WO2015199410A1

WO2015199410A1 - Cooling device

Info

Publication number: WO2015199410A1
Application number: PCT/KR2015/006359
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jungho Park
Original assignee: Manycoresoft Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2014-06-23
Filing date: 2015-06-23
Publication date: 2015-12-30
Also published as: KR20140004610U; KR200479465Y1

Abstract

A cooling device is disclosed herein. The cooling device is mountable on a server, including at least one accelerator and an opening for the inflow and outflow of coolant. The cooling system includes a first cooling plate, a second cooling plate, and a block unit. The first cooling plate comes into contact with the accelerator. The second cooling plate is disposed on the first cooling plate, and forms a watertight space in conjunction with the first cooling plate. The block unit is placed on at least part of the second cooling plate, and includes an entrance/exit hole that communicates with the opening, and thus allows the coolant to flow into or out of the watertight space.

Description

COOLING DEVICE

The present invention relates to a cooling device and, more particularly, to a cooling device that is applicable to a server.

The term “server” used herein refers to an electronic device that contains at least one central processing unit (CPU), accelerators, main memory, a motherboard, and hard disk drives (HDD) as its core components. An example of the server includes a Supermicro GPU SuperWorkstation 7047GR-TPRF server.

Such a server may be equipped with an accelerator. An accelerator is a device that includes at least tens to hundreds of cores and that can perform a massive amount of computation more rapidly than a CPU. One example of such an accelerator is a graphics processing unit (GPU). A GPU is a graphics processing device, and was developed to lessen the graphics processing burden imposed by the CPU. In recent years, the General-Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Units (GPGPU) technology has appeared, and GPUs have been widely used for an accelerator for rapidly performing a massive amount of computation in place of graphics processing.

An accelerator is a printed circuit board (PCB) to which electronic parts are attached. As shown in Fig. 1, core components, such as a processor 120 and the like, are attached to the front surface 110 of an accelerator 10. The lower end portion 130 of the accelerator 10 is combined with an interface (for example, a PCI-E interface or the like) on a motherboard, and thus the accelerator 10 is mounted on a server and operated.

A hot spot may be generated in an accelerator installed in a server. In order to cool this hot spot, the server should be also provided with a cooling system.

In general, a server employs an air-cooling method of installing a fan and cooling a target system by passing air through the inside of the target system as the cooling method of a cooling system.

However, in some cases, it may be difficult to perform cooling using the air-cooling method. For example, in the case where accelerators are densely mounted, it is difficult to cool the accelerators using the air-cooling method, and the accelerators should be cooled using a liquid-cooling method.

In this case, in a conventional cooling system for cooling an accelerator, such as a GPU, using the liquid-cooling method, an entrance/exit hole and a flow path for enabling the inflow and outflow of coolant are placed on the front surface 110 of an accelerator 10 or the surface of the accelerator 10 opposite to the surface of the accelerator 10 in contact with a motherboard, i.e., the top surface 140 of Fig. 1, as shown in Fig. 1.

In order to implement such a cooling system, an unoccupied space where a flow path can be disposed should be present inside a server. Accordingly, a problem arises in that when there is no unoccupied space inside a server, it is impossible to implement an appropriate cooling system.

In connection with this, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2005-0018567 (published on February 23, 2005) discloses an electronic device having a cooling system, including a liquid cooling system for carrying heat generated in a heat generation part to a heat dissipation part using liquid as a medium and cooling the heat, and an air cooling system for forcibly air-cooling the heat carried to the heat dissipation part, wherein a pump for circulating the liquid between the heat generation part and the heat dissipation part is installed, a fan for forcibly discharging the heat of the heat dissipation part to the outside is installed, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the heat generation part is installed, storage information which pre-defines the relationship between the voltage of the pump and the voltage of the fan is provided, and the control device determines and controls the voltages of the pump and the fan based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor and the storage information. However, this publication merely describes a water cooling system, but fails to overcome the aforementioned problem occurring when an accelerator, such as a GPU or the like, is applied to a server.

Accordingly, there is a need for technology that is capable of overcoming the aforementioned problem.

Meanwhile, the above-described background technologies correspond to technical information that the present inventor has possessed in order to devise the present invention or that has been acquired in the process of devising the present invention, and cannot be necessarily considered to be well-known technologies that had been known to the public before the application of the present invention.

At least one embodiment of the present invention is directed to the provision of a cooling device that is optimized for a server.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cooling device mountable on a server including at least one accelerator and an opening for the inflow and outflow of coolant, the cooling device including: a first cooling plate configured to come into contact with the accelerator; a second cooling plate disposed on the first cooling plate, and configured to form a watertight space in conjunction with the first cooling plate; and a block unit placed on at least part of the second cooling plate, and configured to include an entrance/exit hole that communicates with the opening and to thus allow the coolant to flow into or out of the watertight space.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, a cooling device optimized for a server can be presented.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to add and dispose a cooling device while maintaining the original shape of a server being currently sold in the market without change. Accordingly, the expenses required for the construction of a server can be reduced because an inexpensive, high-performance gaming GPU can be disposed and used as an accelerator.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the life span of an accelerator can be increased, and a server can be more stably driven.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, an accelerator can be easily separated from and combined with a server.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, an additional space is not required in a server because it is not necessary to dispose a flow path for cooling inside the server.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the risk of coolant leakage inside a server can be minimized because it is not necessary to dispose a flow path inside the server.

The advantageous effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects. Other advantageous effects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an accelerator on which a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted;

Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing the mounting of the cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention on the accelerator;

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a first cooling plate that constitutes part of the cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a second cooling plate that constitutes part of the cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figs. 6 and 7 are diagrams showing a block unit that constitutes part of the cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are views showing a server in which the cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention has been installed.

In the following description, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those having ordinary knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily practice the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms, and are not limited to the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, portions unrelated to descriptions are omitted in the drawings in order to clearly describe the present invention, and the same or similar reference symbols are assigned to the same or similar components throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification and the claims, when a portion or component is described as being connected to another portion or component, this includes not only a case where they are directly connected to each other but also a case where they are electrically connected to each other with a third portion or component interposed therebetween. Furthermore, when a portion or component is described as including another portion or component, this means that a third portion or component is not be excluded from the first portion or component but may be included in the first portion or component, unless particularly described to the contrary.

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an accelerator 10 on which a cooling device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted, Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the cooling device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on the accelerator 10, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cooling device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention has been mounted on the accelerator 10.

Figs. 2 and 3 will be described with reference to Figs. 4 to 7 later. In this case, Fig. 4 is a front view of a first cooling plate 300 that constituting part of the cooling device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 5 is a front view of a second cooling plate 400 that constitutes part of the cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a block unit 500 that constitutes part of the cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention and Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the block unit 500 taken along line A-A”.

The cooling device 200 is combined with the front surface 110 of the accelerator 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the cooling device 200 includes a first cooling plate 300, a second cooling plate 400, and a block unit 500.

That is, the cooling device 200 may include the first cooling plate 300 that comes into direct contact with the accelerator 10.

The first cooling plate 300 comes into direct contact with the heat radiation elements (a processor, memory, etc.) of the accelerator 10, and enables thermal conduction. Although the first cooling plate 300 is made of copper in order to achieve effective thermal conduction, the first cooling plate 300 may be made of material that enables thermal conduction sufficient to take away heat generated in the accelerator 10, and thus the material of the first cooling plate 300 is not limited to the above-described material.

Furthermore, the first cooling plate 300 may increase thermal conduction by additionally including thermal grease or a thermal pad between the accelerator 10 and the first cooling plate 300.

Furthermore, the front surface of the first cooling plate 300 which is opposite the surface of the first cooling plate 300 that comes into contact with the accelerator 10 may be depressed or projected so that the former surface comes into contact with the second cooling plate 400 and forms at least one watertight space 310, as shown in Fig. 4. Coolant may flow into and out of the watertight space 310. The disposition of the watertight space 310 on the first cooling plate 300 is configured to optimize the thermal conduction of the accelerator 10. Accordingly, the disposition of the watertight space 310 may vary depending on the type of accelerator 10. For example, the watertight space 310 may be disposed to be placed chiefly on the main heat radiation portion of the accelerator 10 (for example, the portion of the accelerator 10 where the processor is disposed), and coolant may flow within the watertight space 310.

Furthermore, the shape of the rear surface of the first cooling plate 300 which is opposite to the surface of the first cooling plate 300 where the watertight space 310 is formed and that comes into contact with the accelerator 10 may vary depending on the type of accelerator 10. For example, the portion of this surface of the first cooling plate 300 that comes into contact with a projected portion of the accelerator 10 may be implemented to be depressed, and the portion of this surface of the first cooling plate 300 that comes into contact with a depressed portion of the accelerator 10 may be implemented to be projected.

Furthermore, the first cooling plate 300 may include one or more holes 320. The first cooling plate 300 and the second cooling plate 400 may be fastened to each other by tightening fasteners, such as screws, through the holes 320.

The second cooling plate 400 may be disposed on the above-described first cooling plate 300.

In particular, a portion of one surface of the second cooling plate 400 (i.e., the rear surface of the second cooling plate 400 of Fig. 5) may be depressed or projected to form at least one watertight space in conjunction with the surface of the first cooling plate 300. A rubber packing is formed around the depressed or projected portion, and prevents coolant from leaking from the watertight space.

The second cooling plate 400 may be made of copper in order to achieve effective thermal conduction, but is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, as shown in Fig. 5, the second cooling plate 400 may include one or more first holes 410 that enable coolant to flow into and out of the watertight space.

Furthermore, the second cooling plate 400 may include one or more holes 420 that pass through the second cooling plate 400. The first cooling plate 300 and the second cooling plate 400 may be fastened to each other by tightening fasteners, such as screws, through the holes 320 of the first cooling plate and the holes 420.

All or part of the block unit 500 may be disposed on at least part of the second cooling plate 400.

In this case, although the shape of the block unit 500 is illustrated as a rectangular parallelepiped in Figs. 6 & 7, the block unit 500 may have various three-dimensional shapes, such as square pillar shape, a cylindrical shape, and a polyhedral shape.

Meanwhile, the block unit 500 may include one or more second holes 510, one or more passages 520, and one or more entrance/exit holes 530, as shown in Figs. 6 & 7.

The second holes 510 may communicate with the first holes 410, and may allow coolant to flow into or out of the first holes 410.

The passages 520 may be connected to the second holes 510, and may allow coolant to flow into or out of the second holes 510. In particular, each of the passages 520 extends in the direction from the second hole 510 to the inside of the block unit 500, is bent at the intersection between the line of the extension and a rectilinear line extending in the direction from the entrance/exit hole 530 to the inside of the block unit 500, and then extends toward the entrance/exit hole 530, as shown in Figs. 6 & 7. Accordingly, the entrance/exit holes 530 may be open, for example, in a direction perpendicular to the second holes 510. Since the direction in which the entrance/exit holes 530 are open may vary depending on the shape of the block unit 500, the direction in which the entrance/exit holes 530 are open is not limited to the above-described direction.

Furthermore, the block unit 500 may include the coolant entrance/exit holes 530 into or out of which coolant flows. The entrance/exit holes 530 may be connected to hoses (not shown), and may be supplied with coolant or discharge coolant, heated by the accelerator 10, via the hoses.

Moreover, the block unit 500 may include one or more holes 540, and at least part of the second cooling plate 400 and the block unit 500 may be fastened to each other by tightening fasters, such as screws, through the holes 540.

As described above, the block unit 500 may be separate from the second cooling plate 400, and thus may be combined with the second cooling plate 400 using the holes 540. Alternatively, it will be apparent that the block unit 500 may be integrated with the second cooling plate 400.

Furthermore, the block unit 500 may be combined with a quick disconnect coupling that can connect a hose (not shown) that enables the inflow of coolant into the block unit 500 or the outflow of coolant from the block unit 500.

The cooling device 200 including the above-described block unit 500 is located on the front surface 110 of the accelerator 10, and cools the accelerator 10. In this case, the entrance/exit holes 530 of the block unit 500 are located to be directed in a direction in which the side surface 150 of the accelerator 10 faces, and may communicate with the openings of a server. That is, the server may include the openings, formed in a casing, to allow the inflow and outflow of coolant. For example, the openings may communicate with the entrance/exit holes in such a manner that the openings come into direct contact with the entrance/exit holes, or in such a manner that quick disconnect couplings that connect hoses that enable the inflow (or outflow) of coolant into (or from) the entrance/exit holes are combined with the entrance/exit holes and then the couplings or hoses are inserted into the openings.

As described above, the couplings or hoses connected to the entrance/exit holes 530 may be exposed outside the server by disposing the entrance/exit holes 530 so that they are directed in a direction in which the side surface 150 of the accelerator faces. This enables a coolant flow path to be disposed outside the server.

Meanwhile, Figs. 8 and 9 are diagrams showing a server 600 in which the cooling device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention and the accelerator 10 have been installed. More specifically, Fig. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the inside of the server 600, and Fig. 9 is a diagram showing part of the server 600 including openings when the server 600 is viewed from the outside.

Although the server 600 may include a motherboard 610, including an interface on which the accelerator 10 is mounted, in a casing, as shown in Fig. 8, and may further include other components, for example, memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), etc, the inside of the casing of the server is schematically illustrated for ease of description.

The server 600 on which the cooling device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted includes openings for the inflow and outflow of coolant in the side surface 620 of the casing adjacent to the motherboard 610 (or the interface on which the accelerator is mounted).

Accordingly, when the accelerator 10 on which the cooling device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted is installed in the server 600, the entrance/exit holes may be directed in a direction in which the side surface 150 of the accelerator 10 faces, and thus the entrance/exit holes may communicate with the openings without the interruption of other components of the server.

That is, the openings and the entrance/exit holes may communicate with each other in such a manner in that the entrance/exit holes come into contact with the openings 710 or in such a manner that couplings connected to the entrance/exit holes or the hoses 720 connected to the entrance/exit holes (or the couplings) are projected outside the server through the openings 710, with the result that coolant flow paths may be disposed outside the server.

The above-described detailed description of the present invention is merely illustrative, and it will be understood that those having ordinary knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily make modifications and variations without departing from the technical spirit and essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects, and are not limitative. For example, each component described as being in a single form may be practiced in a distributed form. In the same manner, components described as being in a distributed form may be practiced in an integrated form.

The scope of the present invention is defined by the attached claims, rather than the detailed description. Furthermore, all modifications and variations derived from the meanings, scope and equivalents of the claims should be construed as falling within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

A cooling device mountable on a server including at least one accelerator and an opening for inflow and outflow of coolant, the cooling device comprising:

a first cooling plate configured to come into contact with the accelerator;

a second cooling plate disposed on the first cooling plate, and configured to form a watertight space in conjunction with the first cooling plate; and

a block unit placed on at least part of the second cooling plate, and configured to include an entrance/exit hole that communicates with the opening and to thus allow coolant to thus flow into or out of the watertight space.
The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the block unit is integrated with the second cooling plate.
The cooling device of claim 1, wherein:

the second cooling plate comprises at least one first hole that enables inflow or outflow of the coolant;

the block unit further comprises:

a second hole configured to communicate with the first hole; and

a passage connected to the second hole, and configured to allow the coolant to flow into or out of the second hole; and

the entrance/exit hole is connected to the passage, and allows the coolant to flow into or out of the passage.
The cooling device of claim 3, wherein the passage extends in a direction from the second hole to an inside of the block unit, is bent at an intersection between a line of the extension and a rectilinear line extending in a direction from the entrance/exit hole to the inside of the block unit, and then extends toward the entrance/exit hole.
A server in which the cooling device of claim 1 is installed, wherein a hose configured to allow the coolant to flow into or out of the cooling device is connected to the entrance/exit hole through the opening.
The server of claim 5, further comprising an interface on which the accelerator is mounted,

wherein the opening is formed in a side surface of a casing that is located adjacent to the interface.
A cooling device mountable on a server including at least one accelerator and an opening for inflow or outflow of coolant, and locatable on at least part of a second cooling plate that forms a watertight space in conjunction with a first cooling plate that comes into contact with the accelerator, the cooling device comprising:

a block unit configured to include an entrance/exit hole communicating with the opening and to thus allow the coolant to flow into or out of the watertight space.