Patent ID: 8472182

Claim:
An apparatus for facilitating cooling of an electronics rack, the apparatus comprising: at least one liquid-cooled structure associated with at least one electronic component of the electronics rack; and at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger coupled in fluid communication with the at least one liquid-cooled structure via a coolant loop for receiving heated coolant after passing through the at least one liquid-cooled structure, the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger being external to and detached from the electronics rack, the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger being disposed within a cool air plenum coupled to an air-cooling source and receiving cooled air therefrom, the cool air plenum being external to the electronics rack, wherein cooled air within the cool air plenum passes across the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger, and the at least one liquid-to-air heat exchanger cools coolant passing therethrough by dissipating heat from the coolant passing therethrough to the cooled air passing thereacross; and wherein the cool air plenum comprises one of an underfloor plenum or an overhead plenum within a data center containing the electronics rack, the cool air plenum providing cooled air to the data center, and wherein the electronics rack is an air-cooled electronics rack.