US10123463B2 — Liquid submerged, horizontal computer server rack and systems and method of cooling such a server rack (Part 2 of 2)

Bitcoin Research — Law, Regulation, Markets & Origins (2026)

Patents

2

2009-08-10

Document text

Research, not advice. Part of the Bitcoin research archive (October 2026). Claims labelled unverified, contested or fringe are reported, not endorsed; statuses of bills and rules are as of the date checked. Government, court and patent records are public domain; the research notes are CC BY 4.0.

the at least one pump is operated to move the                   at least one tank ; and
     dielectric liquid coolant vertically across the heat pro          a multi-circuit fluid cooling apparatus,
     ducing components on the vertically oriented mother               wherein , when the vertically oriented rack -mountable
     boards, a circuit is formed in which a first portion of 10
     dielectric liquid coolant is moved vertically upward                 servers are mountably received in at least one row in
     across the heat producing components on the vertically               the at least one tank , at least a portion of at least two of
     oriented motherboards and then downward outside of                   the vertically oriented rack -mountable servers being
     the rack mountable servers in the at least one passage ,            mountably received is held in the at least one tank such
     while a second portion of the dielectric liquid coolant 15          that at least two of the vertically oriented rack -mount
     flows out of the tank ,                                              able servers can be commonly at least partially sub
  wherein the secondary cooling apparatus is configured to               merged in a volume of the dielectric liquid coolant in
    reject, by way of the remote heat exchanger , heat                    the at least one tank for cooling the vertically oriented
     transferred from the second portion of the dielectric               rack -mountable servers ,
     liquid coolant .                                             20   wherein , when the vertically oriented rack -mountable
  23 . The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein , when the plurality           servers are mountably received in the at least one tank
of rack -mountable servers are mountably received , at least              and commonly at least partially submerged in the
one of the vertically oriented rack -mountable servers is                volume of dielectric liquid coolant in the at least one
completely submerged within the dielectric liquid coolant                tank , the plurality of vertically oriented rack -mountable
such that a volume of dielectric liquid coolant collects in a 25         servers are thermally coupled to a remote heat
common manifold area above the at least one vertically                    exchanger outside of the server room via the multi
oriented rack -mountable server to improve the circulation of            circuit fluid cooling apparatus , wherein the multiple
the liquid coolant through the vertically oriented rack                   circuit fluid cooling apparatus comprises:
mountable servers , thereby enhancing the cooling of the                  a dielectric liquid cooling apparatus;
vertically oriented rack -mountable server.                       30
                                                                          a secondary cooling apparatus comprising a remote
   24 . The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the at least one                heat exchanger ; and
tank comprises an open or openable top , wherein the verti                a liquid -to -liquid or liquid -to -refrigerant heat
cally oriented rack -mountable servers are mountable such                   exchanger;
that at least one of the vertically oriented rack -mountable           wherein the dielectric liquid cooling apparatus including
servers can be removed from the tank through the open or 35
openable top while at least two of the other vertically                  one or more pumps, and a plurality of fluid velocity
oriented rack -mountable servers remain commonly at least                augmentation devices in the volume of dielectric liquid
partially submersed in the dielectric liquid coolant and                  coolant in the at least one tank , wherein at least one of
dielectric liquid coolant continues to flow across the at least           the pumps , the coolant inlet, the coolant outlet, and the
two other vertically oriented rack -mountable servers.          40       mountingmembers are configured such that the at least
   25 . An apparatus for cooling a plurality of rack -mountable          one pump moves at least a portion of the dielectric
servers containing heat generating electronic components in              liquid coolant in the volume of dielectric liquid coolant
a server room , the cooling apparatus comprising:                         vertically across heat producing components on the
  at least one tank defining an open interior volume and                 vertically oriented motherboard of one of the vertically
     having a coolant inlet for receiving a dielectric liquid 45         oriented rack -mountable servers in parallel flow with
     coolant within the open interior volume and having a                 dielectric liquid coolant moved vertically across heat
    coolant outlet for allowing the dielectric liquid coolant             producing components on the vertically oriented moth
    to flow from the open interior volume, the coolant inlet             erboard of at least one other of the vertically oriented
    and the coolant outlet being fluidly coupled to each                 rack -mountable servers ,
    other, wherein the at least one tank comprises an open 50          wherein the vertically oriented rack -mountable servers
    or openable top sized to receive at least one row                     are mountable in the at least one tank such that, when
    comprising a plurality of rack -mountable servers , each              the vertically oriented rack -mountable servers are com
    of at least two of the plurality of rack -mountable                  monly at least partially submerged in the volume of
     servers in the at least one row comprising a mother                 dielectric liquid coolant in the at least one tank and the
    board and heat producing components mounted to the 55                 dielectric liquid coolant is moved within the at least one
    motherboard ;                                                         tank , at least one of the vertically oriented rack -mount
  one or more mounting members positioned within the                     able servers is independently vertically removable from
     interior volume and configured to mountably receive                 the volume of dielectric liquid coolant in which the at
     the plurality of rack -mountable servers within the inte            least two vertically oriented rack -mountable servers are
     rior volume, wherein the mounting members are con - 60              commonly at least partially submerged and from the at
     figured to hold each of at least two of the rack                     least one tank through the top of the tank while at least
    mountable servers in the at least one row in a                       two of the other vertically oriented rack -mountable
     horizontally stacked relationship with one another, with            servers in the at least one row remain commonly at least
     the rack -mountable servers in a vertical orientation               partially submerged in the volume of dielectric liquid
     such that one of the two smallest sides of the rack - 65            coolant in the at least one tank and the dielectric liquid
    mountable server faces upward and the motherboard of                 coolant in the at least one tank continues to flow across
     the rack -mountable server is vertically oriented ,                 heat producing electronic components of the at least
                                                   US 10 , 123,463 B2
                              35                                                                  36
     two other vertically oriented rack -mountable servers               least a portion of the first fluid circuit between the exits
     remaining at least partially commonly submerged in the              of the vertically oriented rack -mountable servers and
     at least one row ,                                                  the coolant outlet.
  wherein the one or more mounting members are config -               28 . The apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the controller
     ured to mountably receive the plurality of vertically 5 provides further instructions for periodically :
     oriented rack -mountable servers above the bottom of       determining the optimum elevated temperature of the
     the at least one tank to form a volume between the           heated dielectric liquid coolant as it exits the plurality
     plurality of vertically oriented rack -mountable servers            of vertically oriented rack -mountable servers in order
     and the bottom of the at least one tank in which the                for the dielectric liquid coolant to sufficiently cool the
     dielectric liquid coolant can collect to permit the flow 10         vertically oriented rack -mountable servers while reduc
     of dielectric liquid coolant through the plurality of               ing the amount of energy consumed to sufficiently cool
     vertically oriented rack -mountable servers,                        each vertically oriented respective server;
  wherein the volume of dielectric liquid coolant comprises           determining the amount of energy needed to reject the
    at least one passage in the tank that is outside of the 16           absorbed heat for cooling the vertically oriented rack
     vertically oriented rack -mountable servers, wherein ,              mountable servers; and
     when the at least one pump is operated to move the               in response to the periodic determinations of the optimum
     dielectric liquid coolant vertically across the heat pro            elevated temperature and the amount of energy needed
     ducing components on the vertically oriented mother                 to reject the absorbed heat, adjusting the amount of heat
     boards, a circuit is formed in which a first portion of 20          to be rejected through the remote heat exchanger in
     dielectric liquid coolant is moved vertically upward                order that the dielectric liquid coolant is maintained at
     across the heat producing components on the vertically              approximately the optimum elevated temperature in the
     oriented motherboards and then downward outside of                  at least a portion of the circuit between the exits of the
     the rack mountable servers in the at least one passage ,            vertically oriented rack -mountable servers and the
    while a second portion of the dielectric liquid coolant 25           coolant outlet.
     flows out of the tank and through the liquid - to - liquid or    29 . The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the elevated
    liquid - to -refrigerant heat exchanger,                       temperature is a temperature in the range of 90 degrees F .
  wherein the liquid -to -liquid or liquid - to - refrigerant heat and 130 degrees F .
     exchanger is configured to transfer heat from the sec            30 . The apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the elevated
     ond portion of dielectric liquid coolant in the circuit to 30 temperature is a temperature in the range of 100 degrees F .
     liquid or refrigerant moving in the secondary cooling and31110     .
                                                                            degrees F .
                                                                          The apparatus of claim 1,
     apparatus,
  wherein the secondary cooling apparatus is configured to            wherein the circuit includes heated dielectric coolant that
    reject, by way of the remote heat exchanger, at least z 5           has exited the vertically oriented rack -mountable serv
                                                                         ers at the top of the at least one row of vertically
    part of the heat transferred from the second portion of              oriented rack -mountable servers ,
     the dielectric liquid coolant                                    wherein one part of the heated dielectric liquid coolant
  wherein , when the plurality of rack -mountable servers are            that has exited the vertically oriented rack -mountable
     mountably received , the plurality of rack -mountable               servers at the top of the at least one row of vertically
     servers are completely submerged within the dielectric 40           oriented rack -mountable servers recirculates down
     liquid coolant such that a volume of dielectric liquid             ward in the at least one passage to the bottom of the at
     coolant collects in a common manifold area above the               least one tank ,
    plurality of rack -mountable servers,                             wherein another part of the heated dielectric liquid cool
  wherein one part of the heated dielectric liquid coolant              ant that has exited the vertically oriented rack -mount
     that has collected in the common manifold area recir- 45           able servers at the top of the at least one row of
     culates downward in at least one passage to the bottom             vertically oriented rack -mountable servers exits the at
     of the at least one tank , and                                      least one tank in the second portion of dielectric liquid
  wherein another part of the heat heated dielectric coolant             coolant.
     that has collected in the common manifold area exits             32 . The apparatus of claim 1,
     the at least one tank through the coolant outlet in the 50       wherein heated dielectric liquid coolant exiting the rack
     second portion of dielectric liquid coolant.                       mountable servers collects in a common manifold area
  26 . The apparatus of claim 25 , wherein the dielectric               above the top of the vertically oriented rack -mountable
liquid coolant flows from the volume between the plurality              servers in the at least one row ,
of vertically oriented rack -mountable servers and the at least       wherein one part of the heated dielectric liquid coolant
one tank to the common manifold area above the plurality of 55           that has collected in the common manifold area recir
vertically oriented rack -mountable servers.                             culates downward in at least one passage to the bottom
   27 . The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising :                  of the at least one tank , and
   a controller separate from the vertically oriented rack            wherein another part of the heat heated dielectric coolant
    mountable servers for controlling the cooling appara                 that has collected in the common manifold area exits
     tus, wherein said controller provides instructions for 60         t he at least one tank in the second portion of dielectric
     periodically monitoring the temperature of the liquid               liquid coolant.
     coolant at at least one location within the first fluid          33 . The apparatus of claim 1 ,
     circuit ; and                                                    wherein the cooling outlet is proximate to surface of the
  in response to the periodic determination of the tempera               volume of dielectric liquid coolant in the at least one
     ture, adjusting the amount ofheat to be rejected through 65         tank , and
     the remote heat exchanger such that the dielectric liquid        wherein at least a portion of the second portion of
     coolant is maintained at an elevated temperature in at              dielectric liquid coolant exiting the at least one tank is
                                              US 10 , 123,463 B2
                        37
drawn from heated dielectric liquid coolant proximate
                                                                   38
to the surface of the volume of dielectric liquid coolant.