SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TUNING VALVES OF A LIQUID MANIFOLD

A system may include a plurality of information handling systems and a manifold fluidically coupled to each of the plurality of information handling systems via respective fluidic conduits and further configured to couple to a cooling distribution unit, the manifold comprising a plurality of variable valves wherein the variable valves are programmable to control a flow rate of coolant fluid through the variable valves in order to independently control a first flow rate of the coolant fluid to a first information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems and a second flow rate of the coolant fluid to a second information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates in general to information handling systems, and more particularly to variable tuning of coolant flow rates in 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 an air 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 indirect cooling system, 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.

In a liquid cooled system for information handling systems, liquid cooling manifolds facilitate distribution of coolant fluid from a cooling distribution unit (CDU) to individual information handling systems and/or cold plate loops. Typically, these manifolds are designed for full rack level installments or individual chassis level implementations for systems such as modular blade chasses. Nodes may be easily connected/disconnected via quick disconnect ports along the manifold. However, as computing nodes are added/removed, the overall impedance of the fluid network may be altered and may impact the flow rate to individual nodes. Even when a rack manifold is fully populated with identical (homogeneous) equipment and liquid cooling nodes, uneven distribution of coolant fluid may occur due to friction losses in the fluidic channels. The complexity of this fluid network may become greater when mixed (heterogenous) equipment and liquid cooling nodes are installed in a rack. Uneven distribution of fluid flow across nodes may occur with potential impact to system thermal performance and/or overall pump efficiency.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the disadvantages and problems associated with liquid distribution in liquid cooling systems may be substantially reduced or eliminated.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a system may include a plurality of information handling systems and a manifold fluidically coupled to each of the plurality of information handling systems via respective fluidic conduits and further configured to couple to a cooling distribution unit, the manifold comprising a plurality of variable valves wherein the variable valves are programmable to control a flow rate of coolant fluid through the variable valves in order to independently control a first flow rate of the coolant fluid to a first information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems and a second flow rate of the coolant fluid to a second information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems.

In accordance with these and other embodiments of the present disclosure, a manifold for use in a fluidic distribution network may include a plurality of fittings, each of the plurality of fittings configured to couple to a respective information handling system of a plurality of information handling systems via a respective fluidic conduit. The fluidic distribution network may also include a plurality of variable valves wherein the variable valves are programmable to control a flow rate of coolant fluid through the variable valves in order to independently control a first flow rate of the coolant fluid to a first information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems and a second flow rate of the coolant fluid to a second information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems.

In accordance with these and other embodiments of the present disclosure, a method may include fluidically coupling a manifold to each of a plurality of information handling systems via respective fluidic conduits and further configured to couple to a cooling distribution unit, the manifold comprising a plurality of variable valves wherein the variable valves are programmable to control a flow rate of coolant fluid through the variable valves in order to independently control a first flow rate of the coolant fluid to a first information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems and a second flow rate of the coolant fluid to a second information handling system of the plurality of information handling systems and fluidically coupling the manifold to a cooling distribution unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Preferred embodiments and their advantages are best understood by reference toFIGS.1and2, wherein like numbers are used to indicate like and corresponding parts.

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 server enclosure100A housing a plurality of information handling systems102, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Enclosure100A may comprise any suitable housing or other container for housing a plurality of information handling systems102, and may be constructed from any suitable materials, including metal and/or plastic. As shown inFIG.1, in addition to housing a plurality of information handling systems102, enclosure100A may also include a manifold130A, variable valves132, a chassis management controller134, and a plurality of fluidic conduits126.

Manifold130A may include any system, device, or apparatus configured to receive coolant fluid from a centralized fluid cooling and distribution system (e.g., a radiator for cooling coolant fluid), distribute (e.g., under pressure applied from a pump of the centralized fluid cooling and distribution system) such coolant fluid to the plurality of information handling systems102via fluidic conduits126fluidically coupled to manifold130A, receive such coolant fluid back from information handling systems102via fluidic conduits126fluidically coupled to manifold130A, and then distribute coolant fluid back to the centralized fluid cooling and distribution system.

Thus, in operation, manifold130A may receive cooled coolant fluid from the centralized fluid cooling and distribution system (e.g., a radiator) and convey the coolant fluid to each of information handling systems102. Each information handling system102may have its own internal coolant fluid distribution network, such that coolant fluid distributed to each information handling system102may cool components of such information handling system102on account of heat transfer from such components to the coolant fluid. After flowing through the internal coolant fluid distribution network of an information handling system102, the heated coolant fluid may return to manifold130A. Manifold130A may be constructed to isolate the cooled coolant fluid received from the centralized fluid cooling and distribution system from the heated coolant fluid received from information handling systems102. Manifold130A may further route the heated coolant fluid back to the centralized fluid cooling and distribution system, where the coolant fluid may be cooled and recirculated back to manifold130A.

As also shown, manifold130A may include at its outputs to information handling systems102(e.g., coupled between fluidic channels within manifold130A and quick disconnect fluid fittings of manifold130A for fluidically coupling to fluidic conduits126) a plurality of variable valves132. A variable valve132may comprise any suitable system, device, or apparatus that regulates, directs, and/or controls the flow of a fluid (e.g., a coolant liquid flowing between fluidic conduits126and manifold130A) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing one or more passageways. When a variable valve132is open, coolant liquid may flow in a direction from higher pressure to lower pressure. In addition, a variable valve132may be controlled (either manually or automatically) to vary a flow rate of coolant fluid through such valve.

In some embodiments, the operation of a variable valve132(e.g., opening and closing, size of an aperture of a variable valve132) may be controlled by one or more control signals communicated from chassis management controller134, as shown inFIG.1. In other embodiments, the operation of a variable valve132may be manually controlled by a person.

Although variable valves132are shown inFIG.1as being coupled to both the fluid inlets of information handling systems102and the fluid outlets of information handling systems102, in some embodiments, variable valves132may be present only at fluid inlets of information handling systems102or only at fluid outlets of information handling systems102.

Chassis management controller134may comprise any system, device, or apparatus configured to facilitate management and/or control of enclosure100A and/or one or more of its component information handling systems102. Chassis management controller134may be configured to issue commands and/or other signals to manage and/or control information handling system102and/or its information handling resources. Chassis management controller134may comprise a microprocessor, microcontroller, DSP, ASIC, field programmable gate array (“FPGA”), EEPROM, or any combination thereof. Chassis management controller134also may be configured to provide out-of-band management facilities for management of enclosure100A, for example via a management console communicatively coupled to chassis management controller134. Such management may be made by chassis management controller134even if enclosure100A and its information handling systems102are powered off or powered to a standby state.

In operation, chassis management controller134may receive telemetry information from information handling systems102and/or from other sources of telemetry information (e.g., sensors). Such telemetry may include temperature information associated with an information handling system102or its components, a flow rate within one or more fluidic channels of enclosure100A, a pressure within one or more fluidic channels of enclosure100A, and/or any other suitable information. Although not shown inFIG.1for purposes of clarity and exposition, enclosure100A and/or components thereof may include suitable sensors for measuring or estimating such telemetry information, including without limitation temperature sensors, flow rate sensors, and/or pressure sensors.

In response to such telemetry information, chassis management controller134may control flow rates of coolant fluid through each of variable valves132. For example, in its simplest form, such control may include monitoring temperatures associated with each information handling system102and, in response to a temperature within an information handling system102rising above a threshold, increasing a flow rate of coolant fluid to such information handling system102(and, in some instances, decreasing a flow rate of coolant fluid to other information handling systems102). However, control with more complex algorithms may be used, including using empirically-based formulae and/or applying machine learning/neural networks to optimize control of coolant fluid flow rate in order to maintain thermal requirements. Accordingly, chassis management controller134together with variable valves132may enable a closed feedback control loop in order to maintain thermal requirements.

FIG.2illustrates a block diagram of selected components of an example server enclosure100B housing a plurality of information handling systems102, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Enclosure100B may comprise any suitable housing or other container for housing a plurality of information handling systems102, and may be constructed from any suitable materials, including metal and/or plastic. Enclosure100B depicted inFIG.2may be similar in many respects to enclosure100A ofFIG.1. Accordingly, only certain differences between enclosure100B and enclosure100A may be described below.

For example, instead of variable valves132located at the inlet of a manifold as is the case inFIG.1, enclosure100B may include a manifold130B divided into a plurality of portions, wherein each portion is fluidically coupled to one or more information handling systems102dedicated to such portion. Each portion may be coupled to another portion via one or more variable valves132which may control fluid flow between the portions. In some embodiments, each of variable valves132may be controlled by one or more control signals from chassis management controller134, similar to that ofFIG.1. In other embodiments, each of variable valves132may be manually controlled by a person. Further, in enclosure100B, chassis management controller134may control flow rates of coolant fluid through variable valves132in response to telemetry data. Thus, in effect, enclosure100B will include a plurality of zones of information handling systems102, wherein each information handling system102within the same zone is fluidically coupled to the same portion of manifold130B, and coolant fluid flow rates to and from information handling systems102within a zone may be controlled based on telemetry information associated with such zone.

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.