Patent ID: 7963118

Claim:
An apparatus for facilitating cooling of an electronics rack, the apparatus comprising: a vapor-compression heat exchange system mounted in part to an outlet door of an electronics rack, wherein air moves through the electronics rack from an air inlet side to an air outlet side thereof and the outlet door is configured to hingedly mount along one edge to the electronics rack at the air outlet side of the electronics rack, and wherein the vapor-compression heat exchange system comprises: an evaporator coil mounted to the outlet door, the evaporator coil being configured to cover at least a portion of an opening in the outlet door, and at least a portion of air moving through the electronics rack from the air inlet side to the air outlet side passing across the evaporator coil before exhausting from the electronics rack through the opening in the outlet door; a refrigerant inlet plenum and a refrigerant outlet plenum disposed adjacent to the edge of the outlet door configured to hingedly mount to the electronics rack, wherein the refrigerant inlet plenum and the refrigerant outlet plenum are each in fluid communication with a respective connect coupling of the vapor-compression heat exchange system, and wherein the evaporator coil further comprises at least one heat exchange tube section and a plurality of fins extending from the at least one heat exchange tube section, and wherein the refrigerant inlet plenum and the refrigerant outlet plenum are each in fluid communication with the at least one heat exchange tube section; an expansion valve in fluid communication with the refrigerant inlet plenum and mounted to the outlet door; and a vapor-compression unit comprising a compressor and a condenser disposed separate from the outlet door, the vapor-compression unit being coupled in fluid communication with the refrigerant inlet plenum, expansion valve, evaporator coil and refrigerant outlet plenum mounted to the outlet door for exhausting heat from refrigerant circulating therethrough.