JP2004319628A - System module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling technique capable of enough cooling to ensure reliability of a module even if the module is improved in performance, made thin in thickness or mounted highly densely, and especially, smoothly dissipating heat of a high heating component mounted on a module employing a liquid-cooling system, in a cooling method of a system module such as a server module of a rack mount server system or a PC module of a desk top PC. <P>SOLUTION: The server module of the rack mount server system is configured so as to have in a device casing 1 a heat-generating portion 3 such as a CPU or an LSI, a cooling device casing 32 including a heat exchanger for circulating a cooling liquid to cool the heat-generating portion 3 and cooling the cooling liquid using the latent heat of a refrigerant, and a device power source for supplying power to the heat-generating portion 3. A closed cooling system can be configured with only the single device of the server module by mounting the cooling device for cooling the cooling liquid of a liquid-cooling system by a heat exchanger utilizing a latent heat. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a technology for cooling a system module, and more particularly to a technology effective when applied to a method for cooling a system module such as a server module of a rack mount server system or a PC module of a desktop PC (Personal Computer).
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, rack mounting systems have become the mainstream in the system configuration, storage, and installation of information processing apparatuses such as servers. The rack mount system is a system in which devices with each function are stacked and mounted in a rack cabinet formed based on a specific standard, and each device can be freely selected and arranged, and the system configuration is flexible and expandable. This is advantageous in that the occupation area of the entire system can be reduced.
[0003]
In particular, regarding servers, a 19-inch rack cabinet specified in the IEC standard (International Electrical Commissionion) / EIA standard (The Electrical Industries Association) is the mainstream, and the left and right opening dimensions of a column for mounting the device are 451 mm. The height dimension in mounting is specified in units of 1U (1EIA) = 44.45 mm.
[0004]
Here, FIG. 7 shows a mounting state of a server module in a rack cabinet in a conventional cooling method of a rack-mounted server system, which has been studied as a premise of the present invention. A conventional rack mount server system is configured by mounting a plurality of server modules in a rack cabinet 10. The rack cabinet 10 includes four pillars forming an outer shell and four mounting angles 11 serving as pillars for mounting a server module.
[0005]
The device housing 1 of the server module is attached to the mount angle 11 by the mounting bracket 8. A main board 2 is mounted inside the apparatus housing 1, and a heat generating unit 3 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an LSI (Large Scale Integrated circuit) is mounted on the main board 2. A radiating fin 4 is in close contact with the heat generating portion 3, and a cooling fan 5 is mounted upstream of the radiating fin 4, so that the fin 4 is exposed to wind.
[0006]
A device power supply 39 is mounted inside the device housing 1 of the server module, and a power supply fan 44 for blowing air to the device power supply 39 is mounted upstream of the device power supply 39.
[0007]
Further, usually, a device 6 such as a magnetic storage device is mounted on the front surface of the server module. On the rear surface of the device, a connector 7 for external connection and the like are mounted.
[0008]
With the mounting described above, the flow of the wind is reduced by the cooling fan 5 mounted inside the device housing 1, the outside air is sucked in from the front of the device through the gap of the device 6, and the heat generating portion 3 is cooled by the radiation fins 4. Thereafter, the air is exhausted to the rear or side surface of the apparatus through the gap of the connector 7 or the like. Also, with respect to the device power supply 39, the flow of air is exhausted to the rear or side surface of the device after the device power supply 39 is cooled by the power supply fan 44 and the clearance of the connector 7 or the like is removed.
[0009]
As described above, in the conventional rack mount server system, heat is taken in from the front surface of the device in which the cooling fan 5 and the power supply fan 44 are mounted inside the device housing 1 of the server module, and exhausted to the rear surface or the side surface of the device. A forced air cooling system for cooling the unit 3 and the device power supply 39 was mainly used. Such a rack-mounted forced air cooling system is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.
[0010]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-261172 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the rack mount method as described above, there are cases where other devices are similarly mounted above and below each device of the server module, and even if air intake and exhaust are performed on the top and bottom surfaces of the device, the air intake and exhaust ports are not. Blocked, no effect expected. Further, when an intake port is provided on the side surface of the device, the air in the rack cabinet heated by the exhaust of the device is taken in, which causes a reduction in cooling efficiency. Therefore, in the forced air cooling system of the rack mount system, it is necessary to intake air from the front of the device and exhaust air from the rear and side surfaces of the device.
[0012]
In recent years, in the rack mount system, the thickness of the device has been reduced due to the high density mounting and space saving of server modules in the rack cabinet, and only a small cooling fan with a small air volume can be mounted inside the device. In addition, a device such as a magnetic storage device is mounted on the front surface of the device, and a connector for connection with the outside is disposed on the rear surface of the device.
[0013]
Furthermore, in the rack mount system, with the higher performance of server modules, the speed of CPUs and LSIs, the number of CPUs has been increased, the number of rotations and arrays of devices such as magnetic storage devices have been increased, and the amount of heat generated has also been reduced. It has increased. For this reason, it has become difficult to secure a required air volume for forced air cooling.
[0014]
Also, in the PC module of a desktop PC, the amount of heat generated by the higher performance of the PC module increases as in the case of the server module of the rack mount type described above, so that the required air volume for forced air cooling is secured. It's getting harder.
[0015]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of cooling a system module such as a server module of a rack-mount server system or a PC module of a desktop PC, even if the module is made high-performance, thin, and densely mounted. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling technique which enables sufficient cooling for ensuring reliability, and in particular, smoothly radiates heat-generating components mounted on a module employing a liquid cooling system.
[0016]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a system module such as a server module of a rack mount server system or a PC module of a desktop PC, and a first heat generating unit that generates heat at a first temperature; Is cooled by circulating a cooling liquid, and a cooling device including a heat exchanger for cooling the cooling liquid by utilizing latent heat of the refrigerant; and a power supply to the first heat generating portion and the cooling device, and a third temperature is supplied. And a device power supply that generates heat.
[0017]
Further, in the system module of the present invention, the heat exchanger includes a radiator for a refrigerant and a cooling fan, and the cooling fan cools the radiator and the device power supply. Furthermore, a second heat generating portion that generates heat to the second temperature is provided, and the cooling fan cools the second heat generating portion.
[0018]
Further, the system module of the present invention has a heat receiving portion through which the coolant circulates in close contact with at least one of the first heat generating portion and the second heat generating portion. They are connected by a fluid coupling with an automatic opening and closing valve. Further, at least one of the pair of fluid couplings with an automatic opening and closing valve is connected to a flexible connection tube.
[0019]
Further, in the system module of the present invention, the heat exchanger includes a Peltier module, the heat absorbing side of the Peltier module is in close contact with the coolant tank, the heat sink is in close contact with the heat radiating side, and the tank itself is cooled to cool the coolant. Is what you do. Further, a cooling fan for a heat sink is provided, and the cooling fan cools the heat sink.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings for describing the embodiments, members having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof will be omitted.
[0021]
In the following, a rack-mount server system having a server module will be mainly described as an example, but the present invention is also applicable to a desktop PC having a PC module.
[0022]
First, an example of a schematic configuration of a server module of a rack mount server system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a server module of the rack mount server system according to the present embodiment.
[0023]
The server module of the rack mount server system according to the present embodiment includes a heat generating unit 3 such as a CPU and an LSI inside the device housing 1 and cooling the heat generating unit 3 by circulating a coolant. And a cooling device housing 32 including a heat exchanger that cools the cooling water by using the latent heat of the refrigerant.
[0024]
The cooling device housing 32 includes a pump 23 and a tank 24 for circulating the coolant to the heat receiving unit 21 which is in close contact with the heat generating unit 3, a cooling unit 33 built in the tank 24 for circulating the refrigerant, an expansion valve 34, and a compressor. 35, a heat exchanger including a refrigerant cooling fan 37 and a radiator 38 for the refrigerant.
[0025]
The heat receiving portion 21 outside the cooling device housing 32, the pump 23 and the tank 24 inside the cooling device housing 32 form a fluid path connected by piping, and the heat receiving portion 21 is cooled by the pump 23. A liquid is circulated, and a tank 24 is disposed upstream of the pump 23 as a buffer for a cooling liquid. If the pump 23 is disposed downstream of the heat generating unit 3, the pump 23 absorbs the high temperature coolant and adversely affects the pump life and performance. Therefore, the pump 23 is disposed upstream of the heat generating unit 3. I have.
[0026]
The heat exchanger inside the cooling device housing 32 is a system using a refrigerant, and is a fluid in which a cooling unit 33 incorporated in the tank 24, an expansion valve 34, a compressor 35, and a refrigerant radiator 38 are connected by piping. Forming a path. In this heat exchanger, the refrigerant vaporized by the compressor 35 is compressed to a high pressure, sent to the refrigerant radiator 38, and cooled by the refrigerant cooling fan 37. The cooled refrigerant is liquefied and sent to the expansion valve 34, where it is vaporized again, the cooling unit 33 is cooled, and returned to the compressor 35 again.
[0027]
Next, an example of a specific structure of the server module according to the present embodiment and a rack mount server system equipped with the server module will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mounting state of a server module, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mounting form of a cooling device and a heat receiving unit of the server module, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a rack mount server system in which the server module is mounted on a rack cabinet. Is shown.
[0028]
In the server module according to the present embodiment, in the schematic configuration shown in FIG. 1, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a main board 2 is mounted inside an apparatus housing 1 and a CPU is mounted on the main board 2. And a heat generating unit 3 such as an LSI. A heat receiving section 21 through which the coolant circulates through the apparatus internal pipe 22 is in close contact with the heat generating section 3. The heat receiving portion 21 is formed of a material having a high heat transfer coefficient, forms a meandering flow path so that the coolant contacts the widest possible area, and is provided outside the cooling device housing 32 of the cooling device.
[0029]
Inside the cooling device housing 32 of the cooling device, a pump 23 and a tank 24 connected to the heat receiving portion 21, a cooling portion 33 of a heat exchanger using a refrigerant built in the tank 24, and a compressor 35 for the refrigerant , An expansion valve 34, a refrigerant cooling fan 37, a radiator 38 for the refrigerant, and the like.
[0030]
As described above, in the cooling device, the cooling unit 33 of the heat exchanger using the refrigerant is built in the tank 24, and the cooling liquid in the tank 24 is cooled by the cooling unit 33, and the heat generating unit 3 to which the heat receiving unit 21 is in close contact. On the other hand, a structure in which a low-temperature cooling liquid is always supplied by the pump 23 and cooled is provided.
[0031]
Further, a cooling control circuit 36 is provided inside the cooling device housing 32, and the cooling control circuit 36 adjusts the rotation speed of the compressor 35 and the spray amount of the refrigerant of the expansion valve 34 so as to adjust the cooling liquid. It is possible to control the temperature.
[0032]
Further, inside the cooling device housing 32, power is supplied to each unit such as the heat generating unit 3 and the cooling device in the server module, and a device power supply 39 having a high heat generating unit is mounted. Thermally isolated from The device power supply 39 is provided on the upstream side of the refrigerant cooling fan 37, and has a structure in which the refrigerant radiator 38 is cooled by the refrigerant cooling fan 37 and the device power supply 39 is also cooled.
[0033]
Further, a device (heating unit) 6 such as a magnetic storage device is mounted on the front surface of the device housing 1 outside the cooling device housing 32, and the device 6 sucks air from the device 6 in the entire apparatus. 6 is also cooled by the refrigerant cooling fan 37.
[0034]
In this server module, for example, the heat of the heat generating unit 3 such as a CPU or an LSI is assumed to be a first temperature, the heat of a device 6 such as a magnetic storage device is assumed to be a second temperature, and the heat of the device power supply 39 is assumed to be a third temperature. ,
The third temperature> first, second temperature> air temperature.
[0035]
In the server module according to the present embodiment, the connection between the cooling device and the heat receiving unit is performed, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, by connecting the cooling device housing 32 and the heat receiving unit 21 with a pair of fluid couplings 25 with automatic opening and closing valves. It has a structure in which the coolant does not leak at the time of attachment and detachment. That is, this fluid coupling 25 with an automatic opening and closing valve has a valve built in the connection coupling, and there are valves on the male side and the female side of the coupling, respectively. Then, the valve has a function of closing the valve by the force of the spring.
[0036]
Further, at least one of the pair of fluid couplings 25 with an automatic opening / closing valve, for example, the heat receiving portion 21 side is connected to a device internal pipe 22 connected to the heat receiving portion 21 by a flexible connection tube 26, and heat is generated by the flexible connection tube 26. The degree of freedom in mounting the heat receiving section 21 to the section 3 is provided.
[0037]
When there are a plurality of heat generating parts 3 on the main substrate 2 as in the present embodiment, the connection method of the apparatus internal piping 22 includes a series connection and a parallel connection. Since the cooling liquid rises by the heat generating portion 3 on the side and adversely affects the cooling of the heat generating portion 3 on the downstream side, in the present embodiment, the cooling liquid is connected to the plurality of heat generating portions 3 by parallel connection.
[0038]
The server module of the present embodiment is configured as a rack mount server system by mounting a plurality of server modules in a rack cabinet 10 as shown in FIG. 4, for example.
[0039]
The rack cabinet 10 has a box shape and is provided with mounting angles 11 on four sides, which are pillars to be attached when a server module is mounted inside. The device housing 1 of the server module is mounted on a mounting angle 11 of a rack cabinet 10 via a mounting bracket 8, similarly to a general rack-mount type device.
[0040]
The rack cabinet 10 has a general air-cooled system as well as a server module equipped with a cooling device including a heat exchanger that cools the liquid-cooled coolant using the latent heat of the refrigerant as described above. The server module can also be mounted on the mount angle 11 via the mounting bracket 8, so that a liquid-cooled server module and an air-cooled server module can be mixedly mounted.
[0041]
Next, referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, a schematic configuration of another server module and an example of a specific structure in the rack mount server system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of another server module, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a mounted state of another server module.
[0042]
The server module shown in FIG. 5 is different from the server module shown in FIG. 1 in that the cooling liquid is cooled by using a Peltier module 40 as a heat exchanger. That is, the server module cools the heat generating portion 3 such as a CPU and an LSI inside the device housing 1 by circulating the cooling liquid through the cooling liquid, and using the Peltier module 40 to cool the cooling liquid. It is configured to include a cooling device housing 32 including a heat exchanger for cooling.
[0043]
The cooling device housing 32 includes a pump 23 and a tank 24 for circulating the cooling liquid to the heat receiving unit 21 which is in close contact with the heat generating unit 3, a Peltier module 40 in which the heat absorbing side is in close contact with the tank 24, and a radiating side of the Peltier module 40. The heat exchanger includes a heat sink 42 and a cooling fan 43 which are in close contact with each other, an apparatus power supply 39, a Peltier module control circuit 41 for controlling the Peltier module 40, and the like.
[0044]
In the case of this cooling device, the heat absorbing side of the Peltier module 40 is brought into close contact with the upper part of the tank 24 for buffering the coolant, and the heat sink 42 is brought into close contact with the heat radiating side that is the opposite surface, thereby cooling the tank 24 itself. Cool the internal coolant. The tank 24 is formed of a material having high thermal conductivity, such as copper. The Peltier module 40 has a structure in which heat is diffused by a heat sink 42 and cooled by a cooling fan 43.
[0045]
Therefore, according to the server module cooling method of the rack mount server system of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
[0046]
(1) A cooling system that closes a single server module device by mounting a cooling device in the device housing 1 of the server module that cools the liquid-cooled cooling liquid with a heat exchanger using latent heat of the refrigerant. , So that it can be mounted in the same manner as a normal rack mount type server module. Also, there is no need for any additional equipment.
[0047]
(2) There is no need to mount a cooling device on the rack cabinet 10, and server modules can be mounted on all of the rack cabinets 10.
[0048]
(3) The ordinary liquid cooling device cools the cooling liquid by the outside air, but the server system of the present embodiment utilizes the latent heat of the refrigerant, so that high cooling performance can be obtained. That is, compared with the conventional liquid cooling method (a method of cooling the cooling liquid by air), the cooling liquid is cooled by the refrigerant, so that the temperature can be kept below the temperature, and the cooling performance of the heat generating part is higher than that of the conventional liquid cooling method. can do. In addition, since the cooling temperature can be adjusted according to the amount of refrigerant vaporized, the cooling capacity can be easily controlled.
[0049]
(4) A cooling device is mounted on the cooling device housing 32 and separated from other main components of the server module in order to liquefy the refrigerant to a high pressure and a high temperature by the compressor 35, so that the refrigerant is generated when the refrigerant is liquefied. It can be hardly affected by heat.
[0050]
(5) The device power supply 39 having a high heat generating portion is also mounted on the cooling device housing 32 and arranged upstream of the refrigerant cooling fan 37, so that the device power supply 39 can be cooled at the same time. You don't have to. In addition, by arranging the cooling device housing 32 at the most downstream side of the device, it is possible to cool the upstream device 6 and the like.
[0051]
(6) The cooling device and the heat receiving unit 21 are detachably connected by a flexible connection tube 26 and a fluid coupling 25 with an automatic opening / closing valve, thereby providing a degree of freedom with respect to the position of the heat generating unit 3 on the main board 2. be able to. In addition, the disassembly and maintenance work becomes easy.
[0052]
(7) In contrast to a heat exchanger using a refrigerant, a heat exchanger using a Peltier module 40 does not have the compressor 35 or the expansion valve 34, so that downsizing is possible. Further, since there is no refrigerant pipe or the like that seals the refrigerant, the structure can be simplified.
[0053]
In the above, the server module of the rack mount server system has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is widely applicable to all system modules employing a liquid cooling system, such as a PC module of a desktop PC. It is. Even when the present invention is applied to a system module such as a PC module of a desktop PC, the same effects as those of the server module described above can be obtained, although the mounting form differs depending on the system.
[0054]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, in a method of cooling a system module such as a server module of a rack mount server system or a PC module of a desktop PC, the reliability of the module is improved even if the module is made high-performance, thin, and densely mounted. It is possible to perform sufficient cooling for securing the heat, and in particular, it is possible to smoothly dissipate heat from the high heat-generating components mounted on the module employing the liquid cooling system.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a server module of a rack mount server system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mounted state of a server module in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mounting mode of a cooling device and a heat receiving unit of the server module in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a rack mount server system in which a server module is mounted on a rack cabinet in one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another server module in one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a mounted state of another server module in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a mounting state of a server module in a rack cabinet in a conventional rack-mounted server system using a forced air cooling system.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Device housing, 2 ... Main board, 3 ... Heating part, 4 ... Heat radiation fins, 5 ... Cooling fan, 6 ... Device, 7 ... Connection connector, 8 ... Mounting bracket, 9 ... Heating element, 10 ... Rack cabinet, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Mount angle, 21 ... Heat receiving part, 22 ... Device internal piping, 23 ... Pump, 24 ... Tank, 25 ... Fluid coupling with an automatic opening / closing valve, 26 ... Connection tube, 32 ... Cooling device housing, 33 ... Cooling part, 34 ... Expansion valve, 35 ... Compressor, 36 ... Cooling control circuit, 37 ... Refrigerant cooling fan, 38 ... Refrigerator radiator, 39 ... Device power supply, 40 ... Peltier module, 41 ... Peltier module control circuit, 42 ... Heat sink, 43 ... Cooling fan, 44 ... Power supply fan.

Claims (5)

A first heat generating portion that generates heat to a first temperature;
A cooling device that includes a heat exchanger that cools the first heat generating portion by circulating a cooling liquid and cools the cooling liquid using latent heat of a refrigerant;
A system power supply that supplies power to the first heat generating unit and the cooling device and generates heat to a third temperature. The system module according to claim 1,
The heat exchanger includes a radiator and a cooling fan for the refrigerant,
The system module according to claim 1, wherein the cooling fan cools the radiator and the device power. The system module according to claim 2,
A second heat generating portion that generates heat to a second temperature;
The said cooling fan cools the said 2nd heat generation part, The system module characterized by the above-mentioned. The system module according to claim 3,
A heat receiving unit in which the coolant circulates in close contact with at least one of the first heat generating unit and the second heat generating unit;
The housing of the cooling device and the heat receiving section are connected by a pair of fluid couplings with an automatic opening and closing valve, and at least one of the pair of fluid couplings with an automatic opening and closing valve is connected to a flexible connection tube. And a system module. The system module according to claim 1,
The heat exchanger includes a Peltier module,
A system module, wherein the heat absorbing side of the Peltier module is in close contact with the coolant tank, the heat sink is in close contact with the heat dissipation side of the Peltier module, and the tank is cooled to cool the coolant.

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