Server cabinet with liquid cooling system

1. Technical Field

The disclosure generally relates to server cabinets, and more particularly to a server cabinet with a liquid cooling system.

2. Description of Related Art

For unified management, many servers can be arranged in a single cabinet. It is well known that the servers in such an arrangement may generate a considerable amount of heat during operation, particularly when they densely occupy the cabinet space. If the heat is not efficiently removed, the servers may suffer damage. Thus, heat dissipation for the cabinet is very important.

What is needed, therefore, is a server cabinet with a liquid cooling system which can overcome the described limitations.

Many aspects of the present embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the various views.

FIG. 1 is an assembled, isometric view of a server cabinet in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the server cabinet shown in FIG. 1 , but with a cooler and part of a conduit of the server cabinet omitted.

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 , but with a top plate and a side plate of the server cabinet omitted, and showing air circulation in the server cabinet.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a server cabinet in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure is shown. The server cabinet includes a pedestal 10 , a rack 20 located on the pedestal 10 , an enclosure 30 disposed at an outer periphery of the rack 20 , a plurality of servers 40 mounted on the rack 20 , and a liquid cooling system 50 for dissipating heat generated by the servers 40 . In the exemplary embodiment, each of the servers 40 is dimensioned such that a width of the front (and rear) of the server 40 is less than a depth of the server 40 from the front to the rear. In this description, unless the context indicates otherwise, a reference to the “front” or to the “rear” indicates a position corresponding to opposite ends of a longitudinal axis of the server cabinet; and a reference to the “left” or to the “right” indicates a position corresponding to opposite ends of a transverse axis of the server cabinet.

The pedestal 10 is substantially rectangular, and has a plurality of wheels 11 at a bottom thereof, facilitating movement of the server cabinet.

The rack 20 is mounted on the pedestal 10 , and includes a plurality of vertical braces 21 , a plurality of horizontal braces 22 , two heat conductive plates 23 , 24 , and two pairs of rails 25 . The vertical and horizontal braces 21 , 22 cooperatively form a cubical framework. The heat conductive plates 23 , 24 are located at left and right sides of the rack 20 , respectively, and are fixed on the cubical framework. Each of the heat conductive plates 23 , 24 is made of metal or metal alloy with a high heat conductivity coefficient, such as copper, copper-alloy, or other suitable material. The two pairs of rails 25 are symmetrically fixed on the heat conductive plates 23 , 24 , respectively, for mounting the servers 40 on the rack 20 .

The enclosure 30 includes a top plate 31 at a top side thereof, a front plate 32 at a front side thereof, a rear plate 33 at a rear side thereof, and two side plates 34 , 35 at opposite left and right sides thereof, respectively. The side plates 34 , 35 are disposed outside the heat conductive plates 23 , 24 , respectively. Each of the side plates 34 , 35 is parallel to and spaced from a corresponding heat conductive plate 23 , 24 . The top, front, rear, and side plates 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 and the pedestal 10 cooperatively enclose the rack 20 and the servers 40 .

The liquid cooling system 50 includes a heat transfer member 51 , a cooler 52 , and a conduit 53 interconnecting the heat transfer member 51 and the cooler 52 . The heat transfer member 51 and the conduit 53 are made of metal or metal alloy with a high heat conductivity coefficient, such as copper, copper-alloy, or other suitable material. The heat transfer member 51 includes a plurality of stacked heat transfer fins 511 . The fins 511 are parallel to and spaced from each other. The fins 511 are fixed on the heat conductive plate 24 at the right side of the rack 20 , and located between the heat conductive plate 24 and the side plate 35 of the enclosure 30 , namely, at an interior of the enclosure 30 .

The conduit 53 includes a heat transfer section 531 , and two connecting sections 532 at opposite ends of the heat transfer section 531 , respectively. The heat transfer section 531 curves back and forth in a zigzag shape, and extends through the fins 511 , in thermal contact with the heat transfer member 51 . The connecting sections 532 extend out of the enclosure 30 from a top end and a bottom end of the rack 20 , respectively, and communicate with opposite sides of the cooler 52 , respectively.

The cooler 52 is located at an exterior of the enclosure 30 . In this embodiment, the cooler 52 is a conventional cooler, such as a thermoelectric cooler, or other. The cooler 52 and the conduit 53 contain a working liquid (not shown) therein. The working liquid usually selected is water, methanol, or alcohol, each of which has a relatively low boiling point. The working liquid contained in the heat transfer section 531 of the conduit 53 enters the cooler 52 via one of the connecting sections 532 of the conduit 53 for heat exchange, and then flows back to the heat transfer section 531 via the other connecting section 532 for further cooling circulation. A liquid pump (not shown) is provided to circulate the working liquid in the cooler 52 and the conduit 53 , thereby enhancing the heat dissipation efficiency of the liquid cooling system 50 .

Referring to FIG. 3 , during operation of the server cabinet, heat is generated by the servers 40 , and thus air surrounding the servers 40 is heated. The heat conductive plate 24 absorbs the heat from the heated air, and transfers the heat to the heat transfer member 51 . The heat is evacuated from the heat transfer member 51 via the working liquid contained in the conduit 53 and the cooler 52 , and finally dissipates to the ambient environment via the cooler 52 . In this process, the heated air at the heat conductive plate 24 is cooled to become cool air. The cool air flows toward the servers 40 , and exchanges heat with the servers 40 . In this way, hot and cool air circulation is generated in the enclosure 30 , to evacuate the heat of the servers 40 . Therefore, the heat dissipation efficiency of the server cabinet is improved. This is achieved without the need for a fan, and with minimal space being occupied by the liquid cooling system 50 .

Alternatively, in the server cabinet, the heat transfer member 51 of the liquid cooling system 50 can be fixed on the heat conductive plate 23 at the left side of the rack 20 , or on both of the heat conductive plates 23 , 24 at the left and right sides of the rack 20 .

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.