Patent ID: 7450385

Claim:
A cooling apparatus for an electronics system comprising: a bi-fold door assembly configured for attachment to one of a front, back or side of an electronics rack, the electronics rack including a support structure supporting at least one electronics drawer, wherein the bi-fold door assembly comprises a first door and a second door, each door being configured for separate hinged mounting to the support structure of the electronics rack at the one of the front, back or side of the electronics rack; a coolant distribution apparatus for facilitating cooling the at least one electronics drawer of the electronics rack, the coolant distribution apparatus comprising: at least one coolant supply manifold and at least one coolant return manifold, the at least one coolant supply manifold being mounted to the first door of the bi-fold door assembly, and the at least one coolant return manifold being mounted to the second door of the bi-fold door assembly; a coolant supply swivel connection coupled in fluid communication with the at least one coolant supply manifold, and a coolant return swivel connection coupled in fluid communication with the at least one coolant return manifold for facilitating supply or return of coolant to or from, respectively, the at least one coolant supply manifold and the at least one coolant return manifold, and for facilitating pivotal movement of the first door and the second door relative to the electronics rack when the first and second doors are separately, hingedly mounted to the support structure of the electronics rack; and a plurality of coolant distribution ports within the at least one coolant supply manifold and the at least one coolant return manifold, wherein the plurality of coolant distribution ports facilitate supply and return of coolant to the at least one electronics drawer.