Patent ID: 8804334

Claim:
An air-cooling apparatus comprising: a securing mechanism for holding at least two separate electronics racks in fixed relation adjacent to each other, the at least two separate electronics racks each being an independent, free standing electronics rack and being at least partially air-cooled and each having an air inlet side and an air outlet side, and opposite sidewalls disposed between the air inlet side and the air outlet side thereof, the securing mechanism holding the at least two separate electronics racks in fixed relation adjacent to each other with the air inlet sides facing a first direction, the air outlet sides facing a second direction, and with adjacent sidewalls thereof disposed directly adjacent to each other, the securing mechanism comprising: an adapter frame mounted to the at least two separate electronics racks at the one of the air inlet sides or the outlet sides thereof, and holding the at least two separate electronics racks in fixed relation adjacent to each other, wherein the adapter frame comprises a rigid structural extender mounted to the at least two separate electronics racks at the one of the air inlet sides or the air outlet thereof; and a multi-rack door spanning one of the air inlet sides or the air outlet sides of the at least two separate electronics racks held by the securing mechanism in fixed relation, the multi-rack door being hingedly mounted to the rigid structural extender of the adapter frame and comprising: a door frame with an airflow opening, the airflow opening facilitating the ingress or egress of airflow through the at least two separate electronics racks; an air-to-liquid heat exchanger supported by the door frame and disposed so that airflow through the airflow opening passes across the air-to-liquid heat exchanger, the air-to-liquid heat exchanger extracting heat from the airflow passing thereacross, and wherein air passing through the one of the air inlet sides or the air outlet sides of the at least two separate electronics racks passes across the air-to-liquid heat exchanger; and wherein the rigid structural extender to which the multi-rack door is hingedly mounted defines a common airflow plenum between the one of the air inlet sides or the air outlet sides of the at least two separate electronics racks and the air-to-liquid heat exchanger of the multi-rack door.