초록 ▼

A system enclosure uses two heat exchangers and a thermoelectric cooling module to manage heat within the system. An airflow enters the system and is heated by server blades. Portions of the airflow split and travel to various portions of the system enclosure. Some heat is removed from the airflow

A system enclosure uses two heat exchangers and a thermoelectric cooling module to manage heat within the system. An airflow enters the system and is heated by server blades. Portions of the airflow split and travel to various portions of the system enclosure. Some heat is removed from the airflow by passing through the first heat exchanger before circulating around downstream subsystems. The first heat exchanger contacts the cold side of a TEC module, to reduce the temperature of that airflow. The air then enters the network switch module or other subsystem where it is further heated. Thereafter, the second heat exchanger 'bypasses' those components by reinserting the upstream heat back into the downstream airflow. The second heat exchanger contacts the hot side of the TEC module. The mixture of all heated air is then expelled from the system enclosure.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A system for thermal management of an electronics environment, comprising: an enclosure having an ingress, an egress, and an airflow path extending through the enclosure from the ingress to the egress; a first subsystem located in the airflow path; a second subsystem located

What is claimed is: 1. A system for thermal management of an electronics environment, comprising: an enclosure having an ingress, an egress, and an airflow path extending through the enclosure from the ingress to the egress; a first subsystem located in the airflow path; a second subsystem located in the airflow path between the first subsystem and the egress; and heat transfer means for removing heat from an airflow in the airflow path that is downstream of the first subsystem and reintroducing said heat into said airflow downstream of the second subsystem, such that said heat thermally bypasses the second subsystem. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the enclosure has enclosed side walls, a top, and a bottom, and the ingress is the only ingress for the airflow path and the egress is the only egress for the airflow path. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer means comprises two heat exchangers and means for transferring heat therebetween. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer means comprises: a first heat exchanger located between the first subsystem and the second subsystem; a second heat exchanger located downstream of the second subsystem; and a thermoelectric cooler coupled to both the first and second heat exchangers. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first subsystem comprises a server blade and the second subsystem comprises a network switch. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer means is located inside the enclosure but outside the second subsystem such that existing enclosures are capable of being retrofitted by the system. 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an air moving device located inside the enclosure for moving air through the airflow path in the enclosure, and the airflow path comprises a plurality of plenums and the air moving device comprises a blower. 8. A system for thermal management of an electronics environment, comprising: an enclosure having an enclosed side walls, a top, and a bottom, the enclosure also having a front opening, a rear opening, and an airflow path extending from the front opening through the enclosure to the rear opening; a first subsystem located adjacent to the front opening; a second subsystem located between the first subsystem and the rear opening; a first heat exchanger located between the first subsystem and the second subsystem; a second heat exchanger located adjacent to the second subsystem; a thermoelectric cooler coupled to both the first and second heat exchangers; and an airflow is heated by the first subsystem, cooled by the first heat exchanger, heated by the second subsystem, and heated by the second heat exchanger from heat reintroduced from the first subsystem via the thermoelectric cooler, such that heat taken from the airflow by the first heat exchanger thermally bypasses the second subsystem and an air intake temperature of the second subsystem is reduced by the first heat exchanger. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the front opening is the only ingress for the airflow path and the rear opening is the only egress for the airflow path. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the first subsystem comprises a server blade and the second subsystem comprises a network switch. 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the thermoelectric cooler and the first and second heat exchangers are located inside the enclosure but outside the second subsystem such that existing enclosures are capable of being retrofitted by the system. 12. The system of claim 8, further comprising an air moving device located inside the enclosure for moving air through the airflow path in the enclosure, and the airflow path comprises a plurality of plenums and the air moving device comprises a blower. 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the airflow passes the first and second heat exchangers at different times along the airflow path, and heat is removed from the airflow at the first heat exchanger and added back to the airflow at the second heat exchanger, thereby temporarily taking some of the heat out of the airflow path. 14. A method of thermal management, comprising: (a) flowing air through an electronics environment having first and second subsystems; (b) heating the airflow with the first subsystem; (c) removing heat from the airflow before the airflow reaches the second subsystem; (d) cooling the second subsystem with the airflow after said heat has been removed in step (c); (e) reintroducing said heat back into the airflow after the airflow has passed the second subsystem; and then (f) ejecting the airflow and said heat from the electronics environment. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein step (a) comprises entering the airflow into the electronics environment through a single ingress, and step (f) comprises exiting the airflow from the electronics environment through a single egress. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein step (c) comprises withdrawing said heat from the airflow with a first heat exchanger, and step (e) comprises releasing said heat into the airflow with a second heat exchanger. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising transferring said heat from the first heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein said transferring step comprises transferring said heat with a thermoelectric cooler that is coupled to both the first and second heat exchangers. 19. The method of claim 14, wherein step (b) comprises heating the airflow with a server blade, and step (d) comprises cooling a network switch. 20. The method of claim 14, wherein steps (b), (c), and (d) take place in the electronics environment, but outside of the second subsystem, and moving the airflow with an air moving device through a plurality of plenums that, along with the air moving device, are located in the electronics environment.