Patent ID: 9038406
Filing Date: 2015-05-26
Classification: F28D,F28F,H05K

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for facilitating cooling of an electronics rack, the apparatus comprising: an air-to-liquid heat exchanger at an air inlet side of the electronics rack, the air inlet side and an air outlet side respectively enabling ingress and egress of air through the electronics rack, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger being positioned for air passing through the electronics rack to pass across the air-to-liquid heat exchanger and the air-to-liquid heat exchanger being in fluid communication with a coolant loop for passing coolant through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, the coolant passing through the air-to-liquid heat exchanger having a temperature below a dew point temperature of the air passing across the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, wherein the air passing across the air-to-liquid heat exchanger is dehumidified and cooled by the air-to-liquid heat exchanger at the air inlet side of the electronics rack, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger comprising: a condensate collector disposed below the air-to-liquid heat exchanger for collecting liquid condensate via a first condensate drainage channel and a second condensate drainage channel from the air-to-liquid heat exchanger's dehumidifying of the air passing through the electronics rack, the first condensate drainage channel and the second condensate drainage channel being disposed at the first and second vertical edges, respectively, of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, wherein the plurality of sloped fins, including upper surfaces of the sloped fins, are angled to facilitate drainage of liquid condensate from the central region of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger towards the first condensate drainage channel and the second condensate drainage channel at the first and second vertical edges, respectively, of the air-to-liquid heat exchanger; and a condensate evaporator disposed at the air outlet side of the electronics rack, wherein the condensate evaporator humidifies the dehumidified an egressing from the electronics rack, the condensate evaporator being coupled in the fluid communication with the condensate collector, the condensate collector being located at the air inlet side of the electronics rack and the condensate evaporator evaporates the livid condensate received from the condensate collector concurrent with the air-to-liquid heat exchanger dehumidifying the air at the air inlet side of the electronics rack.