US20220322571A1

US20220322571A1 - Rack system for housing an electronic device

Info

Publication number: US20220322571A1
Application number: US17/697,452
Authority: US
Inventors: Ali CHEHADE; Gregory Francis Louis Bauchart; Alexandre Alain Jean-Pierre MENEBOO; Henryk Klaba
Original assignee: OVH SAS
Current assignee: OVH SAS
Priority date: 2021-04-01
Filing date: 2022-03-17
Publication date: 2022-10-06
Also published as: EP4316218A1; US12144145B2; CN117158120A; CN115209672A; CA3152607A1; US20220322561A1; EP4068935A1; KR20220136949A; EP4068925A1; CN115209669A; KR20220136918A; US20220315399A1; EP4316222A1; EP4316221A1; CA3152610A1; CA3151734A1; EP4068926A1; US20220322577A1; CN117136635A; CN115209679A

Abstract

A rack system for housing an electronic device comprises an immersion case configured to provide housing to the electronic device. The immersion case includes a first wall, and a second wall. The first wall and the second wall define means for controlling deformation of the immersion case, such that when an immersion cooling liquid is inserted in the immersion case, the means for controlling deformation limit the deformation of the immersion case.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present patent application claims priority from European Patent Application Number 21305427.3, filed on Apr. 1, 2021, and from European Patent Application Number 21306186.4, filed on Aug. 31, 2021, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to a rack system and, in particular, to a rack system for housing an electronic device.

BACKGROUND

Electronic devices, for example servers, memory banks, computer discs, and the like, are conventionally grouped in rack structures. Large data centers and other large computing infrastructures may contain thousands of rack structures supporting thousands or even tens of thousands of electronic devices.
The electronic devices mounted in the rack structures consume a large amount of electric power and generate a significant amount of heat. Cooling needs are important in such rack structure. Some electronic devices, such as processors, generate so much heat that they could fail within seconds in case of a lack of cooling.
Forced air-cooling has been traditionally used to disperse heat generated by the electronic devices mounted in the rack structures. Air-cooling requires the use of powerful fans, the provision of space between the electronic devices for placing heat sinks and for allowing sufficient airflow, and is generally not very efficient.
With further advancements, liquid-cooling technologies, for example using water-cooling, and immersion cooling technologies, for example using dielectric immersion cooling liquids are increasingly used as an efficient and cost-effective solution to preserve safe operating temperatures of the electronic devices mounted in the rack structures.
However, it is to be noted that when using the immersion cooling technologies, a dielectric immersion cooling liquid fills an immersion case that provides housing to the electronic devices in the rack structure. This leads to deformation of the immersion cases and as a result, it may cause inconvenience while performing racking or de-racking operations of the immersions cases from the rack structure. Using heavy or thick materials to add rigidity to the construction of the immersion cases would be costly and require the use of even sturdier rack structures.
With this said, there is an interest in designing effective immersion cases for the rack structure that reduce the above-mentioned inconvenience.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches.

SUMMARY

The embodiments of the present disclosure have been developed based on developers' appreciation of the shortcomings associated with the prior art.
In particular such shortcomings may comprise: (1) deformation of immersion cases due to the insertion of immersion cooling liquid; (2) inconvenience while performing racking or de-racking operations of the immersions cases from a rack structure; and/or (3) inefficient space utilization of space in the rack structure.
In accordance with a broad aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided A rack system for housing an electronic device comprising:
an immersion case configured to provide housing to the electronic device, wherein,

- the immersion case includes a first wall, and a second wall opposite to the first wall,
- the first wall and the second wall define means for controlling deformation of the immersion case, such that when an immersion cooling liquid is inserted in the immersion case, the means for controlling deformation limiting the deformation of the immersion case such that the immersion case remains rackable and de-rackable from a rack structure receiving the immersion case.

In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein at least one of the first wall and the second wall define a first surface position P1 when not subjected to a pressure P thereacross and a second surface position P2 when subject to the pressure P thereacross, the pressure P resulting from inserting the immersion cooling liquid in the immersion case.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the first surface position P1 and the second surface position P2 are defined with reference to outside mold lines of the first wall, and the second wall.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the first surface position P1 defines an inward curvature with respect to the outside mold lines
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein, in response to the pressure P, the second surface position P2 of the at least one of the first wall and the second wall is moved by a predetermined distance Δd from the first surface position P1.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the first surface position P1 lies between 2 to 5 mm from the outside mold lines.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the inward curvature selected from an inward linear fold curvature, an inward diamond point fold curvature, a concave curvature and a combination thereof.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the first wall and the second wall define reinforcement members coupled to the first wall and the second wall, such that when the immersion cooling liquid is inserted in the immersion case, the reinforcement members reduce deformation of the immersion case by deflecting the first wall and the second wall towards the inner side of the immersion cases.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the reinforcement members are one or more of: external to the first wall and the second wall, internal to the first wall and the second wall, and imbedded in the first wall and the second wall.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the reinforcement members are arranged in one dimension or two dimensions.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the reinforcement members which are coupled to the first wall are arranged parallel to each other and the reinforcement members which are coupled to the second wall are arranged parallel to each other.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the reinforcement members are in a grid type arrangement.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein each of the reinforcement members includes at least one metallic strip.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the immersion case further comprises a detachable frame configured to hold the electronic device.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the immersion case further comprises an opening to insert the electronic device and the immersion cooling liquid.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the immersion case further comprises a serpentine convection coil configured to cool the immersion cooling liquid.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the serpentine convection coil is fluidly coupled to liquid coolant inlet/outlet conduits to facilitate a flow of circulating cooling liquid within the serpentine convection coil, and optionally the circulating cooling liquid is water and the immersion cooling liquid is a dielectric immersion cooling liquid.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the immersion case having another opening to facilitate cables from a power distribution unit to the electronic device.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the electronic device is one or more of: a computing device, a server and a power system.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure wherein the immersion case is constructed from aluminum.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the immersion case is stacked vertically in the rack structure.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the immersion case includes a plurality of immersion cases.
In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rack structure, wherein the plurality of immersion cases are stacked vertically and arranged in parallel in the rack structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Further features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a rack system for housing rack mounted assembly, in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates another perspective view of the rack system, in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the rack mounted assembly, in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4-6 illustrate perspective views of different non-limiting examples of pre-deformed immersion cases, in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate a two-dimensional view of the immersion case 400 before and after the insertion of the dielectric immersion cooling liquid, in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 8-10 illustrate perspective views of different non-limiting examples of immersion cases with reinforcement members, in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 11-12 illustrate intensity of deformations of the immersion cases filled with the dielectric immersion cooling liquid.

It is to be understood that throughout the appended drawings and corresponding descriptions, like features are identified by like reference characters. Furthermore, it is also to be understood that the drawings and ensuing descriptions are intended for illustrative purposes only and that such disclosures do not provide a limitation on the scope of the claims. The various drawings are not to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The instant disclosure is directed to address at least some of the deficiencies of the current technology. In particular, the instant disclosure describes a rack system for housing an electronic device.
Unless otherwise defined or indicated by context, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the described embodiments appertain to.
In the context of the present specification, unless provided expressly otherwise, the words “first”, “second”, “third”, etc. have been used as adjectives only for the purpose of allowing for distinction between the nouns that they modify from one another, and not for the purpose of describing any particular relationship between those nouns. Thus, for example, it should be understood that, the use of the terms “first processor” and “third processor” is not intended to imply any particular order, type, chronology, hierarchy or ranking (for example) of/between the server, nor is their use (by itself) intended to imply that any “second server” must necessarily exist in any given situation. Further, as is discussed herein in other contexts, reference to a “first” element and a “second” element does not preclude the two elements from being the same actual real-world element. Thus, for example, in some instances, a “first” server and a “second” server may be the same software and/or hardware, in other cases they may be different software and/or hardware.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly or indirectly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements that may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.).
In the context of the present specification, when an element is referred to as being “associated with” another element, in certain embodiments, the two elements can be directly or indirectly linked, related, connected, coupled, the second element employs the first element, or the like without limiting the scope of present disclosure.
The terminology used herein is only intended to describe particular representative embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present technology. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising”, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Implementations of the present technology each have at least one of the above-mentioned objects and/or aspects, but do not necessarily have all of them. It should be understood that some aspects of the present technology that have resulted from attempting to attain the above-mentioned object may not satisfy this object and/or may satisfy other objects not specifically recited herein.
The examples and conditional language recited herein are principally intended to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present technology and not to limit its scope to such specifically recited examples and conditions. It will be appreciated that those skilled in the art may devise various arrangements which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, nonetheless embody the principles of the present technology and are included within its spirit and scope.
Furthermore, as an aid to understanding, the following description may describe relatively simplified implementations of the present technology. As persons skilled in the art would understand, various implementations of the present technology may be of a greater complexity.
In some cases, what are believed to be helpful examples of modifications to the present technology may also be set forth. This is done merely as an aid to understanding, and, again, not to define the scope or set forth the bounds of the present technology. These modifications are not an exhaustive list, and a person skilled in the art may make other modifications while nonetheless remaining within the scope of the present technology. Further, where no examples of modifications have been set forth, it should not be interpreted that no modifications are possible and/or that what is described is the sole manner of implementing that element of the present technology.
Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and implementations of the present technology, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof, whether they are currently known or developed in the future. Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative circuitry embodying the principles of the present technology. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flowcharts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo-code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer-readable media and so executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
In the context of the present specification, when an element is referred to as an electronic device, the element may include but is not limited to: servers including blade servers; disk arrays/storage systems; storage area networks; network attached storage; storage communication systems; work stations; routers; telecommunication infrastructure/switches; wired, optical and wireless communication devices; cell processor devices; printers; power supplies; displays; optical devices; instrumentation systems including hand-held systems; military electronics; etc. Many of the concepts will be described and illustrated herein as applied to an array of computer servers. However, it is to be realized that the concepts described herein could be used on other electronic devices as well.
With these fundamentals in place, the instant disclosure is directed to address at least some of the deficiencies of the current technology. In particular, the instant disclosure describes a rack system for housing an electronic device.
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a rack system 100 for housing a rack mounted assembly 104, in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the rack system 100 may include a rack structure 102, a rack mounted assembly 104, a liquid cooling inlet conduit 106 and a liquid cooling outlet conduit 108.
FIG. 2 illustrates another perspective view of the rack system 100, in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the rack system 100 may further comprise a power distribution unit 110, a switch 112, and liquid coolant inlet/outlet connectors 114. It is to be noted that the rack system 100 may include other components such as heat exchangers, cables, pumps or the like, however, such components have been omitted from FIGS. 1 and 2 for the purpose of simplicity. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rack structure 102 may include shelves 103 to accommodate one or more rack-mounted assemblies 104. In certain non-limiting embodiments, the one or more rack mounted assemblies 104 may be racked vertically on the shelves 103.
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the rack mounted assembly 104, in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the rack mounted assembly 104 may include an immersion case 116 and a detachable frame 118. The detachable frame 118 may hold an electronic device 120 and may be immersed in the immersion case 116.
It is contemplated that the electronic device 120 may generate a significant amount of heat. To this end, the rack system 100 may use a mechanism to cool down the electronic device 120 to prevent the electronic device 120 from getting damaged. To do so, in certain non-limiting embodiments, an immersion cooling liquid may be inserted in the immersion case 116. Further, the detachable frame 118 including the electronic device 120 may be immersed in the immersion case 116. In certain non-limiting embodiments, the immersion cooling liquid and the detachable frame 118 may be inserted to the immersion case 116 via an opening 122 at the top of the immersion case 116. In certain non-limiting embodiments, the detachable frame 118 may be attached in a sealed configuration to the immersion case 116. While in other embodiments, the detachable frame 118 may be attached in a non-sealed configuration to the immersion case 116.
In certain non-limiting embodiments, the immersion cooling liquid may be dielectric immersion cooling liquid. All the electronic and thermally active components associated with the electronic device 120 may be immersed in the dielectric immersion cooling liquid. The dielectric cooling liquid may be in a direct contact with the electronic and thermally active components associated with the electronic device 120. Thus, the immersion case 116 may act as a container containing the electronic device 120 and the dielectric immersion cooling liquid. The dielectric immersion cooling liquid may cool the electronic device 120.
The dielectric immersion cooling liquid that may be used in various embodiments may include but are not limited to Fluorinert™ FC-3283, Fluorinert™ FC-43, Silicone oil 20, Silicone oil 50, Sobyean oil, S5× (Shell), SmartCoolant (Submer), ThermaSafe R™ (Engineering fluids), Novec™ 7100 or the like. It is to be noted that any suitable dielectric immersion cooling may be employed in various non-limiting embodiments, provided the dielectric immersion cooling liquid is capable of providing insulation among various electronic and thermally active components associated with the electronic device 120 along with a capability of cooling the components.
In certain non-limiting embodiments, the immersion case 116 may also include a convection inducing structure to cool/induce convection in the dielectric immersion liquid. By way of a non-limiting example, the convection inducing structure may be a serpentine convection coil 124 attached to the detachable frame 118. The serpentine convection coil 124 may be fluidly coupled to the liquid cooling inlet conduit 106 and the liquid cooling outlet conduit 108 via the liquid coolant inlet/outlet connectors 114. The serpentine convection coil 124 may allow a flow of a circulating cooling liquid. The circulating cooling liquid, by means of convection, may cool down the dielectric immersion cooling system. Thereby, making the cooling mechanism of the electronic device 120 a hybrid cooling mechanism.
Further, the electronic device 120 may be connected to the power distribution unit 110 and the switch 112 via power and network cables (not illustrated) to facilitate powering the electronic device 120 and to facilitate communication between the electronic device 120 and external devices (not illustrated) through the switch 112.
As previously noted that the dielectric immersion cooling liquid may be inserted in the immersion case 116 for cooling the electronic device 120. The dielectric immersion cooling liquid may exert some pressure P on the walls of the immersion case 116. This may result in outward deformation (i.e. inflation and/or bulging) of the immersion case 116. The outward deformation may affect the racking and de-racking operations of the immersion case 116 over the shelves 103. As such, the immersion cases 116 may be difficult to remove from the rack structure 102. The deformation may also affect the proper space utilization of the rack structure 102. By way of example, if one shelf 103 is designed to accommodate 16 empty immersion cases 116, however, due to deformation of the immersion cases 116, the shelf 103 might now accommodate a fewer number of filled immersion cases 116.
With this said, in various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure, the immersion case 116 may define means for controlling deformation of the immersion case 116, such that when an immersion cooling liquid is inserted in the immersion case 116, the means for controlling deformation may limit the deformation of the immersion case 116 such that the immersion case 116 may remain rackable and de-rackable from the rack structure 102 (as shown in FIG. 1) receiving the immersion case 116.
In certain non-limiting embodiments, the immersion case 116 may be pre-deformed to counter the effect of the deformation caused by the insertion of the dielectric immersion cooling liquid. FIGS. 4-6 illustrate perspective views of different non-limiting examples of pre-deformed immersion cases (200, 300, and 400 respectively), in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure. In the views of FIGS. 4-6, pre-deformations of the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400 respectively) are exaggerated for illustration purposes.
Each of the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400) may include a first wall (202, 302, and 402 respectively) and a second wall (204, 304, and 404 respectively) opposite to the first wall (202, 302, and 402, respectively), third side wall (203, 303, and 403), fourth wall (205, 305, and 405) and an opening (210, 310, and 410). The dielectric immersion cooling liquid and the electronic device 120 may be inserted to the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400) via the opening (210, 310, and 410). In certain non-liming embodiments, the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400) may be constructed from any suitable metal, such as for example aluminum, steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel, copper or the like.
It is to be noted that the structural details discussed below for the first wall (202, 302, and 402) and the second wall (204, 304, and 404) may be equally applicable to the third side wall (203, 303, and 403) and fourth wall (205, 305, and 405).
The dielectric immersion cooling liquid inserted in the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400) may apply a pressure P on the first wall (202, 302, and 402) and the second wall (204, 304, and 404). In certain non-limiting embodiments, the first wall (202, 302, and 402) and the second wall (204, 304, and 404) may be designed in a manner that the first wall (202, 302, and 402) and the second wall (204, 304, and 404) define a first surface position P1 when not subjected to the pressure P thereacross and a second surface position P2 when subject to the pressure P thereacross. It is to be noted that the pressure P may be a result of inserting the immersion cooling liquid in the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400).
FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate two-dimensional views of the immersion case 400 before and after the insertion of the dielectric immersion cooling liquid, in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7A illustrates the first surface position P1 of the first wall 402 and the second wall 404 without any dielectric immersion looking liquid in the immersion case 400. FIG. 7B illustrates the second surface position P2 of the first wall 402 and the second wall 404 when the dielectric immersion cooling liquid may be inserted into the immersion case 400. The dielectric immersion cooling liquid may apply the pressure P over first wall 402 and the second wall 404. To this end, the first wall 402 and/or the second wall 404 may tend to move towards the second mold line 406-2 and the third mold line 406-3 respectively by the predetermined distance Δd.
It is to be noted that although FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate two-dimensional cross-sectional views of the immersion case 400, however, similar concept may be equally applicable to the immersion cases 200 and 300 as well without limiting the scope of present disclosure.
Returning to FIG. 4-6, in certain non-limiting embodiments, the first surface position P1 may represent initial positions of the first wall (202, 302, and 402) and/or the second wall (204, 304, and 404) before the insertion of the dielectric immersion cooling liquid in the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400). Also, the second surface position P2 may represent final positions of the first wall (202, 302, and 402) and the second wall (204, 304, and 404) after the insertion of the dielectric immersion cooling liquid in the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400).
In certain non-limiting embodiments, the first surface position P1 and the second surface position P2 may be defined with reference to the outside mold lines such as a first mold line (206-1, 306-1, and 406-1), a second mold line (206-2, 306-2, and 406-2), a third mold line (206-3, 306-3, and 406-3), and a fourth mold line (206-4, 306-4, and 406-4) associated with the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400).
In certain non-limiting embodiments, the first surface position P1 may be located on the inside of the outside mold lines and the second surface position P2 may be located on the inside of on the outside mold lines, or be aligned with the outside mold lines, depending on the pressure P applied by the dielectric immersion cooling liquid. In other words, the outside mold lines may define an extent to which the first wall (202, 302, and 402) and the second wall (204, 304, and 404) may be deformed. A slight bulging of the second surface position P2 beyond the outside mold lines may be acceptable provided that this does not impede with racking and de-racking of the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400).
In certain non-limiting embodiments, in response to the pressure P, the second surface position P2 may include moving the at least one of the first wall (202, 302, and 402) and the second wall (204, 304, and 404) by a predetermined distance Δd from the first surface position P1 toward the outside mold lines. The at least one of the first wall (202, 302, and 402) and the second wall (204, 304, and 404) is therefore substantially straightened when in the second surface position P2 in comparison to when in the first surface position P1. It may be noted that the at least one of the first wall (202, 302, and 402) and the second wall (204, 304, and 404) may not be entirely straight when in the second surface position P2; it may be still be slightly deflected inwardly; it may even be slighted deflected outwardly as long as it does not impede racking or de-racking operations. The person of ordinary skill in the art will be able to determine the proper shape and construction of the immersion case (200, 300, and 400) in view of its size, the material used in its construction, a thickness of the material, and the expected weight of the immersion cooling liquid. The predetermined distance Δd may be within a distance from the outside mold lines to the first surface position P1. In certain non-limiting embodiments, the first surface position P1 may lie between 2 to 5 mm from the outside mold lines.
In certain non-limiting embodiments, the first surface position P1 may define an inward curvature of the first wall (202, 302, and 402) and/or of the second wall (204, 304, and 404) with respect to the outside mold lines. It is to be noted that, in different non-limiting embodiments, different inward curvatures may be adapted by the first wall (202, 302, and 402) and/or the second wall (204, 304, and 404). By way of examples, without limiting the scope of present disclosure, FIG. 4 illustrates the immersion case 200, where the first surface position P1 may define inward linear fold curvatures (208-1 and 208-2), FIG. 5 illustrates the immersion case 300, where the first surface position P1 may define inward diamond point fold curvatures (308-1 and 308-2), and FIG. 6 illustrates the immersion case 400, where the first surface position P1 may define concave curvatures (408-1 and 408-2). It is to be noted that any suitable inward curvature may be employed in various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure, as long as the second surface position P2 upon application of the pressure P remains substantially within the outside mold lines.
Thus, by virtue of the first surface position P1 and the inward curvatures, the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400) may limit the deformation (such as bulging out) due to pressure P as applied by the dielectric immersion cooling liquid. As a result, the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400) may remain rackable in the rack structure 102 in an efficient manner. Also, the de-racking operation of the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400) may be performed without any inconvenience.
It is to be noted that the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400) may have sufficient internal space to allow the insertion of the electronic device 120, even in the absence of the dielectric immersion cooling liquid.
FIGS. 8-10 illustrate perspective views of different non-limiting examples of immersion cases (500, 600, and 700 respectively) with reinforcement members, in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure.
Each of the immersion cases (500, 600, and 700) may include a first wall (502, 602, and 702 respectively) and a second wall (504, 604, and 704 respectively) opposite to the first wall (502, 602, and 702, respectively) and an opening (508, 608, and 708). The dielectric immersion cooling liquid and the electronic device 120 may be inserted to the immersion cases (500, 600, and 700) via the opening (508, 608, and 708). In certain non-liming embodiments, the immersion cases (500, 600, and 700) may be constructed from any suitable metal, such as for example aluminum, steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel, copper or the like.
It is to be noted that the immersion cases (500, 600, and 700) may include other walls (as illustrated in the FIGS. 8-10) and the structural details discussed below for the first wall (502, 602, and 702) and the second wall (504, 604, and 704) may be equally applicable to the other walls of the immersion cases (500, 600, and 700) as well.
In certain non-limiting embodiments, in addition to or alternative to the inward curvatures as discussed previously, the first wall (502, 602, and 702) and the second wall (504, 604, and 704) may define reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706 respectively) coupled to the first wall (502, 602, and 702) and the second wall (504, 604, and 704). The reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) may be coupled in a manner such that when the dielectric immersion cooling liquid is inserted in the immersion cases (500, 600, and 700), the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) reduce deformation of the immersion cases (500, 600, and 700) by deflecting the first wall (502, 602, and 702) and the second wall (504, 604, and 704) towards the inner side of the immersion cases (500, 600, and 700).
It is to be noted that although in the FIGS. 8-10 the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) have been illustrated as coupled externally to the first wall (502, 602, and 702) and the second wall (504, 604, and 704) in some of the non-limiting embodiments, the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) may be coupled internally to the first wall (502, 602, and 702) and the second wall (504, 604, and 704). In some other non-limiting embodiments, the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) may be imbedded in the first wall (502, 602, and 702) and the second wall (504, 604, and 704). Such embodiments have not been illustrated for the purpose of simplicity.
In certain non-limiting embodiments, the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) may be arranged in one dimension as illustrated on the FIGS. 8-10. It is to be noted that, although the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) have been illustrated as horizontally arranged, however, in other non-limiting embodiments, the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) may be arranged vertically.
In certain non-limiting embodiments, the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) which are coupled to the first wall (502, 602, and 702) may be arranged in parallel to each other and the reinforcement members (not illustrated) which are coupled to the second wall (504, 604, and 704) may be arranged in parallel to each other.
In certain non-limiting embodiments, the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) may be arranged in two dimensions. In other words, the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) may be arranged vertically as well as horizontally. By way of an example, the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) may be arranged in a grid type arrangement. In yet another non-limiting embodiment, the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) may be arranged in angular orientations. It is to be noted that how the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) have been arranged should not limit the scope of present disclosure.
In certain non-limiting embodiments, each of the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706) include at least one metallic strip. By way of an example, the metallic strip may be constructed from aluminum, steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel, copper or the like. As shown FIG. 9, each of the reinforcement member 606 may include one metallic strip and multiple reinforcement members 606 may be coupled to the first wall 602. FIG. 10 illustrates another example where each of the reinforcement member 706 may include a set of three metallic strips and multiple reinforcement members 706 may be coupled to the first wall 702.
FIGS. 11-12 illustrate intensity of deformations of the immersion cases 600 and 700 respectively. In particular, FIG. 11 illustrates deformed immersion case 800 corresponding to the immersion case 600 filled with the dielectric immersion cooling liquid. Also, FIG. 12 illustrates deformed immersion case 900 corresponding to the immersion case 700 filled with the dielectric immersion cooling liquid.
Thus, by virtue of the reinforcement members (506, 606, and 706), the immersion cases (500, 600, and 700) may limit the deformation due to pressure P as applied by the dielectric immersion cooling liquid. As a result, the immersion cases (500, 600, and 700) may remain rackable in the rack structure 102 in an efficient manner. Also, the de-racking operation of the immersion cases (200, 300, and 400) may be performed without any inconvenience.
It will also be understood that, although the embodiments presented herein have been described with reference to specific features and structures, it is clear that various modifications and combinations may be made without departing from such disclosures. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded simply as an illustration of the discussed implementations or embodiments and their principles as defined by the appended claims, and are contemplated to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents that fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A rack system for housing an electronic device comprising:

an immersion case configured to provide housing to the electronic device, wherein,

the immersion case includes a first wall, and a second wall opposite to the first wall,

the first wall and the second wall define an inward curvature for controlling deformation of the immersion case, such that when an immersion cooling liquid is inserted in the immersion case, the inward curvature for controlling deformation limits the deformation of the immersion case such that the immersion case remains rackable and de-rackable from a rack structure receiving the immersion case.

2. The rack system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first wall and the second wall define a first surface position when not subjected to a pressure thereacross and a second surface position when subject to the pressure thereacross, the pressure resulting from inserting the immersion cooling liquid in the immersion case.

3. The rack system of claim 2, wherein the first surface position and the second surface position are defined with reference to outside mold lines of the first wall, and the second wall.

4. The rack system of claim 3, wherein the first surface position lies between 2 to 5 mm from the outside mold lines.

5. The rack system of claim 3, wherein the first surface position defines the inward curvature with respect to the outside mold lines.

6. The rack system of claim 5, wherein the inward curvature is selected from an inward linear fold curvature, an inward diamond point fold curvature, a concave curvature and a combination thereof.

7. The rack system of claim 2, wherein, in response to the pressure, the second surface position of the at least one of the first wall and the second wall is moved by a predetermined distance Δd from the first surface position.

8. The rack system of claim 1, wherein the immersion case further comprises a detachable frame configured to hold the electronic device.

9. The rack system of claim 1, wherein the immersion case further comprises an opening to insert the electronic device and the immersion cooling liquid.