초록 ▼

Systems and methods are provided for cooling an electronics rack, which includes a heat-generating electronics subsystem across which air flows from an air inlet to an air outlet side of the rack. First and second modular cooling units (MCUs) are associated with the rack and configured to provide sy

Systems and methods are provided for cooling an electronics rack, which includes a heat-generating electronics subsystem across which air flows from an air inlet to an air outlet side of the rack. First and second modular cooling units (MCUs) are associated with the rack and configured to provide system coolant to the electronics subsystem for cooling thereof. System coolant supply and return manifolds are in fluid communication with the MCUs for facilitating providing of system coolant to the electronics subsystem, and to an air-to-liquid heat exchanger associated with the rack for cooling air passing through the rack. A controller monitors the system coolant and automatically shuts off flow of system coolant through the heat exchanger, using at least one isolation valve, upon detection of failure at one of the MCUs, while allowing the remaining operational MCU to provide system coolant to the electronics subsystem for liquid cooling thereof.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A system for facilitating cooling of electronics, the system comprising: an electronics rack comprising at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem, the electronics rack comprising an air inlet side and an air outlet side for respectively enabling ingress and egress of

What is claimed is: 1. A system for facilitating cooling of electronics, the system comprising: an electronics rack comprising at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem, the electronics rack comprising an air inlet side and an air outlet side for respectively enabling ingress and egress of external air; at least two modular cooling units (MCUs) associated with the electronics rack and configured to provide system coolant in parallel to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem for facilitating cooling thereof, wherein each MCU of the at least two MCUs comprises a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, a first coolant loop and a second coolant loop, and when operational, the first coolant loop of each MCU receives chilled coolant from a source and passes at least a portion thereof through the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, and the second coolant loop provides cooled system coolant to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem, and expels heat in the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger from the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem to the chilled coolant in the first coolant loop; an air-to-liquid heat exchanger associated with the electronics rack for cooling at least a portion of air passing through the electronics rack, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger being coupled to receive system coolant from the at least two MCUs and exhaust system coolant to the at least two MCUs; at least one isolation valve coupled to selectively shut off flow of system coolant through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger; and at least one controller coupled to the at least one isolation valve for automatically shutting off flow of system coolant through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger upon detection of a failure at one MCU of the at least two MCUs, wherein when operational, the at least two MCUs provide cooled system coolant in parallel to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem, for liquid cooling thereof, and to the air-to-liquid heat exchanger for cooling at least a portion of air passing through the electronics rack, and wherein responsive to detection of failure at one MCU of the at least two MCUs, the at least one controller employs the at least one isolation valve to automatically shut off flow of system coolant through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, while system coolant continues to flow via at least one remaining operational MCU to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem for continued liquid cooling thereof. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a system coolant supply manifold and a system coolant return manifold associated with the electronics rack, the system coolant supply manifold and system coolant return manifold each being coupled in fluid communication with the at least two MCUs for facilitating providing of system coolant to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem, and wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is coupled via a coolant supply line to the system coolant supply manifold for receiving system coolant from the system coolant supply manifold and via a coolant return line to the system coolant return manifold for exhausting system coolant to the system coolant return manifold, and wherein when operational, the at least two MCUs provide cooled system coolant in parallel to the system coolant supply manifold and receive exhausted system coolant in parallel from the system coolant return manifold, and the system coolant supply manifold supplies cooled system coolant in parallel to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem and the air-to-liquid heat exchanger. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least two modular cooling units comprise a first modular cooling unit and a second modular cooling unit, and wherein the at least one controller comprises a first modular cooling unit control and a second modular cooling unit control, wherein the first modular cooling unit control and the second modular cooling unit control respectively monitor operation of the first modular cooling unit and the second modular cooling unit. 4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a first temperature sensor disposed for sensing system coolant temperature in the second coolant loop of the first modular cooling unit between the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger thereof and the system coolant supply manifold, and a second temperature sensor disposed for sensing system coolant temperature in the second coolant loop of the second modular cooling unit between the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger thereof and the system coolant supply manifold, wherein temperature of system coolant outside a defined temperature range is identified by the first modular cooling unit control or the second modular cooling unit control as failure of the respective first modular cooling unit or second modular cooling unit. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one isolation valve comprises a first isolation valve and a second isolation valve, the first isolation valve being controlled by the first modular cooling unit control, and the second isolation valve being controlled by the second modular cooling unit control, wherein the first modular cooling unit control facilitates detecting, via the first temperature sensor, a system coolant temperature outside the defined temperature range, and responsive thereto, closing of the first isolation valve to shut off flow of system coolant through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, and the second modular cooling unit control facilitates detecting, via the second temperature sensor, a system coolant temperature outside the defined temperature range, and responsive thereto, closing of the second isolation valve to shut off flow of system coolant through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first isolation valve is coupled to the coolant supply line for facilitating automatic shut off of system coolant flow to the air-to-liquid heat exchanger responsive to system coolant temperature sensed by the first temperature sensor being outside the defined temperature range, and the second isolation valve is coupled to the coolant return line for facilitating automatic shut off of system coolant flow through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger when system coolant temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor is outside the defined temperature range. 7. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one controller further comprises a system controller, the system controller being coupled to the first modular cooling unit control and to the second modular cooling unit control, the system controller facilitating shut down of at least one failing MCU of the at least two MCUs. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is disposed at the air outlet side of the electronics rack for cooling air egressing from the electronics rack, and wherein the electronics rack further comprises at least one air-moving device for facilitating external airflow through the electronics rack, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger lowering temperature of air egressing into a data center containing the electronics rack, thereby reducing air-conditioning requirements for the data center, and wherein the electronics rack further comprises multiple heat-generating electronics subsystems, each heat-generating electronics subsystem comprising at least one heat-generating electronics component, and wherein the system further comprises multiple cooling subsystems, each cooling subsystem including at least one liquid-cooled cold plate, each liquid-cooled cold plate being associated with a respective heat-generating electronics component of a respective heat-generating electronics subsystem of the multiple heat-generating electronics subsystems for facilitating cooling thereof. 9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a system coolant supply manifold and a system coolant return manifold supported by the electronics rack and disposed at the air inlet side thereof, the system coolant supply manifold and system coolant return manifold each being coupled in fluid communication with the at least two MCUs for facilitating providing of system coolant to the multiple cooling subsystems, and wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is coupled via a coolant supply line to the system coolant supply manifold for receiving system coolant from the system coolant supply manifold and is coupled via a coolant return line to the system coolant return manifold for exhausting system coolant to the system coolant return manifold, and wherein the at least two MCUs are disposed in a lower portion of the electronics rack, and when operational, the at least two MCUs provide cooled system coolant in parallel to the system coolant supply manifold and receive exhausted system coolant in parallel from the system coolant return manifold, and the system coolant supply manifold supplies cooled system coolant in parallel to the multiple cooling subsystems and the air-to-liquid heat exchanger. 10. A data center comprising: a plurality of electronics racks, each electronics rack comprising at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem, and an air inlet side and an air outlet side for respectively enabling ingress and egress of external air; and a plurality of cooling systems, each cooling system being associated with a respective electronics rack, and comprising: at least two modular cooling units (MCUs) associated with the electronics rack and configured to provide system coolant in parallel to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem for facilitating cooling thereof, wherein each MCU of the at least two MCUs comprises a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, a first coolant loop and a second coolant loop, and when operational, the first coolant loop of each MCU receives chilled coolant from a source and passes at least a portion thereof through the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, and the second coolant loop provides cooled system coolant to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem, and expels heat in the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger from the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem of the associated electronics rack to the chilled coolant in the first coolant loop; an air-to-liquid heat exchanger associated with the electronics rack for cooling at least a portion of air passing through the electronics rack, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger being coupled to receive system coolant from the at least two MCUs and exhaust system coolant to the at least two MCUs; at least one isolation valve coupled to selectively shut off the flow of system coolant through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger; and at least one controller coupled to the at least one isolation valve for automatically shutting off flow of system coolant through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger upon detection of a failure at one MCU of the at least two MCUs, wherein when operational, the at least two MCUs provide cooled system coolant in parallel to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem of the associated electronics rack, for liquid cooling thereof, and to the air-to-liquid heat exchanger for cooling at least a portion of air passing through the associated electronics rack, and wherein responsive to detection of failure at one MCU of the at least two MCUs, the at least one controller employs the at least one isolation valve to automatically shut off flow of system coolant through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, while system coolant continues to flow via at least one remaining operational MCU to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem of the associated electronics rack for continued liquid cooling thereof. 11. The data center of claim 10, wherein the at least two modular cooling units of each cooling system comprise a first modular cooling unit and a second modular cooling unit, and wherein each cooling system further comprises a first temperature sensor and a second temperature sensor, the first temperature sensor being disposed for sensing coolant temperature in the second coolant loop of the first modular cooling unit near an outlet of the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger thereof, and the second temperature sensor being disposed for sensing system coolant temperature in the second coolant loop of the second modular cooling unit near an outlet of the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger thereof, wherein a sensed system coolant temperature outside a defined temperature range represents failure of the respective first modular cooling unit or second modular cooling unit. 12. The data center of claim 11, wherein the at least one isolation valve of each cooling system comprises a first isolation valve and a second isolation valve, the first isolation valve and the second isolation valve each being disposed for facilitating shut off of system coolant flow through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger responsive to the at least one controller detecting failure at the first modular cooling unit or second modular cooling unit. 13. The data center of claim 12, wherein each cooling system further comprises a system coolant supply manifold and a system coolant return manifold, the system coolant supply manifold and system coolant return manifold each being coupled in fluid communication with the at least two MCUs for facilitating providing of system coolant to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem of the associated electronics rack, and wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is coupled via a coolant supply line to the system coolant supply manifold for receiving system coolant from the system coolant supply manifold and is coupled via a coolant return line to a system coolant return manifold for exhausting system coolant to the system coolant return manifold, and wherein when operational, the at least two MCUs provide cooled system coolant in parallel to the system coolant supply manifold and receive exhausted system coolant in parallel from the system coolant return manifold, the system coolant supply manifold supplying cooled system coolant to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem of the associated electronics rack and to the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, and wherein the first isolation valve and the second isolation valve are disposed in fluid communication with at least one of the coolant supply line or coolant return line. 14. A method of facilitating cooling of an electronics rack, the method comprising: cooling at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem of an electronics rack, the electronics rack comprising an air inlet side and an air outlet side respectively enabling ingress and egress of external air, the cooling comprising: employing at least two modular cooling units (MCUs) in association with the electronics rack to provide system coolant in parallel to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem thereof, each MCU of the at least two MCUs including a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, a first coolant loop and a second coolant loop, and when operational, the first coolant loop of each MCU receives chilled coolant from a source and passes at least a portion thereof through the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger, and the second coolant loop facilitates providing cooled system coolant to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem of the electronics rack, and expels heat in the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger from the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem to the chilled coolant in the first coolant loop; and utilizing an air-to-liquid heat exchanger disposed in association with the electronics rack to cool at least a portion of air passing through the electronics rack, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger being coupled to receive system coolant from the at least two MCUs and exhaust system coolant to the at least two MCUs; and monitoring for failure of an MCU of the at least two MCUs, and upon detection of failure of one MCU of the at least two MCUs, automatically shutting off system coolant flow through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger while continuing to provide system coolant flow, via at least one remaining operational MCU, to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem for continued liquid cooling thereof. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising automatically determining which MCU of the at least two MCUs is failing, and automatically shutting down the failing MCU, while continuing to operate the at least one remaining operational MCU to provide cooled system coolant to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem of the electronics rack for liquid cooling thereof. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the employing further comprises employing a system coolant supply manifold and a system coolant return manifold in association with the electronics rack, the system coolant supply manifold and system coolant return manifold each being coupled in fluid communication with the at least two modular cooling units for facilitating providing of system coolant to the at least one heat-generating electronics subsystem, and wherein the utilizing further comprises providing system coolant from the system coolant supply manifold to the air-to-liquid heat exchanger via a coolant supply line and exhausting system coolant from the air-to-liquid heat exchanger to the system coolant return manifold via a coolant return line, wherein at least one of the coolant supply line or coolant return line has associated therewith at least one isolation valve for facilitating the automatic shut off of system coolant flow through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger responsive to detecting a failure at one MCU of the at least two MCUs. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the monitoring further comprises monitoring a first system coolant temperature in a second coolant loop of a first MCU of the at least two MCUs between the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger thereof and the system coolant supply manifold, and monitoring a second system coolant temperature in a second coolant loop of a second MCU of the at least two MCUs between the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger thereof and the system coolant supply manifold, wherein when the first system coolant temperature or the second system coolant temperature is outside a defined temperature range, the respective first or second MCU of the at least two MCUs is identified as failing and is automatically shut off, as is system coolant flow through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein automatically shutting off comprises employing at least one of a first isolation valve or a second isolation valve, the first isolation valve being associated with a first MCU of the at least two MCUs, and the second isolation valve being associated with a second MCU of the at least two MCUs, in wherein the automatically shutting off further comprises automatically closing the first isolation valve upon detection of failure at the first MCU or automatically closing the second isolation valve upon detection of failure of the second MCU. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising issuing an alarm signal to indicate cooling shut down upon failure of both the first MCU and the second MCU. 20. The method of claim 14, wherein the monitoring further comprises waiting a time t subsequent to shut off of system coolant flow through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, and thereafter, sensing system coolant temperature in at least one second coolant loop of the at least two MCUs and determining whether the sensed system coolant temperature is within a defined temperature range, and if not, signaling to shut down the at least one MCU comprising the at least one second coolant loop containing the sensed system coolant temperature.