connectors are configured to align the electrical connectors.

10. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the conduit includes one or more bends or turns to form at least one of a bending, winding, tortuous, serpentine, or otherwise circuitous path.

11. The network element of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor configured to detect leakage of the cooling fluid in the network element.

12. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve includes an absorbent material that collects discharged liquid.

13. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the leak mitigation system guides leaks away from electrical connections.

14. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the leak mitigation system includes closing valves configured to prevent flow to any leak.

15. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the leak mitigation system includes a pressure sensor to detect a leak.

16. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the leak mitigation system includes the sleeve and one or more additional types of leak mitigation.

17. The network element of claim 1 , wherein the one or more modules further include a circuit that is cooled by the coldplate.

18. The network element of claim 17 , wherein the one or more modules further include a second circuit that is cooled by air cooling.

19. The network element of claim 1 , further comprising
a Cooling Distribution Unit (CDU) located at a rear of the network element and configured to connect to the first manifold and the second manifold.

Assignees

• Ciena Corp

Inventors

• Mohajer Behzad
• Graham Terence
• Ajersch Peter
• Mack Bonnie L
• Nicolici Marko
• Bishop Michael
• Rahmani Kamran
• Shearman Simon J
• Rivaud Daniel

Classifications

• H05K7/20272 Primary

  Accessories for moving fluid, for expanding fluid, for connecting fluid conduits, for distributing fluid, for removing gas or for preventing leakage, e.g. pumps, tanks or manifolds · CPC title

• H05K7/20254

  Cold plates transferring heat from heat source to coolant · CPC title

• H05K7/20781

  within cabinets for removing heat from server blades · CPC title

• G02B6/4261

  Packages with mounting structures to be pluggable or detachable, e.g. having latches or rails · CPC title

• G02B6/4268

  Cooling (of instruments G12B15/00; of electric apparatus H05K7/20; of semiconductor devices H10W76/47) · CPC title