Patent Application
20200296860
In certain embodiments, an apparatus includes an enclosure with a first data storage section, a second data storage section, a first cooling section positioned therebetween, and a second cooling section. The apparatus also includes an air-to-liquid heat exchanger positioned in the first cooling section and configured to cool air directed from the first data storage section towards the second data storage section and the second cooling section.
In certain embodiments, a system includes a data storage system having an enclosure with a first data storage section, a second data storage section, a first cooling section positioned therebetween, and fan modules positioned within a second cooling section. The system also includes a cooling system with a pump and a heat exchanger fluidly coupled to each other. The heat exchanger is positioned within the first cooling section of the enclosure and is arranged to cool air directed towards the fan modules.
In certain embodiments, a method is disclosed for cooling data storage devices in an enclosure with a first data storage section, a second data storage section, a first cooling section positioned therebetween, and a second cooling section. The method includes powering fan modules positioned in the second cooling section to draw air across the first data storage section, the first cooling section, and the second data storage section. The method also includes pumping liquid through a heat exchanger positioned within the first cooling section to cool air passing through the first cooling section and the second data storage section.
While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
While the disclosure is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, is not to limit the disclosure to the particular embodiments described but instead is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope the appended claims.
Data storage systems are used to store and/or process vast amounts of data. It can be challenging to keep the systems within a desired temperature range because of the amount of heat the systems typically generate during operation. Data storage systems can include cooling devices such as air movers (e.g., fans) that assist with maintaining the systems within the desired temperature range. However, as data storage systems continue to increase in density and/or power consumption, air-based cooling (e.g., cooling using fan modules) by itself may not provide enough cooling. Other cooling approaches such as liquid-only based cooling (e.g., liquid cooling plates, liquid immersion) can provide comparatively better cooling but data storage systems incorporating liquid-based cooling are heavy, expensive, and/or difficult to service. Certain embodiments of the present disclosure feature systems, methods, and devices involving hybrid air-based cooling and liquid-based cooling approaches for data storage systems.
The enclosure 200 includes a chassis 204 with a front side wall 206A, first side wall 206B, a second side wall 206C, a third side wall 206D, a bottom wall 206E (shown
The enclosure 200 extends between a front end 210 and a back end 212. When assembled, the enclosure 200 houses and supports the data storage devices 202 (e.g., hard disc drives and/or solid state drives), data processing units (e.g., graphic processing units), electrical components (e.g., wiring, circuit boards), and cooling devices (e.g., air movers, heat exchangers). The enclosure 200 can be split into one or more data storage areas 214A-G, electrical component areas 216, and cooling areas (e.g., a first cooling area 218A and a second cooling area 218B). In addition to, or in replace of, data storage, the data storage areas 214A-G can be used for data processing.
The enclosure 200 is also shown as including the first cooling area 218A that is positioned between two of the data storage areas 214D and 214E. As will be described in more detail below, a heat exchanger 220 can be positioned within the first cooling area 218A to help cool portions of the enclosure 200 and its components.
The second cooling area 218B extends between the back end 212 of the enclosure 200 and the data storage area 214G. The second cooling area 218B includes a cooling plenum 222 with several cooling devices 224A-D (e.g., air-movers such as fans) positioned within the cooling plenum 222. The enclosure 200 may include multiple cooling plenums where, for example, each cooling device 224A-D is associated with its own cooling plenum. In another example, two or more cooling devices may share a cooling plenum. In certain embodiments, the cooling plenum 222 does not include or otherwise house data storage devices 202. Although not shown in the Figures, some of the chassis walls may form the plenum walls. For example, a single wall may form both the chassis side wall and plenum side wall (e.g., a single wall formed by one piece of sheet metal or formed by the same two pieces of sheet metal). The plenum walls and the chassis walls can be made of metal (e.g., aluminum or steel sheets of metal), plastic, etc.
The cooling devices 224A-D shown in
One approach for addressing increased cooling needs is to increase the speed at which the fan modules' blades rotate (e.g., increased operating speeds result in smaller air temperature increases across the enclosure). However, rotating the blades of the fan modules 224A-D generates acoustic energy (e.g., energy transmitted through air) and chassis vibration (e.g., energy transmitted through the chassis 204 itself)—both of which can affect the performance of the data storage devices 202 and both of which can increase in amplitude with increased rotational speeds. Further, increased rotational speeds increases the amount of power consumed by the fan modules. When acoustic energy or chassis vibration is transmitted to the data storage devices 202 in the enclosure 200, the data storage devices 202 vibrate, which affects the data storage devices' 202 ability to write data and read data. For data storage devices 202 that are hard disk drives, the vibration resulting from acoustic energy and chassis vibration can make it difficult for the read/write heads in the hard disk drives to settle on or follow a desired data track during data reading and data writing operations. The risk of acoustic energy affecting performance increases as hard disk drives store more data per disk and therefore require finer positioning of the read/write heads.
Incorporating the heat exchanger 220 into the enclosure 200 can provide better cooling compared to air-only cooling approaches. With the addition of the heat exchanger 220, the operating speed of the fan modules 224A-D (and therefore the amount of acoustic energy generated) can be reduced while still accomplishing similar or better cooling. As shown in
The heat exchanger 220 may be a liquid-to-air heat exchanger. Liquid-to-air heat exchangers include one or more hollow tubes through which a liquid (e.g., water) is passed through. The heat exchanger 220 may include fins or plates conductively coupled to the tubes such that the fins or plates are cooled by the water (e.g., cooler water) passing through the tubes.
Below, various aspects of a cooling system 300 shown in
In certain embodiments, the source 302 for the cooling system 300 is shared with a data center's water source (e.g., a connection to a public water utility). In other embodiments, the source 302 is a water reservoir that is cooled to provide water at a lower temperature (e.g., 10-15 degrees Celsius) than the temperature (e.g., 20-25 degrees Celsius) of water provided by the data center's water source. The conduit 304 is fluidly coupled to the source 302 and can include piping through which the water flows. In certain embodiments, some of the conduit 304 is flexible piping. For example, some of the conduit 304 may be positioned within a data storage system 350 and need to be flexible so that drawers or enclosures within the data storage system 350 can be moved or otherwise accessed for maintenance.
As the water passes through the heat exchangers 308, fins or plates of the heat exchangers 308 are cooled. The air in the enclosures 354 that flows past the heat exchangers 308 is also cooled. For example, the temperature of such air may be cooled by several degrees Celsius (e.g., 4-6, 2-20 degrees Celsius). As such, the air flowing between the heat exchangers and fan modules in the enclosures is at a colder temperature than what the air temperature would have been without the heat exchangers 308. Data storage devices within that area of the enclosure can operate within a lower-temperature environment.
In certain embodiments, the water is pumped at a consistent and predetermined flow rate through the heat exchangers 308. In other embodiments, the flow rate of the water is variable and/or intermittent. For example, to save energy costs, the pumps 306 can be turned off or operated for a lower flow rate when less cooling is required within the enclosures 354. The amount of cooling required at a given point in time can be determined based at least in part on one or more air-temperature measurements taken (e.g., via temperature sensors such as thermocouples) within the data storage system 350. Similarly, the operating speed of fan modules can be modified in response to air-temperature measurements. For example, if less cooling is required, the fan modules can be operated at a lower speed to reduce power consumption and/or to reduce the amount of acoustic energy generated by the fan modules.
In certain embodiments, the heat exchangers 308 are single-pass heat exchangers. With this type of heat exchanger, the water enters a tube on one side of the heat exchanger 308 and exits the tube on the opposite side of the heat exchanger 308. In other embodiments, the heat exchangers 308 are double-pass heat exchangers. With this arrangement, the water enters and exits a tube on the same side of the heat exchanger 308. The tube is U-shaped such that the water flows back-and-forth to and from one side of the heat exchanger. Double-pass heat exchangers may provide more uniform cooling compared to single-pass heat exchangers. For example, in a single-pass configuration, the water near the entrance of the heat exchanger will consistently be cooler than the water near the exit of the heat exchanger. As such, the temperature of the air passing through a single-pass heat exchanger will be cooler on the input side of the heat exchanger 308 compared to the temperature of the air on the output side of the heat exchanger 308. In certain embodiments, the heat exchangers 308 include tubes that are shaped to provide more than two passes of the water across the heat exchangers 308.
The heat exchanger 400 includes plates or fins 410 that are coupled to portions of the tube 402. The fins or plates 410 can be thin or oriented such that air can pass through gaps between each of the fins or plates 410. For example, the fins or plates 410 can be planar and rectangular shaped and oriented such that the fins or plates 410 extend lengthwise along a longitunidal axis of an enclosure. The fins or plates 410 can comprise thermally-conductive metals such as copper and aluminum. Increasing the number of fins or plates 410 in the heat exchanger 400 can increase the amount cooling provided by the heat exchanger 400 but also increases how much the heat exchanger 400 impedes the flow of air. For example, a higher number of fins or plates 410 in the heat exchanger 400 may result in smaller gaps between the fins or plates 410, which lets less air pass through the heat exchanger 400.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the embodiments disclosed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, while the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this disclosure also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to include all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as falling within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
