Cooling systems and heat exchangers for cooling computer components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9596789-B2
Application number	US-201414444985-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2014
Priority date	Dec 17, 2007
Publication date	Mar 14, 2017
Grant date	Mar 14, 2017

Abstract

Computer systems having heat exchangers for cooling computer components are disclosed herein. The computer systems include a computer cabinet having an air inlet, an air outlet spaced apart from the air inlet, and a plurality of computer module compartments positioned between the air inlet and the air outlet. The air inlet, the air outlet, and the computer module compartments define an air flow path through the computer cabinet. The computer systems also include a heat exchanger positioned between two adjacent computer module compartments. The heat exchanger includes a plurality of heat exchange elements canted relative to the air flow path.

First claim

I claim:

1. A computer system, comprising: a computer cabinet having: an air inlet; an air outlet spaced apart from the air inlet; and a plurality of computer module compartments positioned between the air inlet and the air outlet, wherein the air inlet, the air outlet, and the computer module compartments define an air flow path through the computer cabinet; and a heat exchanger positioned between two adjacent computer module compartments, the heat exchanger including a plurality of heat exchange elements, wherein each of the heat exchange elements includes a passage portion having at least one internal channel configured to carry working fluid, wherein each of the passage portions is canted relative to the air flow path, and wherein each of the passage portions includes first and second fin portions extending therefrom, the first fin portion having a first configuration and the second fin portion having a second configuration, different than the first configuration.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the passage portions form an angle of from about 10° to about 45° relative to the air flow path.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the first and second fin portions are canted relative to the air flow path.

4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein each of the passage portions includes a plurality of internal channels configured to carry working fluid between a first end and a second end.

5. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the heat exchange elements include a first heat exchange element having a first passage portion and a second heat exchange element having a second passage portion, and wherein the first passage portion forms a first angle relative to the air flow path and the second passage portion forms a second angle relative to the air flow path, the first angle being different than the second angle.

6. The computer system of claim 1 wherein at least the first fin portion includes a plurality of fins extending from the passage portion, wherein each of the fins includes a free edge extending parallel to the passage portion and canted relative to the air flow path.

7. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the first fin portion is upstream of the second fin portion in the air flow path.

8. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the first fin portion is upstream of the second fin portion along the air flow path, and wherein the second fin portion has a larger number of fins than the first fin portion.

9. A computer system, comprising:
a computer cabinet having a plurality of computer module compartments positioned between an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein the air inlet, the air outlet, and the computer module compartments define an air flow path through the computer cabinet; and
a heat exchanger positioned between two adjacent computer module compartments, the heat exchanger including a plurality of heat exchange elements, wherein each of the heat exchange elements includes a passage portion having at least one internal channel configured to carry working fluid, and wherein each of the heat exchange elements further includes a plurality of first fins extending from the passage portion and a plurality of second fins, separate from the first fins, extending from the passage portion downstream of the first fins along the air flow path, wherein the plurality of first fins have a first configuration and the plurality of a second fins have a second configuration, different than the first configuration.

10. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the plurality of first fins is spaced apart from the plurality of second fins by a gap therebetween.

11. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the pluralities of first and second fins on each of the heat exchange elements are spaced apart from the pluralities of first and second fins on each of the other heat exchange elements.

12. The computer system of claim 9 wherein each of the first fins has a first height and each of the second fins has a second height, different than the first height.

13. The computer system of claim 9 wherein each of the first fins has a first thickness and each of the second fins has a second thickness, different than the first thickness.

14. The computer system of claim 9 wherein the plurality of second fins have a higher heat transfer coefficient than the plurality of first fins.

15. A computer system, comprising: a computer cabinet having a plurality of computer module compartments positioned between an air inlet and an air outlet; and a heat exchanger positioned between two adjacent computer module compartments, the heat exchanger including a plurality of heat exchange elements individually having a passage portion and a plurality of fins extending from the passage portion, wherein the plurality of fins include a first fin portion having a first configuration and a second fin portion having a second configuration, different than the first configuration, wherein the first fin portion is upstream of the second fin portion along an air flow path, and wherein the second fin portion has a larger number of fins than the first fin portion.

16. The computer system of claim 15 wherein the first fin portion is spaced apart from the second fin portion by a gap therebetween.

17. The computer system of claim 15 wherein the first and second fin portions on each of the heat exchange elements are disconnected from the first and second fin portions on each of the other heat exchange elements.

18. The computer system of claim 15 wherein the second fin portion has a higher heat transfer coefficient than the first fin portion.

19. A computer system, comprising: a computer cabinet having a plurality of computer module compartments positioned between an air inlet and an air outlet; and a heat exchanger positioned between two adjacent computer module compartments, the heat exchanger including a plurality of heat exchange elements individually having a passage portion and a plurality of fins extending from the passage portion, wherein the plurality of fins include a first fin portion having a first configuration and a second fin portion having a second configuration, different than the first configuration, wherein the first fin portion is upstream of the second fin portion along an air flow path, and wherein the second fin portion has a higher heat conductance than the first fin portion.

Assignees

• Cray Inc

Inventors

• Yatskov Alexander I

Classifications

• F28F1/022

  with multiple channels · CPC title

• H05K7/20736 Primary

  within cabinets for removing heat from server blades · CPC title

• H05K7/20572

  within cabinets for removing heat from sub-racks, e.g. plenum · CPC title

• F28D1/0426 Primary

  with units having particular arrangement relative to the large body of fluid, e.g. with interleaved units or with adjacent heat exchange units in common air flow or with units extending at an angle to each other or with units arranged around a central element · CPC title

• F28D1/05383

  with multiple rows of conduits or with multi-channel conduits (F28D1/05391 takes precedence) · CPC title