An information handling system may include a chassis configured to house a plurality of information handling resources, one or more air movers internal to the chassis and arranged to drive airflow proximate to the plurality of information handling systems, and an air-to-liquid radiator internal to the chassis and arranged such that the airflow flows proximate to the air-to-liquid radiator to cool airflow internal to the chassis prior to flowing proximate to at least one of the information handling resources.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates in general to information handling systems, and more particularly to providing inter-stage air-to-liquid radiators within liquid-cooled information handling systems.

BACKGROUND

As processors, graphics cards, random access memory (RAM) and other components in information handling systems have increased in clock speed and power consumption, the amount of heat produced by such components as a side-effect of normal operation has also increased. Often, the temperatures of these components need to be kept within a reasonable range to prevent overheating, instability, malfunction and damage leading to a shortened component lifespan. Accordingly, air movers (e.g., cooling fans and blowers) have often been used in information handling systems to cool information handling systems and their components.

To control temperature of components of an information handling system, an air mover may direct air over one or more heatsinks thermally coupled to individual components. Traditional approaches to cooling components may include a “passive” cooling system that serves to reject heat of a component to air driven by one or more system-level air movers (e.g., fans) for cooling multiple components of an information handling system in addition to the peripheral component. Another traditional approach may include an “active” cooling system that uses liquid cooling, in which a heat-exchanging cold plate is thermally coupled to the component, and a chilled fluid is passed through conduits internal to the cold plate to remove heat from the component.

Typically, information handling system servers move airflow from air movers in a front to back manner. Airflow is heated as it flows thru an information handling system over high-powered components. Due to preheating of air from other upstream components, components in the rear of an information handling system must be designed for higher local ambient temperatures. However, increasing power levels of components such as processors and memories are creating more significant challenges for downstream components. Such increased preheating by upstream components may lead to higher required air mover speeds to minimize preheating from upstream components, but such a solution may lead to undesirable additional fan power consumption, negative acoustics, and disturbances to rotational drives. In addition, such increased preheating may lead to restricted feature support for downstream components if downstream component thermal health cannot be maintained. Further, such increased preheating may lead to localized hot spots created downstream of processors that further limit/restrict downstream component placement.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the disadvantages and problems associated with existing approaches for thermal control in an information handling system may be substantially reduced or eliminated.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an information handling system may include a chassis configured to house a plurality of information handling resources, one or more air movers internal to the chassis and arranged to drive airflow proximate to the plurality of information handling systems, and an air-to-liquid radiator internal to the chassis and arranged such that the airflow flows proximate to the air-to-liquid radiator to cool airflow internal to the chassis prior to flowing proximate to at least one of the information handling resources.

In accordance with these and other embodiments of the present disclosure, a method may include housing a plurality of information handling resources within a chassis of an information handling system, housing one or more air movers internal to the chassis and arranged to drive airflow proximate to the plurality of information handling systems, and housing an air-to-liquid radiator internal to the chassis and arranged such that the airflow flows proximate to the air-to-liquid radiator to cool airflow internal to the chassis prior to flowing proximate to at least one of the information handling resources.

In accordance with these and other embodiments of the present disclosure, a method may include driving, with one or more air movers internal to a chassis configured to house a plurality of information handling resources, airflow proximate to the plurality of information handling systems. The method may also include cooling airflow prior to the airflow flowing proximate to at least one of the plurality of information handling resources with an air-to-liquid radiator internal to the chassis and arranged such that the airflow flows proximate to the air-to-liquid radiator to cool airflow internal to the chassis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of this disclosure, information handling resources may broadly refer to any component system, device or apparatus of an information handling system, including without limitation processors, buses, memories, I/O devices and/or interfaces, storage resources, network interfaces, motherboards, integrated circuit packages; electro-mechanical devices (e.g., air movers), displays, and power supplies.

FIG.1illustrates a block diagram of selected components of an example information handling system102A, the block diagram representing a top plan view of the example information handling system, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, information handling system102A may comprise a server chassis configured to house a plurality of servers or “blades.” In other embodiments, information handling system102A may comprise a personal computer (e.g., a desktop computer, laptop computer, mobile computer, and/or notebook computer). In yet other embodiments, information handling system102A may comprise a storage enclosure configured to house a plurality of physical disk drives and/or other computer-readable media for storing data. As shown inFIG.1, information handling system102A may include a chassis100housing a processor103, memory104, one or more air movers108, storage resources110, an intercooler112, a power supply unit (PSU)116, a peripheral complex120, and fluidic conduits126.

Memory104may be communicatively coupled to processor103and may comprise any system, device, or apparatus operable to retain program instructions or data for a period of time. Memory104may comprise random access memory (RAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a PCMCIA card, flash memory, magnetic storage, opto-magnetic storage, or any suitable selection and/or array of volatile or non-volatile memory that retains data after power to information handling system102A is turned off.

An air mover108may include any mechanical or electro-mechanical system, apparatus, or device operable to move air and/or other gases in order to cool information handling resources of information handling system102A. In some embodiments, system air mover108may comprise a fan (e.g., a rotating arrangement of vanes or blades which act on the air). In other embodiments, an air mover108may comprise a blower (e.g., a centrifugal fan that employs rotating impellers to accelerate air received at its intake and change the direction of the airflow). In these and other embodiments, rotating and other moving components of system air mover108may be driven by a motor. The rotational speed of the motor may be controlled by an air mover control signal communicated from a thermal control system. In operation, system air mover108may cool information handling resources of information handling system102A by drawing cool air into chassis100housing the information handling resources from outside chassis100, expel warm air from inside chassis100to the outside of chassis100, and/or move air across one or more heat sinks (not explicitly shown) internal to chassis100to cool one or more information handling resources.

Storage resources110may include one or more hard disk drives, magnetic tape libraries, optical disk drives, magneto-optical disk drives, compact disk drives, compact disk arrays, disk array controllers, and/or any other system, apparatus or device operable to store media. In some embodiments, storages resource110may comprise a plurality of physical storage resources that may appear to an operating system or virtual machine executing on information handling system102A as a single logical storage unit or virtual storage resource. For example, each such virtual storage resource may comprise a RAID. Thus, in some embodiments, a virtual storage resource may comprise a redundant array of physical storage resources. In the same or alternative embodiments, a virtual storage resource may be implemented using a RAID standard. AlthoughFIG.1depicts storage resources110internal to information handling system102A, in some embodiments, storage resource110may be external to information handling system102A (e.g., embodied by a physical array of external hard disk drives).

Intercooler112may include any device, system or apparatus configured to transfer thermal energy from one medium (e.g., air within chassis100) to another (e.g., coolant fluid flowing through intercooler112) for the purpose of cooling and heating. For example, intercooler112may comprise an air-to-liquid radiator in which thermal energy is transferred from air flowing proximate to intercooler112to coolant fluid flowing through intercooler112, in order to cool the air flowing proximate to intercooler112. In some embodiments, intercooler112may include fluidic channels and/or conduits in at least a portion of intercooler112. Such fluidic channels and/or conduits may be fluidically coupled to one or more of fluidic conduits126(which may enter or exit through any of the front, rear, sides, top, or bottom of chassis100as is suitable) and an external cooling system which may include suitable components for cooling the coolant fluid, including without limitation a liquid-to-air radiator, liquid-to-liquid radiator, cooling distribution unit, and/or building/facility chilled water.

PSU116may comprise any suitable system, device, or apparatus for delivering electrical energy to electrical and electronic components of information handling system102A in order to enable such components to carry out their respective functionality. Thus, PSU116may comprise one or more of an alternating current-to-direct current (AC/DC) power converter, direct current-to-direct current (DC/DC) power converter, battery, or any other suitable device.

Peripheral complex120may comprise one or more other information handling resources, including without limitation co-processors, graphics processors, buses, memories, I/O devices and/or interfaces, storage resources, network interfaces, motherboards, integrated circuit packages, electro-mechanical devices, displays, and/or other devices. Fluidic conduits126may be coupled between intercooler112and an external cooling system including an external heat rejection system for cooling coolant fluid flowing from intercooler112to the external heat rejection system. Fluidic conduits126may include any suitable system, device, or apparatus for conveying fluid from one location to another (e.g., a pipe, tube, hose, etc.), and may be constructed from metal, plastic, rubber, and/or other suitable material.

In addition to processor103, memory104, one or more air movers108, storage resources110, an intercooler112, a power supply unit (PSU)116, a peripheral complex120, and fluidic conduits126, information handling system102A may include one or more other information handling resources.

In operation, air movers108shown inFIG.1may cause air to be drawn in from a “front” of information handling system102A (e.g., the bottom edge of chassis100as shown inFIG.1), with air flowing proximate to storage resources110, through air movers108, such that air movers108may further drive airflow proximate to processor103, memory104, intercooler112, PSU116, and peripheral complex120. As airflow passes proximate to intercooler112, heat present in such air may be transferred from the air to coolant liquid flowing in intercooler112, thus cooling the air prior to such air flowing proximate to PSU116and peripheral complex120. Thus, intercooler112may cool air at an intermediate location within chassis100, thus providing a cooler local ambient/inlet air temperature to components downstream of intercooler112than would be the case in the absence of intercooler112.

Further, chilled coolant fluid may be conveyed to intercooler112from an external heat rejection system via a fluidic conduit126and such coolant fluid may be conveyed, after receiving heat transferred from airflow proximate to intercooler112, via a fluidic conduit126to the external heat rejection system, where such coolant fluid may be again chilled prior to recirculation to intercooler112.

Although for clarity and exposition,FIG.1depicts a particular example arrangement and configuration of information handling resources, it is understood that an intercooler112may be provided to provide internal air-to-liquid cooling of airflow internal to a chassis in any suitable arrangement and configuration of an information handling system. For example,FIG.2illustrates a block diagram of selected components of an example information handling system102B, the block diagram representing a top plan view of example information handling system102B, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Information handling system102B depicted inFIG.2is similar in many respects to information handling system102A depicted inFIG.1. Accordingly, only certain differences between information handling system102A and information handling system102B are described below.

One main difference between information handling system102A and information handling system102B is that information handling system102B includes a “shadowed” processor layout, including processor103A and memory104A upstream of intercooler112and processor103B and memory104B downstream of intercooler112. Thus, in the arrangement and configuration shown inFIG.2, intercooler112may serve to remove heat of airflow from processor103A and memory104A, thus lowering the temperature of the local ambient/inlet air temperature to processor103B and memory104B, potentially lowering such temperature to the approximate local ambient/inlet air temperature to processor103A and memory104A.

As another example,FIG.3illustrates a block diagram of selected components of an example information handling system102C, the block diagram representing a top plan view of example information handling system102C, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Information handling system102C depicted inFIG.3is similar in many respects to information handling system102A depicted inFIG.1. Accordingly, only certain differences between information handling system102A and information handling system102C are described below.

One main difference between information handling system102A and information handling system102C is that one or more high-power graphics processing units (GPUs)118may be located upstream of air movers108. Further, information handling system102C may include one or more intercoolers112directly attached to, or in the immediate proximity of, a respective high-powered component, such as a high-powered GPU118. Thus, in information handling system102C, intercoolers112may in a sense be dedicated to components known to or suspected to generate large quantities of heat.

As another example,FIG.4illustrates a block diagram of selected components of an example information handling system102D, the block diagram representing a top plan view of example information handling system102D, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Information handling system102D depicted inFIG.4is similar in many respects to information handling system102C depicted inFIG.3. Accordingly, only certain differences between information handling system102C and information handling system102D are described below.

One main difference between information handling system102C and information handling system102D is that rather than being located upstream of processor103and memory104as in information handling system102C, in information handling system102D, high-power GPUs118may be located downstream of processor103and memory104, and thus intercoolers112directly attached to, or in the immediate proximity of, high-powered GPUs118, to allow for pre-cooling of air to meet thermal requirements for the local ambient/inlet temperatures of air to high-powered GPUs118.

Advantageously, the systems and methods herein may allow for favorable thermal properties of liquid cooling without direct attachments of liquid cooling devices (e.g., cold plates) to electrical components. Further, these systems and methods may allow for removal of an internal component's exhaust heat from other internal components while still using an external liquid cooling supply. In addition, use of intercoolers112may allow for more uniform temperature to downstream components because hot spots from specific high-power components may be reduced or eliminated. In addition, air movers may run at lower speeds as compared to traditional approaches because a larger temperature difference may be permitted across the heat-generating components.

Although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described above, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the figures and described above.

Unless otherwise specifically noted, articles depicted in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.