Patent ID: 7477514

Claim:
A method of facilitating cooling of an electronics rack, the method comprising: providing a cooling station configured for disposition of an air outlet side of an electronics rack adjacent thereto for cooling egressing air from the electronics rack, wherein when operational, air moves through the electronics rack from an air inlet side to the air outlet side thereof and then through the cooling station disposed adjacent to the air outlet side of the electronics rack, and wherein the cooling station is separate and freestanding from the electronics rack, and further the cooling station comprises: a frame structure separate and freestanding from the electronics rack; an air-to-liquid heat exchange assembly supported by the frame structure, the air-to-liquid heat exchange assembly including an inlet configured to couple to a coolant supply line and an outlet configured to couple to a coolant return line to facilitate passage of coolant therethrough; wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchange assembly is sized to cool air egressing from the air outlet side of the electronics rack before being expelled into a data center; and wherein the air-to-liquid heat exchange assembly is hingedly mounted to the frame structure to allow for access to the air outlet side of the electronics rack when the electronics rack is disposed in operative position with the air outlet side thereof adjacent to the cooling station for cooling egressing air therefrom before being expelled into the data center.